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Bruce Springsteen on rock and today's musical landscape
- Thread starter CTListener
- Start date
High heels! Mom had to cook and clean in high heels!Bruce's father was a bus driver who had trouble working due to mental health issues. His mother pretty much had to support the family while working as a legal secretary (not exactly a high-paying position), especially back then. She had to get a loan just to buy him a guitar. That sure sounds like a working-class background to me. Sorry if it didn't fit your stereotype of Daddy working 80 hours a week in a hard hat while Mommy was staying at home cooking and cleaning.
And to the other poster, I did not realize you had to have a blue-collar background to understand anything about cars. My Dad was a steelworker, yet somehow I am nowhere near an expert on cars. Baffling.
One can acknowledge her talent without liking or wanting to listen to her music. Every era has great music and loads of crap. A lot of great music has been recorded in the last 20 years. You just didn't hear most of it on commercial Radio...I agree, based on the posts alone, that the majority of poster's here are obviously white males over 50.
In my mind, you shouldn't need to be considered a "Swifty" to appreciate the woman's talent, success, longevity, and market appeal.
I've only heard some individual tracks myself. My point being; this whole 'there's no good music anymore' mindset is nothing more than just waxing nostalgia back to when 50+ white males were in the same age bracket as music consumers today.
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He’s correct in the sense that things are different. He likes Taylor’s stuff. I don’t care. She doesn’t stand out as much to me.
Rock? Rock isn’t the only game around anymore and hasn’t been and future generations may not hold onto it.
Rock is largely a white bread genre anymore. Thank God the more rhythmic and alternative styles came around.
The industry is what it is because people feed it. It won’t change until then.
Rock? Rock isn’t the only game around anymore and hasn’t been and future generations may not hold onto it.
Rock is largely a white bread genre anymore. Thank God the more rhythmic and alternative styles came around.
The industry is what it is because people feed it. It won’t change until then.
Ladies and gentlemen, see my comments above. I rest my case.He’s correct in the sense that things are different. He likes Taylor’s stuff. I don’t care. She doesn’t stand out as much to me.
"Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" wouldn't make me change the station, but I am Never Ever listening to that other one.Her fans are mostly female. They're also younger than most posters on this site. I can't say unequivocally that I enjoy everything she's recorded, but her country hits are catchy and perceptively written. Melodically, I find "Ours" very appealing. I don't switch the station when "Mine" and "Love Story" or even the goofy "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" comes on the radio, either. And while I'm not anywhere near the demographic she's writing for -- or about -- I love the delicious meanness of "I Bet You Think About Me." Does this make me a Swiftie? Of course not. But if you're looking for someone to come out and say he enjoys some of her music, here's one.
That said, I gave the new album a listen and it does little for me, but I won't blanket condemn the tweens, teens and young women it connects with as not knowing what "real music" is. That's just "get off my lawn" BS, which I try very hard to avoid being dragged into.
"Mean" is the only Taylor Swift song I actually LIKE.
You don't have to know the specifications of every car part to write a song that appeals to people who like cars. Most of Springsteen's fans probably aren't certified auto mechanics. They just like to hear the kind of stuff he writes -- about cars, the New Jersey turnpike, heading out on that highway to find a new life, yada yada yada.
Not much different than a lot of singer-songwriters, really.
Rock is dead, compared to what it was 20 years ago. It had its 50 year run. There are still rock artists, and always will be. It's a niche. Same thing as with Blues or Jazz.... Not on top anymore. Still alive, but a live niche, as opposed to a genre where people waited in line outside record stores to get the latest CD release.
The entire music industry is different from what it was even 20 years ago. The internet-based model changed everything, from the music industry to the news industry to book publishing to retail -- everything has changed.
I think Springsteen obviously understands this, as reflected in the interview clip. He obviously understands the changes in the industry between 1975 and now. He gets it. He also seems to understand that every mode of entertainment is competing for screen time, a lot of it on the same device.
Then again, whether Springsteen gets it or doesn't get it doesn't really matter. It's not going to affect his pocketbook any. He made a ton in the 70s and 80s. From there on out it's been gravy.
Not much different than a lot of singer-songwriters, really.
Rock is dead, compared to what it was 20 years ago. It had its 50 year run. There are still rock artists, and always will be. It's a niche. Same thing as with Blues or Jazz.... Not on top anymore. Still alive, but a live niche, as opposed to a genre where people waited in line outside record stores to get the latest CD release.
The entire music industry is different from what it was even 20 years ago. The internet-based model changed everything, from the music industry to the news industry to book publishing to retail -- everything has changed.
I think Springsteen obviously understands this, as reflected in the interview clip. He obviously understands the changes in the industry between 1975 and now. He gets it. He also seems to understand that every mode of entertainment is competing for screen time, a lot of it on the same device.
Then again, whether Springsteen gets it or doesn't get it doesn't really matter. It's not going to affect his pocketbook any. He made a ton in the 70s and 80s. From there on out it's been gravy.
Points taken, the US, UK, Canada, Oz, NZ and other English speaking regions aren't the world. But we here at RD deal with American media primarily. For that reason Springsteen's observations are interesting and probably important.You will cite a few English speaking countries and a few other nations where there was a cult following of US and British rock artists, but that is not even 10% of the world.
As far as whether Springsteen is popular in China or India or Nigeria, it's a non-issue. Country music is the biggest radio music format in the US. How popular is that in China, India, or Burkina Fasso?
When it comes to American and Canadian media, particularly radio media and radio formats, like we here on RD are always discussing, the rest of the world's tastes are secondary.
That said, some rock artists are popular all over the world. AC/DC, Judas Priest, Metallica, the Stones, Iron Maiden, and a few others can fill stadiums in places as diverse as Germany, France, Poland, and Brazil. When Faith No More played a festival in Chile, a large portion of the audience was chanting along to the lyrics, in English.
But as you mention, 2 out of every 5 humans is Chinese or Indian, and they probably have a relatively tiny contingent of classic rock fans -- other artists undoubtedly predominate.
It doesn't take away from Springsteen's success, or his comments about the state of the rock music industry in the US, though.
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I can't wait for his next car song where he tells us about his super high performance water pump on his Corvair
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