Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
1982
Album Summary
Nebraska is the sixth studio album by 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. Nebraska remains one of the most highly regarded albums in his catalogue.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 exude 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". Because of the album's somber content, 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.
Wikipedia“Nebraska” by Bruce Springsteen (1982) I’m familiar with Bruce Springsteen’s hits, but I’ve never listened to this album. Based on what I know about Springsteen, my expectations are low. In the title track “Nebraska”, Springsteen sets the mood with a forlorn ballad about a man condemned to death for murdering ten people. No redemption, no meaning. Lower middle class nihilism. Poor poetics (sounds like it was written on a single afternoon, with sloppy meter and clunky phrasing). Poor recording quality. I’ve never been impressed with Springsteen’s vocals, and I’m not surprised here. It’s ok to affect a Southern accent if it’s done well, but here it’s not. Has Springsteen ever been to rural Nebraska and Wyoming? You couldn’t tell from this song. He’s from Jersey, for God’s sake. Shake my head. More of the same on “Atlantic City”, which is at least set in more familiar territory. Distracting microphone pops and gimmicky howls in the background. Guitar work perfectly unrefined. I think on this album, Springsteen imagines himself taking the baton from Dylan. Springsteen drops it. A little background might be helpful. At the time this album was released, Columbia Records had both Springsteen and Dylan under contract. Dylan had been recording his “evangelical Christian” music for several years, and one can imagine that Columbia executives were anticipating that Dylan was on the way out. They needed someone to carry the baton, and Springsteen might fit the bill. “Nebraska” has so many marketing parallels to Dylan’s earliest work, one can’t help but see here a chance for Columbia to keep the folk-rock-prophet-poet franchise going. Find a replacement for Dylan that would satisfy the market that had Dylan had made lucrative at the start. Springsteen failed. With numerous irritating flubs on harmonica, primitive three-chord compositions, completely derivative melodies, the only thing ‘creative’ about this album is the lyrics, and while they’re shockingly despondent, they just ain’t that good. In “Johnny 99” we’re treated to a reprise of the underwhelming phrase “I’ve got debts no honest man can pay” (previously used by a different crook in “Atlantic City”). What, Bruce, did you think it was so clever you had to use it twice? Come on, man, if a guy gets drunk and murders a night clerk because he’s unemployed, we can’t muster sympathy for him because he’d rather be executed than serve 99 years. The attempted pathos is simply too implausible. Likewise in “Highway Patrolman”, we’re supposed to feel good about a cop who lets his brother escape to Canada after a murder. Doesn’t make sense. Note to Bruce: On “Highway Patrolman”, “Shortwave” radio is not used for local communications. The music is monotonous, the production is completely amateurish, the lyrics beg pathetically to be taken seriously, and the instrumentals sound like they were all performed by the same person in one or two takes (they were). My low expectations were justified and satisfied. Don’t waste your time, young ones. This boomer says “Nebraska” is a dud. 1/5
Holy cats, I didn’t listen to this record for a long time and I love it. The stories of blue collar families being downtrodden is incredibly sad but I really like Bruce’s voice on this album. This is super intimate and I really like it. Favorite song: Atlantic City Least favorite song: Open All Night
Springsteen would be a legend just for this album, I swear. Can't-miss songwriting with its soul in the blues.
My favourite springsteen. It's a consistent mood you can wallow in for an hour.
I love everything about this album. The tunes are strong, the subject matter is dark, it was recorded on 4-track. Spooky Americana about desperate people. And some cars. If I have a favorite Springsteen album, it's this one.
Je n'ai pas pour habitude de faire une analyse d'album piste par piste mais celui-ci s'y prête bien : Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen lâche un pet gras et s'en réjouit. Atlantic City - Il coince sa coupe mulet dans sa guitare et hurle à la mort pendant quelques minutes. Mansion On The Hill - Bruce décapsule une bière. Johnny 99 - Il rend hommage à son ami Johnny Halliday avec qui il a remporté en 1999 le concours du plus grand nombre de hamburgers ingurgités en une heure. Highway Patrolman - Il lâche encore une fois une énorme caisse. State Trooper - Il se poste à la fenêtre de son appartement et siffle chaque demoiselle qui passe dans sa rue. Used Cars - Il discute avec ses amis de la couleur des flammes qu'il compte dessiner sur les portières de sa voiture. Open All Night - Il développe en chanson une comparaison entre le sexe féminin et une soirée porte ouverte. My Father's House - Il raconte la façon dont son père frappait sa mère et tente de justifier son comportement. Reason to Believe - Bruce Springsteen lâche encore un pet détonnant avant d'éclater de rire.
Never been a big Bruce Springsteen fan. I don’t know what it is about him; maybe the flagrant American patriotism, the complete yer’da-ness of it or just the lack of substance to his music. I appreciate what he does and by all accounts he’s a decent & down to earth dude but I don’t even think an album full of his greatest hits would ever inspire me to listen to it more than once let alone this acoustic mess where he just lists American place names for some reason. Maybe if I was sinking my 5th Miller-Lite on the 4th July, flipping a few patties on the ol’ grill whilst I tell my buddies Greg & Dale about the new Chevy truck I’ve just bought to fit the fishing rods & golf clubs in, then I might appreciate this album a bit more. But I’m not and therefore I don’t.
Masterpiece in narrative storytelling expected to hate it but emded up loving it
I don't know what to say if you can't appreciate how great this is. It's Bruce Springsteen doing dark lofi folk about nihilistic class struggle pulling inspiration from Suicide! That's just an incredible sentence by itself!
The album Bruce made just for me. Murder ballads, fever dreams, a trail of wreckage... and as it finally winds down he tells us he finds it kinda funny "how at the end of every hard-earned day people find some reason to believe." Is that hopefulness in the face of all that misery, or is it cynicism at rock-bottom? I'm still not sure. Either way I could and will listen to this record 1000 times. Also, it seems silly to mention because it's so obvious, but this album is a goddamn masterclass in songwriting.
C'est avec un enthousiasme certain que je lançais cet album du beauf le plus célèbre des Etats-Unis, monsieur Bruce Springsteen. Malheureusement, cela ne s'est pas déroulé comme prévu. Dès les premières notes de l'album, c'est le drame. Bruce coince les cheveux de sa coupe mulet dans sa guitare. S'en suivent des hurlements de douleurs, qui ne seront interrompus que par la fin de l'album. Un véritable coup du sort.
Gamblers, recidivists, mass murderers, troublemakers, brand new used cars, and state troopers who took the job after rising wheat prices killed off their farm deferment. Taking his cue from Badlands, Bonnie and Clyde, and a bunch more movies that don't match his warmth and empathy, Springsteen carries these sketches as far as he can. Eventually, the melancholy and sparsity pulls them up. But what's there is sad, bountiful, and some kind of gift. He creates a hell of an atmosphere with the harmonica, too. Is he a good player? I've no idea. But I hardly think this is the place to go for technical perfection.
This album is like sitting around a campfire with just Bruce and his guitar. Which is to say, way to ruin a good campfire.
So this album is basically Bruce Springsteen sitting around a campfire acoustic style, telling stories that make little sense and sometimes he feels like playing his harmonica, and that's basically the whole album.
I've loved this album since it came out in 1982. Really what got me into Springsteen. Such a great album. 5 stars.
Vraiment bon. J’adore bruce springsteen et cette a,bum ne fait pas exception. 5*
Really liked this one. Funny enough the songs weren't my favorites but the general atmosphere of slow, melancholic story telling really strikes a chord for me.
What a haunting album. Kudos Mr. Springsteen, kudos. Incredible lyrics and his stripped down (mostly) acoustic approach adds a perfect sombre tone. I was totally blown away by how good a story-teller he is. After listening to the album a couple times I decided to read up on it and was glad he decided to keep it in demo version, rather than rocked-up with the E-street band. I might not have minded if Open All Night got moved to another album - I like it, but it's a bit too rockabilly for the rest of the album's tone. It sounded a lot like Pink Cadillac to me, and apparently that was another track he recorded along with these ones but kept for a later album. The other songs he recorded with these ones but kept for Born in the USA are also some of his best - I'm on Fire would easily fit right in on this album and I'd love to hear the stripped down version of Glory Days. I patted myself on the back for thinking that State Trooper sounded a bit like that weird Suicide album with his shrieks near the end - yep, one of the songs influenced the Boss on this one. I don't know if I knew too many of these songs, but I instantly loved Highway Patrolman and My Father's House. Something about the emotion-tugging lyrics and his raw sound - just beautiful. The title track was close behind these two; a great opener. I also really liked how he layered in self-harmonies and backing vocals to Atlantic City.
There is a darkness to Bruce Springsteen's music that has always been there, from the earliest albums. But there's a period between Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born in the USA where he really leans into it. I would recommend listening to these albums as a group, to get the full impact of what he was doing. Nebraska is the apotheosis of this period. It's stripped down, mean, Steinbeck-level naturalism. Instrumentation is minimal, no Clarence Clemons solos to temper the dark stuff. The mood of course is pretty bleak. It's a hard, uncomfortable listen if you're looking for the Springsteen anthems of old. There are images from these songs that will haunt you long after you hear them. As a songwriter, Springsteen is at his best here. He drops some of the flowery turns of phrase that turn up in the earlier albums in favor of a more plain-spoken style. There are no "ghosts in the eyes of the all boys you sent away" here (I adore that line, btw, but it has no place here). These stories stare hard into the eyes of the struggling, the desperate, the broken, not necessarily with sympathy, but with honesty and pathos. Springsteen covers a lot of thematic territory with a purposefully limited lyrical and musical palette, and yet somehow spins complete narratives populated with some pretty memorable characters. The few mood breakers he offers are brief but impactful. The way he ratchets up the tension in "State Trooper" and then busts it open with a holler is nothing short of brilliant. Try listening to that riding in your car at night and see if you don't feel your hands tighten on the wheel. I also enjoyed the whistling in the dark exuberance of "Open All Night." Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Atlantic City, Johnny 99, Open All Night, State Trooper, Highway Patrolman, Nebraska, Reason to Believe, Used Cars, My Father's House, Mansion on the Hill
What begins dark and mournful, ends dark and... not as mournful? Without knowing the artist, if you would have told me this was by the same guy that sang Born in the USA, I would have called you a dang dirty liar (you rascal, you). But this is raw, hardly-accompanied BOSS, and even if it ain't about his life, who's to say its not? And even though I'm not from a blue-collar mining town like the subject of most of the songs, I may as well be now. Shit's a real deep bummer, man.
I received this album at 14 through Columbia house subscription way back in the day. I didn't choose it, they sent it as the record of the month. I think I listened to it once. I didn't "get it" and to be honestly I've never listened to it again. I've never really been a Springsteen fan. This should be interesting This didn't make me a fan and I'm still not sure if I get it.
That was a really boring album. Like Bruce has some good stuff but this was not engaging at all.
I like Bruce's music, some of it quite a lot, but this one is just boring.
Just bruce and a guitar. Music hell, cant even give credit to this one. I hope my hate for bruce is misguided but this album proves nothing.
Not the Bruce I am used to listening to...so-so vocals. Didn't appreciate most lyrics
I like some of Bruce Springsteen's music in general, but this was a snoozefest. 1/5 stars.
Acoustic albums aren't for me, ideally would have listed as listened and not have to submit a star rating. I've given it a one, but I don't think it's a bad album necessarily.
2nd time ever listening. timely with the whole super bowl and DWI story floating around with the boss. Really liked this album 2nd time and will be adding to regular rotation. very chill
I loved this album back in 1982, and still love it today. I am probably in the minority, but THIS is my favorite Springsteen album.
Superb, an introspective delight. If you're looking for more of Born In The USA there will be disappointment to start with but stay it's worth it.
I enjoyed this album the most out of what I've listened to so far for this project. Beautiful music, vocals, emotion
I started the album feeling very skeptical. It sounded like he was trying to emulate Bob Dylan. The faux Southern accent rubbed me the wrong way. The characters in the songs were terrible people that didn't get my sympathy. As the album went on and the harmonica started to die down I started really enjoying the album and Bruce Springsteen's own unique style started coming through. The album is a wonderful cohesive sorrowful listen.
There are times when this is my favorite Springsteen album. It creates a certain dark, foreboding mood in a way that none of his other work does except for maybe “The Ghost Of Tom Joad.” This album also might have his strongest songwriting of his career. It’s sort of amazing that only one of these songs has been adapted into a movie. Ever since reading Bruce’s book, “My Father’s House” kills me every time
I love this stripped down, acoustic Springsteen. The imagery of these songs are all so vivid. Beautiful album
I was truly surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. it's not at all the genre I usually go for, but this album tells a story in such an effective way.
La pièce titre est juste incroyable, juste ça fait que c'est un excellent album. Un Springsteen acoustique c'est difficile à battre. 5
The 8 album sequence starting with From Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J and ending at Tunnel of Love is 5-star album only, and this is number 6, so five stars.
small-time criminals, desperate people, desperate times, love and love lost. But, in the end, somehow, we find a reason to believe.
One of my favourite folk albums beautiful subject matter about crime and pain in america. It’s so raw and insensitive because of the fact That all the songs are demos. Nebraska and Atlantic City are amazingly good, I love this album
Bleak and grim and utterly beautiful. It’s amazing that an artist would go this direction at such a point in his career and fully explore one dimension of his talent and creativity. “Atlantic City” and “Open All Night” are great, but “Mansion on the Hill” and “Highway Patrolman” are sublime. The last section lags a bit, which is the only thing keeping this as sub-5. And I’ve always wondered: who dances to “The Night of the Johnstown Flood”? 4.5
A fantastic album. Bruce's first album that was just under his name and not with the E Street Band. Realised just when everyone was expecting another big rock banger and he goes and does this very slow, dark, sad acoustic album. It's great stuff.
The antidote for Springsteen haters. If you loathe Bruce Springsteen, you will probably love "Nebraska".
25th August 2022 Listened while at work. Went to see South Pacific last night with Dougs in it then met Sav and Sal in town. One of the greatest of all time. The storytelling, the characters, the balance of this album, it’s astonishing.
Prefs: Nebraska, Atlantic City, Mansion on the Hill, Johnny 99, Highway Patrolman, State Trooper, Open All Night, My Father's House, Reason To Believe Moins pref: Used Cars
Immediate 5/5 for me, as it's in my personal top 10 albums of all time list. There's definitely an added bonus when you listen to this album when you come from New Jersey as there's so many ties to the state (even though it's titled after a different one altogether lol), and so many depictions that so masterfully describe scenes that people in New Jersey have had. Like in "State Trooper", where you are driving down the NJ Turnpike and begging for the cop behind you to leave you the hell alone. I think many a young person from NJ has been in this exact setting and shouted those animalistic shouts of joy that Bruce bellows at the end of the song. Or like in "Atlantic City" where a big fight is breaking out on the boardwalk, and a young man yearns for optimism while crooning over his financial shortcomings. The harmonica blows me away every time. The reverberating mandolin that comes in at the first post-chorus (around 00:53) floors me. The vocal harmonies and shouts in the outtro fadeout floor me. It's hard to pick which track is my favorite. "Nebraska" is raw yet somehow beautiful- even though the lyrics are a true story about a man who befriends/kidnaps a girl and murders 11 people with her. "State Trooper" captures a scene as truthfully as the art form ever has. I think ultimately it's "Atlantic City" because this was one of the most formative acoustic guitar driven / singer songwriter songs that influenced me to write this style of music. The album art is just beautiful too, and you definitely can judge this book (album) by it's cover- as that's what you are going to get (sonically). (I only would have maybe preferred if it was a picture of the New Jersey Turnpike, as NJ tends to be more often referenced than Nebraska on the album. But I don't know the album is called Nebraska? Hmmm. I'm conflicted.)
My first time listening to this album. The production is rougher than I expected. I’d previously only heard a live version of “Atlantic City” but this stripped down original version is really growing on me. I’m very used to hearing Bruce Springsteen in wailing rock star mode but he’s a wonderful, emotive singer in this mode too. Wow - “State Trooper” has a really hypnotic energy. I really like the bells (?) that come in around the one-minute mark of “Used Cars.” On the first go-around, I enjoyed the album but wasn’t convinced it was the masterpiece everyone says it is. But I spent the weekend listening to it a few more times and I’m starting to get it. A subtle but great album.
I think I listened to this years ago but never got into it. Really enjoyed it this time! I love the stripped back, intimate style of the whole album. It contrasts nicely with his more radio friendly hits I'm familiar with. This really put me in a contemplative mood and was ideal for driving to. It might not be something I'll listen too often but I will definitely come back to this when the mood is right.
Haunting and powerful. This is the Bruce Springsteen I really love. His voice is perfect for these songs of longing and regret. Amazing album.
So bleak. So perfect. This is the first time I've ever sat down and listened to this album. I know most of the songs really well. The others are familiar. Hearing the whole album should be depressing but I'm too busy with my feelings of awe. Simple songs with sparse backing, sung by a singer with limited range should be a recipe for boredom. Far from it. Springsteen imbues the songs with so much passion that he takes you with him into this dark land and you enjoy the ride
Takiego albumu nie spodziewalem sie po panu Springsteenie, bo przeciez popularny muzyk radiowo grany, juz darkness on the edge of town wydawal sie albumem malo przyjaznym dla szerszej publiki, ale Nebraska idzie na jeszcze wyzszy poziom, rocznik 82 i szosty album w dyskografii artysty i pierwsza plyta ktorej nie promowal pozniejszym tourowaniem, bo nie ma tutaj koncertowych trakow, cale 40 minut nagrania jest dzielem jednej osoby, nagrywane w warunkach domowych, gdzie instrumentalnie slychac glownie akustyki, od klasycznej gitary, mandoliny, przez organy czy cos cymbalowego, a to wszystko okraszone potezna dawka harmonijkowania, wyjatkiem od tej reguly jest trak open all night, ktory zamiast akustka ficzuruje delikatnego elektryka, ktory nadal jest utrzymany w klimacie prostego troj akordowego grania, do ktorego dochodzi sporo zabawy z poglosowymi efektami na wokalu i muzycznie wychodzi ambitne folkowe rokowanie rodem z heartlandow, jesli chodzi o kontent liryczny to plyta jest przepelniona springsteenowymi bohaterami, wiec przegrywami walczacymi z beznadziejnoscia losu jaki trafili na loterii, dziesiec opowiesci malowanych odcieniami szarosci, ale jednak tak urzekajaco wciagajacych sluchacza na dziesieciu trakach, od seryjnych mordercow przez opryszkow, po wiejskich szeryfow czy kupowanie uzywanych samochodow i innych wspomnien dziecinstwa, ktore nie wydaje sie byc jakims bogatym, jesli przed Nebraska szanowalem pana Bruca za skillse gitarkowe czy energie z born to runa i darknessa, tak teraz jestem fanem tego jak samemu potrafil nagrac taki material, tak osobisty, a jednoczesnie pozwalajacy sie sluchaczowi utozsamiac z kreowanymi bohaterami, prosty muzycznie, a jednak tak wciagajacy w sluchawki, ze musialem go przesluchac juz chyba z piec razy przed jakimikolwiek notatkami albumowymi, na plejke dodam atlantic city, za skojarzenia z boardwalkowym imperium, state troopera za najbardziej niekonwencjonalne wyjcowanie plyty, a jako ostatni braterska historie z highway patrolmena, a cala plyta leci na poleczke, bo dawno tak nie wciagnal mnie krazek jak dzisieszy Springsteen
I did not know this album existed! It is beautiful, dark, and sometimes quite violent. I very much enjoyed the stripped back and austere production. 4.5+/5
Perfect album? Bruce's song writing on this album is exceptional, with small-town, everyman vignettes set to an acoustic performance so vulnerable it's heartbreaking. The production creates a sound that's deeply intimate, like sitting up front, listening to the last performance of the night in a 2 am-empty bar. Amazing work.
Amazing album. Nor a weak track. The story behind the album is fantastic.
beautiful, bleak favorite track is probably State Trooper but the whole album is bangin 10/10
Amazing album. Atlantic City is clearly one of Bruce's all time best, but the album itself is very writer and story focus. The songs are engaging and convey a pretty compelling honesty and passion. Really enjoyable.
Fantastic. Gets at the universal truths that the real American spirit is one in which all people struggle to get by in a world that is harsh and unforgiving.
A perfect album of story songs that encapsulates the American mythos. My favourite album of all time
Stream of consciousness notes: Okay, I'm so excited for this! I've been meaning to listen to more Bruce Springsteen for a long time. Jesus, these songs are depressing... Beautiful album, I'm so happy I finally listened to it and will definitely be revisiting! Favorites are probably Atlantic City, Highway Patrolman, and My Father's House.
Stark. Distilled Bruce. Shows his development as a storyteller. A polar opposite from the busy E Street arrangements on the first two albums.
Instead of rerecording his demos with the E Street Band as he originally intended, Bruce Springsteen decided to release them as he recorded them. The result is a startlingly intimate and somber album that tells the stories of ordinary people, outsiders, and criminals with no future. Springsteen's voice is cloaked in reverb and the lonesome harmonica further adds to the expansive hopelessness. This album stands out among Springsteen's extensive catalogue and is a testament to his ability as a storyteller and songwriter able to capture the pathos of the disaffected.
Depressing, but in a good way? Bleak from the start. Traced the lyrics for a few songs because sometimes it's hard to hear exactly what he's singing, and all I can say is geez, are ya okay there Bruce? Are we certain Springsteen didn't accidentally murder someone in the early 80s, cover it up, and this album is his way to atone?? Picked this up on vinyl a little while back not knowing very much besides the fact that it was Springsteen. Not My favorite Springsteen album, and not my least favorite. It's somewhere in the middle (I think my taste in his music is a little backwards from what is traditional). Still a really strong album. Just... talk to a therapist, Bruce.
One of my favorite records by the Boss. This sure is a record with some very dark subjects. The chillingly Nebraska, the jolting Johnny 99, the thumping State trooper, there's a lot of great ones here. Bruce's lyrics paint a very vivid, though somber painting. It's a beautiful record, and the fact he did it all alone is pretty cool! And the cover is perfect, really encapsulates the themes of this album. Favorite lyrics: -Now, our luck may have died, and our love may be cold. But with you, forever, I'll stay. -Well, if it was any other man, I'd put him straight away. But when it's your brother, sometimes, you look the other way. -License, registration, I ain't got none. But I got a clear conscience 'bout the things that I done. Key tracks: Nebraska, Atlantic City, Mansion On The Hill, Johnny 99, Highway Patrolman, State Trooper, My Father's House 9 out of 10
Desnudo, simple, The Boss, pasándola bombi. Atlantic City, Nebraska y The Trooper son tres temazos.
Haunting (I may overuse that word but in this case it is the perfect word). Shades is Woody Guthrie and Nick Drake. This album is bleak and filmed in grainy black and white. I can feel the wind biting through my clothes, chilling me to the soul Bruce is another one of those acts that this list has made me explore more and find a deeper appreciation