SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 46:00 Min.
Tunnel of Love is Bruce Springsteen’s eighth studio album released on October 9, 1987, by Columbia Records. This twelve-track album was recorded from January through July of 1987.
Note: Despite the insert’s first paragraph claiming Tunnel of Love as Springsteen’s fourth album, it’s actually his eighth!
Track Number: Run Time:
- Ain’t Got You 2:11
- Tougher Than The Rest 4:35
- All That Heaven Will Allow 2:39
- Spare Parts 3:44
- Cautious Man 3:58
- Walk Like a Man 3:45
- Tunnel of Love 5:12
- Two Faces 3:03
- Brilliant Disguise 4:17
- One Step Up 4:22
- When You’re Alone 3:24
- Valentine’s Day 5:10
REVIEW:
Tunnel of Love had the difficult task of following up Springsteen’s prior album, Born in the U.S.A.. In hopes to be original, Tunnel of Love has an almost entirely different sound. Every track is a love song of some sort — some with a bitter tone and others with a more lighthearted one. Ain’t Got You is a failed attempt at R&B, and no one would blame you for hitting the skip button.
In Tougher Than The Rest, Springsteen sings about two lovers who have a lot of baggage from their prior relationships. It’s simplistic yet sweet getting its point across to the listener. The same could be said for the third track on the album, All That Heaven Will Allow. It’s an upbeat, run-of-the-mill love song, but it does its job. Spare Parts shows the first signs of Springsteen’s storytelling ability. The title and chorus are forgettable, but the other verses aren’t so bad. Even so, other songs like The River have similar messages and are vastly superior to this one.
The fifth song, Cautious Man, is a mellow, Nebraska-esque track that again tells the story of a failing relationship. The song is pretty good, but it once again feels like already-charted territory with The River’s Stolen Car. Regardless, it’s worth a listen. Walk Like A Man describes someone trying to follow in his father’s footsteps by being a caring father and husband. It’s fine but nothing great.
The title track, Tunnel of Love, is where this album really takes off. Tunnel of Love distances itself from the stripped-down and explicit lyrics of the other six tracks that came before it. Springsteen compares a tunnel of love to a marriage, and it works beautifully. Springsteen also fully utilizes synthesizers, Patti Scialfa’s back-up vocals, and Max Weinberg’s drums. The title track is one of the best from Tunnel of Love as it feels more complete than many of the other songs.
Two Faces reverts back to the other five songs’ slow pace and raw tone. The main character in the song loves his partner yet mistreats her at the same time. It’s an interesting theme, but there are better songs on the album that do a better job of sending this message. Brilliant Disguise is arguably Springsteen’s best song from the post-Born in the U.S.A. era. Like Tunnel of Love, the use of drums, piano, and an electric organ work very well with Springsteen’s vocals and guitar. Brilliant Disguise is truly one of the best songs of Springsteen’s career.
One Step Up uses multiple analogies to describe a relationship that can’t be salvaged. It’s more complete than many of the other songs on Tunnel of Love, but it isn’t quite as good as Brilliant Disguise or the title track. The eleventh track, When You’re Alone, is what it sounds like. The character is lonely and reminiscing on his past relationship with someone. Nothing elaborate but it works fine. The final song, Valentine’s Day, shows a man who is ready to finally settle down. It’s an okay song but nothing more than that.
The only major flaw with Tunnel of Love is the lack of diversity between its themes. Many of the songs tell similar stories to others on the album. The majority feel incomplete or come off as filler tracks. None of them are particularly bad; however, only a few on this album could be considered highlights of Springsteen’s career.
ROSCOE’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
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