Tunnel of Love (album)
Tunnel of Love is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on October 2, 1987. Although members of the E Street Band occasionally performed on the album, Springsteen recorded most of the parts himself, often with drum machines and synthesizers. Tunnel of Love is not officially regarded as an E Street Band album, as The Rising (2002) was marketed as his first studio album with the E Street Band since Born in the U.S.A. (1984).[2]
| Tunnel of Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 2, 1987[1] | |||
| Recorded | January–July 1987 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:25 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Bruce Springsteen chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Tunnel of Love | ||||
| ||||
In 1989, the album was ranked No. 25 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties"[3] while in 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it at No. 467 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[4] "Brilliant Disguise", "Tunnel of Love", "One Step Up", "Tougher Than the Rest", and "Spare Parts" were all released as singles. "Tunnel of Love" won Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo at the 1988 Grammy Awards.
Background edit
The New York Times writer Jon Pareles said that Springsteen "turned inward" on this album, writing about "love gone wrong" in response to changes in his personal life, particularly his crumbling marriage to Julianne Phillips.[5] Pareles said that most of the songs on the album were about the difficulty of mature love rather than Springsteen's earlier arena rock anthems to the working man. Tunnel of Love songs were described as "midtempo ballads or pop-rock hymns".[6] "Brilliant Disguise" has been called "a heart-wrenching song about never being really able to know someone".[7]
On the B-sides of vinyl and cassette singles, outtakes like "Lucky Man", "Two for the Road" and a 1979 track, "Roulette" were included. On the EP that accompanied the 1988 tour, Springsteen included album cut "Tougher Than the Rest", but included another River outtake, "Be True" a rearranged, acoustic "Born To Run", and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom".
Commercially the album went triple Platinum in the US on April 19, 1988, with "Brilliant Disguise" being one of his biggest hit singles, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Tunnel of Love" also making the top 10, reaching No. 9, and "One Step Up" reaching the top 20 at No. 13.[8] The 1988 Springsteen and E Street Band Tunnel of Love Express tour would showcase the album's songs, sometimes in arrangements courtesy of the Miami Horns.[9]
Amusement park tunnel of love memorabilia was provided by the National Amusement Park Historical Association to be used on the record sleeve of the Tunnel of Love single.[10] A cover of "All That Heaven Will Allow" was a minor hit single for country band the Mavericks in 1995.[11]
Music videos edit
Irish filmmaker Meiert Avis directed the music videos for "Brilliant Disguise", "One Step Up", "Tougher Than the Rest", and "Tunnel of Love". The videos were shot on location in New Jersey, including Asbury Park. The intensely personal "Brilliant Disguise" video broke new ground on MTV, being a single shot without edits. The video of the title track was nominated for five MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year , and Best Editing.
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [12] |
| Chicago Tribune | [13] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| MusicHound Rock | [15] |
| Pitchfork | 9.5/10[16] |
| Q | [17] |
| Rolling Stone | [18] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [19] |
| Tom Hull | A[20] |
| The Village Voice | A[21] |
In a contemporary review for Playboy, music critic Robert Christgau wrote that, apart from the humorous opening track and the clichéd track that follows, Tunnel of Love is "convincing, original stuff—it zeroes in on fear of commitment as a pathology and battles it."[22] He particularly praised the album's introspective second half in his consumer guide for The Village Voice, saying that it showed Springsteen's decency and ability for self-examination.[21] Rolling Stone magazine's Steve Pond said that Tunnel of Love is "a varied, modestly scaled, modern-sounding pop album" rather than a rock and roll album and felt that its unromantic tales of love are similar to Springsteen's socially conscious work about broken promises and dreams in America:
On Tunnel of Love, Springsteen is writing about the promises people make to each other and the way they renege on those promises, about the romantic dreams we're brought up with and the internal demons that stifle those dreams. The battleground has moved from the streets to the sheets, but the battle hasn't changed significantly.[23]
In The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, Tunnel of Love finished second in the voting for the year's best album.[24] Christgau, the poll's creator, named it the third best album of the year in his own list.[25] In 1989, the album was ranked #25 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties"[3] while in 2012, the same magazine ranked it at #467 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[4] In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Tunnel of Love the 91st greatest album of all time.[26][27]
Writing for America Magazine, Catholic priest and sociologist Andrew Greeley argued that this album exemplifies the American Catholic imagination.[28] In a 2014 article for Grantland, Steven Hyden said Tunnel of Love remained Springsteen's "most underrated record" among fans but in his own opinion, Springsteen's best lyrically. "You really shouldn't be allowed to hear this record until you've been married for a few years", Hyden wrote, "though at that point it might strike a little too close to home. If Ingmar Bergman had been born in Freehold and cut his artistic teeth at the Stone Pony, he would've made this record in place of Scenes From a Marriage. Totally '80s production aside ... this album represents the heaviest blues of Springsteen's career. The songs are about men and women who flirt, have sex, fall in love, get married, get bored, have sex with other people, and wind up stuck in the middle of that dark night from the second disc of The River."[29]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Bruce Springsteen
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't Got You" | 2:11 |
| 2. | "Tougher Than the Rest" | 4:35 |
| 3. | "All That Heaven Will Allow" | 2:39 |
| 4. | "Spare Parts" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Cautious Man" | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Walk Like a Man" | 3:45 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Tunnel of Love" | 5:12 |
| 8. | "Two Faces" | 3:03 |
| 9. | "Brilliant Disguise" | 4:17 |
| 10. | "One Step Up" | 4:22 |
| 11. | "When You're Alone" | 3:24 |
| 12. | "Valentine's Day" | 5:10 |
| Total length: | 46:25 | |
Unreleased outtakes edit
While more than 80 songs were said to have been recorded for Springsteen's previous album, only 19 are known to have been recorded for Tunnel of Love, with 12 making the album's final cut. "Lucky Man" and "Two For the Road" were released as B-sides, and later on Tracks along with other outtakes such as "The Honeymooners," "The Wish" and "When You Need Me." "Part Man, Part Monkey" was also recorded during these sessions and played live on the Tunnel of Love Express Tour. Although that version remains unreleased, it would be re-recorded during future album sessions and eventually released. "Walking Through Midnight," the only other unreleased song, was co-written by Southside Johnny who recorded the song for his own album, 1988's Slow Dance.
- "Part Man, Part Monkey"
- "Walking Through Midnight"
Personnel edit
Musicians
- Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitars, mandolin, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica, percussion, drum machine, sound effects on "Tunnel of Love"
- Roy Bittan – acoustic piano on "Brilliant Disguise", synthesizers on "Tunnel of Love"
- Clarence Clemons – backing vocals on "When You're Alone"
- Danny Federici – Hammond organ on "Tougher Than the Rest", "Spare Parts" and "Brilliant Disguise"
- Nils Lofgren – guitar solo on "Tunnel of Love", backing vocals on "When You're Alone"
- Patti Scialfa – backing vocals on "Tunnel of Love", "One Step Up" and "When You're Alone"
- Garry Tallent – bass guitar on "Spare Parts"
- Max Weinberg – drums on "All That Heaven Will Allow", "Two Faces" and "When You're Alone"; percussion on "Tougher Than the Rest", "Spare Parts", "Walk Like a Man", "Tunnel of Love", and "Brilliant Disguise"
- James Wood – harmonica on "Spare Parts"
Technical
- Toby Scott – engineering
- Tim Leitner, Roger Talkov, Squeek Stone, Rob Jacobs – engineering assistants
- Bob Clearmountain – mixing
- Mark McKenna – mixing assistant
- Jay Healy – mixing assistant on "Tunnel of Love"
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Heidi Cron – mastering assistant
- Sandra Choron – art direction
- Annie Leibovitz, Bob Adelman, Kryn Taconis, Elliott Erwitt – photography
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
| Year-end charts edit
|
Certifications and sales edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[49] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[50] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[51] | Gold | 40,716[51] |
| France (SNEP)[52] | 2× Gold | 200,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[53] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Italy | — | 400,000[54] |
| Japan | — | 128,400[36] |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[55] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[56] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[57] | Platinum | 100,000[57] |
| Portugal (AFP)[58] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[59] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[60] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[61] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[62] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[63] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
| * Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "RIAA Certification". from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "The Rising". Bruce Springsteen. from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "100 BEST ALBUMS OF THE EIGHTIES". Rolling Stone. from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- ^ a b "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (July 14, 2002). "MUSIC; His Kind of Heroes, His Kind of Songs". The New York Times. from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (February 27, 1988). "Pop: Springsteen Starts First Tour in 2 Years". The New York Times. from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Cavicchi, Daniel (1998). Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning Among Springsteen Fans. New York, Oxford. p. 32. ISBN 0-19-511833-2.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Bruce Springsteen – Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Brucebase – 1988". brucebase.wikidot.com. from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- ^ "About Us – National Amusement Park Historical Association". www.napha.org. from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Ruhlamnn, William. "Tunnel of Love – Bruce Springsteen". AllMusic. from the original on April 6, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ Kot, Greg (August 23, 1992). "The Recorded History of Springsteen". Chicago Tribune. from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Bruce Springsteen". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Graff, Gary (1996). "Bruce Springsteen". In Graff, Gary (ed.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 0-7876-1037-2.
- ^ Sodomsky, Sam (May 19, 2018). "Bruce Springsteen: The Album Collection Vol. 2, 1987–1996". Pitchfork. from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ "Bruce Springsteen: Tunnel of Love". Q. London: 124. March 2000.
- ^ Pond, Steve (October 3, 1987). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Bruce Springsteen". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon and Schuster. pp. 771–2. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Hull, Tom (October 29, 2016). "Streamnotes (October 2016)". Tom Hull – on the Web. from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (December 1, 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (February 1988). "Playboy Music". Playboy. from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- ^ "The 1987 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. March 1, 1988. from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (March 1, 1988). "Pazz & Jop 1987: Dean's List". The Village Voice. from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ "Top 100 Greatest Music Albums". from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
- ^ "Rocklist.net...Q Magazine Lists". from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
- ^ "Andrew Greeley on the Catholic Imagination of Bruce Springsteen | America Magazine". from the original on August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Hyden, Steven (January 7, 2014). "Overrated, Underrated, or Properly Rated: Bruce Springsteen". Grantland. from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "austriancharts.at Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ Library and Archives Canada. April 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 6, 2012
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on May 6, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2012.Note: user must select 'Bruce SPRINGSTEEN' from drop-down
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Tunnel of love".
- ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "charts.nz Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love" (ASP) (in Swedish). from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ "Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company: Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ "allmusic ((( Tunnel of Love > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums of '87". RPM. December 26, 1987. from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
- ^ a b "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on February 1, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ "Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1988" (in German). Hung Medien. from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love". Music Canada. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ a b "Bruce Springsteen" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ "French album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love" (in French). InfoDisc. Select BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and click OK.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bruce Springsteen; 'Tunnel of Love')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ "Il Boss ha ceduto Bruce appare in tv". La Stampa (in Italian). April 30, 1992. p. 50. from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
Il suo disco più venduto in Italia è «Born in the Usa» con 450 mila copie, al secondo posto c'è «Tunnel of love» con 400 mila. Sono state 500 mila le prenotazioni per i due nuovi album
- ^ "Dutch album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved October 6, 2011. Enter Tunnel of Love in the "Artiest of titel" box.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "European Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music & Media. December 26, 1987. p. 44. (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Pinheiro De Almeida, Luis (January 14, 1989). "Platinum in Portugal" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 2. p. 11. (PDF) from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979–1990. Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392. from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Tunnel of Love')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ "British album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
- ^ "American album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
External links edit
- Tunnel of Love at Discogs (list of releases)