Nebraska | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 30, 1982 | |||
Recorded | December 17, 1981, to January 3, 1982, in Colts Neck, New Jersey, except "My Father's House", May 25, 1982 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:50 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Bruce Springsteen | |||
Bruce Springsteen chronology | ||||
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Singles from Nebraska | ||||
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Nebraska is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on September 30, 1982, by Columbia Records. Springsteen recorded the songs as demos on a 4-track recorder, intending to rerecord them with the E Street Band, but decided to release them as they were. [5] Nebraska remains one of the most highly regarded albums in his catalogue, [6] and was ranked number 150 in Rolling Stone's 2020 edition of its "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.
The songs on Nebraska deal with ordinary, down-on-their-luck blue-collar characters who face a challenge or a turning point in their lives. The songs also address the subject of outsiders, criminals and mass murderers with little hope for the future—or no future at all—as in the title track, where the main character is sentenced to death in the electric chair. Unlike previous albums, which often exuded energy, youth, optimism and joy, the vocal tones of Nebraska are solemn and thoughtful, with fleeting moments of grace and redemption woven through the lyrics. The album's reverb-laden vocals and mood combined with dark lyrical content have been described by music critic William Ruhlmann as "one of the most challenging albums ever released by a major star on a major record label". [7] Springsteen chose not to tour in support of the album, making it Springsteen's first major release that was not supported by a tour, and his only such release until 2019's Western Stars . [8]
Initially, Springsteen recorded demos for the album at home with a 4-track cassette recorder. [9] The demos were sparse, using only acoustic guitar, electric guitar (on "Open All Night"), harmonica, mandolin, glockenspiel, tambourine, organ, synthesizer (on "My Father's House") and Springsteen's voice. [9] The songs also have sparse composition, and many are simple three-chord songs. [10] [11] [12] After completing work on the demos, in April, 1982 Springsteen took the compact audio cassette tape to the studio to work on rock versions of the songs with the E Street Band; these sessions are commonly referred to as "the Electric Nebraska Sessions". [9] Only Springsteen and Jon Landau had any decision-making power in this process. They felt certain songs were too personal, and the raw, haunting folk essence present on the compact cassette tape could not be duplicated or equaled in the band treatments; the tracks about which they felt this way made up the album Nebraska. However, eight of the 12 tracks that went on the 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. were composed of "Electric Nebraska" success stories. They were led by "Born in the U.S.A.", which was completed on May 3, 1982; "Downbound Train", recorded April 28, 1982; "Cover Me", recorded at The Hit Factory, New York on January 25, 1982; "I'm On Fire", recorded at The Power Station on May 11, 1982; "Glory Days", recorded at The Power Station on May 5, 1982; "Darlington County", recorded at The Power Station on May 13, 1982; "Working on the Highway", recorded April 30 and May 6, 1982, and "I'm Going Down", recorded on May 12 or 13, 1982. [13]
The demo recording sessions that produced the album actually covered several days, but January 3, 1982, is credited as the "legendary night" when 15 tracks were recorded. They were "Starkweather" ("Nebraska"), "Atlantic City", "Mansion on the Hill", "Johnny 99", "Highway Patrolman", "State Trooper", "Used Cars", "Wanda" ("Open All Night"), "Reason to Believe", "Born in the U.S.A.", "Downbound Train", "Child Bride", "Losin' Kind", "My Father's House" (May 25, 1982), and "Pink Cadillac", a total of 15 songs; 10 ended up on Nebraska and the demo for "Born in the U.S.A." would appear later on the Tracks compilation. [14] The remaining four unreleased demos circulate among Springsteen fans. Two of these, "Downbound Train" (Born in the U.S.A.) and "Pink Cadillac" (Tracks), were officially released in band format, leaving "Child Bride" and "Losin' Kind" as truly unreleased. There was another demo, "The Big Payback" recorded later in spring 1982, and "Johnny Bye-Bye", which Springsteen confused with a live version recorded July 1981, that was actually never recorded during this period, that brings the total to the often-cited 17. [15] [16]
In an interview with Rolling Stone , Springsteen said, "I was just doing songs for the next rock album, and I decided that what always took me so long in the studio was the writing. I would get in there, and I just wouldn't have the material written, or it wasn't written well enough, and so I'd record for a month, get a couple of things, go home write some more, record for another month—it wasn't very efficient. So this time, I got a little Teac four-track cassette machine, and I said, I'm gonna record these songs, and if they sound good with just me doin' 'em, then I'll teach 'em to the band. I could sing and play the guitar, and then I had two tracks to do somethin' else, like overdub a guitar or add a harmony. It was just gonna be a demo. Then I had a little Echoplex that I mixed through, and that was it. And that was the tape that became the record. It's amazing that it got there, 'cause I was carryin' that cassette around with me in my pocket without a case for a couple of weeks, just draggin' it around. Finally, we realized, 'Uh-oh, that's the album.' Technically, it was difficult to get it on a disc. The stuff was recorded so strangely, the needle would read a lot of distortion and wouldn't track in the wax. We almost had to release it as a cassette." [17] Another problem arose during mastering of the compact cassette tape because of low recording volume, but that was resolved with sophisticated noise reduction techniques. [9]
Springsteen fans have long speculated whether the full-band recordings of the Nebraska session tracks, nicknamed Electric Nebraska, that took place in the last week of April 1982, will ever surface. [9] Of the theoretical 17 tracks, 5 were not recorded with the band ("Losin' Kind", "Child Bride", "The Big Payback", "State Trooper" and "My Father's House"), and "Born in the U.S.A.", "Downbound Train" and "Pink Cadillac" have been released, leaving nine in the vaults. [18] In a 2006 interview, manager Jon Landau said that the release of the remaining tracks is unlikely, and that "the right version of Nebraska came out". [19] But in a 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg praised the full band recording of the album as "killing". [20]
The album begins with "Nebraska", a first-person narrative based on the true story of 19-year-old spree killer Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, and ends with "Reason to Believe", a complex narrative that offers a small amount of hope to counterbalance the otherwise dark nature of the album. [7] The remaining songs are largely of the same bleak tone, including the dark "State Trooper", influenced by the vocal stylings of Alan Vega and Suicide's "Frankie Teardrop". [21] Criminal behavior continues as a theme in the song "Highway Patrolman": even though the protagonist works for the law, he lets his brother escape after he has shot someone. [7] "Open All Night", a Chuck Berry-style lone guitar rave-up, does manage a dose of defiant, humming-towards-the-gallows exuberance. [7]
Springsteen stated that the stories in this album were partly inspired by historian Howard Zinn's book A People's History of the United States . [22] A music video was produced for the song "Atlantic City"; it features stark, black-and-white images of the city, which had not yet undergone its later economic transformation. [23]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Chicago Tribune | [24] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [25] |
Tom Hull | B+ [26] |
MusicHound Rock | [27] |
New Musical Express | 7/10 [28] |
Pitchfork | 10/10 [29] |
Q | [30] |
Rolling Stone | [1] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [ citation needed ] |
The Village Voice | A− [31] |
In the Village Voice 's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, Nebraska was voted the third best album of 1982. [32] In 1989, it was ranked 43rd on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. [33] That same year, Richard Williams wrote in Q that "Nebraska would simply have been a vastly better record with the benefit of the E Street Band and a few months in the studio." [34]
In 2003, Nebraska was ranked number 224 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, [33] and 226 in a 2012 revised list, [35] and 150 in a 2020 reboot of the list. [36] Pitchfork listed it as the 60th greatest album of the 1980s. [37] In 2006, Q placed the album at number 13 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s". [38] In 2012, Slant Magazine listed the album at number 57 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s". [39] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [40]
Being a highly influential album, the songs of Nebraska have been covered numerous times. [41] Notably, country music icon Johnny Cash's 1983 album Johnny 99 featured versions of two of Springsteen's songs from Nebraska: "Johnny 99" and "Highway Patrolman". [42] Cash also contributed to a widely praised tribute album, Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska , which was released on the Sub Pop label in 2000 and produced by Jim Sampas. [41] It featured covers of the Nebraska songs recorded in the stripped-down spirit of the original recordings by a wide-ranging group of artists including Hank Williams III, Los Lobos, Dar Williams, Deana Carter, Ani DiFranco, Son Volt, Ben Harper, Aimee Mann, and Michael Penn. [41] Three additional tracks covered other Springsteen songs in the same vein: Johnny Cash's contribution was "I'm on Fire", a track from Springsteen's best-selling album Born in the U.S.A. . [41]
Kelly Clarkson compared her effort to move away from mainstream to edgier and more personal music on her third studio album My December to Springsteen's Nebraska. [43]
On December 7, 2022, singer-songwriter Ryan Adams released a full track-by-track cover of the album.
The song "Highway Patrolman" would provide the inspiration for the motion picture The Indian Runner released in 1991. The film follows the same plot outline as the song, telling the story of a troubled relationship between two brothers; one is a deputy sheriff, the other is a criminal. The Indian Runner was written and directed by Sean Penn, and starred David Morse and Viggo Mortensen.
The short stories in Deliver Me from Nowhere, a book written by Tennessee Jones published in 2005, were inspired by the themes of Nebraska. [44] The book takes its title from a line in "Open All Night" (the line is also the last in "State Trooper").
The Killers frequently cited Nebraska as an influence for their 2021 album Pressure Machine . [45] Brandon Flowers in an interview would describe recording the track "Terrible Thing" on a Tascam microphone as a direct nod to the album's recording process. [46]
In January 2024 it was announced that a film based on the making of Nebraska was being made with Springsteen involved along with Scott Cooper serving as the director. [47]
All tracks are written by Bruce Springsteen
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Nebraska" | 4:32 |
2. | "Atlantic City" | 4:00 |
3. | "Mansion on the Hill" | 4:08 |
4. | "Johnny 99" | 3:44 |
5. | "Highway Patrolman" | 5:40 |
6. | "State Trooper" | 3:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Used Cars" | 3:11 |
2. | "Open All Night" | 2:58 |
3. | "My Father's House" | 5:07 |
4. | "Reason to Believe" | 4:11 |
Total length: | 40:50 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [61] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [62] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [63] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [64] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is an American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", he has released 21 studio albums during a career spanning six decades, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Springsteen is a pioneer of heartland rock, a genre combining mainstream rock music with poetic and socially conscious lyrics that feature narratives primarily concerning working-class American life. He is known for his descriptive lyrics and energetic concerts, with performances that can last for more than four hours.
Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984, by Columbia Records. The album was recorded with the E Street Band and producers Chuck Plotkin and Jon Landau over the course of several years, while Springsteen was also working on his previously released album, Nebraska (1982). It features tighter songs with a brighter, more pop-influenced sound than Springsteen's previous albums, and prominent synthesizer, while its lyrics explore themes of working-class struggles, disillusionment, patriotism, and personal relationships. The cover features a photograph of Springsteen from behind, taken by Annie Leibovitz; it has since become one of the musician’s most iconic images.
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the second studio album by the American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was recorded by Springsteen with the E Street Band at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, New York, and released on November 5, 1973, by Columbia Records. It includes the song "Rosalita ", the band's most-used set-closing song through 1985.
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album was recorded after a series of legal disputes between Springsteen and his former manager Mike Appel, during sessions in New York City with the E Street Band from June 1977 to March 1978. Springsteen and Jon Landau co-produced, with assistance from bandmate Steven Van Zandt.
The River is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on October 17, 1980, by Columbia Records. Springsteen's only double album, The River was produced by Jon Landau, Springsteen, and bandmate Steven Van Zandt. The album was Springsteen's first to reach number one on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and spent four weeks at the top of the charts. It received critical acclaim and the title track, "The River", was nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance at the 1982 Grammy Awards.
Tunnel of Love is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on October 2, 1987. Although members of the E Street Band occasionally performed on the album, Springsteen recorded most of the parts himself, often with drum machines and synthesizers. Tunnel of Love is not officially regarded as an E Street Band album, as The Rising (2002) was marketed as his first studio album with the E Street Band since Born in the U.S.A. (1984).
"Atlantic City" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on Springsteen's 1982 solo album Nebraska. Springsteen has often played the song in a full band arrangement in concert.
Devils & Dust is the thirteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and his third acoustic album. It was released on April 25, 2005, in Europe and the following day in the United States, where it debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.
Live/1975–85 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, consisting of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985, and released as a box set by Columbia Records on November 10, 1986. It broke the record for advance orders, and, according to RIAA certification, is the second-best-selling live album in the US. Rolling Stone hailed it as "an embarrassment of riches", while The New York Times said it was "an unprecedented event in popular recording" and "monumental".
Tracks is a four-disc box set by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released in 1998 containing 66 songs. This box set mostly consists of never-before-released songs recorded during the sessions for his many albums, but also includes a number of single B-sides, as well as demos and alternate versions of already-released material.
A demo is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed format, such as cassette tape, compact disc, or digital audio files, and to thereby pass along those ideas to record labels, producers, or other artists.
"Born in the U.S.A." is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, and released in 1984 on the album Born in the U.S.A. One of Springsteen's best-known singles, it was ranked 275th on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and in 2001, the RIAA's Songs of the Century placed the song 59th, remaining a favorite in classic rock. The song addresses the economic hardships of Vietnam veterans upon their return home, juxtaposed ironically against patriotic glorification of the nation's fighting forces.
"I'm Goin' Down" is a rock song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was released on August 27, 1985 by Columbia Records as the sixth single from his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. The song was recorded with the E Street Band in May 1982 at Power Station studio in New York City, and co-produced by Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and Steve Van Zandt. Although Springsteen had changing ideas about the songs to put on the album, "I'm Goin' Down" was ultimately selected for inclusion.
"Highway Patrolman" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen and was first released as the fifth track on his 1982 album Nebraska.
Magic is the fifteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released by Columbia Records on LP on September 25, 2007, and on CD on October 2. It was his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002, and topped the charts in six countries, including the US and UK, going triple platinum in Ireland. Two songs from the album – "Radio Nowhere" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" – won a total of three Grammys, making Magic the second of only two Springsteen albums with three wins, after The Rising. It ranked No. 2 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
"Downbound Train" is a song that appears on the 1984 Bruce Springsteen album Born in the U.S.A. The song is a lament to a lost spouse, and takes on a melancholy tone. Author Christopher Sandford described the song as beginning "like a Keith Richards' riff" that ultimately moves to "one of those great country busted-heart lines, 'Now I work down at the car wash/where all it ever does is rain.'"
"Working on the Highway" is a 1984 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It was released on the album Born in the U.S.A. and has remained a popular concert song for Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Electric Nebraska is the name commonly given to the E Street Band recordings of the tracks that would eventually comprise the Nebraska album and to some extent the Born in the U.S.A. album, as well as a few compilation albums. The original intent with the album was to record and release the tracks in a traditional rock arrangement with the E Street Band, however, due to the personal, somber, and folksy nature of the demos Springsteen had already recorded and felt the band could not recreate, decided to scrap the full band album and release the tracks as they were, without the rock arrangements. Besides the future Nebraska tracks, the sessions also spawned eight tracks that would eventually find their way to the follow-up album Born in the U.S.A. as well as a few released tracks not included on that album and a few that were left unreleased.
Working on a Dream is the sixteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009, through Columbia Records. It topped the charts in nine countries, including the US, where it was Springsteen's ninth No. 1. "The Wrestler", which appeared as a bonus track, won a Golden Globe award. E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt said that Working on a Dream completed a trilogy which started with The Rising (2002) and continued with Magic (2007), all of which were produced by Brendan O'Brien.
High Hopes is the eighteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on January 14, 2014, by Columbia Records. It went to the top of the charts in eleven countries, and was Springsteen's eleventh No. 1 album in the United States, a record surpassed only by the Beatles and Jay-Z. It was his tenth No. 1 in the UK putting him on par with the Rolling Stones and U2. Rolling Stone named it the second-best album of 2014.
...Nebraska can seem like the photonegative: a solitary collection of lo-fi ballads and highway nightmares.