Warren Zanes is exactly the author you would want to write about the recording of Bruce Springsteen’s seminal and surprising album, Nebraska. Zanes is a musician (his band the Del Fuegos played on the bill with many top rock acts, including Springsteen), a producer, a music journalist, and a college professor. In Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska”, he’s able to tell the story of the recording of this album as a both a fan and as someone who understands, and can explain, what makes the album special to fans and to other musicians alike.
Nebraska, the album, tends to be a favorite, or a least favorite, with Springsteen fans or casual listeners. Zanes explains what we hear in the album that stirs up such strong reactions, and he does this in a very readable, page-turning way. This is an album that has inspired more than one musician to release a song-for-song cover album, and Zanes also discusses how the “no-production” production approach inspired established bands to re-think recording practices–and how it also inspired new independent singer-songwriters, who previously thought recording for release was out of the question, to take advantage of newly available and affordable technology to get their music out into the world. Springsteen generally gets credit for showing many musicians that this approach is even possible, as well as powerful.
Something that will resonate with all readers is the struggle that Springsteen had with knowing when a project was done—when it was time to move on. It was a struggle for the people in his personal and professional life, as well. If you understand that sometimes a project is about more than what it seems on the surface, you will appreciate this journey.
This non-fiction book has been adapted into a narrative music biopic, now in theaters, starring Jeremy Allen White. Springsteen was very involved in the production and has been doing press with the actor playing him. The release of the film coincides with a 5-CD box set of rough demos and outtakes, from and around the time of the recording of Nebraska, and I recommend that as well. If you’re wondering about the new release, have a listen to the stripped-down versions of “Born in the USA” (one of the most misunderstood songs in pop culture, which deserves a fresh take), and “Pink Cadillac” (which is transformed from the radio-friendly single, losing its self-conscious—and self-protective—winking humor), and if you like what you hear, take some time to explore the rest.
Zanes, W. (2023). Deliver me from nowhere : the making of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ (First edition). Crown.
