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The River - Side 3

Posted at 2:06 PM on November 1, 2007 by Mac Wilson

"Point Blank" -- A lengthy epic about the persistence of memory. It's hard to tell which parts of the song are real and which are dreams, made all the more disorienting by that guitar part that conveys utter hopelessness. We've clearly taken a lyrical turn, having now entered a world in which life's dead-ends are a virtual death sentence by firing squad. Quite sad, but thankfully we've got...
"Cadillac Ranch" -- Max Weinberg's drums do a great job of shuttling away any lingering gloom, and are the driving force (along with Roy Bittan's piano) behind the rollicking "Cadillac Ranch". I think the "rockers" mature as the album goes on, though, and it's not difficult to see a hint of desperation between the lines of the song: the titular ranch may signify a cemetery, vehicular nirvana, or both. For all the seeming joy the narrator expresses at his wonderful car, by the end, he is pleading "don't let 'em take me to the Cadillac Ranch!" Personally, I think the Cadillac Ranch is a sinister view of heaven, which naturally leads to mental conflict: staying on earth with his baby, versus partying at the Cadillac Ranch with Burt Reynolds each have their clear advantages and disadvantages. Totally rockin', in any case.
"I'm a Rocker" -- Speaking of rocking, we get a cute little song in which Bruce paints himself as the ultimate secret agent, prepared to seize your love by any means necessary. As we've seen, merely being a good "rocker" doesn't quite cut it in real life, but Bruce still gives us a good time, in spite of inadvertently dating the material by name-dropping Kojak and Columbo.
"Fade Away" -- A friend of mine always had a soft spot for "Fade Away", which deals with the simple human fear of being forgotten by someone you were once close to. The song's saddest touch? Springsteen ends the song by repeatedly pleading "I don't wanna faaaaade away"....as it slowly fades away into nothing.
"Stolen Car" -- Another noirish tale of love gone cold, wrapped in the intriguing metaphor of marital infidelity as auto theft. Of course, Springsteen leaves most of the details blank, so when the narrator speaks of driving a stolen car while waiting to get caught, it's entirely possible it actually is a car. Yet another supremely haunting track, scored only to Bruce's voice, tinkling piano, and a few orchestral rumbles. Listen carefully to the fade: near the very end, pianist Roy Bittan briefly adds a little piano figure that directly mirrors the titular refrain of "Point Blank" -- a cool way to bookend the side.

November 2007
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30

Master Archive

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