Nebraska (song)

Last updated
"Nebraska"
Promotional single by Bruce Springsteen
from the album Nebraska
Released1982
RecordedJanuary 3, 1982
Genre
Length4:32
Label Columbia Records
Songwriter(s) Bruce Springsteen
Producer(s) Bruce Springsteen

"Nebraska" is the title song of Bruce Springsteen's 1982 solo album. The stark, moody composition sets the tone for the LP, the content of which consists mostly of songs about criminals and desperate people, accompanied only by acoustic guitar and harmonica. [1] The song has been covered by other artists, including Steve Earle, Chrissie Hynde, and Aoife O'Donovan. [2]

Contents

Description

"Nebraska" is sung as a first person narrative of Charles Starkweather, who along with his teenage girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate murdered 11 people over an eight-day period in 1958. Springsteen sings of 10 deaths, as Starkweather had already killed one man prior to their meeting. [3] [4] The song begins with Starkweather meeting Fugate: [5]

I saw her standin' on her front lawn just a twirlin' her baton
Me and her went for a ride, sir ... and 10 innocent people died

The economy of language in the opening is reminiscent of American writer Flannery O'Connor, whose work Springsteen had been reading prior to writing the songs for Nebraska. [5] O'Connor's influence is heard throughout the song, with its confused characters who resort to violence. [3] The song's last line, where the narrator gives his reason for the killings as "I guess there's just a meanness in this world" is similar to the ending of O'Connor's story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find", where the killer states "it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can -- by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness." [3] In another line from the song, the singer states that he isn't sorry for his actions and that "At least for a little while, sir, me and her we had us some fun." [6] Springsteen has stated the last stanza, including the lines "into that great void my soul'd be hurled" and "there's just a meanness in this world" summarizes how he saw himself and all of humanity, as dogged by an existential doom.[ citation needed ]

Springsteen was inspired to write the song after seeing Terrence Malick's movie Badlands on television. [3] [7] [8] The portrait in the opening lines of the girl standing on her front lawn twirling her baton was taken from the movie. [3] He researched the Starkweather killings, including interviewing Ninette Beaver, who had written a book about the killings. Perhaps owing to artistic license, Springsteen did not create an entirely accurate account of the events. [7] For example, Starkweather was not known to have attributed his actions to "a meanness in this world", [7] however, many aspects of the song reflect history. The narrator hopes his "pretty baby is sittin' right there on my lap" when he is sent to the electric chair. In real life Starkweather did his best to take Fugate down with him (although she escaped execution). [3] [7] In a letter from prison to his parents, Starkweather wrote "But dad I'm not real sorry for what I did cause for the first time me and Caril have (sic) more fun." [3] This is reflected in the lyrics: [3]

I can't say that I'm sorry for the things that we done
At least for a little while, sir, me and her we had us some fun

Springsteen recorded the entire album on a cassette tape deck in his bedroom on Jan. 3, 1982. Although intended as a demo for the E-Street Band, producer Jon Landau felt that the song would be best served by an arrangement with an acoustic bass, brushed drums and piano. However, the arrangement did not work. Neither did full-band arrangements of other songs from the original recording. Eventually, the demo version was released. [7]

"Nebraska" has appeared on several Springsteen releases since its initial appearance. A live version with full instrumentation appeared on Live/1975-85 . [3] In 2003, the song was included on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen . [9] The song also appears in a segment of the video VH1 Storytellers . [9]

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Nebraska</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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 solo demos using a four-track recorder in the bedroom of his home in Colts Neck, New Jersey, intending to rerecord them with the E Street Band, but decided to release them as they were after full-band renditions were deemed unsatisfactory. Seventeen songs appeared on the tape, ten of which appeared on Nebraska, while others appeared in full-band renditions on the follow-up album Born in the U.S.A. (1984) and as B-sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Starkweather</span> American spree killer

Charles Raymond Starkweather was an American spree killer who murdered eleven people in Nebraska and Wyoming between November 1957 and January 1958, when he was nineteen years old. He killed ten of his victims between January 21 and January 29, 1958, the date of his arrest. During his spree in 1958, Starkweather was accompanied by his fourteen-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate.

<i>The River</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 1980 album by Bruce Springsteen

The River is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released as a double album on October 17, 1980, by Columbia Records. The album was Springsteen's attempt at making a record that captured the E Street Band's live sound. Co-produced by Springsteen, his manager Jon Landau, and bandmate Steven Van Zandt, the recording sessions lasted 18 months in New York City from March 1979 to August 1980. Springsteen originally planned to release a single LP, The Ties That Bind, in late 1979, before deciding it did not fit his vision and scrapped it. Over 50 songs were recorded; outtakes saw release as B-sides and later on compilation albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caril Ann Fugate</span> American convicted of 1958 murder spree at age 14

Caril Ann Fugate is the youngest female in United States history to have been tried and convicted of first-degree murder. She was the adolescent girlfriend of spree killer Charles Starkweather, being just 14 years old when his murders took place in 1958. She was convicted as his accomplice and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1976, she was paroled after serving 18 years.

<i>Murder in the Heartland</i> 1993 American TV series or program

Murder in the Heartland is a television miniseries that aired on ABC in 1993. It was based on the 1957–58 murder spree carried out by 19-year-old Charles Starkweather throughout Nebraska and Wyoming. Starkweather is played by Tim Roth. The first half of the miniseries covers the murders. The second half covers the trials of Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, his 14-year-old girlfriend accomplice. Their increasingly disparate versions of events are contrasted as the trials unfold.

"Highway Patrolman" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen and was first released as the fifth track on his 1982 album Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prove It All Night</span> 1978 single by Bruce Springsteen

"Prove It All Night" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on May 23, 1978, as the first single from his fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town.

"Bobby Jean" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, from his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. Although not released as a single, it reached number 36 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The River (Bruce Springsteen song)</span> 1981 single by Bruce Springsteen

"The River" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, accompanied by the E Street Band, in 1979. The title track of his fifth album, it was a hit single in parts of Europe in 1981; reaching No.24 in Ireland, No. 25 in the Netherlands, and the top 10 in both Sweden and Norway. Its B-side was either "Independence Day" or "Ramrod", depending on the country of release.

"Be True" is a song by Bruce Springsteen. It was recorded on July 18, 1979 at The Power Station in New York in one of the early recording sessions for Bruce Springsteen's album The River. It was not released on the album, but in 1981 it was released as the B-side to the single release of "Fade Away", a song taken from The River album. According to Springsteen, "Be True" was left off The River album in favor of the song "Crush on You", a decision he has a hard time understanding in retrospect. Springsteen was already second guessing his decision to exclude "Be True" from The River before the album was even released.

"Stolen Car" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It was originally released on his fifth album, The River. The version released on The River was recorded at The Power Station in New York in January 1980. An alternative version recorded in July 1979 was released on Tracks in 1998.

"Wreck on the Highway" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It was originally released as the final track on his fifth album, The River. The version released on The River was recorded at The Power Station in New York in March–April 1980. As well as being the last track on The River, it was the last song recorded for the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open All Night (song)</span> 1982 single by Bruce Springsteen

"Open All Night" is a song written and recorded by rock musician Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on Springsteen's 1982 solo album Nebraska.

"Johnny 99" is a song written and recorded by rock musician Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on Springsteen's 1982 solo album Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spare Parts (song)</span> 1988 single by Bruce Springsteen

"Spare Parts" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 Tunnel of Love album. It was released as a single in some countries, following "Brilliant Disguise", the title track and "Tougher Than the Rest", but was not released as a single in the United States.

"Mary Queen of Arkansas" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from the album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., released in 1973. Springsteen played "Mary Queen of Arkansas" at his audition for John H. Hammond at CBS Records, who signed him to his first record contract on May 2, 1972, although Hammond was less impressed with this song than with "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" or with "Growin' Up". The day after signing the contract, Springsteen recorded "Mary Queen of Arkansas" as part of a 12-song demo for Hammond. The demo version of the song was released on Tracks in 1998.

"For You" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen in 1972 for his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., released in 1973. It was later included on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen. The song has been covered by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, The Format, and Greg Kihn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Promised Land (Bruce Springsteen song)</span> 1978 single by Bruce Springsteen

"The Promised Land" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom, backed by another song from Darkness on the Edge of Town, "Streets of Fire", the third single from the album after "Badlands" and "Prove It All Night". "The Promised Land" was also included on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Ranch (Bruce Springsteen song)</span> 1981 single by Bruce Springsteen

"Cadillac Ranch" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen that was first released on Springsteen's 1980 album The River. In 1981 it was released as a single in Europe, backed by "Be True" in France and by "Wreck on the Highway" in the UK. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it did reach #48 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. A favorite in concert, a live version was included on Live/1975–85. A version was also included on the documentary film Blood Brothers.

"My Father's House" is a song written and recorded by rock musician Bruce Springsteen, released on Springsteen's 1982 solo album Nebraska.

References

  1. ↑ "Nebraska". allmusic . Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  2. ↑ "Nebraska covers". allmusic. Archived from the original on August 21, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sawyers, June Skinner (2006). Tougher Than the Rest: 100 Best Bruce Springsteen Songs. Omnibus Press. pp. 69–75. ISBN   978-0-8256-3470-3.
  4. ↑ Humphries, P. (1996). Bruce Springsteen. Omnibus Press. p. 51. ISBN   0-7119-5304-X.
  5. 1 2 Kirkpatrick, R. (2007). The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen . Praeger Publishers. pp.  82–86. ISBN   978-0-275-98938-5.
  6. ↑ "Nebraska lyrics". Bruce Springsteen. Archived from the original on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Marsh, D. (1987). Glory Days. Thunder's mouth Press. pp. 85–92, 101, 109. ISBN   1-56025-101-8.
  8. ↑ Springsteen, B. (2005). Bruce Springsteen - VH-1 Storytellers.
  9. 1 2 "Nebraska Appears On". allmusic . Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  10. ↑ Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2020). Bruce Springsteen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 198. ISBN   978-1-78472-649-2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.