Released on Oct. 9, 1987, "Tunnel Of Love" has a reputation among some Springsteen fans as his “soft rock, baby boomer divorce record.” It’s true that "Tunnel Of Love" doesn’t exactly rock, and it’s definitely not guitar-heavy. Instead, it’s dominated by synthesizers, drum machines, and Springsteen’s weary, mature croon.If you care about lyrics, "Tunnel Of Love" is every bit as gut-wrenching as "Nebraska." And the music suits those lyrics — this is an introspective record, and the contemplative music inevitably sends the listener inward, evoking a sleepless night filled with various shades of blue poring through a bedroom window, the kind that a married person looks out as he or she wonders why in the hell their spouse still isn’t home at 2 a.m. To talk about "Tunnel Of Love," I called up John Darnielle, who started writing and recording songs under the moniker of the Mountain Goats in the early '90s. Since then, he’s earned a reputation as one of the best songwriters in indie rock, known for a literary style that, like Springsteen, touches both on autobiographical material and, more notably, fictional characters who are sketched out with flesh blood authenticity. 

Released on Oct. 9, 1987, "Tunnel Of Love"&nbsp;has a reputation among some Springsteen fans as his &ldquo;soft rock, baby boomer divorce record.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s true that "Tunnel Of Love"&nbsp;doesn&rsquo;t exactly rock, and it&rsquo;s definitely not guitar-heavy. Instead, it&rsquo;s dominated by synthesizers, drum machines, and Springsteen&rsquo;s weary, mature croon.If you care about lyrics, "Tunnel Of Love"&nbsp;is every bit as gut-wrenching as "Nebraska." And the music suits those lyrics &mdash; this is an introspective record, and the contemplative music inevitably sends the listener inward, evoking a sleepless night filled with various shades of blue poring through a bedroom window, the kind that a married person looks out as he or she wonders why in the hell their spouse still isn&rsquo;t home at 2 a.m. To talk about "Tunnel Of Love,"&nbsp;I called up John Darnielle, who started writing and recording songs under the moniker of the Mountain Goats in the early '90s. Since then, he&rsquo;s earned a reputation as one of the best songwriters in indie rock, known for a literary style that, like Springsteen, touches both on autobiographical material and, more notably, fictional characters who are sketched out with flesh blood authenticity.&nbsp;

Rock Critic Steven Hyden ("Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me", "Twilight Of The Gods") talks with rock stars and the country’s biggest music writers about what’s happening in rock. Presented by 93X (www.93X.com) and Uproxx.com (http://uproxx.com/music/)

Advertisement