The 500 - #253 - The River - Bruce Springsteen

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #253
Album Title: The River
Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Genre: Heartland Rock, Rock
Recorded: The Power Station, New York, NY
Released: October, 1980
My age at release: 15
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: The River

When I think back on the best times in my life, I reflect fondly on the autumn and winter of 1980. I was starting at a new high-school in a new city after my family had relocated to London, Ontario, that summer. It was a change that, in retrospect, I sorely needed. The previous five years were spent in Kingsville, Ontario, a rural fishing and farming community on the shores of Lake Erie. Life there was fine...but, I knew I didn't fit and making meaningful friendships was challenging.

Kingsville to London, Ontario - 1980.

London was a game-changer. Days after arriving, I went door-to-door in my neighbourhood with handmade flyers to promote myself as a babysitter. Within a few weeks, I was making enough money to enjoy all that my new city had to offer. There was a bustling downtown with a real library, movie theatres, several record and book stores....and so many arcades. I had a bike and the city bus cost only a quarter. To paraphrase the Bard, "The world was my oyster".

London Transit Bus (1979). Photo credit - Chuck Lahickey.

I joined a water-polo team, a Venturer Scout Club (Boy Scouts for 15-17-year-olds), and registered for house-league hockey, soccer and volleyball. I was meeting new people daily and intuitively knew that, finally, I was going to find "my clan" -- that special group of individuals destined to become your lifelong friends, who share similar passions, tolerate your quirks and celebrate your weirdness.

I was also developing my taste in music, and London radio stations played a significant role. The college radio station, CIXX (106.9 FM), featured hip student disc-jockeys playing classic and obscure songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. However, the local AM stations that played "The Hits" comprised a hearty portion of my auditory diet. CJBK (1290 AM)  released weekly pamphlets of "Top 29" records. They were distributed at the counters of local record stores. I managed to obtain one from December 4, 1980, and simply reading the song titles transports me to that simple, glorious and carefree time. I enjoyed it so much, I made myself a Spotify playlist with those 29 songs.

A CJBK Flyer from December 4, 1980. Shared online
by Andrew Stolarski.

London's hits of December, 1980, comprised an eclectic assortment of songs from multiple genres, with more than half of them performed by artists with multiple albums on The 500 list. It also included Hungry Heart, the first single released from Bruce Springsteen's fifth studio record, The River.

Hungry Heart single album sleeve.

I was already familiar with Springsteen (affectionately called "The Boss") because I'd heard some of his earlier hits (Born To Run, Prove It All Night and Rosalita) on the FM stations I listened to. However, I felt more connected to Hungry Heart because its release coincided with a time when my spirits were filled with glorious freedom, wonder and joy. The lyrics begin:

"Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack

I went out for a ride and I never went back.

Like a river that don't know where it's flowing

I took a wrong turn and I just kept going."

For the longest time, I didn't understand the song at all. The catchy, mid-tempo melody and the infectious hook of the chorus is deceptive. I thought it was a happy song when, in fact, it tells the story of a father leaving his family because his primal desire (hungry heart) compels him to find something better. Additionally, for several months I thought "Baltimorejack" was the full name of an American city and not “Baltimore (comma) Jack”. A high-school chum took great joy in correcting that mistake.

Springsteen performing with his band saxophonist
Clarence Clemons (1980).

The recording for The River took more than a year. Initially, Springsteen intended to release it as a single album with 10 tracks. However, he cancelled the release because "the songs lacked the unity and conceptual intensity" he wanted. He continued to write, eventually composing more than 50 songs before settling on the 20 that comprise the double-record.

The "gatefold" release of the record with liner notes.

Springsteen's previous record, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, featured storytelling lyrics about characters who were down on their luck and trying to survive against overwhelming odds. The River took a different tack, mixing frivolous and fun songs next to more solemn and dark tracks. In subsequent interviews, Springsteen made it clear that this choice was intentional, saying:

 "Rock and roll has always been this joy, this certain happiness that is in its way the most beautiful thing in life. But rock is also about hardness and coldness and being alone ... I finally got to the place where I realized life had paradoxes, a lot of them, and you've got to live with them."

Fortunately, in the autumn of 1980, this 15-year-old London transplant was "paradox-free" --  as he pinballed through his fresh start in a new town full of opportunity and wonder, propelled by the songs of the day and his own hungry heart.