It may seem funny to write my first blog post about a Bruce Springsteen song from 1984. But if the Federalist can tell us we have to cancel Born in the U.S.A., I think I’m certainly allowed to sing the praises of one of Springsteen’s most quietly beautiful and perhaps underappreciated songs.
It wasn’t until about two years ago when I had recently turned 30 that the meaning of Dancing in the Dark rang true to me. Now, I’ve been a Bruce Springsteen fan for most of my life, certainly my entire adult life.
I saw him for the first time in 2012 with my brother, and the two of us have gone on to see him in Connecticut and New Jersey on multiple occasions. Our most recent concert was part of the spectacular Springsteen on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theater.
We’ve all heard it. The 80s tune, synth-heavy pop song. You may even be familiar with the cheesy music video featuring Courtney Cox joining Springsteen on stage to dance. This dance has become a tradition at live shows, with Springsteen pulling a young (or old) woman on to the stage to join him for the ceremonial dance.
On its surface, it’s a very poppy, cheery song. However, hearing this in 2018 in an acoustic version led me to truly see how hauntingly beautiful this song is.
It paints the picture of a young man being somewhat unhappy with the status quo of his life.
“I get up in the evening…”
Right off the bat, you can tell this is an unhappy, likely depressed man. Perhaps he doesn’t understand what’s wrong, but deep down there’s a pain inside and he doesn’t feel like himself.
“I go to bed feeling the same way. I ain’t nothing but tired. Man I’m just tired and bored with myself…”
To say the least, the song begins in a mellow-dramatic tone.
“I check my look in the mirror. Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face. And I ain’t getting nowhere, just living in a dump like this…”
But the tone picks up toward the end of the song, offering a bit of hope and encouragement. In my opinion, the two most powerful lines come at the end of the song:
“You can’t start a fire, sitting around crying over a broken heart…You can’t start a fire, worrying about your little world falling apart…”
Now, I’m not telling anyone how they should interpret this song or what it should mean to them. But to me, it means you have to take that chance, whatever it may be. Sure, you may have been hurt in the past, maybe things haven’t always gone your way or the way you planned it out. But, no matter what happens, you can never stop dancing (or whatever it is that brings you joy).
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark.
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