Working on a Dream

"Working On a Dream" is powerful and engaging study of this songwriter and performer's art. Springsteen has consistently summoned his creative power and artistic vision to indict political developments and demand the cultivation of a more compassionate and progressive society. For almost four decades, Bruce Springsteen's music has directly inspired, influenced, and uplifted millions of devoted fans, who hold a special place in their hearts and minds for his work. Springsteen's rise to the top of American music coincided with the triumph of American conservatism, and the veneration of marketplace values above democratic principles and humanistic priorities. Springsteen has consistently summoned his creative power and artistic vision to indict these political developments and demand the cultivation of a more compassionate and progressive society. And yet his often harsh critique of the status quo and radical ideas for reform have either been ignored or misunderstood, as a result of his 'All American' image and his narrative storytelling style. On nearly every major issue - poverty, racism, urban decay, war, and peace - Springsteen's music has offered a unique vision for moving forward with the agenda of creating the 'country we carry in our hearts' - as he called it in an op-ed for the "New York Times". Filled with provocative analysis of Springsteen's best known hits and his most obscure songs, comparisons to other important works of American culture - ranging from "The Sopranos" to "Edward Hopper" - and a wealth of information about the last fifty years of American politics, culture, and society, "Working On a Dream" is a powerful and engaging study of this songwriter and performer's art.

ISBN 0826425054   Pages 288 ISBN13 9780826425058 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 435 Publisher Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.   Published in London Imprint Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.   Height (mm) 228 Format Paperback   Width (mm) 153 Publication date 01 Apr 2010   Spine width (mm) 22 DEWEY 782.42166092   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22

1		Open to Pain and Crossed by the Rain: A Biographical Sketch		1
2		On a Downbound Train: The Politics of Isolation		18
3		Up to My Neck in Hock: The Politics of Alienation		41
4		Saw My Reflection in the Window: The Politics of Invisibility		56
5		Down in Jungleland: The Politics of Urban Decay		84
6		Ain't Nobody Drawin' Wine from This Blood: The Politics of Religion and Humanism		125
7		Bodies Hanging in the Trees: The Politics of American Power		154
8		Gonna Be a Long Walk Home: The Politics of Community		179
9		Is There Anybody Alive Out There?: The Politics of a Bruce Springsteen Performance		208
10		The Dope's that There's Still Hope: The Politics of Renewal		227
		Conclusion		245
		Acknowledgments		251
		Notes		253
		Index		263

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