Skip to main content

Bruce Springsteen: "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"

 As a young man, Bruce Springsteen would read Dostoyevsky, along with Arthur Miller plays. Springsteen's own work seems to be suffused with the spirit of Willy Loman; Springsteen's characters are often severely flawed and relatable.


Thus: the speaker in "Born in the USA," who "got into a little hometown jam." (We can read between the lines.) There is also the young man in "Dancing in the Dark," who understands that he ought to be home doing his literary work, but who instead grabs his wallet and heads to the bar. ("This gun's for hire....") There is also the man who abandons his wife and children. ("I took a wrong turn, and I just kept going...")

It seems to me that Bruce Springsteen has compassion for these troubled souls. He knows we're all doomed, but he encourages us to keep trying. I think that's the spirit behind Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town."

You better watch out;
You better not cry!
You better not pout--
I'm telling you why....

 At the start of the song, Bruce expresses his enthusiasm for a "reed player," Clarence, who has been rehearsing with diligence. (A new sax may be Clarence's reward.) But Bruce doesn't dwell on Clarence; he turns to the members of the audience, who generally admit that they have been "less than good." Bruce shouts, "You guys are in trouble out here!" He says this as a fellow traveler; he knows what trouble is like.

But--I guess--until midnight on December 24th, there's some time to turn things around.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Host a Baby

-You have assumed responsibility for a mewling, puking ball of life, a yellow-lab pup. He will spit his half-digested kibble all over your shoes, all over your hard-cover edition of Jennifer Haigh's novel  Faith . He will eat your tables, your chairs, your "I {Heart] Montessori" magnet, placed too low on the fridge. When you try to watch Bette Davis in  Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , on your TV, your dog will bark through the murder-prologue, for no apparent reason. He will whimper through Lena Dunham's  Girls , such that you have to rewind several times to catch every nuance of Andrew Rannells's ad-libbing--and, still, you'll have a nagging suspicion you've missed something. Your dog will poop on the kitchen floor, in the hallway, between the tiny bars of his crate. He'll announce his wakefulness at 5 AM, 2 AM, or while you and another human are mid-coitus. All this, and you get outside, and it's: "Don't let him pee on my tulips!" When...
3 comments
Read more

Raymond Carver: "What's in Alaska?"

Outside, Mary held Jack's arm and walked with her head down. They moved slowly on the sidewalk. He listened to the scuffing sounds her shoes made. He heard the sharp and separate sound of a dog barking and above that a murmuring of very distant traffic.  She raised her head. "When we get home, Jack, I want to be fucked, talked to, diverted. Divert me, Jack. I need to be diverted tonight." She tightened her hold on his arm. He could feel the dampness in that shoe. He unlocked the door and flipped the light. "Come to bed," she said. "I'm coming," he said. He went to the kitchen and drank two glasses of water. He turned off the living-room light and felt his way along the wall into the bedroom. "Jack!" she yelled. "Jack!" "Jesus Christ, it's me!" he said. "I'm trying to get the light on." He found the lamp, and she sat up in bed. Her eyes were bright. He pulled the stem on the alarm and b...
1 comment
Read more

My Favorite Pop Song

  One thing I admire about Prince is his weirdly pretentious verses: Dream, if you can, a courtyard-- An ocean of violets in bloom. Also: Touch, if you will, my stomach. Feel how it trembles inside. No one else writes like this. Did people try to shoot down these choices? Did a producer say, "We'd like to rethink this one... Touch, if you will, my stomach...."  I can't help but wonder. But it's the chorus that makes this a classic. It's direct and universal--and it ends with that bizarre flourish, the allusion to "the crying doves." (Prince's song was number one in America for quite a while; it defeated Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark.") How can you just leave me standing-- Alone in a world that's so cold? Maybe I'm just too demanding. Maybe I'm just like my father--too bold. Maybe you're just like my mother; She's never satisfied. Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like when doves cr...
Post a Comment
Read more