Line #89 Music/BornToRun


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bruce_springsteen_foto_1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''Oh-oh come take my hand, we're riding out tonight to case the promised land.'']]
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4	''Born to Run'' is the third album by Music/BruceSpringsteen, released in 1975. The album is very well-regarded for Springsteen's maturation in both lyrical content and musical style, and represents his breakthrough into the public consciousness. Among the first positive depictions of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream in music, the album conjured a romantic vision of optimism and idealism in the wake of hard work and difficulty. The album's [[EchoingAcoustics rich production]] and [[MundaneMadeAwesome uplifting]] lyrics helped shape a mythos of American culture that resonated with a generation of Americans who were tired of social upheaval and pessimism toward political turmoil.
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6	However, [[TroubledProduction during the production]], Springsteen was fed up with his perceived inability to capture the sound he wanted, and he spent ''over a year'' in the recording studio trying to finalize his songs. The TitleTrack itself took six months to produce, and Springsteen did his best to create a "Wall of Sound" aesthetic similar to that of Music/PhilSpector. He clashed with the members of his E Street Band and fired his producer and manager. However, positive reviews toward his live performances spurred him on, and Springsteen ultimately achieved the "majestic" sound that later made him an American icon.
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8	While numerous figures in the recording industry ([[ShamelessSelfPromoter all shamelessly promoted by]] his label, Creator/ColumbiaRecords) pegged him as "the future of [[RockNRoll rock 'n roll]]," Springsteen himself hated the label and did his best to allow the hype to die down. Because of this, the singles "Born to Run" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" had modest success in terms of airplay. The album itself fared extremely well; it became a CultClassic for many, especially among blue-collar, middle-class youth. It continued to garner further support over the years especially after Springsteen's future albums garnered acclaim and ''Born to Run'' was soon established as a seminal classic, with "Jungleland" and "Thunder Road" being standouts, among others.
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10	In 2003, it was inducted into the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important". With its vivid image of American values and optimism in the face of much discontent, the album loudly portrays vivacity and strength amid disillusionment and desperation.
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12	----
13	!!Tracklist:
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15	[[AC: Side one]]
16	# "Thunder Road" (4:49)
17	# "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" (3:11)
18	# "Night" (3:00)
19	# "Backstreets" (6:30)
20
21	[[AC: Side two]]
22	# "Born to Run" (4:31)
23	# "She's the One" (4:30)
24	# "Meeting Across the River"[[note]]titled "The Heist" on original pressings[[/note]] (3:18)
25	# "Jungleland" (9:34)
26
27	----
28	!!'''Cause tropes like us, baby, we were born to run'':
29	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Repeated multiple times in the record, from the references to girls riding in the back of motorcycles on "Thunder Road" to the gang fights in "Jungleland".
30	* TheAllegedCar: The Chevrolets in "Thunder Road" are burned out, which is why Springsteen urges the girl to go for a ride on his motorcycle.
31	* TheBigRace: "Night" is about street-racing in general, and the joy it brings to people who are bored out of their minds at the end of the day.
32	* BreakHisHeartToSaveHim: "She's the One" describes how the protagonist's heart has to break in order for him to be saved from his own innocence:
33	--> '' Oh she can take you, but if she wants to break you\
34	She's gonna find out that ain't so easy to do\
35	And no matter where you sleep tonight or how far you run\
36	Oh she's the one''
37	* BrokenRecord: "I walked into a… ''Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out! Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out! Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out!''"
38	* ColorContrast: The album cover features Springsteen leaning against the black Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist, who is on the back. See the quote underneath MundaneMadeAwesome below.
39	* ConceptAlbum: A loose example. Springsteen intended the songs to take place over the course of a summer day with stories all across New Jersey. Thematically, the songs all deal with themes of escape to a better life, the American dream, and Rock N' Roll being a liberating force.
40	* ConMenHateGuns: Described in "Meeting Across the River". The protagonist doesn't ''want'' to carry a gun, so he insists that he and his friend should give the appearance of having one, while appearing cool, calm, and collected:
41	--> ''And all we gotta do is hold up our end\
42	Here stuff this in your pocket\
43	It'll look like you're carrying a friend\
44	And remember, just don't smile\
45	Change your shirt, cause tonight we got style''
46	* CrapsackWorld: "Backstreets" makes references to the squalor of the city, amid the appearance of a humble lifestyle:
47	--> ''At night sometimes it seemed\
48	You could hear the whole damn city crying\
49	Blame it on the lies that killed us\
50	Blame it on the truth that ran us down''
51	* DragQueen: Referred to in "Backstreets". They also seem to face [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold abuse while keeping their glamorous façade]]:
52	--> ''Endless juke joints and Valentino drag\
53	Where famous dancers scraped the tears\
54	Up off the street dressed down in rags\
55	Running into the darkness''
56	* EpicRocking: "Backstreets" and "Jungleland", though all the songs are usually extended to epic degrees of length live.
57	* FemmeFatale: "She's the One":
58	--> '' With her killer graces\
59	And her secret places\
60	That no boy can fill\
61	With her hands on her hips\
62	Oh and that smile on her lips''
63	* GodIsLoveSongs: Averted with "Thunder Road", which mocks the idea of someone who waits for a savior to deliver someone redemption, when they can go out and get it themselves:
64	--> ''You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain\
65	Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain\
66	Waste your summer praying in vain for a savior to rise from these streets\
67	Well now I'm no hero that's understood\
68	All the redemption I can offer girl is beneath this dirty hood''
69	* AGoodNameForARockBand: Springsteen's lyrics in this album have inspired numerous rock band names, such as Suicide Machines from "Born to Run", Duke Street Kings from "Backstreets"… the list goes on.
70	* GreaserDelinquents: The album seems to be influenced by this general time-period and aesthetic: Springsteen's appearance on the cover sporting a leather jacket, the music drawing influence from pre-Beatles rock n' roll, the lyrics making reference to switch-blades and alley fights.
71	* HeavyMeta: Springsteen mentions in "Thunder Road" that he's "''got this guitar and learned how to make it talk''", before playing a funky riff.
72	* HeavyMithril: Not quite mythological in the fantastic sense, but "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" is a tall tale about the formation of the E-Street Band:
73	--> ''I'm stranded in the jungle\
74	Taking all the heat they was giving\
75	The night is dark but the sidewalks bright\
76	And lined with the light of the living''
77	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Terry and the protagonist of "Backstreets" have this relationship, which borders on [[invoked]]HoYay.
78	* ICantDoThisByMyself: "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" is a touching number about how Springsteen wouldn't be anywhere without his backing band, especially saxophonist Clarence Clemons (whom he refers to as "the Big Man" in the song).
79	* LeadBassist: Springsteen plays a bass guitar in "Born to Run", and even has an epic bass solo halfway through.
80	* LocationSong: The songs all take place in small towns in UsefulNotes/NewJersey. They also seem to refer to specific locations: the "''giant Exxon sign''" in "Jungleland" could be the Bayway Refinery facility in New Jersey.
81	* LongestSongGoesLast: The album closes with "Jungleland" (9:34).
82	* LoveRedeems: While "Thunder Road" seems to play this straight, "She's the One" refers to [[LostLoveMontage various things that remind the protagonist of the girl he lost]] and how her love used to redeem him.
83	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The poets at the end of "Jungleland" can't seem to express the sense of hopelessness and loss in words:
84	--> '' Outside the streets on fire in a real death waltz\
85	Between what's flesh and what's fantasy\
86	And the poets down here\
87	Don't write nothing at all\
88	They just stand back and let it all be''
89	* MundaneMadeAwesome: The appeal and charm of the record is through its ability to take regular, blue-collar people and make their lives seem amazing and fantastic. As described by Peter Carlin, a Springsteen biographer, who epitomizes the album cover:
90	--> '''Carlin''': [T]ake a long look at the album itself: the black-and-white shot of Bruce – cloaked in black leather, guitar in hand, [[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis]] button on his strap – leaning hard on the mighty shoulder of Clemons, whose white shirt is set off by a broad-brimmed black hat and, of course, his radiant black skin. For in this picture, Bruce knew, resided the heart of the band: [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream unity, brotherhood, a small fulfillment of the American ideals of strength, equality, and community]]. The essence of ''[[GratuitousLatin e pluribus unum]]'', as filtered through the unity of rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues.
91	* MusicIsPolitics: There have been multiple attempts over the years by US Congressmen to instate ''Born to Run''. The TitleTrack is also repeatedly raised as a candidate for New Jersey's state song (the Garden State has never had one).
92	* MusicStories: "Jungleland" is a metaphorical representation of bands who duke it out against one another, in ways similar to most gang fights.
93	* NonAppearingTitle: "Meeting Across the River" does not feature the title in the song. The song was originally called "The Heist", and original pressings feature this title before Springsteen decided to change it.
94	* NostalgiaFilter: ''Born to Run'' has a contentious relationship with this, since on one hand it tends to romanticize escaping to a distant land; on the other, it does directly refer to problems plaguing the middle-to-lower-class such as gangs and drugs.
95	* OneLastJob: "Meeting Across the River":
96	--> ''You gotta promise you won't say anything\
97	Cause this guy don't dance\
98	And the word's been passed this is our last chance''
99	* OvertRendezvous: "Meeting Across the River" describes a shady deal taking place in the middle of the night, but hints that it's just across the New Jersey tunnel to New York, in a relatively public location.
100	* ThePowerOfRock: The songs collectively refer to how beautiful RockNRoll can be in bringing people out of depression and humdrum lifestyles in order to gain a new, exciting perspective in life.
101	* RockOpera: The album takes a lot of everyday situations and gives them an epic scope with longer songs and stories. Notable examples include "Thunder Road", "Backstreets", and "Jungleland". There's a reason why ''Music/BatOutOfHell'' drew inspiration from this album.
102	* SexySaxMan: Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist of the E Street Band, appears on the back cover (Springsteen is leaning on him on the front). He became such a prominent figure in the band that he received a lot more coverage for his appearance than anything else.
103	* SenselessViolins: Referred to metaphorically in "Jungleland":
104	--> '' Man there's an opera out on the turnpike, there's a ballet being fought out in the alley\
105	Until the local cops, cherry tops, rips this holy night\
106	The street's alive as secret debts are paid\
107	Contact's made, they vanished unseen, kids flash guitars just like switch-blades''
108	* ShaggyDogStory: The end of "Jungleland" features the protagonist, Rat, failing at his dreams and losing his girl after his act is "shot down".
109	--> ''In the tunnels uptown the Rat's own dream guns him down\
110	As shots echo down them hallways in the night\
111	No one watches when the ambulance pulls away\
112	Or as the girl shuts out the bedroom light''
113	* ShoutOut: Springsteen has stated that he created the record with the intent to have his voice sound like Music/RoyOrbison, while the sound should sound like Music/PhilSpector. There's even a direct reference to the former in "Thunder Road".
114	* SillyLoveSongs: "She's the One" is much more lighthearted than all the other material.
115	* StealthInsult: "Thunder Road" has one of the most famous ones in the history of RockAndRoll:
116	--> ''Show a little faith there's magic in the night\
117	You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright\
118	Oh and that's alright with me''
119	* StreetUrchin: The protagonist and Terry of "Backstreets" seem to live on the streets as vagrants in a poor Jersey town.
120	* TitledAfterTheSong: "Thunder Road" is an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] as it was named after the Creator/RobertMitchum movie. Interestingly, Springsteen claims he hadn't seen the film at the time he wrote the song; he just found the poster inspiring. In turn, there was a Creator/{{Jim Cummings\|Filmmaker}} film, also titled ''Film/ThunderRoad'', inspired by Springsteen's song, making for an interesting recursive case of this trope.
121	* WanderlustSong: "Born to Run", [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]]. "Thunder Road" and "Meeting Across the River" reference this too.
122	* WorkingClassHero: This album solidified Springsteen's image as one, to the point where Columbia made sure to promote the label in various press releases so often that Springsteen himself was sick of it. "Night" is a good example, since it touches on the fact that the working poor need a release at the end of their shifts:
123	--> '' And you're in love with all the wonder it brings\
124	And every muscle in your body sings as the highway ignites\
125	You work nine to five and somehow you survive till the night\
126	Hell all day they're busting you up on the outside\
127	But tonight you're gonna break on through to the inside''

Context Music / BornToRun