Click here to load reader
Upload
andrew-libs
View
214
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
REVISED Musical Heritage Report
Citation preview
Libs 1
Musical Heritage Report
Professor Schwanda
Andrew Libs
24 April 2013
Bruce Springsteen
Any story about a teenager ripping on the guitar at the once famous Asbury
Park, located in New Jersey, would most likely be an entertaining read. What if I told
you that same teenager, the one whose mother took out a sixty-‐dollar loan to pay for
his guitar, is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars? That’s right, the world
famous Bruce Springsteen surely didn’t come from money. In fact there was one
point in his life when his family moved into live with his grandparents because of
their unstable financial situation. For those of you thinking this is a classic case of a
‘rags to riches’ story let me put those impressions and judgments to rest right away.
The story and life of Bruce Springsteen extends far beyond the superficial surface of
money and power. The reason he has become so distinguished and such a legend is
a result of his blue-‐collar work ethic that emanates deep within him and his ability
to convey emotion and passion through his music into the hearts of his many
followers.
Bruce Fredrick Springsteen was welcomed into the world by his parents and
grandparents on September 23, 1943 at Long Branch Hospital in Freehold, New
Jersey. The chemistry that surrounded the Springsteen household was, however, set
in place long before Bruce was actually born. It is widely known that Bruce’s
relationship with his father never really flourished, Peter Ames Carlin quotes Bruce
Libs 2
by writing “the drinking was a problem. On a nightly basis, every single day, an
entire six-‐pack is not insignificant” (Carlin 2012). Additionally, in an article written
by A&E, Bruce mentioned that “growing up there were two unpopular things in my
house, me and my guitar” (Biography Channel 2013). The notion of having a father
who is physically present in a child’s life, but not emotional available doesn’t
resonate with my upbringing. Then again I didn’t have an upbringing anything like
Bruce and I am sure my father’s upbringing wasn’t anything like Doug’s, Bruce’s
father. In April of 1927 Doug’s sister Virginia, a five year old, was hit by a truck
while crossing the street on her tricycle. This had such a crippling effect on Doug’s
mother, Alice that Doug was actually sent to live with Alice’s sisters and was not
reunited with his parents for several years.
It is easy to see how this sort of abandonment could lead to strained
relationships in the future. An even more interesting dynamic was presented when
Bruce’s parents, Adele and Doug, gave birth to Bruce’s sister Ginny. Realizing that
their apartment was not large enough for a family of four they decided to move in
with Doug’s parents. Bruce’s grandparents found him to be a replacement for their
long lost daughter while Ginny was typically forgotten. He was elevated to a
completely different standard than both of his sisters, which made for several
unorthodox dynamics. It is normal, especially for a child, to form a tighter bond and
associate with those who are around more frequently than with those who are not.
Consequently there existed several clashes of confusion in Bruce’s mind growing up.
Carlin writes, “Bruce assumed that they (his grandparents), and not his parents,
were his primary caregivers…and a lot of parental roles got crossed” (Carlin 2012).
Libs 3
Throughout my childhood I was fortunate enough to have parents that were present
for almost all of the important events in my life. Contrasting with Bruce’s childhood
my parents were a bit older when they started having children, as were my father’s
parents. Unfortunately I do not have many memories with my father’s parents, but I
do have more memories with my mother’s parents. I am happy to say that my
grandmother will be joining us for my graduation this week, and am even more
thankful for the support system that I have developed throughout my life.
With an unusual home life one might wonder how a small town kid from
Freehold, New Jersey becomes one of rock and rolls most iconic figures. One night
Bruce sat down with his mother, who was a regular viewer of The Ed Sullivan Show,
and Elvis Presley came on the television. Bruce recalled, “It looked like he was
playing, like a child is drawn to play. It looked like so much fun. Imagine throwing
out all consciousness that’s sort of like a blanket over…It was an enormous key that
unlocked your imagination and your heart and soul” (Carlin 2012). Sometime later
Bruce got his hands on a black and gold Kent guitar, through the generosity of his
mother. He fell completely in love with his instrument, so much so that he didn’t pay
much attention to the rest of his academics. Bruce attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic
School where he was a quite student who didn’t garnish much respect from his
teachers. Actually, it is rumored that one nun forced him to sit in a garbage can and
told him that’s where he belonged.
Continuing on with his teenage years Bruce proceeded on the same academic
path with most subjects in school, but his musical pedagogy began to flourish. In
1965 he, along with a few of his friends, formed a band called The Castilles.
Libs 4
Unfortunately Bruce and his friends, who were eighteen at the time, became
subjects of the Vietnam War. While Bruce never served in Vietnam, one of The
Castilles’s members was killed which led to a split in the band. Good, bad, or
indifferent Bruce gathered himself and quickly began to realize that the only way he
had a shot to break out of the monotony of dead-‐end jobs that Freehold had to offer
was to venture to Asbury Park. Perhaps not as well known by the youth of today,
Asbury Park was once accustomed to many notable bands such as The Rolling
Stones, The Doors, The Who, and The Beatles. Bruce soon began to draw attention at
The Upstage, one of Asbury Park’s more famous nightclubs, sometimes considered
one of the birthplaces of Rock and Roll. Persuaded by words of Danny Federici and
Vini Lopez Bruce joined a band call Steel Mill in the late 1960s, but only served a
short stint until 1971. Timing couldn’t have been better for Bruce since shortly after
his departure with Steel Mill Asbury Park went up in flames as a consequence of the
burning tension involving the race riots. Facing another fork in the road Bruce
decided to pick up and move to New York.
Forming personal relationships with several musicians and managers in
Asbury Park came in handy when Bruce moved to New York. Shortly after his move
he came into contact with a manager named Mike Appel. Appel kick started Bruce’s
career in New York gaining him an audition with John Hammond who signed Bruce
to Columbia Records. Perhaps one of the most critical occurrences during this time
was formation of the E-‐street Band, which was composed primarily of people he had
met while in Asbury Park. Ironically 1973 marked the year of Bruce Springsteen’s
first album release, Greetings From Asbury Park. A short while later the band put out
Libs 5
a second album titled The Wild, The Innocent, and The E-Street Shuffle. Interestingly
enough contrasting viewpoints arose between critics, who acclaimed their work,
and the public, who disregard their work. The band toured tirelessly over the course
of months attempting to promote their music, however were plagued largely by
slow sales and indifferent audiences. Most artists know your life typically hinges
upon your third album; Bruce was finally at the turning point in his career.
Bruce’s initial struggle for success was met by John Landau who wrote, “I saw
Rock and Rolls future tonight, and its name is Bruce Springsteen” (Willman 2007).
The dynamic duo set out on a journey together that eventually led to one of the
greatest rock albums of all time, Born To Run. Landau, who eventually became
Bruce’s new manager, had a tremendous understanding surrounding the
importance of public radio. Bruce became known amongst many college towns
along the east coast for his incredible live performances. The biggest problem,
however, with “the future of rock and roll” was that most of his songs were much
better live than they were on the radio, that is, until Born To Run was created.
Perhaps one of the greatest characteristics of this album was the appeal and tribute
it had to working class Americans. In this album we really start to see what kind of
person Bruce Springsteen actually is, and in his next three albums Bruce gives the
world a glimpse into his personal life. Subsequent to his more personal albums and
what many esteem to be pure music, Bruce and the E-‐street band released another
album of lyrically genius that stayed atop the charts for a record setting eighty-‐five
weeks.
Libs 6
One of the greatest characteristics that Bruce carried with him throughout
his life was that he never forgot where he came from. To give some additional
insight into what kind of person Bruce is you don’t have to look any farther than the
cover of his record setting Born In The USA album. I was never really able to figure
out why there was a hat in Bruce’s back pocket on the cover of his album, and it
puzzled me for a long time until just recently. One day Bruce traveled back to New
Jersey to meet one of his close friends Lance Larson, whose father had just passed
away. In an interview with Lance he mentioned that Bruce took a liking to the hat he
was wearing that day. Without hesitation Lance handing the hat over to his good
friend and received a response that would lend a glimpse of hope to any troubled
friend; Bruce said, “Lance, when you see this hat think of your father” (Biography
Channel 2013). Bruce took that simple red hat from his struggling friend and made
it the most famous red hat in the world. Bruce did an excellent job at keeping his
friends close, but he did an even more impressive job at keeping his personal life
private.
While on the Born In The USA tour Bruce met an actress named Julianne
Phillips, whom he married in a secret wedding. His marriage to Julianne was short
lived after an affair between him and back up singer, Patti Sciafla, broke out.
Turmoil seemed to surround Bruce during the latter part of the 1980s after his
divorce with Julianne and the break up of the E-‐Street Band. Although many of
Bruce’s followers began to scoff at his highly questionable moral compass I think
Bruce exemplified tremendous willpower after the birth of his first child. During this
point in his life Bruce took a break from playing his guitar and shifted his focus on
Libs 7
raising a family rather than on his music. It’s difficult to understand how impressive
and challenging this was unless you have been completely invested in a job or a
hobby yourself. To be able to walk away from something that is one of the most
important things in your life is incredibly powerful, though, for Bruce, he was not
done for good.
After the birth of his second child he found himself, once again, back in New
Jersey writing music. In 1999 Bruce brought the E-‐Street Band back together and at
the same time recorded one of his better-‐known award winning songs, “The Streets
of Philadelphia.” The effect that Bruce Springsteen had on working class American
families was so powerful and profound that people actually turned to him after the
September 11th attacks on the world trade center. Bruce recollects a man shouting
out to him a few days after the attack, “We need you, man!” (Carlin 2012). In a
tragedy such as this people who are old enough will never forget where they were
when 9/11 happened, as for me, I was in the sixth grade sitting down on the right
side of our school church. Bruce responded by doing was Bruce does best, by
making music. In an effort to reach out to the American people Bruce and the band
created an album called The Rising. This album had a tremendous and powerful
message for the citizens of the United States, especially those in New York.
Whatever fan base Bruce lost during his hiatus in the 90s he seemed to rekindle
after the production of The Rising.
Bruce’s hiatus in the 90s isn’t the only reason his fan base has shifted over
the years. Bruce became a huge supporter of Barack Obama during his 2008
campaign, this gained him great notoriety with an increasing liberal support system,
Libs 8
however, and many of his former conservative fans began to see their loyalty fad.
After President Obama won the election Bruce was the main attraction at the
inaugural celebration ceremony. Fittingly enough he opened with a number of songs
that were very familiar to the American people, those songs were from The Rising
album. An interesting quote that I found throughout my research came from
President Obama in 2009 saying, “I may be the President, but he is ‘The Boss’’ (BBC
News 2009). Bruce had been given the nickname of ‘The Boss’ during his reign at
Asbury Park. In the beginning this nickname was reserved for those who knew him
on a personal level, his band and close followers. In 1974, when Bruce started to
become an American icon, he also developed a large following in the media. Not too
long after this point journalists caught wind of his nickname and it continued with
him for the rest of his career. After reading Carlin’s book it’s evident that Bruce
doesn’t like it when people call him ‘The Boss’. To make his feelings known Bruce
revised the lyrics to a song called Rosalita on one of his earlier albums The Wild, The
Innocent, and The E-Street Shuffle to “You don’t have to call me lieutenant, Rosie/Just
don’t ever call me Boss!” (Carlin 2012). Whether or not you agree with some of
Bruce’s personal decisions over the course of his life, we should all be able to agree
that his music is incredible. Over the course of his life Bruce has won twenty
Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, one Academy and Emmy Awards. He
has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame,
and the New Jersey Hall of Fame. He has spent several weeks on top of multiple
music charts and has even performed at the Super Bowl.
Libs 9
The music of Bruce Springsteen has had a profound impact on the way I
listen to music currently, but it wasn’t always that way. Growing up I was exposed to
a variety of classical compositions since my mother is a professional musician. I
became so familiar with certain pieces, such as the arutunian trumpet concerto, that
I would often find myself humming the tune while doing homework at a young age.
For some reason classical music never seems to win over the hearts of youth nor
does it gather the respect it deserves until later in life. Unfortunately I fell victim to
this pattern even with a mother who was a musician. As a kid and a teenager you do
everything you can to fit in with friends and groups of people that you think are
your friends. Early on in life I just listened to what was popular on the radio and
what songs had catchy beats. As I grew older I noticed myself listening to more of
the same music that my father listened to and less of the ‘here and now’ songs.
Being raised in the Roman Catholic faith and attending a catholic school from
kindergarten through twelfth grade exposed me to a genre of music that I may never
have been in tune with had I not had those experiences. Moreover, I think being
raised in that kind of an environment helped shape my morals in such a way that it
kind of steered me away from the life of rap and hip-‐hop. People that I hung out with
in high school and those that I looked up to definitely had an impact on the music
that I listen to today. In high school I fell in love with distance running just like
Bruce fell in love with his guitar. I became aware of great American distance runners
and what sort of music they listened to which was oddly similar too much of the
music my father listened to.
Libs 10
I have learned an extreme amount about myself and about life in general
throughout my running career. Everyone has their own way of creating something
special and by doing so perhaps creating special moments for others along the way
too. Steve Prefontaine, a former American distance runner, once said, “some people
create with words of with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make
something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, I’ve never seen
anyone run like that before. It’s more than just a race, it’s a style. It’s doing
something better than anyone else. It’s being creative” (Jordan 1997).
Understanding what’s important to me and paying attention to the little things in
life have made me the listener I am today.
In a movie called Mr. Holland’s Opus there is a scene where Mr. Holland, the
high school music teacher, is helping one of his struggling students. He tells her,
“playing music is supposed to be fun…it’s not about notes on a page.” Bruce has
opened my eyes to going beyond the catchy beats of over played radio pop songs
and has taught me what it means to be passionate about music. Many people spend
their time humming tunes while not paying attention to the lyrics at all which is a
huge shame because, for me, the lyrics are really what draw me into his music.
Sometimes in life you have to look beyond the notes on a page. There will be a time
when things don’t add up how they should on paper and that’s what makes life so
special and personal. What is most important thing is finding what you are
passionate about and executing that to the best of your ability. As Bruce always said,
“It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive” (Carlin 2012).
Libs 11
References
BBC News [Internet]. 2009. Barack Obama honours Bruce Springsteen at White
House
Bruce Springsteen [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Apr
24] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-‐springsteen-‐
9491214.
Carlin, P. 2012. Bruce.
Jordan, T. 1997. Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend, Steve
Prefontaine.
Willman, T. 2007. Jon Landau: Inside the ‘Magic’.