You took what you were handed and left behind what was askedĪnd I was gonna be your Romeo, you were gonna be my Juliet You grew up where young girls they grow up fast Our narrator fills us in on his love’s tragic backstory: In true film noir style, the body of the song takes place in flashback. And that last “lies” line is more than just an internal rhyme–it tells us that the murder weapon was betrayal. Then right between the eyes, suggesting she’s surrendered. Notice where she’s been shot: first in the back, meaning she didn’t see it coming. Our heroine isn’t literally dead, but she is emotionally dead. Right between the pretty lies that they tell Right between the eyes, baby, point blank You been fooled this time, little girl, that’s a fact You been shot in the back, baby, point blank It’s a truism that each passing day means we have fewer tomorrows left, and when Bruce’s narrator says, “you don’t even know what from” he’s telling his lost love: You’re wasting your life. In a very real sense we start dying from the day we’re born. Her prayers go unanswered, though, while the calendar pages continue to turn. Our leading lady isn’t leading the life she wanted, but rather than take action she simply prays for things to get better. That’s the song right there: you wake up and you’re dying. You wake up and you’re dying, you don’t even know what from Praying that tomorrow everything will be alrightīut tomorrow’s fall in number, in number one by one In a break with Bruce’s usual habit of hiding a song’s heart in its bridge, Bruce gives away the game in the very first verse:ĭo you still say your prayers little darling, do you go to bed at night “Point Blank” isn’t about dying but rather about not living. “Point Blank” is sometimes characterized as a song about literal death and dying, but I’d argue that’s too shallow a read. This is one of his very best vocals on record. The effect conjures a love affair destined for dissolution, a dance between two intrinsically connected characters who are never quite in sync, and the clash between present plight and fairy-tale past.Īgainst this gorgeous backing track, Bruce delivers a vocal that is so restrained, so controlled, that in the few moments when he deliberately allows himself to succumb to his narrator’s emotion, the effect is devastating. In Bruce’s strongest, subtlest arrangement on record since “New York City Serenade,” every E Street Band member shines: Roy owns the spotlight, inviting us to a seedy nightclub long before the lyrics reveal it, while Danny’s organ draws us down into despair Max’s restraint underscores Bruce’s dispassionate vocals even Clarence’s metronomic triangle is critical, conveying the monotony of our femme fatale’s life in order for Roy and Danny to soar above it.īut it’s Bruce’s guitar that elevates the track to brilliance, a shadow counter-melody that intertwines with the main melody and yet clashes at the same time.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |