Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska & Shows # 954, 953, 952, 951, 950

Originally released on September 30th, 1982, Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska stands out in his discography. After touring behind the double album The River, Bruce bought a Tascam 144 4-Track recorder and demoed about 15 songs with just an acoustic guitar. Following the initial recordings, Springsteen reportedly carried around the cassette with him in his back pocket for weeks afterwards. Originally planned as demos that would be reworked by his band, the E-Street Band, it was decided that the album should be released as is acoustically because something was missing from the attempts at full band versions of the songs. It’s hard to argue, Nebraska is a dark collection of songs that captures a certain intimate mood. Said to have been influenced by the music of Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, the prose of Flannery O’Connor and Terrence Mallick’s film Badlands, Nebraska is filled with folk story type songs of down and out characters, outsiders, criminals and murderers with no or little hopes of a future.

Nebraska begins with the title track. A somber acoustic track featuring harmonica, mandolin and glockenspiel, the song was inspired by Terrence Mallick’s 1973 film Badlands that was about the true story of Charles Starkweather and Carli Ann Fugate who went on a killing spree in 1958. This was combined with what many have said is language influenced by author Flannery O’Connor that starts off Nebraska with themes of isolation and disconnection. “Atlantic City” is a song that deals with a man who gets involved in organized crime to help pay off his debts. “Mansion on the Hill” is a song filled with reflection, but also the fragility of the American dream, which can be found driving through many of the songs on Nebraska. Told from the point of view of a child, “Mansion on the Hill” is in part about Bruce’s childhood. His father would often drive past a house out of town and stop to look at this big white house. The character in the song with lyrics such as “At night my daddy'd take me and we'd ride/Through the streets of a town so silent and still/Park on a back road along the highway side/Look up at that mansion on the hill” and “Tonight down here in Linden Town/I watch the cars rushing by far from the mill/There's a beautiful full moon rising/Above the mansion on the hill” changes perspective, first being the child from the outside looking in and then being the person living in the mansion on the hill looking out on the world.

More dramatic events occur to the characters found in the songs on Nebraska on “Johnny 99” and “State Trooper.” “Johnny 99” attacks with an almost rockabilly/50s rock aesthetic musically as lyrically Springsteen unravels the tale of a laid off factory worker who gets 99 years in jail for his crimes, but also draws on themes of waywardness as Johnny pleads for the death sentence instead. It is another story of someone on the outsides of big American towns driven to crime out of desperation. “Highway Patrolman” is a haunting track. The song flows with bleakness that was influenced by the vocal style of Alan Vega and Suicide’s “Frankie Teardrop.” Joe, the protagonist in this song works for the law and is often helping his troubled brother throughout his life. It takes place in 1965 and after Joe’s brother Frankie shoots someone it is implied that he has been allowed to escape through Canada-US border. “State Trooper” ends side one of Nebraska. It seems to pick up from the point of view of the recently escaped Frankie from “Highway Patrolman." However, this is never implied. It has also been said to be about someone else entirely. With its driving acoustic rhythms, the song has an eeriness to it that captures the state of mind of the character in the song. It is a character on edge that if he gets pulled over by a state trooper, he doesn’t know what unspeakable things may occur.

“Used Cars” starts off side two of Nebraska. It is a slower acoustic and harmonica driven track. With lyrics such as “Now mister the day the lottery I win/I ain't ever gonna ride in no used car again,” the song deals with themes of poverty, shame and not having enough money to afford the simple things in your life, despite working hard. The Chuck Berry rave-up “Open All Night” arrives next. Another song featuring car imagery, lyrics such as “I met Wanda when she was employed/Behind the counter at the route 60 Bob's Big Boy/Fried Chicken on the front seat she's sittin' in my lap/We're wipin' our fingers on a Texaco roadmap,” paints a picture of love and life in America for outsiders. “My Father’s House” flips the notion of the prodigal son as it ties in with themes of “Mansion on the Hill” and the distance of a father/son relationship, while “Reason to Believe” ends Nebraska. The song seems to be very open ended as it has been seen as some to offer a glimpse of hope on an otherwise very dark album, while others see it as the opposite, as having no reason to believe in anything. Whatever you see it as, Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska is a snapshot of a time in his life just before he was about to become an artist selling out stadiums. The private torment of the characters in these songs are amplified, despite being an acoustic album.

With Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen hit a nerve and connected with something different than his usual subject matter. The album did not have any charting hits and was the complete opposite of his next album Born in the U.S.A. (some of which was written during this same time period). Drawing on American gothic themes of rundown towns and post industry shutdown areas, Nebraska, weaves songs and stories that show a complexity in the darkness. It also reveals the cracks where a light can show through if you look hard enough.

Show 954 Playlist (Originally Aired October 1st, 2022)(Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 50th anniversary, R.E.M's Automatic For The People 30th anniversary, Fake Palms, Status/Non-Status, Beat Happening & Screaming Trees):

1.  The Vagrants – Respect 
2.  The Remains – Don’t Look Back 

3.  Count Five - Psychotic Reaction 
4.  Blue Magoos – Tobacco Road 
5.  Nazz – Open My Eyes 
6.  Link Cromwell - Crazy Like A Fox 
7.  Painted Ship - And She Said Yes 
8.  Canadian Squires - Leave Me Alone
9.  Ugly Ducklings - Nothin’ 

10. R.E.M. – Try Not to Breathe 

11. R.E.M. – Monty Got a Raw Deal 
12. R.E.M. – Drive [live at the 40 Watt Club 11/19/92] 
13. R.E.M. – Wake Her Up (Demo)
14. Yves Jarvis - To That End
15. The Burning Hell - The Last Normal Day
16. Fake Palms - The Curl 
17. More Kicks - Terminal Love 
19. Talking Heads - Don’t Worry About The Government 

20. Pixies – There’s a Moon On 
21. Dumb – Dropout 
22. Heaven for Real – Wait in the Doorway 
23. Skinny Dyck – TV Blue 
24. Julianna Riolino – Lone Ranger 
25. Status/Non-Status – When They Were

26. Beat Happening/Screaming Trees - Polly Pereguinn
27. Beat Happening/Screaming Trees - I Dig You

28. Parquet Courts - Application Apparatus

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 1 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 953 (Originally Aired on September 25th, 2022)(Black Sabbath Vol.4 50th anniversary, Bruce Springsteen Nebraska 40th anniversary, Beck, By Divine Right, Ghost Woman):

1.  Ghost Woman - Clockwork 

2.  Andreas - Dancing Through Dreams 

3.  By Divine Right - No 87 

4.  Sunglaciers - Stayed

5.  Kiwi Jr. - Downtown Area Blues

6.  Viagra Boys - ADD

7.  The Diodes - Polaroid

8.  Alex G - Runner 

9.  Metz – Come on Down 

10. Black Sabbath - Supernaut

11. Black Sabbath – St. Vitus Dance

12. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska 

13. Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band - Atlantic City (Live Brendan Byrne Arena August 6, 1984)

14. The National - Mansion on the Hill 

15. Bruce Springsteen - Johnny 99 #2 (Outtake) 

16. Bruce Springsteen - Highway Patrolman 

17. Cowboy Junkies – State Trooper

18. Bruce Springsteen – Used Cars 

19. Matthew “Doc” Dunn – Open All Night 

20. Rogue Tenant + Steve Sladkowski – My Father’s House

21. Bruce Springsteen – Reason to Believe 

22. Beck – End of the Day

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 25 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 952 (Originally Aired On September 17th, 2022)(The Gun Club Miami 40th anniversary, King Khan & BBQ Show, Lou Reed Words & Music):

1.  Dumb – Sleep Like a Baby 

2.  Heaven for Real – Do Your Worst

3.  Single Mothers – Enough for You

4.  The Murlocs – Virgin Criminal 

5.  Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Gettin’ to the Point 

6.  Paranoyds - LA 2032 

7.  The Barracudas - Summer Fun 

8.  Big Rig - Happy Song

9.  The Soft Pack - Oxford Ave

10. By Divine Right - Fuzzy Empire 

11. The Gun Club – A Devil in the Woods 

12. The Gun Club - Like Calling Up Thunder

13. The Gun Club – Fire of Love (Demo)

14. The Sadies – Mother of Earth

15. Mark Lanegan – Carry Home 

16. Big Thyme - Big Thyme

17. King Khan & The Shrines - Crackin’ Up 

18. Mark Sultan - The Problem 

19. King Khan & BBQ Show - Tryin’

20. Jon Spencer & The HITmakers - Bruise

21. Crack Cloud – Costly Engineered Illusion 

22. No Age – Tripped Out Before Scott 

23. The Beths – Silence is Golden

24. Black Angels – Fire Fly

25. Mo Troper – Play Dumb 

26. Lou Reed - Buzz Buzz Buzz (May 1965 Demo) 

27. Lou Reed - I’m Waiting For The Man (May 1965 Demo) 

28. Velvet Underground - I’m Waiting For The Man (Version 3 Live) 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 17 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 951 Playlist (September 10th, 2022)(Captain Beefheart Ice Cream For Crow, Preoccupations, Daniel Romano, The D4, Dion Lunadon, Jack White):

1.  The D4 - Running On Empty 

2.  Dion Lunadon - Nothing But My Skull

3.  Bad Decisions - Carless Whisper II 

4.  Osees - Scum Show

5.  The Cramps - Weekend On Mars 

6.  The Phantom - Love Me

7.  Broken Social Scene – I Don’t Wanna Grow Up 

8.  Tom Waits – Such a Scream

9.  Tom Waits – Goin’ Out West

10. Captain Beefheart – Ice Cream for Crow 

11. Captain Beefheart – The Past Sure is Tense 

12. Andy & the Ampersands - Going Home 

13. King Woobs - What We Cling To

14. Hurricane & Able - I Feel 

15. Baby Giant - Easy To Love 

16. Preoccupations – Slowly

17. Daniel Romano’s Outfit - VII [La Luna] 

18. Built to Spill – Understood

19. Weary - Retreat 

20. Kate Bush – There Goes a Tenner 

21. Blondie – Moonlight Drive 

22. Tops – Party Again 

23. Paula – Lover Boy 

24. The Volebeats - You Get Closer

25. Leonard Cohen - Passing Through (Live)

26. Ty Segall - Over 

27. Jack White - A Tip From You To Me 

28. Jack White - Love Is Selfish 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 10 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 950 (September 3rd, 2022)(Jonathan Richman, CLAMM, Yoo Doo Right, Detroit Cobras):

1.  Jonathan Richman - That Summer Feeling 

2.  Jonathan Richman - Grunion Run 

3.  Les Jaguars - Jaguar Shake 

4.  Bloodshot Bill - Busted Tail

5.  Bloodshot Bill - Knock Me Out 

6.  The Staccatos - Let’s Run Away

7.  Paul Revere & The Raiders - Louie, Go Home

8.  The Descendants – Suburban Home 

9.   Asexuals – Be What You Want 

10. Minutemen – Case Closed

11. D.O.A. – Get Out of My Life 

12. The Dishrags – Cement 

13. Bo Diddley - Don’t Let It Go 

14. The Paranoyds - Single Organ Experience 

15. The Goldstars - It’s Just Not True 

16. Robbie Quine - It Came From Beyond 

17. Dylan - Pattern Nocturnal 

18. Ancient Shapes - Bird With The Iron Head

19. CLAMM - Global 

20. Black Midi – 27 Questions 

21. Yoo Doo Right – The Failure of Stiff, Tired Friends

22. Julia Jacklin – I Was Neon 

23. Cass McCombs – Karaoke 

24. Mountain Goats – Wage Wars Get Rich or Die Handsome

25. Alvvays – Easy on Your Own 

26. Jack Oblivian - Cigarillo

27. Jack Oblivian - Lone Ranger of Love

28. Detroit Cobras - Cha Cha Twist 

29. Detroit Cobras - I’ll Keep Holding On 

30. Detroit Cobras - Putty (In Your Hands)

31. Detroit Cobras - It's Easier To Cry

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 3 file to download/stream the episode.