Nebraska (album)
Nebraska is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on September 30, 1982, by Columbia Records. Springsteen recorded the songs as demos on a 4-track recorder, intending to rerecord them with the E Street Band, but decided to release them as they were.[5] Nebraska remains one of the most highly regarded albums in his catalogue,[6] and was ranked number 150 in Rolling Stone's 2020 edition of its "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.
Nebraska
September 30, 1982
December 17, 1981, to January 3, 1982, in Colts Neck, New Jersey, except "My Father's House", May 25, 1982
40:50
Bruce Springsteen
The songs on Nebraska deal with ordinary, down-on-their-luck blue-collar characters who face a challenge or a turning point in their lives. The songs also address the subject of outsiders, criminals and mass murderers with little hope for the future—or no future at all—as in the title track, where the main character is sentenced to death in the electric chair. Unlike previous albums, which often exuded energy, youth, optimism and joy, the vocal tones of Nebraska are solemn and thoughtful, with fleeting moments of grace and redemption woven through the lyrics. The album's reverb-laden vocals and mood combined with dark lyrical content have been described by music critic William Ruhlmann as "one of the most challenging albums ever released by a major star on a major record label".[7] Springsteen chose not to tour in support of the album, making it Springsteen's first major release that was not supported by a tour, and his only such release until 2019's Western Stars.[8]
Themes[edit]
The album begins with "Nebraska", a first-person narrative based on the true story of 19-year-old spree killer Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, and ends with "Reason to Believe", a complex narrative that offers a small amount of hope to counterbalance the otherwise dark nature of the album.[7] The remaining songs are largely of the same bleak tone, including the dark "State Trooper", influenced by the vocal stylings of Alan Vega and Suicide's "Frankie Teardrop".[21] Criminal behavior continues as a theme in the song "Highway Patrolman": even though the protagonist works for the law, he lets his brother escape after he has shot someone.[7] "Open All Night", a Chuck Berry-style lone guitar rave-up, does manage a dose of defiant, humming-towards-the-gallows exuberance.[7]
Springsteen stated that the stories in this album were partly inspired by historian Howard Zinn's book A People's History of the United States.[22] A music video was produced for the song "Atlantic City"; it features stark, black-and-white images of the city, which had not yet undergone its later economic transformation.[23]
Legacy[edit]
Covers[edit]
Being a highly influential album, the songs of Nebraska have been covered numerous times.[41] Notably, country music icon Johnny Cash's 1983 album Johnny 99 featured versions of two of Springsteen's songs from Nebraska: "Johnny 99" and "Highway Patrolman".[42] Cash also contributed to a widely praised tribute album, Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, which was released on the Sub Pop label in 2000 and produced by Jim Sampas.[41] It featured covers of the Nebraska songs recorded in the stripped-down spirit of the original recordings by a wide-ranging group of artists including Hank Williams III, Los Lobos, Dar Williams, Deana Carter, Ani DiFranco, Son Volt, Ben Harper, Aimee Mann, and Michael Penn.[41] Three additional tracks covered other Springsteen songs in the same vein: Johnny Cash's contribution was "I'm on Fire", a track from Springsteen's best-selling album Born in the U.S.A..[41]
Kelly Clarkson compared her effort to move away from mainstream to edgier and more personal music on her third studio album My December to Springsteen's Nebraska.[43]
On December 7, 2022, singer-songwriter Ryan Adams released a full track-by-track cover of the album.
The Indian Runner[edit]
The song "Highway Patrolman" would provide the inspiration for the motion picture The Indian Runner released in 1991. The film follows the same plot outline as the song, telling the story of a troubled relationship between two brothers; one is a deputy sheriff, the other is a criminal. The Indian Runner was written and directed by Sean Penn, and starred David Morse and Viggo Mortensen.
Pressure Machine[edit]
The Killers frequently cited Nebraska as an influence for their 2021 album Pressure Machine.[44] Brandon Flowers in an interview would describe recording the track "Terrible Thing" on a Tascam microphone as a direct nod to the album's recording process.[45]
Deliver Me from Nowhere film[edit]
In January 2024 it was announced that a film based on the making of Nebraska was being made with Springsteen involved along with Scott Cooper serving as the director and writer.[46]
On March 26, 2024, it was announced that Scott Stuber, former chairman of Netflix Films, would be teaming with Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson to produce the movie for A24. The movie will be based on the 2023 book, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, which was written by Warren Zanes. Springsteen and his manager Jon Landau will also be involved with the making of the film and Jeremy Allen White is being considered to play Springsteen in the movie.[47]