Bruce Springsteen hadn’t really dug too deep into the love-song well in the first 15 years or so of his recording career. Once he did address the topic, he went all-in on the good and bad (mostly bad, as it turns out) of romance on his 1987 album Tunnel of Love.
When you consider some of the dark takes on the subject that adorn the record, perhaps it’s no surprise that Springsteen’s first marriage to actress Julianne Phillips would collapse not all that long after the album’s release. Here are our choices for the five finest songs on Tunnel of Love.
5. “Valentine’s Day”
Springsteen has always shown a nice touch for knowing just what the right closer for his more thematic albums should be. At first listen, “Valentine’s Day” might seem an odd choice as it doesn’t really demand your attention, instead kind of ambling about in the same chord pattern for much of the song. But it ends up casting a dreamy spell. That’s apropos, since the narrator seems to be lost in a bit of a reverie himself as he tries to make sense of what it means to be committed to someone for the rest of his life.
4. “One Step Up”
In recent years, the connection between Springsteen and country music has become clearer, but that wasn’t always the case. “One Step Up” was one of the first songs of Bruce’s to receive wide exposure that fit into that genre. In fact, it starts out as almost a cliched country song, what with the furnace and the Ford both giving him trouble. But it evolves from there into a deep treatise on how a relationship can deteriorate before your eyes. By the end of the song, the narrator is looking across the bar at potential adultery, summing up his marital status with the following: And me well honey I’m pretending.
3. “Tougher than the Rest”
Springsteen largely made Tunnel of Love without much help from the E Street Band. But when he did call upon them, they rose to the occasion. On a song about toughness, he needed a beat that would project that, and drummer Max Weinberg came through in that department. The song is a bit of a departure from much of the rest of the album in that the narrator is going fearlessly into a potential love match. As a matter of fact, he’s encouraging the reticent girl in front of him to take a chance as well, even with the evidence of past romantic misfires scaring her away.
2. “Cautious Man”
If you’re making a list of way-underrated, somewhat forgotten Springsteen tracks, make sure not to leave this one out. It’s a stunning study on how the restlessness inherent in human nature can make romance so difficult. The narrator, against his better judgment, falls in love and gets married, and for a brief moment, can see what a happy ending looks like. But he can’t help himself from the coldness that envelops him and makes him question if he’s on the right path. Springsteen leaves this guy sitting by his marital bed, and we have no idea if he’s going to recommit or say goodbye.
1. “Brilliant Disguise”
Before you can talk too much about the lyrics here, you have to admire what Springsteen did with the music on this song, which snaps and crackles at all the right points. Musically, it’s undoubtedly a hit song, which is what it turned out to be. But when you start diving deep into the lyrics, you’re going to disappear into a relationship that’s absolutely doomed, even though the participants don’t seem to realize it. The mistrust brewing between the two manifests itself in a pair of wholly different personas taking the place of the two vulnerable people who should be the ones dealing with each other.
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