AudiophileParadise

No need for any introduction here. One of the most powerful and famous voices in the U.S.A., the person who helped Courtney Cox be where she is today (See the history for more details), Bruce Springsteen, a.k.a “The Boss”. Undoubtedly his best singles, “Dancing In The Dark” and “Born In The U.S.A.” rocked the charts almost everywhere in the world. I’ll be reviewing “Born In The U.S.A.” later; but first things first (Pun intended!), I’ll be reviewing “Dancing In The Dark” today. So, let’s get to it!

Bruce Springsteen

History: “Dancing In The Dark” is a song from Bruce Springsteen’s best-selling album of all time, “Born In The U.S.A.” (1984). This song was Springsteen’s first major hit, and it propelled him to fame. He experimented with some up- tempo synthesizer rifts and syncopation in his sound, and it did wonders to the song. “Dancing In The Dark” was also his greatest selling song of all time, followed by “Born In The U.S.A.”. During Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A. Tour” in 1984-85, he randomly picked up a girl from the front rows, and it turned out be the 20 year old, future F.R.I.E.N.D.S star, Courtney Cox. Talk about luck! Till date, she thanks Bruce Springsteen for getting her on stage to dance with him. It was released on May 4th, 1984. The Studio Version (The only version) of the song has a duration of 3 Minutes 59 Seconds (Quoted), but it’s actually 4 Minutes and 2 Seconds (Not much, I know. But still, for an audiophile, 3 seconds do count!)

What it tries to convey to us: It’s probably about a man who “tired and bored” with himself, and is dying for some company, and he finally meets a girl who feels the same way. Now, “Dancing in the dark” has two meanings- One, it signifies sexual intercourse (“Dancing” in the dark, got it?); and Two, it means “Going somewhere without any clue” (Like “walking in the dark”, except he’s dancing because he’s got company!). Either way, it’s up to you to choose.

Review: Let me tell you from the start itself, it’s a flat out awesome song. Sure, there are some quirky synthesizer rifts and jazz trumpets added to up the tempo, but that doesn’t mean it’s a pop song (Actually, many people say it’s a “Power Pop” song, but I beg to differ). For me, it’s a pure Rock song. The song starts with the synthesizer and the drum beats, kicking the tempo to a high level. The beats of the song are VERY steady, and they don’t change their tempo even once throughout the whole song. Bruce kicks in with his vocals at 00:13. When I say he’s got a superb voice, I really mean it. The effect and command he has on his songs; just epic! It’s like he dominates the whole song by himself, and the rhythm is there just to ensure he doesn’t go off-track. The vocals are loud, husky and rough; just perfect for a song like this. The first chorus starts at 00:39 (You cant start a fire (X2) without a spark, even if we’re just dancing in the dark). There’s a brief musical rift just after the chorus, before Bruce regains control over the song with his second stanza. They (The stanza’s) are short, but man, do they pack a punch! He’s well known for his powerful lyrics too, after all. Anyways, the second chorus starts at 01:24, and the brief bridge follows suit. Then at 01:50, there’s a slight change in the tempo, as Bruce ups his vocals a bit (Mind you, this is the third stanza). The roughness in his voice accentuates the song a lot, making it sound even more sexier. The third chorus starts at 02:29, but this time there’s a slight change in the lyrics. This one’s a little longer than the previous ones, with “Even if we’re just dancing in the dark” looping five to six times in a row. Then there’s the famous “Hey Baby!” at 03:21 (In the video, he spots Courtney Cox at this moment and calls out to her). The vocals end here itself, and the rest is the instrumental bridge, spiced up with some jazz trumpet rifts in the middle. The song fades out at 03:45, and finally ends at 04:02.

Rating: I would HATE to dishonor this song by giving it anything less than 10. Also, many of you readers out there might even kill me. So, a 10/10 it is!

Lyrics for “Dancing In The Dark” : http://artists.letssingit.com/bruce-springsteen-lyrics-dancing-in-the-dark-v8fm8p5

Download link for “Dancing In The Dark“ : http://myprofileis.com/public/music_song/1000000/1000/109/2589.mp3 (Right click on link, click “Save Target/Link As”)

“Dancing In The Dark” is a song from the album “Born In The U.S.A.”