Full Description
For 40 years Bruce Springsteen has been making music on his way to becoming an icon, the conscience of rock 'n' roll, and one of the greatest live performers of his generation. This critical work examines the man, his music, the cultural importance of his narrative songs and the singular experience of his live performances. Particular attention is paid to his political consciousness, including his alignment with the working poor, the unemployed, and Americans simply down on their luck. It also explores his role in politics in America, especially his endorsement of various politicians.
Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Conscience of Rock 'n' Roll
DAVID GARRETT IZZO
Fanfare for the Common Man: Magic
DANA SAWYER
In Concert: A Transcendental Celebration
DAVID GARRETT IZZO
Songwriting and Political Awareness: The Development
Springsteen's Emotional Community
ADAM ALIANO
From the "Badlands" to "The Promised Land": How Past and Present America Has Affected the Lives of Springsteen's Characters
JASON W. FAULKNER
Queen of the Supermarket: Representations of Working Class Women
LISA DELMONICO
The Virgin, the Whore, the Girl Next Door: Seeking the Definitive "Mary"
KEITH FUDGE
Springsteen's American Stories in Devils in Dust and The Seeger Sessions
ROBERT MCPARLAND
Going Nowhere: Bruce, the Beatles, Neil Young, Talking Heads and Others
DAVID GELLMAN
Ten Things You Don't Know About Scholarship on Springsteen
DENISE D. GREEN
Growin' Up with Springsteen
HERPREET KAUR GREWAL
"World Without Pity": The Tragic Vision of Bruce Springsteen
LINCOLN KONKLE
An Opera on the Turnpike: Musical Form and Narrative Myth in the Early Works
BARRY LONG
Lost! Can We Find Our Way Back Home on Magic?
LORRAINE MANGIONE
Let Me Show You What Love Can Do—The Messages of Working on a Dream
DOUG MORRIS
The Key to the Universe: Springsteen, Masculinity, and the
KATHERINE PARKIN
Evangelism from E Street: Brother Springsteen's Salvation Show
SUSAN WOGE
Here Everybody Has a Neighbor: Springsteen's Narrative of Community
APRIL LINDNER
"Highway Patrolman": An Application of Sibling Theory and Research
JONATHAN CASPI
"Mr. State Trooper, Please Don't Stop Me": The Image of Police in the Songs
SUSAN HAMBURGER
John Wayne and Bruce Springsteen Staying Home: How Not Going to War Influenced the Careers of Two American Popular Icons
LARS A. ROSSLAND
Long Walk Home: Nostalgia and the Retro Postmodern Artist
ELIZABETH SEYMOUR
Growin' Up: The Progression of Springsteen's Music as It Relates to Erikson's Theory of Development
JIM AZAR
On the Edge
STEVAN WEINE
Seeger, Dylan, and Springsteen: The Folk Tradition Alive and Well in America
MARIANNE MURAWSKI
Springsteen's Intimations of Mortality
ALEX PITOFSKY
Springsteen: Growin' Up, Growing Older: A Route Map for the Long Walk Home
MELANIE HENWOOD
Discography
About the Contributors
Copyright Acknowledgments
Index
