In between the massive successes of The River tour and the release of Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen shocked fans, and his record label, with Nebraska, a bare-bones collection of songs recorded on a four-track tape recorder in the bedroom of a rented house in Colts Neck, New Jersey. Refusing to promote the album or tour on it, Nebraska was essentially dropped on the world with no explanation. Critically admired, the album sold respectably, but its reputation would only grow with time. Warren Zanes, a rock musician himself, chronicles the recording process and the post-release narrative surrounding the album, with a particular focus on how beloved it is among Springsteen’s peers. Steve Earle and Rosanne Cash are two of the many who are quoted in depth praising the album.
Speaking of Colts Neck, I grew up in nearby Freehold, NJ, Springsteen’s hometown, where being a fan of The Boss is practically required for citizenship. But that being said, growing up I wasn’t really an album guy. I loved a lot of Bruce songs, but had never listened to any of his albums straight through, and in fact hadn’t ever heard some of the songs on Nebraska until I decided to read this book. (The upcoming biopic starring Jeremy Allen White is based on Deliver Me From Nowhere.)
Zanes does a great job setting the scene of where Springsteen was in his career, laying out his rapidly-increasing fane and his similarly increasing discomfort with it. There was also drama within the band, as the exacting Springsteen could drive bandmates and producers insane with his indecisiveness. The double-album The River had been grueling to record, though everyone was happy with how it captured the feeling of the band’s live performances. Born in the U.S.A. was meant to be the follow-up, but when the recording stalled, Springsteen retreated to Colts Neck.
He was meant to be making demos of songs for the band to record later, but when they tried, no one was happy with the results. Eventually, Springsteen and his manager Jon Landau came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to put out the solo recordings as is. But even that turned out to be a tall order. Zanes chronicles the many technical issues brought about by the unusual process. Springsteen had recorded the demos on a new home recording-device, and transferring the results from the cassette tape to other mediums proved exceedingly difficult.
I especially enjoyed the way Zanes got into the album’s unusual inspirations. The title track came about after Springsteen stayed up late watching the Terrence Malick movie Badlands on TV. The unflinching look at ugliness and irredeemable characters came from Bruce’s reading of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, which he read after being given a copy by his manager Jon Landau’s wife Barbara. The overall aesthetic of the album cover and interior photographs came from WPA photographs from the 1930s. And, of course, the whole thing could be said to be a reaction to Reagan Era consumerism. I also appreciated the way Zanes delineated why the album is structured as it is, and why some tracks were and were not included. Zanes gets some great insights from his interview with Springsteen as well.
For Springsteen fans, Deliver Me From Nowhere is close to a must-read, but I think any music lover would appreciate this unique look inside the creative process.