50 Years Burning Down the Road: Reviewing Every Springsteen Album From Worst to Best

Coming in at #19: Human Touch...

I am reviewing every Bruce Springsteen album from worst to best. I ranked each album before writing any reviews. The reviews will come out in that order. However, I will rank them again after I have reviewed them and see if there are changes. Without further adieu, here is my review of 1992’s Human Touch.

“You and me we were the pretenders, we let it all slip away, but in the end what you don’t surrender, well the world just strips away.” Those are the opening lines to the title track and the first song on Human Touch. Bruce Springsteen himself has retrospectively boiled down the central theme and purpose of his work as measuring the distance between the American Dream and American reality. Bruce is hardly breaking any new ground in this line. He has written this line many times before just with different words and imagery, but all of them are uniquely touching. Here are some examples:

“You’re born with nothing, and you’re better off that way, as soon as you got something they send someone to try and take it away” - ‘Something in the Night’, 1978.

“Now all them things that seem so important, mister they vanish right into the air, I just act like I don’t remember, Mary acts like she don’t care” - The River, 1980

“I had a job, I had a girl, I had something going mister in this world. I got laid off down at the lumber yard, our love went bad, times got hard. - ‘Downbound Train’, 1984

Why then is this opening lyric so profound? Why is it not redundant? Why is it still deeply touching for his fans? The reason is that within the twenty years that Bruce had been releasing albums from 1972-1992, the distance between the American Dream and American reality had not really narrowed. It still has not, despite progress. The central theme that has driven Bruce’s music is less so about reaching a finish line, and more so how we cope with life’s inevitable suffering and hardship in order to inch closer to the promised land. Sadly, no one will ever absolve themselves of how they feel the world is against them. It has always been about making lemonade, even for a 42-year-old Bruce with almost inconceivable affluence and fame. Something is always missing. The question remains the same, but the answer changes as Bruce changes; and in the four years between 1988’s Tunnel of Love and 1992’s Human Touch, Bruce underwent both drastic personal and professional changes. This was not the same guy who made Born to Run. Hiding on the backstreets only worked for so long.

Bruce Springsteen married actress, Julianne Phillps in 1985 11 years her senior. This was the time when Bruce was touring Born in the USA, which catapulted him to becoming a worldwide icon. Bruce’s absence took a toll on his marriage, and as he has come to realize, Phillips was not a match. Before the Born in the USA Tour, Bruce Springsteen needed another background singer after Steve Van Zandt left the band. He settled for New Jersey vocalist, Patti Scialfa. Patti joined him on both the Born in the USA tour in ‘84 and ‘85 as well as the Tunnel of Love Express Tour in ‘88. Bruce and Patti ended up falling in love during those three years. A photograph of the two half-dressed on a balcony in Rome ended up on multiple tabloids while he was still technically married. Shortly thereafter, Phillips and Bruce separated and then divorced in 1989. It is worth noting the guilt that Bruce felt at the time and currently in regards to the public finding out about his and Patti’s romance in the way that they did; and how he did not protect Phillps throughout the media backlash. It is a lot more than gossip because I believe that his guilt, regret, and repentance creep their way into Human Touch’s lyrical content.

After about 15 years together, Bruce Springsteen put the E Street Band on leave in 1989. He felt it was time for him to go in another direction and play with different musicians for the first time in his career. After all, Bruce made his Tunnel of Love record mainly by himself with some E Streeters making cameos throughout the project. It ended in a different-sounding album for Bruce with a generous use of synthesizers. Bruce felt he had to redefine what an E Street Band tour looked and sounded like. He needed change. He added a horn section, changed musicians’ places on stage (Clarence was now to the left of Bruce, and Roy Bittan and Danny Federici changed spots). He also played more obscure songs, added choreography, and retired some war-horse concert staples up to that point. More on Tunnel of Love in the review of that album, which will not be for a while, but Bruce and the E Street Band became distant leading up to Bruce’s decision to move forward without them. It was an amicable split, even though many E Streeters had to contemplate what they were going to do during their time off.

Shortly after Bruce and Patti married, they moved to the West Coast as they started a family. E Street keyboard player Roy Bittan lived close to them. This resulted in heavy collaboration between the two as Roy had just gotten brand new state-of-the-art synthesizers which became a foundation of the Human Touch album’s sound. He also co-wrote a few songs on the album. Roy was the only member of the E Street Band to remain a touring member in 1992 with what has come to be known as the “Other Band.” The sessions lasted 19 months. By 1991, Bruce had finished Human Touch but felt like he was not ready to release it. He felt he needed to write more songs, so Human Touch sat in the vault for about a year. Many of the additional new songs that Bruce wrote ended up on Lucky Town, which was released on the same day as Human Touch in 1992.

Here’s the rundown:

Human Touch begins with the title track and kicks off the record with a song as strong as anything in Bruce’s catalog. It has everything that makes his work during that period so interesting. The lyrics are introspective and demystify the notion of true love. “Ain’t no kindness in the face of strangers, ain’t gonna find no miracles here, you can wait on your blessings my darling, but I got a deal for you right here.” After idealizing harmonious partnership throughout his career, he realized through his own experience that being in love is a universal desire; that we are all born into this world needing companionship. Two hearts are better than one, and that requires taking a shot in the dark sometimes. It was not so rock and roll at the time for a songwriter to deeply look inward, examine his faults, and commit to being a good partner even if his demons will inevitably complicate that commitment. However, “Human Touch” is rock and roll at its most visceral. Bruce’s vocal range at this time was something to behold. Fans rightfully complain about the “twang” he developed during this era, but I am able to look past it and marvel at the powerhouse his vocal delivery became. He sings like a gospel singer with the gutturality of Roger Daltrey or Little Richard or some other golden-era rock and roll fixture (traditional gospel singers such as Sam Moore and Bobby King guest on this album). The drums smack steadily with famous session player and Toto drummer, Jeff Porcaro behind the kit. The guitar solo is great. Patti sounds awesome wailing at the end. It is a masterpiece.

The second track is “Soul Driver”. This is where it gets interesting and complicated. “Soul Driver” debuted on the second night of Bruce’s back-to-back performances for the Christic Institute charity benefit show at The Shrine in LA on 11/17/90. The bootlegs of each of these shows have been circulating for years and they have become known as key shows within the grand scope of his touring career. This is because Bruce was performing by himself for the first time since the early 70s, and given the period he was in artistically and personally, he shows fascinating vulnerability through his songs and his words to each night's audience. He played “Soul Driver” on the 12-string acoustic guitar. It is a phenomenal raw performance and every note comes straight out of Bruce’s heart. The song is incredible. The lyrics expand on “Tunnel of Love” with the idea that love is a rollercoaster that can get to such a low place that it gets destroyed. I am not going to say that the version on Human Touch is no good, but damn does it not live up to the potential of the song as a driving rocker. The synths are weird and out of place, especially the one in the beginning. Bruce’s lead guitar sounds compressed to death as opposed to the raw simplicity of the golden era in 1978 where his rig consisted of his iconic Telecaster plugged into a Fender Bassman with some overdrive and delay. The track is poorly executed. It is an example of a song that would be an all-time classic if it were recorded with the E Street Band. This is a continued theme with this album, which is why it is ranked so low even though there are some great songs on it.

However, the album is also ranked this low because of some awful songs on it, and man do we get to a rough stretch. 57 Channels (And Nothin’ On) is one of the most grating songs of the bunch. I guess it is supposed to represent materialism and that happiness is not necessarily found in wealth. Bruce resents the fancy TV he bought in this song because it does not fix his relationship. I truly feel like anyone could have told him that would be the case. I think it would still fail even now when there are 57 times 5 channels on TV. The vocals are cringeworthy as are the lyrics. It is forgettable, and like many of this album’s songs, barely played in the 30 years since.

Then we get “Cross My Heart.” These lyrics are an abomination. They are unbelievably lazy, and it sounds like Bruce wrote it in all of five minutes. “Little boys, little girls, they know their wrongs from their rights, Once you crossed your heart, you ain't ever supposed to lie.” Come on, dude. The melody is pretty lazy too. It is just a twelve-bar blues with very little personality or dynamics. Skip. Gloria’s Eyes is also pretty superficial. I understand it is supposed to be a fun rock song, but it isn’t because the writing is bad. In regards to the lyrical content, think I’m Goin’ Down stripped of all the boyish humor. He and his partner’s love soured and now he is a fool in Gloria’s eyes. However, I do believe if say, Gloria’s Eyes was recorded with the E Street Band and say, I’m Goin Down was recorded with the session guys on Human Touch, I may think differently. The E Street Band is that good. That brings us to “With Every Wish”. It is boring. I like when Bruce is introspective and addresses his destructive character traits and mistakes, but he does that so much better on Tunnel of Love. The tune is meh, and here the twang in his voice bothers me, specifically the way he pronounces “beer” as “bayer”.

Then, you get “Roll of the Dice.” The lyrics are fun with their casino imagery. Love is a gamble. You have to be a high roller or in this case, raise the high rollers to have a shot at love. You have to be willing to lose it all. This song sounds the most like an E Street Band song in part due to Roy Bittan co-writing it with Bruce, and Roy’s E Street-esque piano riff on which the song is built upon. I am not so much a fan of the background gospel-like vocals, but that was just what he did on this album. All of its outings with the E Street Band in the reunion era have been great. It is a great rock song that could have even fit in with the material he played on The River tour back in the day with the E Street Band. This metaphor of getting lucky is featured a lot on Human Touch’s counterpart Lucky Town. In my opinion, it is a unique and catchy trope.

Now we get to “Real World”, whose origin and fate are similar to “Soul Driver’s”. Bruce debuted “Real World” at the Christic shows as well in 1990. He played it by himself on the piano. If you have not heard this version, go now to listen to it. Many Springsteen fans believe it is one of his greatest songs and I do not disagree. The song is about putting the past away and learning from it. Like Roll of the Dice, it is about giving everything you got and working up the courage to stay glued to someone’s side embracing the world’s hardship, struggle, and suffering that will try to break the bond.

“I built a shrine in my heart, it wasn't pretty to see, Made out of fool's gold, memory, and tears cried, Now I'm heading over the rise, I'm searching for one clear moment of love and truth, I still got a little faith, but what I need is some proof tonight I'm lookin' for it in your eyes”

This is essential Bruce Springsteen lyricism here. The melody is great too and he sings the hell out of it on the Christic bootlegs. However, the recorded version on Human Touch is awful. There is nothing good about it and the only reason it is semi-listenable is because the song at the core of it is so good. It is cheesy as hell with melodramatic background vocals, dated synthesizers, hokey bells, and that terrible lead guitar tone that also plagued “Soul Driver”. Bruce has since acknowledged that he and the session players did not get a good version of this song on the album, and I am not sure Bruce has ever spoken about an arrangement of any other song that way. This is Human Touch’s issue: even the amazing songs miss the mark.

“All or Nothin’ at All” is fine. If it comes on, I probably skip it because it is just not my favorite, but it is a song that I feel the E Street Band could have elevated to the level where I don’t skip it. “Man’s Job” is actually one of my all-time least favorite Bruce songs. The lyrics are just uninspiring; a boy can’t truly love a woman the way a man can make her feel loved. Nothing so profound here, which is fine, but the music is awful. I hate the melody, I hate the background vocals, the chorus is annoying, and it goes on for way too long.

I love “I Wish I Were Blind.” It is a great heartfelt song, and his vocals are delightfully poignant. Bruce did his part with this one on the guitar solos too which are very good playing-wise, but again impacted by the processed tone. Do the synths bother me? Yes. Do the gospel backing vocals bother me? Yes. Are the drums way too loud for a ballad? Yes. However, I am able to look past those elements because they are not as corny, cringeworthy, and blown out as they are in other songs. It just sounds dated. I prefer when Bruce plays this one by himself. Great song though.

“The Long Goodbye” is almost the same song as “Gloria’s Eyes.” It is lazy melody writing and lacks any dynamics. There is nothing about it that makes it interesting, and it is annoyingly agreeable. It is just a Bruce Springsteen rock song, that once again, I am sure the E Street Band could have made me feel different about. The lyrics are actually pretty good though. I don’t dislike it as much as “Gloria’s Eyes.” The penultimate track, “Real Man” is truly a flaming pile of dog shit. The lyrics are ridiculous, the dubbed horns are disgusting, the synths are terrible, and Bruce is screaming to the point where I wish he sang it in a lower key. It is abrasive. Overall, the track gives me second-hand embarrassment and it is a good example of the happy songs in the 90s which Bruce says the fans did not appreciate. Just awful. The album ends with “Pony Boy” which is a traditional song that Bruce arranged for this album. I do not understand its purpose and it is just not a compelling track. It feels like the song to put Human Touch out of its misery.

Human Touch is not a great record. I do want to clarify though that this does not mean this batch of songs is the worst. That title may be held by the album I review next. However, as a collection of recordings, I do not enjoy listening to it front to back. It is an album that I believe is less than the sum of its parts. Most of the songs have been sparsely played in recent years if at all and the album does not influence or inform any other piece of Bruce’s subsequent work—not even the more desirable Lucky Town which was released on the same day. So that is that. Keep an eye out for my next review soon.