“Well, that makes one of us.” Bruce Springsteen as an artist is a unique man. His songs are often misinterpreted, he has always remained true to his Jersey roots, and now fans will get to see one of his best albums come to life with Deliver Me From Nowhere.
Deliver Me From Nowhere details Springsteen’s (Jeremy Allen White) journey with Nebraska. It just so happens to be my favorite album of the Boss’ discography. Nebraska is the acoustic follow up to Bruce Springsteen’s The River. And while his music is often emotional, there is nothing quite like the power that “Atlantic City” has. It is, after all, the Springsteen tattoo I have.
The trailer for the film makes it very clear that this album was a letter to Springsteen’s younger self. As Jeremy Strong’s Jon Landau says: This is Springsteen fixing the hole Bruce had in his childhood home. That’s a metaphor but you get it. This was his passion project and it, in turn, gave me one of the most important albums in my life.
The film is described as follows: “The all-new feature film, 20th Century Studios’ “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 Nebraska album, a raw, haunted acoustic record that marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works.”
Ending with “Born to Run” is sweet. It gives the “fans” of the Boss who maybe don’t understand the stories he tells or the tangents he goes on something to cling to. But as a lifelong fan of Springsteen’s work with the E Street Band, I love that this feels very much like going to a show of Bruce Springsteen’s.
A storyteller sharing his gift with the world
One of the beautiful parts of Springsteen’s music is that it is meant to share with others. My brother found Springsteen on his own and gave that love to the rest of our family. My first concert was a Springsteen concert and to this day, he’s the artist I’ve seen the most. But it wasn’t until this last tour, when I made the trek out to Jersey to see the Boss in his home state, that I finally heard my favorite song live.
I warned my friend, told him if he hears “Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night” out loud, I was going to cry. And sure enough, it happened. “Atlantic City” is off of Nebraska and really reminds us that life is short and even when we lose something we love, they’re with us and can “come back” as the lyrics say.
That’s the power that Nebraska as an album has. It is moving, captivating, and makes me feel both broken and whole when I listen to it and now the world will understand what Springsteen was going through as he was writing it. This movie means a lot to me as a Springsteen fan but, as is the way with his music, I cannot wait for others to hear this story and feel as I do about the Boss.
(featured image: 20th Century Studios)
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