This album, originally released in 1982 during what was, at the time, the height of "Bruciemania". (Fans during concerts would scream "Bruce...Bruce" etc, sounding for all the world as though he was being booed). It was an exceptionally brave move, coming just 2 years after the mega successful "The River", full of anthemic stadium rock singalongs with a mostly feel-good air about them. The album reached no.2 in the UK & No.1 in the US. It is a measure of his popularity that the follow-up, an album recorded at his home with only a four track tape machine to accompany him, his guitar & harmonica, should still reach no.3 in both the US & UK.
In fact, "Nebraska" was never actually recorded as an album, but simply as a bunch of demos, whilst working on the mega mega successful "Born In The USA" (the track "Born In The USA" was part of the "Nebraska" sessions, but they were happy with the full band treatment, so that became the title track to the next album. The demo (vastly superior in my opinion) version is on "Tracks"). They were originally intended to receive the "E-Street Band" treatment, but after futile attempts, Bruce, along with Jon Landau (producer) decided that solo was best, so again they tried, but this time the versions came out too stiff & forced. Eventually they decided that they couldn't possibly better what they already had, and so "Nebraska" was released as unretouched demos.
What you get with "Nebraska" is pretty welled summed up in a line from the opening title track
| "They declared me unfit to live said into that |
| great void my soul'd be hurled |
| The wanted me to know why I did what I did |
| Well Sir I guess there's just a meanness in this world" |
This album is all about that meanness, the meanness that drove a young man - Charles Starkweather to drive across America killing people just for fun (a true story). The characters in these 10 audio movies are mostly the kind of people that you probably would not want to invite round for dinner, and when occasionally they do seem decent, (Joe Roberts in "Highway Patrolman") he has a brother, Franky, always brawling & getting into trouble, but as the song says "But when it's your brother, sometimes you look the other way". Franky ends up killing a man in a barroom fight and Joe takes chase. 110 mph through Michigan county, just before the Canadian border, he sees his brothers car, a Buick with Ohio plates heading towards Canada. Joe pulls over & lets Franky go. Sometimes when it's your brother you look the other way.
These songs are so graphic that virtually any one of them could be made into a movie (indeed "Nebraska" was a movie - "Badlands" starring Martin Sheen & Sissy Spacek & directed Terrence Malick made in 1973). "Johnny 99" sound nice & bright (if you don't listen to the words!), about an ordinary man, Ralph, who loses his job at the auto plant and after fruitless searches for work, goes out & gets drunk from mixing Tanqueray & wine and shoots a night clerk. Ralph knows that he's done wrong, he even pleads at the end for execution. All he asks for is understanding
| "Now Judge I've got debts no honest man could pay |
| The bank was holdin' my mortgage and they was takin' my house away |
| Now I ain't sayin that makes me an innocent man |
| But it was more'n all this that put that gun in my hand" |
Throughout this journey across the underbelly of American life, the feeling is one of desperation, death & suffering. It asks the question - Whats the point?
| "Struck me kinda funny seem kinda funny sir to me |
| Still at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe" |
It was essential to the integrity of the album that "Reason To Believe" was the closing track on this album. After taking you right down, the records only real upbeat & positive song makes everything else make some sort of sense. This song has as much suffering & pain as any of the songs, but here you understand why. This is a song about how people endure terrible things, but they always come back, faith in God or whoever, stronger, more complete.
Is this an answer, or just another question? Speach (singer/ rapper) with Arrested Development says on "Fishin' 4 Religion"
| "She's askin' the Lord to help her cope, so one day She can see the golden ropes |
| What you pray for God will give, to be able to cope in this world we live |
| The word cope & the word change is directly opposite not the same |
| She should of been prayin' to change her woes |
| But pastor says pray to cope with those" |
Ultimately, is "Reason To Believe" about believing in God (or whoever) or in yourself & your place in society. Like some of the finest music ever written, it does not provide many, if any answers, but it does ask one hell of a lot of questions.
