"One of the most powerful moments in the vast expanse of Bruce Springsteen's songwriting is actually an expertly deployed silence. It comes right in the middle of that tattered anthem Born in the U.S.A., which until then has established a predictable structure."
"Springsteen shifted into another gear when he learned how to use negative space, whether it was the haunted void he howled into on his 1982 incantation Nebraska or the terse, sturdy couplets he whittled into the many perfect pop songs he released in the 1980s."
"What could you possibly rhyme with wasted life, senseless death, incurable grief? An earlier and more exuberant version of the same songwriter would have had a whole list of suggestions."
Bruce Springsteen's songwriting features powerful moments of silence, particularly in 'Born in the U.S.A.' where he mentions his brother's death. This absence of resolution reflects the weight of grief. Springsteen's evolution in songwriting shows a shift from exuberant youth to a mastery of negative space, allowing for deeper emotional resonance. His later works, while commercially successful, have faced criticism for perceived disconnect from the working-class experiences he writes about, highlighting the complexities of his artistic journey.
Read at www.nytimes.com
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