Album Review: Human Touch and Lucky Town

Today marks the 25th anniversary of one of Springsteen's most dubious career moves to date: the release of both Human Touch and Lucky Town.  These albums were Bruce's first away from the E Street Band, and missed out on the top spot on the billboard charts to the Wayne's World soundtrack.  Widely considered the nadir of Springsteen's popularity, Bruce didn't even mention these albums in his autobiography.  But, a generation later, it's time to look back and ask the question: was it really that bad?

Human Touch is a beast to review.  It's hard to say anything complimentary about any song without noting how much the music is a product of the time.  In the late 80s and early 90s, the "white dude rock world" (for obvious lack of a better term) was dominated by the ballad:



On Human Touch, Bruce was working too hard to find that type of sound.  While there's definitely some solid songs on here, they are buried under a 90s gloss.  "Soul Driver" has the new jack swing drum splash (think a slower Bell Biv Devoe).  "Cross My Heart" is the epitome of 90s country, seeming to draw from the then-uber popular Garth Brooks.  While songs like "Roll of the Dice" and "All or Nothin' At All" are energetic rockers, could you imagine them being done in a jazzier, looser E Street style?  They'd be instant classics!  The album is a long listen, and gets bogged down by numerous generic songs that just bleed into each other.



However, time has been much kinder to Lucky Town.  While Human Touch was a scattered attempt to find the "ballad", Lucky Town is a much more focused, personal, and catchier.  The album starts incredibly strong with the joyous "Better Days", the angry "Lucky Town", and the wedding classic "If I Should Fall Behind".  Unfortunately, the back half of the album sounds like remixes of the first: "Living Proof" is another "Better Days", "Book of Dreams" is another "If I Should Fall Behind", "Souls of the Departed" is another "Lucky Town".  However, the sound is definitely less dated than Human Touch - if this is what Bruce's long-rumored country album sounds like, I'll be very pleased.

Ultimately, I'd give Human Touch 2 out of 5 stars, and Lucky Town 3 out of 5 stars.  Human Touch is only for the Bruce completists, but the casual rock fan should be able to find a couple songs on Lucky Town that they'd enjoy.  Either way, I think we can all agree that the Wayne's World soundtrack definitely deserved the number 1 spot that week.

As for the question of Bruce's worst album of all-time - I'd still give that to Working On A Dream.  While I gave them both 2/5 scores, I can imagine a Human Touch E Street "remix" that could save a lot of the songs.  And, finally, the last thought exercise for this album: how would you make it one album?  Here's my Lucky Touch (Human Town?) playlist:

1. Better Days
2. Roll of the Dice
3. Real World
4. All Or Nothin' At All
5. Lucky Town
6. Man's Job
7. I Wish I Were Blind
8. If I Should Fall Behind
9. Leap of Faith
10. Human Touch

So, what are your thoughts on these two albums?  What would be your Lucky Touch? Let us know in the comments!

Which Bruce Song Do You Wish You Could Hear Acoustic?

As Rory mentioned recently in relation to "The Promised Land," we’re always susceptible to Bruce’s slowed-down acoustic versions of his hard rock singles. This got me thinking, which hard rocking song would I most like to hear performed acoustic but never have? For me, the answer is “Lucky Town.”

Of course, Bruce being a prolific experimenter and the Internet being a never-ending cache of live performance footage, I was able to find this pretty quickly. Bruce performed “Lucky Town” a few times during the Devils & Dust tour in 2005. Like so many of his acoustic versions, the lyrics take on a new sense of poignancy when delivered slower and unencumbered by a mass of instruments. In particular, I enjoyed hearing my favorite lyrics in this version: “I got dirt on my hands but I’m building me a new home.”



Are there any of Bruce’s classic rock songs that haven’t received the acoustic treatment yet? I’d be interested in hearing “Livin’ in the Future” acoustic but I feel that we get a good taste of that from the slower version he performed live during the Magic tour.



What is your favorite acoustic version of a Bruce classic? Which song hasn’t received the treatment yet but deserves it the most?

Springsteen on Film: Best Uses of Bruce Songs in the Movies

As illustrated in our post on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Bruce has had a major impact on cinema through his music, lyrics and iconography. In fact, whole movies have been made based on his songs (The Indian Runner - inspired by “State Trooper”). And in turn, films have had a large impact on Bruce’s music - The Grapes of Wrath and Badlands being the most frequently cited.

This week we're highlighting uses of songs that were not originally written for the movie (which leaves out Philadelphia, Dead Man Walking and The Wrestler):

"The Fuse" in 25th Hour (2002) - Spike Lee's portrait of a convicted drug dealer's last few days of freedom is also a heavy meditation on the aftermath of 9/11. In a film whose parts are more than its whole, the film's lengthy fantasy-tinged coda is a heartbreaker. When Bruce's "The Fuse" (off The Rising) kicks in over the end credits it's both a reprieve from the tension and a continuation of the film's central themes and 9/11 backdrop.

“Out in the Street” and “Drive All Night” in Reign Over Me (2007) – Another film where 9/11 plays a major plot point in this drama about a 9/11 widower played by Adam Sandler trying to move on with his life through the help of an old friend played by Don Cheadle. This movie shows both sides of the Springsteen spectrum as “Out in the Street” scores a joyful jam session between friends while the painful “Drive All Night” is later used as a conduit for Sandler to confront the reality of his tragic loss. Sandler is clearly a large Springsteen fan as Bruce’s songs also appear in Bedtime Stories, Big Daddy and The Wedding Singer.

"I'm on Fire" in No Looking Back (1998) - This minor melodrama from Edward Burns was his third film and probably his least commercially successful (which is really saying something). It is a love triangle set during the winter on the Jersey Shore starring Burns, Lauren Holly and Jon Bon Jovi but ironically featuring three Bruce Springsteen tunes. Of particular note is the use of "I'm on Fire" to score a barroom afternoon tryst between Holly and Burns (the film's villain). The DVD is out of print but it’s on Netflix Instant Watch. The scene perfectly uses Bruce's blend of soul and threat.

"Secret Garden" in Jerry Maguire (1996) - Despite common misconception, this song was not actually written for the movie. It was released the previous year on the Greatest Hits album. Even so, the song is so closely tied to the movie (for better or for worse) that it feels unfair to put it on this list. If you're able to distance yourself from the song's "You Complete Me" Pop 40 association and rewatch the actual scene where Tom Cruise and Renee Zellwegger meet in the dark suburban street on their first date, you might just fall in love with the song all over again.

"The River" in High Fidelity (2000) - This is actually a scene where I'm not a big fan of the use of Springsteen. The film is based on my favorite book and features the only Bruce Springsteen appearance on film. Yet I can't warm to the movie. To reflect on his top five break-ups, the narrator puts on “The River”. But it isn’t used to punctuate the sequence as effectively as it could be from a cinematic perspective. I'm also not certain “The River” is the right choice even though it’s the most popular sad Springsteen song. But hey, it's still "The River" so it's great to hear it in a film anyway.

"Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" in The Heartbreak Kid (2007) - This Farrelly Brothers bomb is underappreciated not only for frankly how bizarre and peculiar a film it is, but also for its use of “Rosalita”. Early on, the film features “Rosalita" as Ben Stiller and his new bride, Malin Ackerman, drive down to Mexico on their honeymoon. The energy and youthful enthusiasm of the song underscores the couple's headfirst dive into marriage and their inability to sing the lyrics to the song hints at their incompatibility. But enough film school analysis, the song rocks! It's great driving music and the scene makes light of Bruce's occasional incoherence. In the DVD audio commentary the Farrelly Brothers remark how they'd been trying to get Springsteen’s music into their films for years. My kind of filmmakers!

"Tunnel of Love" in Walk on Water (2004) - An Israeli drama about a conflicted Mossad agent was one of the last places I expected to hear a Bruce Springsteen song but low and behold they play “Tunnel of Love” and reference Springsteen by name. During a long drive, the lead character puts in a Springsteen CD as an attempt to create a bond with a German character. And it works! Proof that Bruce really is universal.

“Lucky Town” in Lucky You (2007) – Eric Bana riding a motorcycle through the streets of Las Vegas with “Lucky Town” blasting on the soundtrack. Is there any better formula for an opening credits sequence? I must admit the first time I saw the movie, I didn’t even realize it was a Bruce Springsteen song. I instantly started tapping my toes and thought, “This movie knows its country music.” To my embarrassment, it wasn’t until I read the New York Times’ review that I realized it was Bruce. I’ve since thought of Lucky Town as Bruce’s most rockabilly album and the title song has become one of my favorites.

“This Land is Your Land” in Food, Inc. (2008) – I find that the majority of politicized documentaries spend plenty of time exposing issues but no time offering solutions. Food, Inc. is a rare exception that gives tangible suggestions on how we can all work to change the health and safety of the food industry. Playing Springsteen’s live version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” over the end credits makes the call to action that much stronger.

The picks above are all from the past fifteen years. This is partly because Springsteen’s songs have had an increased cinematic presence during this time period and also because some of the more prevalent uses in the 1980s like Baby It’s You and Light of Day are harder to track down today. These links on IMDB and Wikipedia are a helpful guide to finding films featuring Springsteen's music but both lists are incomplete. Are there any notable uses that haven’t been mentioned? Do you have a favorite Springsteen moment in cinema?

Springsteen Video of the Week- Lucky Town (Saturday Night Live 1992)

This was a strange time for Bruce and Bruce fans.  It’s almost as if he was trying too hard to be “Bruce Springsteen”.  I know it was the early 90’s and grunge was in, but between the ripped jeans, the incredibly gravely voice, and Bruce playing with a “non E Street Band” band I can’t say I’m a huge fan of this video.  Oddly enough, I like “Lucky Town”, one of the few I like from his “Other Band” era, but watching him play it here is just odd.


I came across this video when I was looking for Bruce’s 2002 Saturday Night Live performance with the E Street Band.  I believe Matt Damon was the host.  But this was all I could find.  I did not even know Bruce performed on this show.  To my knowledge those were Bruce’s only two SNL performances.  However I can confirm that this is Tom Hanks' first, but hopefully not last, appearance on Legends of Springsteen.