Following the moody and downbeat "Nebraska", the record company were putting pressure on Bruce to produce something a bit more commercial. An expectation that he lashed out at lyrically in "Dancing in the Dark" but at the same time, one that he ended up meeting in crafting one of the biggest hits of his career.
Even as Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was dropping off the number 1 spot in the charts, Bruce took over that position for the next stretch of time. As both artists were signed to CBS subsidiaries, that label must have been popping champagne... and probably some cocaine, being the 80s and all. Like that other album, this one is almost entirely populated with hit singles, making it seem as much a greatest hits as stand-alone album.
"Dancing in the Dark" wasn't the only song with hidden undertones. The title track seems like a cry of patriotism, but was actually a criticism of the Vietnam war and how America had gone on to treat veterans of that conflict.
This album is a monster. I was not a rabid Springsteen fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoy every song on this album, including the few songs that haven't been thrashed on the radio! Ended up picking up copies of this album and Nebraska as a result of doing this list.
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