danajohnhill.org | Hard Times Come Again No More

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opens their new Bruce Springsteen exhibit today.  “From Asbury Park to the Promised Land” showcases an array of significant Springsteen artifacts, including the hand-written lyrics to “Born to Run”, the Teac 4-track used to record Nebraska and the saxophone Clarence Clemons used to play the solo heard on “Jungleland”.  But for me, and probably many other fans, the most significant object in the exhibit is what the true fans call “THE Guitar”, the legendary 1950s Fender Esquire Bruce bought for $185 – the guitar pictured on the cover of Born to Run.  I’ve seen him play THE Guitar live, but it would be a dream to see it up close.

Here’s a video about the exhibit.

Meanwhile, the new E Street Band tour starts tonight.  Those attending the rehearsals in Asbury Park spotted a new song on the setlist that the band has never played before: “Hard Times Come Again No More”.  It had to happen sooner or later!

Filed under: Popular Music on April 1st, 2009 | 1 Comment »

I picked up Working on a Dream right when it came out, and I’ve listened to it all the way through exactly once.  Since that first hearing I have avoided a few tracks, and grown very fond of many others. What don’t I like?  “Outlaw Pete” is just too long and rambling. “Lucky Day” is weak.  “Good Eye” isn’t bad, but it’s a really bluesy number, and, in general, I don’t like songs with lots of harmonic sevenths.  “Queen of the Supermarket” is an unfortunate case.  The music is lovely, and in the same aesthetic vein as most of the other songs on the album, but it is a waste lyrically.  The singer’s effusive praise for the wonders found in the aisles of the grocery store seems ridiculous.  And, by the end, the addition of cash register sound effects sends the whole affair over the top, like a bad imitation of Meatloaf, but without the ironic wink.  It’s unfortunate that Bruce didn’t scrap every line in his notebook and come up with a whole other concept for the otherwise worthy tune.

What do I like?  Most of the rest of the record, really. The big arrangements that characterized Magic are even bolder here, and, in many instances, they are coupled to song structures that are more obviously inspired by 1960s pop.  Take “This Life”, for example.  It begins with sounds which would have fit well on a Beach Boys album:

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But it’s not just what’s on the surface that reminds me of 1960s pop; it’s the harmonies and chord progressions themselves.  I cannot, off the top of my head, think of many occasions where Bruce has turned to a diminished chord, but very briefly in the second verse of “This Life” you find one (and only one: the other verses don’t do this):

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I am aware that what I like on any Springsteen album is often the opposite of what many Boss fans like.  I have read reviews of this album that praise the harder rocking numbers like “Good Eye” while disparaging the tracks that appeal to me.  These reviews come from people that preferred Magic tracks (like “Gypsy Biker”) which don’t appeal to me aesthetically.  To each his own.  It is no wonder, then, that a my favorite song on Working on a Dream would be one that that I suspect is the least favorite of many: “Surprise, Surprise”.  It’s a straight-up pop song that would have surely made the top-10 in 1965.  The vocal timbre is much more natural, and has little of the affected twang that Bruce has used for years now:

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The chord progression is a total throwback to classic pop:

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And for me, the climax of the song comes when we hear other members of the E Street Band get to sing a little.  It’s the perfect touch:

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When I listen to this song, I am always temped to follow it with its musical twin from Magic, “I’ll Work for Your Love”.  In fact, quite a few of the tunes on Working on a Dream have analogs on other Springsteen albums from this decade, including Magic and We Shall Overcome.

Where “Queen of the Supermarket” fails lyrically, “Life Itself” succeeds.  The banal imagery of the former isn’t nearly as subtle or imaginative.  That is to say, I think “the wind in the black elms” is a much more meaningful metaphor for life than the aisles of a store.

If it isn’t my favorite song on the album, I must acknowledge that “The Wrestler” is Working on a Dream‘s best song.  It is the sort of portrait that he painted so well in the old days, as good as anything he’s written in years, and it’s remarkably touching:

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My ultimate analysis is that, while there are many tunes on Working on a Dream that I like, if I had my way, there would have been a couple that never made it.  I recognize that the three E Street Band albums of this decade each explore a particular theme (September 11th with The Rising; America in the Bush era with Magic; a new optimism with Working on a Dream), and that is a pretty amazing feat, even if none of these records will ever rival masterpieces like Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town.  It’s an impossible standard to live up to.

Filed under: Popular Music on February 8th, 2009 | No Comments »

Fifty years ago today, a small plane crashed in Iowa killing Buddy Holly.

The death of such a talented figure so prematurely only inspires conjecture.  What might rock music be like today had Buddy Holly lived as long as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, or even Elvis or Roy Orbison?  I have no doubt that he would have continued to be relevant.  If you know even a few Buddy Holly songs you know how versatile he was.  “Rave On” and “It’s So Easy” are straight up rockers, but “Everyday” and “True Love Ways” are sensitive love songs.  When I was ten years old, I could not think of a better song than “Words of Love”.

Most of the events surrounding the crash are well known, but until a year or so ago I didn’t know that Dion had been offered a seat on the plane.  Only his share of the charter price made him take the frozen tour bus instead.  His parents’ rent had been $30, and he just couldn’t justify spending so much money for a short plane ride.

I wish Buddy Holly’s parents’ rent had been $30.

Filed under: Musings, Popular Music on February 3rd, 2009 | 1 Comment »

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Filed under: Cost of Living, Dana Heritage Project, Popular Music on January 17th, 2009 | Enter your password to view comments.

I recognize that 2008 was, for many, a bad year.  The worst economy in generations, rising unemployment, and record prices for almost everthing stemming from gasoline that topped $4.00 a gallon made life difficult for a lot of people.  In spite of all this, 2008 was good to me.  Some highlights:

• I began classes at the University of Florida.  This is remarkable, because had I waited any longer the window would have closed on me, probably forever.  The University announced this year that they were changing their admissions policy for transfer students.  Unlike other universities in Florida, UF doesn’t have to admit students with transfer degrees from community colleges.  They can pick and choose.  And when the average GPA for entering freshmen at UF is over 4.0, there is little incentive for them to take people like me.  I got in just under the wire.  School is challenging, but rewarding.  I feel very grateful to be where I am.
• This year I became active in a roller debry league.  I am not a skater, of course, but I spent a lot of time with the girls who are skaters, and contributed to the league in my own small way.
• I did lots of traveling in 2008.  In January I spent a weekend in Daytona Beach at the wedding of my closest friends; in June I spent almost a week in Chicago, which is surely one of the world’s great cities; in early August I spent several days in Hilton Head, South Carolina, which I didn’t care much for as a place, but can now say I’ve seen; went to Savannah twice; had a great weekend in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which is a delightful little town; had an incredibly memorable week in Washington, DC, where I saw a million amazing things.
• I made lots of new friends, and reconnected with many old friends on Facebook.  I saw Burt twice.
• I got myself an amazing Fender Telecaster, which is ideal in nearly every way.
• I continued my incredible no-vomiting streak.
• I paid off all of my credit card debt.
• I watched lots of Olympics on TV.
• I became the last person I know to buy a laptop computer, and it’s changed my life.
• I discovered Samuel Johnson, which also changed my life.
• I had several photographs published in books, magazines, and even the website of the Wall Street Journal.
• I ate an astonishing amount of Hungry Howie’s pizza.
• I perfected the grilled cheese sandwich (the secret ingredient is salt).
• I read: Emma; Persuasion; Oroonoko; Wuthering Heights; Lady Audley’s Secret; Evelina; Robinson Crusoe; Roxana; Oliver Twist; The Monk; Clarissa; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and tons of poetry.
• I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert; they played “Jungleland”.

So long, 2008.  You were good to me.  As I do every year, I close with the Stephen Foster sentiment that has become my credo: Hard Times Come Again No More.

Filed under: Cost of Living, Dana Heritage Project, Food, Friends, General, Literature and Books, Photography, Popular Music, School, Sports, Technology, Television, Travel on January 1st, 2009 | 1 Comment »