Snap Judgment: Bruce Springsteen's 'Working On a Dream'

Possibly the single most telling thing about this sweetly uplifting first offering and title track from Bruce Springsteen's new album, due Jan. 27, isn't the reality-rooted optimism of the lyrics or even the stately, sweeping classic rock music, but a brief musical interlude between verses.

What would typically offer room for a scorching guitar solo or blistering sax contribution from Clarence Clemons instead has a passage that is whistled. When was the last time life in these United States gave Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band reason to whistle?

    The sunrise come, I climb the ladder
    The new day breaks and I'm working on a dream

Not surprisingly, the new-day-dawning number was introduced to the public during a Barack Obama rally just before the election. (The recording by the Super Bowl-bound rocker got a partial airing on Nov. 16 during the broadcast of an NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, as part of a halftime highlights package, and it's also available as a free download today, Nov. 24, at Springsteen's web site.)

When he reaches that verse, more than halfway through the chiming rock tune, it's the most chipper he's sounded in ages. But in the lead-up to it, telegraphed musically by those always heart-rending suspended-fourth chords that open the track, Springsteen acknowledges the struggle that won't magically disappear even with a new leader, even when it's one of whom he approves.

There isn't any overt political bent to the song, but the celebratory message is hard to miss. Brendan O'Brien's ringing production is refreshingly clear, especially on the heels of the distressing sonic muddiness that seriously compromised the appeal of last year's "Magic" album, which O'Brien also produced.

     I'm working on a dream
    Though trouble can feel like it's here to stay
    I'm working on a dream
    Our love will chase the trouble away

Springsteen sounds a hopeful note, for his fans, and Americans in general.

--Randy Lewis

Bruce Springsteen
"Working on a Dream"
Columbia
*** (3 stars)

Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[mxb]

Nice song. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. And you're spot on about "Magic."

[Ruben]

I have always been a fan and his music has been a soundtrack to a lot of personal life events, I am going through a lot and I am also working on a Dream.

Cheers!

[PittBull]

You nailed it Randy.
Bruce loves the liberating urgency of a desperate struggle alright. His suspends and minors turn the collar up on the warmer 1-4-5 chords too. But do I hear optimism in most of his songs? The optimism that is inherent in desire: particularly desire obstructed.
I still and always will miss the late D. Federici's keyboards.

[Julie Greer]

Great Song. It is Bruce of old. When is he coming to Australia next ?

[alicia]

actually, this album was made while federici was alive for sure. what i dont know is whether or not he recorded with the rest of the band

[Joe]

I love Bruce, but this song is crap. You all need to take a step back and not automatically love everything he does, simply because it's him doing it.

[Greg Field]

Great album and title song, but not his greatest. Doesn't pass the "I can listen to it over and over all day" test, but you can't expect him to hit non-stop home runs. Art just don't work that way. I'm going to guess a lot of these songs came from the Magic time period as the chords, melodies, and production values seem derived from several track on the prior album. Maybe tracks that were crossed off the list from Magic and shelved for this project.

[Jeff]

I'm a lifelong Springsteen fan and this new Cd is the worst piece of junk I've listened to... The words anre bland, nearly every song is a sleepy song that you listen to when you can't sleep. Did I mention the words are bland? "Surprise, Surprise" is the worst song since "Mary Queen of Arkansas." The writing is sloppy, the vocals overpower the music, and Springsteen takes away from everyone else. It's an attempt to sound like the Byrds or the Beach Boys, which is an interseting change of focus but it stinks worse than the worst garbage dump of New Jersey. I can't believe that they guy who wrote "Backstreets" is writing "Surprise, Surprise." The "future of rock and roll" is completely dead.