In the weeks after September 11, hoards of songwriters from all genres went to work crafting their responses, but none were moved by the tragedy as much as the salt-of-the-earth musicians, the artists who habitually sympathize with the blue-collar workers of the world, the Alan Jacksons and Hank Williams Jrs and, yes, the Bruce Springsteens.
It pains me to lump the great classic rocker into the same category as those slight country artists, but it’s undeniable that while “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” is a pale, obvious shadow of the work on Springsteen’s new album The Rising, the spirit is the same. “Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us / And the greatest is love” Jackson sang on his hit ballad. Springsteen sings on “Into The Fire”, “May your strength give us strength / May your faith give us faith / May your hope give us hope / May your hope bring us love.” The sentiments and themes and even the words are exactly the same. So why is it that “Where Were You” inspires a kind of revulsion in me, while “Into the Fire” made me cry the first time I heard it?
Alan Jackson’s emotion in his ballad came off as forced, because what he does best is write novelty songs about drinking and getting divorced and… shit, I don’t know… horses, I guess. He couldn’t be bothered to employ a single metaphor in his song, opting instead to strike an I-tell-it-like-it-is pose, describing common feelings in as dry and obvious a way as possible, perhaps so as not to go over his audience’s heads. He even wrote a plain-spoken appeal to ignorance into the chorus: “I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you the difference / in Iraq and Iran.” Good for him.
The difference between his failure and Bruce’s success can’t be sincerity, for if we go around questioning the sincerity of one songwriter, they are all suspect, and not even I am that cynical. The difference is quality, plain and simple. Springsteen has always been great at writing anthems, and narrating wrenching emotional situations. He has built a career on taking working-class characters, and all their heartache, and setting it to a scorching guitar riff and an impossibly catchy chorus. He’s also not shy about voicing doubts, exposing contradictions and even exploring his own shortcomings. That, more than anything, is why The Rising works. It is populated with people who are in pain, and confused, and perhaps even wrong, but Bruce makes them Human and, just as importantly, American. He embodies a sensibility so American that no one else could have made an album about September 11 and have it come off this well. Bruce is the voice of the common man in a way that no other artist has ever even come close to.
Article comments
1 - Jim Henley
"Mary's Place," thoroughly embarrassing? The mind boggles. It's nothing less than the album's masterpiece.
See Darkness on the Edge of Town.
2 - Karl Urban
Mary's Place contains the key line in the whole album, which really gets emphasized in concert: "How do you live brokenhearted." It's a brilliant juxtaposition of lyrics (dark) and music (let's party!), followed by the realization the next morning (in the following song) that "You're (still) Missing"
3 - Jimmy Jazz
I see your point, I guess, but what is one to make of lyrics like "Let it rain Let it rain Let it rain Let it rain Let it rain Let it rain Let it rain"?
Ridiculous, says I.
4 - Karl Urban
In the context of the album, "Let it rain" is a pretty obvious metaphor. Based on your website, I think you understand metaphors pretty well....
5 - Joe W
"Mary's Place " embarassing? I disagree. I studied the lyrics of this song longer than any of the others on the Rising. I just felt Bruce had deeper intentions than the way this song comes off. Could it be that Mary's Place is another name for heaven? That would certainly change a lot of people's opinions of this song. I believe Bruce disquised a much deeper meaning under a blanket of simplicity which certainly would make this song embarassing for those of us who did'nt get it.
6 - Double-E
I never really thought Mary's Place fit in the context of the rest of The Rising. But the comment about Mary's place being a metaphor for heaven definitely makes me think of the song in a completely different way. I don't want to dislike the song, especially since he plays it often in concert and it gets the crowd going quite a bit.
7 - Shelby
Mary's Place is poetic, beautiful, and so deep. You just have to look for the meaning. It makes references to Buddha right off the bat, so you knows there is some secret message right away. Mary may equal the Virgin Mary and mary's place could be Heaven. LET IT RAIN is a phrase that should make any listener just melt because it usually is about washing away something burdening you, like sin or pain. Then since Bruce loves music so much and feels it's a release, TURN IT UP is like trying to drown out all the bad memories, but of course they will come back when the music stops. Bruce knows that.