"CAN YOU HEAR ME??"

"You write the song just for yourself, but it's not good unless you play it for somebody else. That is the connection between people that's forever lasting and can never be broken apart." ~ Bruce Springsteen, 1985

"The mistake is to start thinking that you are your songs. To me a song is a vision, a flash: I see characters and situations" ~ Bruce Springsteen, 1974

"I'm Outlaw Pete, Can you hear me? Can you hear me??" ~ Outlaw Pete ~ 2007/8

Like a voice crying in the wilderness... Bruce begins Chapter 16 of one of the most romantic adventures ever written!! "Can you hear me? Can you hear me??" Those 4 words alone make me hearken... and as I move closer pressing my headset to my ears and I find myself lost in a world of "Love" and "Life." ... Outlaw Pete is the perfect intro as it grabs my attention... it's Bruce at his best... storytelling. So as I climb up onto his stolen pony... I hear the galloping of hooves as his melody draws me in... Being a sinner since I had "little bare baby feet"... I can relate to Pete, and find myself singing with him, "Can you hear me?? Can you here me?" It seems sinner Pete has found peace... that is of course until Dan comes along and challenges his right to live happily ever after... and while Pete wins his life he discovers that he will always be an outlaw... a killer... and a thief... and that these things cannot be undone... and so Pete disappears... over the edge... into her... his lucky day... but she has been hiding away so he urges her to come out... cause "to win darlin' we must play" put in context these two sit perfectly... Next our outlaw let's us in on his dream... revealing his inspiration... "I think of you and I'm working on a dream." He's taking us into his fairytale... the music is easy going... none threatning... so I'm game... let's play!! As I go further into this outlaw's secret world of love and desire I find my self stalking the aisles of the local supermarket to gaze upon the beauty of an ordinary (common) girl who has captured this superstar outlaw's admiration... "as the evening sky turns blue a dream awaits in aisle #2"

So mature how he wears his heart on his sleeve... so enchantingly sweet... "at night I pray for the strength to tell her... I love, I love, I love her so" and as he takes his place in line he is lifted up... a sweet sweet love song... teetering on the edge of obsessive it ends with our outlaw's youthful exuberance as he catches her smile so incredible it causes him to cuss. His prayer continues as he finds not only the strength to tell her that he loves her but now he offers to show her...

"What Love Can Do"

This Life continues our adventure... and I love it... The Outlaw has found peace... his "universe at rest" in one night... and he'd trade a billion years for just the one night of "her"... a gravity too strong to forget the memory of the sighs "cresting where she stood"... the intimacy in "I finger the hem of your dress" is breathtaking... This Life has swoon potential... with a definite "Byrds" influence it's colors are bittersweet... but his life is blessed. Good Eye follows This Life perfectly... a little bit of Blues to shake things up... a lot of "was" in this one... no excuses Outlaw... you did what you did... you don't have to explain!! But what better excuse than "I had my good eye to the dark and my blind eye to the sun?" I like this one a lot!! (But I love blues and banjos!!) "Tomorrow Never Knows" Wow... The title says it all... it's light, hope filled, simplistic... a lovely little country rock pop song. I suppose we'll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. ;)

Life Itself remains my favorite... but it's a very close race!!

Kingdom of Days is lovely... it's intimate and sweet how they laugh under the covers at the "wrinkles and grays"... I love the exchange of "I love you, I love you, I love you... then prove it, then prove it, then prove it" I think what he is saying is "seize the moment" or "enjoy every breath" because your time is finite and if you're not careful you'll miss your chance as well as the beauty of life waiting for the right moment... when all along the right moment was every or any moment... and don't walk away from it. (Bummer.) So... what's the big Surprise Surprise?? It's your Birthday!! Another reminder to enjoy your blessings... Again... I love this one!! What a great birthday wish/song!! The music is wonderfully colorful and happy!! "Surprise, surprise come open your eyes and let your love shine down" This is POP at it's truest!! The CD ends with The Last Carnival... a requiem for Danny.

In conclusion... On first impression, Working on A Dream is light and colorful... dripping with sappy sentiments... layers of delightful sounds that make it pleasantly different!! It's happy... almost to the point of an overdose... but between the layers there is the sadness... and longing that reveals to us that Bruce is still The Boss of the "Lonely Hearted Lovers Society." With a Bonus tack of the Golden Globe winner, The Wrestler this CD is nothing short of perfection. Working On A Dream is Bruce's most eclectic creative record EVER... I'm blown away by it. It's fresh, crisp, and filled full of LIFE... And so, after 20 years, we can now step out of the Darkness On The Edge of Town that we should have escaped through the Tunnel of Love and step into the present in this ageless love affair with our Outlaw.

All the above videos were inspired by Bruce and created by me ~ Gina

I hope you enjoy them!