Springsteen released a single from his forthcoming 'Wrecking Ball' album (due 6 March) this week that's already got critics pondering its meaning. Randall Roberts in the LA Times labels it 'patriotic'. Jim Farber of the NY Daily News -- who's been hard on Springsteen's work in the past -- calls it a 'tale of American self-reliance'. Backstreets does its homework and unearths a 2009 Nation article called 'Katrina's Hidden Race War', "... about a white 'militia' shooting at least 11 African-American men' in the days after the storm, when the city fractured along racial fault lines as its government collapsed":
Surrounded by a crowd of sunburned white Algiers Point locals at a barbeque held not long after the hurricane, [militia member Wayne Janak] smiles and tells the camera, "It was great! It was like pheasant season in South Dakota. If it moved, you shot it." A native of Chicago, Janak also boasts of becoming a true Southerner, saying, "I am no longer a Yankee. I earned my wings." A white woman standing next to him adds, "He understands the N-word now." In this neighborhood, she continues, "we take care of our own."
That Bruce Springsteen has initiated such debate over the meaning of a 4-minute rock-and-roll song in our garbage culture of vapid celebrities and corporate-approved infotainment is testament to the man's stature as an artist and his courage to challenge listeners. I've listened to the new song several times and am eager to hear if it's a meaningful outrider on 'Wrecking Ball' or signals a return to Springsteen's past method of delivering a theme across a body of work. I hope it's the latter.
1 comment:
The Rhyme Animal
said...
I have listened to this track a few times also- and totally think it is Bruce playing with words, maybe not trying to be clever, but it is bound to be misunderstood.
The first party that co-opts this song- will be the party that loses, mark my words.
And, it WILL be used, by someone, much in the way Born in the USA was used- times are different now, by alot.
My first thought, without reading others opinions, was that it was a bitter song-disguised behind a bunch of classic Americana imagery.
I have read a bunch about it now, and still stick to my initial belief. It is NOT some pro America song- nor is it damning America.
I think it is more- gee, we have really become more separated than ever- and, behind that, are group now, that band together and "take care of our own".
That phrase, "We take care of our own", has been around for a real long time- hard to say if he is pulling it from the New Orleans stuff- even with the use of New Orleans Superdome in the lyric, Could be, we cant tell. Also, could it be a song that has been in the "notebook" for awhile, maybe it was written around the Katrina time frame- no way to know, until the interview season starts.
"we take care of our own", akin to "I take care of my kids"- funny, it reminded me of the former line when hearing it too.
Lets hope when this current election cycle is over, that will begin to end- unless the Great Divider remains in the Oval Office.
Musically- the song starts off with a promise(sorry for the pun), I like it, but honestly, it meanders- I am waiting for something to kick in, something more to happen.
The outro, too long, not much going on- loses me.
On the whole, I like it, give it a solid B grade, but hope that it is NOT the strongest track on the album.
If the album is close or better than this one track, it WILL be a good listen.
My God- the fact that the man is 62, going on 63, and can still write and perform relavant music is pretty incredible, lets just give him his due as an American treasure, much in the vein that Johnny Cash obtained in his later years.
1 comment:
I have listened to this track a few times also- and totally think it is Bruce playing with words, maybe not trying to be clever, but it is bound to be misunderstood.
The first party that co-opts this song- will be the party that loses, mark my words.
And, it WILL be used, by someone, much in the way Born in the USA was used- times are different now, by alot.
My first thought, without reading others opinions, was that it was a bitter song-disguised behind a bunch of classic Americana imagery.
I have read a bunch about it now, and still stick to my initial belief. It is NOT some pro America song- nor is it damning America.
I think it is more- gee, we have really become more separated than ever- and, behind that, are group now, that band together and "take care of our own".
That phrase, "We take care of our own", has been around for a real long time- hard to say if he is pulling it from the New Orleans stuff- even with the use of New Orleans Superdome in the lyric, Could be, we cant tell. Also, could it be a song that has been in the "notebook" for awhile, maybe it was written around the Katrina time frame- no way to know, until the interview season starts.
"we take care of our own", akin to "I take care of my kids"- funny, it reminded me of the former line when hearing it too.
Lets hope when this current election cycle is over, that will begin to end- unless the Great Divider remains in the Oval Office.
Musically- the song starts off with a promise(sorry for the pun), I like it, but honestly, it meanders- I am waiting for something to kick in, something more to happen.
The outro, too long, not much going on- loses me.
On the whole, I like it, give it a solid B grade, but hope that it is NOT the strongest track on the album.
If the album is close or better than this one track, it WILL be a good listen.
My God- the fact that the man is 62, going on 63, and can still write and perform relavant music is pretty incredible, lets just give him his due as an American treasure, much in the vein that Johnny Cash obtained in his later years.
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