I remember when this album came out in 1987. It was a surprise since Bruce's Born in the U.S.A. was only released 3 years earlier. This was also a surprise in that Bruce was his most revealing both lyrically and emotionally. The twelve songs about love and relationship still hold up 13 years later. The music holds up just as well. This is mostly a quiet, thoughtful work from the Boss. While Born in the U.S.A. may have been misinterpreted by many, Tunnel of Love hits its mark. Perhaps that's why this sold less than half the amount of records Born in the U.S.A. did. There are the hits "Brilliant Disguise", "Tunnel of Love" and "One Step Up". There are the great non-hits like "I Ain't Got You", "Tougher Than The Rest", "Spare Parts", "Walk Like A Man", "Two Faces" and "Valentine's Day." It's unfortunate that the break up of Bruce's first marriage would lead to such a great album, but for the rest of us, this is his greatest gift. I know Born to Run and Born in the USA and Darkness on the Edge of Town and even Nebraska are fan's picks, but I thought I'd pick one that is just as great but less often mentioned.

Tunnel of Love is one of the most challenging and introspective recordings I have ever listened to. In the midst of an era of trite music (which is still continuing 13 years later) that is sexually obsessive, Springsteen pumped out a very engaging and thoughtful album. Bruce looks at a relationship between a man and woman, the longing, the development, eventual marriage, & then problems that occur in that context. Not only does he make observations, he never really points the finger and holds both people in the relationship accountable for the troubles that are occuring. "Tougher than the Rest," "Tunnel of Love," "Two Faces," "Brilliant Disguise," and "Valentine's Day" are some of the most endearing songs ever written by Springsteen. That being said there is one song on this album that is a cut above everything else. "One Step Up" is a heart breaker. This song closely analyzes the human tendency of falling into old habits and traits as shown by one of the chorus lines: "I'm the same old story, same old act. One step and two steps back." I've never heard anyone with as impressive a catalog or songwriting ability as Springsteen (that includes some favorites of mine: U2, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, etc.) and this album is one of his best. If you can buy them all, if you want a great album to start with and are really serious about listening to the music start here.

Springsteen is, in my never-quite-humble opinion, one of the few true artists of Rock, and possibly the only American one of the past 25 or so years.

That said, Tunnel of Love is hardly a peak performance. The production is cold, the performances--excluding Bruce's vocals--are restrained to the point of dullness, and a few of the songs--particularly "Spare Parts" and "When You're Alone"--leave a lot to be desired.

There are moments of greatness here, though. I think Bruce's singing on "Cautious Man," especially the first eight or ten lines, is absolute perfection. Listen to "it was there in her arms he let his cautiousness slip away." This is the essence of art; Springsteen doesn't just tell you, he SHOWS you, you can feel that wave of calm coming over the character. That moment, along with "Tunnel of Love," "All That Heaven Will Allow," and "Brilliant Disguise" all help this LP overcome some of its shortcomings.

I'm not the first reviewer to suggest that Springsteen is as close to a novelist as Rock has ever seen. This album is a short story, helping to transition the man and his characters from a sustained adolescence to adulthood. It's never an easy move--some traits and some characters don't carry over, some things that you swore you'd never become, swore you'd never leave behind, come to pass if you're going to survive. Springsteen, always a fine mix of optimist, realist and romantic, made even leaving the glory days behind and moving on to responsibility and adult life cool. To note that love is NOT always enough ("It's easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love") and to sing of faraway romance ("Valentine's Day"---"tonight I miss my girl, mister, tonight I miss my home") on the same LP is, I think, to acknowledge that life and love are hard and sometimes unfair, but they're still worth it.

And--as he began with "Darkness On The Edge of Town"--Springsteen confronts the bad within himself. "Two Faces," despite two horrible keyboard solos, is another fine example of his self-confrontation. That is, I think, the trait that most makes me admire Springsteen: he is an optimist who wants to to good, but isn't so arrogant as to think for a moment that he is a saint. Good, in Springsteen's ovre, isn't purity, but the will to fight against the evil in yourself.

The fact that he then turns that introspection into a dissection of himself, his partner, and their relationship as a whole in "Brilliant Disguise" ("Now look at me baby, struggling to do everything right, and then it all falls apart...I want to know if it's you I don't trust, cause I damn sure don't trust myself...God have mercy on the man who doubts what he's sure of") proves his genious, and shows that even a minor Springsteen LP, like this one, is Art.

This was an important moment for Springsteen, where he stepped back from the trappings he found in Superstardom and began to straighten out his life and his career. Lennon took five years to get his head together; Springsteen did it a little faster. Elvis never did it.

As Springsteen and Lennon both pointed out, every rocker wanted to be Elvis, but none of them wanted to end up like him.

Elvis wasted himself to death, mired in eternal adolescence; Lennon was gunned down too shortly after making the transition. Springsteen made it through the worst of it and came out a better man and a true artist, fulfilling the promise of "Born To Run" and "The River."

Well, no disguise on my part. I was going to write this review ages ago, however, I never placed it back properly in my archive and thus, it was missing for a long time. By channeling universal positive energy I found it again. I was led to it. Do you believe in such things? You ought to - plus I confirm it. How lucky can one be?

First off - I run the risk of getting into that old McCoys/Hatfields squabble about his music. I find that, with him, the camps are at vast opposites. Very little middle ground here. With me, I think he has done some remarkable music. But, again, some things he has presented don't always get a rave from me. I have issues with "Born in the U.S.A.", for example. But, I think from an analytical aspect, "Tunnel of Love" has got to be one of his best, introspective c.d.s.

I think with true talent, you have to place yourself outside of the common "me" factor. The ability to write from the human heart - and from various aspects and different persona, is a gift. Springsteen proves this, over and over again, with this thoughtful and inspired offering that begs analysis and examination to what is important to all of us. The quality of love.

It is amazing what he does here. These are folk tunes for sure. Some with acoustic and also with a band. But mostly folk tunes at their essence because of the lessons each tale tells. He touches on the unresolved self. The self that's so full of dreams, but so unsure of their stability once achieved. Throughout he brings us to the flights and highs of new love, through the uneasy complacency, to the illusions we put forth. He searchs for the answer of how we know love is real. There are no sure answers here. And, wisely, he does not attempt to answer it. He gives you the scenarios, the emotion and puzzles for you to figure out and how they pertain to your own existence. That is the genius here.

He begins with "Ain't Got You", a spare guitar and harmonica rave that sounds like it's Elvis inspired. Despite having everything, the subject is poor for not having the girl he really wants. Then it moves to the tough brag of "Tougher than the Rest", wherein the compelling beat and hymn-like keyboards portray a generous and self assured stance on courtship.

"All that Heaven Will Allow" is a sprightly, jaunty tune conveying the beginning of a new love. Conversely, we are then treated to the hoe-down of "Spare Parts" whereby the meter is juxtaposed against a sadness of a girl whose boyfriend deserts her after her child is born and before they were to marry. The only value from the relationship? A wedding dress and an engagement ring she could hock. The coldness of sad reality sets in.

A melancholy acoustic follows next, "Cautious Man", that reveals an honest, working man, whose uncertainty in love continues to haunt him through his life. Caught in-between "love" and "fear", which are tatooed on his knuckles, this is a rich analogy to his own self-imprisonment.

Bruce ponders the ability to sustain love when, while viewing a wedding he wonders "Well would they look so happy again, the handsome groom and his bride", in "Walk Like a Man". But, he knows it will take courage as he has learned from his father. A heartfelt ode to say the least.

"Tunnel of Love" beautifully juxtaposes a carnival ride to a love relationship. A boardwalk musical aria permeates this song. It is an uneasy situation because "there's just the three of us - you and me and all that stuff we're so scared of". And, with this, the underlying motif that "It's easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love". Sadly, that is the truth in this c.d.

"Two Faces" is a study of a man's personality and how a side of him has sabotaged his relationship. The conflict of what we want and how our actions betray our motives. "Brilliant Disguise" is brilliant in every regard. He begs many questions here: is your love showing her real self to you and, finally, are you doing that as well? The tune and the hook fall into place perfectly with this song. "Have mercy on the man, who doubts what he's sure of", meaning, to me at least, that there is never a moment when one should be complacent in love.

As an aside I should point out that these songs are snap shots that provide many aspects of love. He shows you the dark clouds circling overhead and shows you your own fragility in dealing with the questions here, as well as his own.

The rest of the c.d deals with a broken relationship ("One Step Up") and the dream of when it was real, the desolation of loneliness ("When You're Alone") that deals with his despair and, eventually, his ex-lover's as well.

In closing, the soft and melancholy "Valentine's Day" which, so aptly portrays the nightmare of the soul that one feels when one is in love. Written, ironically, as a comfortable melody, his main anguish is "what scares me is losing you". And thus closes an incredible work, which I think is one of his very best.

Say what you will about Springsteen, but it is a difficult thing to put your personal feelings out there in a universal, meaningful way. He does this. And he does this in such a relevant way, delving deep into his humanity, and ours as well. This one is truthful reflection. Hard to take, I know, but so essential. One of his very best people!

I think I need a brandy---cheers! ------Metamorpho ;)

Bruce Springsteen is always remembered for Nebraska, Born to Run, or Born in the USA. Nebraska my favorite out of those three, but here is my second favorite. Tunnel of Love is Bruce's examination to his first marriage and there are some tearjerkers here. He should be given respect for this album, like Dylan did for Blood on the Tracks, his personal opus. Favorites include Tougher Than the Rest, Cautious Man, Ain't Got You, Tunnel of Love, Two Faces, Brilliant Disguise, One Step Up, and When You're Alone. Highly Highly Recommended.