CD: Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel Of Love
Originally Released October 9, 1987
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Just as he had followed his 1980 commercial breakthrough The River with the challenging Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen followed the most popular album of his career, Born in the U.S.A., with another low-key, anguished effort, Tunnel of Love. Especially in their sound, several of the songs, "Cautious Man" and "Two Faces," for example, could have fit seamlessly onto Nebraska, though the arrangements overall were not as stripped-down and acoustic as on the earlier album. While Nebraska was filled with songs of economic desperation, however, Tunnel of Love, as its title suggested, was an album of romantic exploration. But the lovers were just as desperate in their way as Nebraska’s small-time criminals. In song after song, Springsteen questioned the trust and honesty on both sides in a romantic relationship, specifically a married relationship. Since Springsteen sounded more autobiographical than ever before ("Ain’t Got You" referred to his popular success, while "Walk Like a Man" seemed another explicit message to his father), it was hard not to wonder about the state of his own 2Ω-year-old marriage, and it wasn’t surprising when that marriage collapsed the following year. Tunnel of Love was not the album that the ten million fans who had bought Born in the U.S.A. as of 1987 were waiting for, and though it topped the charts, sold three million copies, and spawned three Top 40 hits, much of this was on career momentum. Springsteen was as much at a crossroads with his audience as he seemed to be in his work and in his personal life, though this was not immediately apparent. — William Ruhlmann
Amazon.com essential recording Editorial Review
After several years at the top of the rock world, Springsteen pulled back the reins on Tunnel of Love–a lot, not just a little. Members of the E Street Band played on the album but seldom in full-band arrangements. Then, too, there are the deeply conflicted songs– "Brilliant Disguise," "Two Faces," "Tunnel of Love," "One Step Up"– that may have been written in response to the imminent failure of his first marriage. There’s more to the album than divorce-court play-by- play, however. There’s also the raw rocker "Spare Parts," the sprightly "All That Heaven Will Allow," and the bold declaration "Tougher Than the Rest." Overall, these are some of his most thoughtful songs and most intimate performances. –Daniel DurchholzAmazon.com customer review
Tunnel of Love is magnificent, December 6, 2000
Reviewer: LUCILA V. from TEXAS United States
Wow, what a fantastic album! This is Bruce at his poetic best. Wisdom and maturity in his life is revealed in his music through these songs. The listener is transported to witness the consequences of love through a diversity of stages: from burning new love, discovery, new marriage, happiness (or betrayal) and the end (or not) of a marriage (rumored to be Bruce’s own). BRILLIANT DISGUISE is about two people who are discovering each other and "peel off" each other’s masks. TUNNEL OF LOVE is a metaphor about two people who embark on the voyage of marriage: the fear of the unknown, the possible heartaches, happiness..etc. will they be unscathed through life’s problems? ONE STEP UP is about having the wisdom of realizing that you’re in a relationship that is not working out because you are with the wrong person. And that it doesn’t matter how hard you try and make it work, it won’t. Each song is a wonderfully written piece that is familiar to many of those who have gone through similar situations in a relationship. For that, I applaud Bruce for giving fans a piece of his heart through his wonderful music. He is truly an extremely unique songwriter/musician.CMJ New Music Report Exclusive Review
When Billy Joel married Christie Brinkley he felt like a kid, and his next album, An Innocent Man, reflected his boyish joy by recalling the early-’60s music and innocent lyrics he grew up on. Bruce Springsteen’s uptown girl has also inspired him to confront love on his first post-marriage studio album, but the picture he paints is much more enigmatic. Tunnel Of Love strips the music down to reveal more of Bruce Springsteen, concentrating on personal, reflective lyrics sung over spare rhythms and melodies. By playing nearly all the instruments himself, it recalls Nebraska more than any other previous work, but where that solo album was fueled by anger, this one has a totally different focus. Springsteen’s devotion is palpable, as is his fear and questioning of it, and together they give the LP its power. That’s in sharp contrast to his stadium-size image and newly-expanded audience’s expectations; it’s a chance he didn’t have to take, but a wise one. A courageous, complex and rewarding LP, Tunnel Of Love answers the challenge of success by revealing the emotions behind it. Top cuts: "Spare Parts," "Walk Like A Man," "One Step Up," "Ain’t Got You," "Valentine’s Day."
© 1978-1999 College Media, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Rolling Stone (11/89) – Ranked #25 in Rolling Stone’s 100 Best LPs Of The 80s Survey.
Q Magazine (3/00, p.124) – 4 stars out of 5 – "…the first in a series of bravely confessional releases (the closing ‘Valentine’s Day’ is quietly heartbreaking) and his last work for some time with the E Street Band…"
CD Connection.com Review
[DDD] Stereo. 46 minutes. Studio recording.Personnel: Bruce Springsteen (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards); Nils Lofgren (vocals, guitar); Jimmie Wood (harmonica); Roy Bittan (piano, synthesizer); Danny Federici (organ); Garry Tallent (bass); Max Weinberg (drums, percussion); Patty Scialfa, Clarence Clemons (background vocals).
Producers: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin.
Recorded in New Jersey and at A&M Studios, Los Angeles, California.
TUNNEL OF LOVE (Bruce Springsteen’s ninth album) is essentially a solo release and marked the final chapter of The E Street band, whose members appear separately on several tracks. Springsteen’s home studio in Rumson, New Jersey was the primary recording location.
Popular music as an art form has attained some of its greatest peaks when dealing with the thorny material of relationships. Bruce Springsteen’s Tunnel Of Love, a powerful meditation on his own disintegrating marriage, represents a classic of its type. Predominantly an intimate solo recording the songs convey the gamut of emotions experienced in a long-term relationship, from desire (‘Ain’t Got You’) through disquiet and deceit (‘Tunnel Of Love’ and ‘Brilliant Disguise’) to despair (‘When You’re Alone’), ending on a note of cautious optimism (‘Valentine’s Day’). Springsteen would never again
01. Ain’t Got You [0:02:11.02]
02. Tougher Than The Rest [0:04:35.50]
03. All That Heaven Will Allow [0:02:39.96]
04. Spare Parts [0:03:44.50]
05. Cautious Man [0:03:58.42]
06. Walk Like A Man [0:03:45.24]
07. Tunnel Of Love [0:05:12.76]
08. Two Faces [0:03:03.30]
09. Brilliant Disguise [0:04:17.09]
10. One Step Up [0:04:22.44]
11. When You’re Alone [0:03:23.93]
12. Valentine’s Day [0:05:11.46]