I am someone who has had a lifelong love of Bruce Springsteen. He was my first concert, one of the first musicians I knew I loved, and my love of the Boss just felt like something special. Which is why I am so excited for Deliver Me From Nowhere.
The movie is not just another biopic about a musician, as director Scott Cooper said in a new featurette. Copper, who directed another one of my favorite musical films with Crazy Heart, is telling a story about Springsteen at a very specific time of his life. That time was when the singer/song-writer was working on the album Nebraska.
In the new behind the scenes look though, there is one song you can hear that changed my life: “Atlantic City.” I’ve written about the song before, I heard it live for the first time last year and it has been my favorite Springsteen song for as long as I can remember.
But what makes Deliver Me From Nowhere so unique to me is that the song is featured on the album. Meaning the world is about to understand why I love it so deeply.
Nebraska is a deeply personal album for the Boss and it is why I’ve loved it so dearly. Hearing Jeremy Allen White sing his version of the song has the same heart and pain that the Boss’ does. It felt like I was getting to experience the magic of “Atlantic City” in a new way and this was JUST from the featurette. I’m going to be a mess when I see the film.
“Everything dies, baby that’s a fact”
I found solace in “Atlantic City” when my dad was dying. Hearing “Everything dies, baby that’s a fact. But maybe everything that dies someday comes back” gave me hope that my father’s legacy would live on in his kids and his grandchildren. I knew my own love of music came from him and the same could be said for my brother’s, who is why so many members of my family love Bruce Springsteen.
While I’ve loved Nebraska most of all, it really was the year of 2020-2021 when my father was battling cancer that made me realize how beautiful the album really was. So when news broke about Deliver Me From Nowhere focusing on Springsteen’s time writing the album, it meant the world to me.
Every day, I look at my tattoo of the lyrics “Meet me tonight in Atlantic City” and yearn for the kind of escape that Springsteen is searching for with this song. He’s trying to just be happy and I think that’s something that we all can relate to and it is what makes Nebraska the brilliant album that it is.
Now, hearing just a glimpse of White singing my favorite song is enough to have me on edge until I finally get to experience the magic of Deliver Me From Nowhere myself. And take it from a Springsteen girlie, you’ll want to bring your tissues.
(featured image: 20th Century Studios)
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