Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey. He released his debut studio album in 1973 entitled GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. My favorite album of his is 1984's BORN IN THE U.SA. Fast forward to 2007 and he released his 15th studio album, MAGIC (Columbia). It features his E Street Band, of which two members have since passed on-Clarence Clemons (sax, backing vocals), and Danny Federici (organ, keyboards). The album peaked at #1 on the US Billboard 200 and was produced by Brendan O'Brien.
Starting things off is the album's first single, 'Radio Nowhere'. It won Grammys for 'Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance' and 'Best Rock Song'. It's a song of disillusionment: "I was tryin' to find my way home/But all I heard was a drone/Bouncing off a satellite/Crushin' the last lone American night/This is radio nowhere/Is anybody alive out there?.../I want a thousand guitars/I want pounding drums/I want a million different voices speaking in tongues". 'You'll Be Comin' Down' is a rock ballad about reality: "Like a thief on a Sunday morning/It all falls apart with no warning/Your cinnamon sky's gone candy-apple green/The crushed metal of your little flying machine".
Soozie Tyrell plays violin on 'Livin' in the Future'. It includes these apocalyptic lyrics: "The earth it gave away/The sea rose toward the sun/I opened up my heart to you/It got all damaged and undone/My ship Liberty sailed away on a bloody red horizon/The groundskeeper opened the gates and let the wild dogs run". 'Your Own Worst Enemy' isn't exactly uplifting: "The times they got too clear/So you removed all the mirrors/Once the family felt secure/ Now no one's very sure.../Your flag it flew so high/It drifted into the sky".
'Gypsy Biker' rocks and states things in a matter of fact way: "To the dead it don't matter much 'bout who's wrong or right/You asked me that question/I didn't get it right/You slipped into your darkness/Now all that remains/Is my love for you brother/Lying still and unchanged/To them that threw you away/You ain't nothin' but gone/Our Gypsy biker's comin' home". The album's second single was 'Girls in their Summer Clothes'. It's a ballad that uses violins, violas, and cellos. Doc Walker covered it on their 2009 album GO. These words remind me of the Beach Boys: "And the girls in their summer clothes/In the cool of the evening light/The girls in their summer clothes, pass me by".
Next up is 'I'll Work For Your Love', a sacreligious number: Pour me a drink Theresa/In one of those glasses you dust off/And I'll watch the bones in your back/Like the Stations of the Cross/'Round your hair the sun lifts a halo/At your lips a crown of thorns/Whatever other deals gone down/To this one I'm sworn/I'll work for your love, dear/I'll work for your love". Jeremy Chatzky plays upright bass on the short title track, 'Magic'. It's a quiet Americana tune. It includes these mysterious lyrics: "I got a shiny saw blade/All I need's a volunteer/I'll cut you in half/While you're smiling ear to ear/And the freedom that you sought's/Driftin' like a ghost amongst the trees/This is what will be (2X)".
'Last to Die' is a rock song. It tells a story: "We took the highway till the road went black/We'd marked Truth or Consequences on our map/A voice drifted up from the radio/And I thought of a voice from long ago/Who'll be the last to die for a mistake, the last to die for a mistake?" 'Long Walk Home' is an optimistic tune overall, complete with a sax solo: "Here everybody has a neighbor/Everybody has a friend/Everybody has a reason to begin again/My father said 'Son, we're lucky in this town/It's a beautiful place to be born/It just wraps its arms around you/Nobody crowds you, nobody goes it alone'".
Daniel Lauffer plays cello on 'Devil's Arcade', a pretty ballad. It includes these words: "You sleep and dream of your buddies/Charlie and Jim/And wake with the thick desert dust on your skin/A voice says 'Don't worry, I'm here'/Just whisper the word 'tomorrow' in my ear/A house on a quiet street, a home for the brave/The glorious kingdom of the sun on your face/Rising from a long night as dark as the grave". Some versions of MAGIC include a hidden track entitled 'Terry's Song'. It's dedicated to Bruce's long-time assistant Terry Magovern who died on July 30, 2007. It's a folk ballad that uses harmonica. I like these lyrics: "Sometimes something comes along and you know it's for sure the only one/The Mona Lisa, the David, the Sistine Chapel, Jesus, Mary, and Joe/And when they built you brother, they broke the mold".
There's no question that musically and vocally this is a great rock album! The lyrics however are oft problematic in that a lot of the time I don't have a clue as to what Bruce is singing about really. The lyrics are often cryptic. I'm sure they hold deep meaning for Bruce and those close to him, but as for me, a lot of the lyrics fly over my head and are way too open for interpretation. Bruce does sing about life and love and perhaps older listeners will gravitate towards this record. I'm rating MAGIC 80%. For more info visit www.brucespringsteen.net. The CD packaging and booklet are great!