We tend to think of artists like Bruce Springsteen as being the ultimate arbiters of their own artistic expression, deciding what needs to be said and when. But even a star as iconic as The Boss needs a little push now and again.
Jon Landau, Springsteen's manager and producer, provided just such a push near the end of the marathon process of making the 1984 album Dancing in the Dark. The result was the song "Dancing in the Dark," which ended up catalyzing Springsteen's ascent to pop music superstardom.
Jon Landau was a music critic and part-time record producer who gave Bruce Springsteen an unforgettable rave review before professionally connecting with him. Born to Run, the first album to include Landau's input as Springsteen's co-producer, turned the artist into a rock icon. Needless to say, the two stuck together.
Springsteen started recording for what would become the Born in the U.S.A. album right at the beginning of 1982. Unsure of just what kind of record he wanted, he wrote song after song, laying them down with the E Street Band as the years passed. While the record was being made, he wrote another set of songs that he demoed on a primitive recorder, and these demos ended up becoming the Nebraska album in 1982.
By the spring of 1984, it appeared that Born in the U.S.A. was starting to take its final shape. But during a meeting one night, Landau mentioned he felt the album still lacked a defining single, one that would not only court radio but also give Springsteen's audience an idea about the artist's inner life.
Springsteen, feeling like he could give no more after writing and recording over 70 songs for possible inclusion on the album over the past three years, initially refused. But Landau held his ground. Alone that night, Springsteen reflected on his manager's request and wrote "Dancing in the Dark." The song would become his biggest-ever single and send Born in the U.S.A. flying into the marketplace with unstoppable momentum.
Springsteen heeded Landau's advice on "Dancing in the Dark," writing about the contours of his existence as accurately as possible. That's evident from the first line. While the average person gets up in the morning, a rock-star lifestyle demands different hours: I get up in the evenin', he begins.
Beyond that, Springsteen captures the general air of a midlife crisis, regardless of the status of the person going through it. The first verse continues by venting feelings of futility: And I ain't got nothin' to day / I come home in the mornin' / I go to bed feelin' the same way.
I check my look in the mirror, Springsteen, one of the most identifiable men on the planet, bemoans in the second verse: Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face. Man, I ain't gettin' nowhere, he confesses. But a glimmer of hope refuses to be completely dimmed: There's somethin' happenin' somewhere / Baby, I just know that there is.
In the middle eight, he laments getting older, and the final verse hints at artistic frustration: I'm sick of sittin' 'round here tryin' to write this book. He's open for whatever: They say you gotta stay hungry / Hey baby, I'm just about starvin' tonight. The refrains flips the script toward a positive, if measured, outcome: This gun's for hire / Even if we're just dancin' in the dark.
Armed with a synthesizer-heavy arrangement and a high-profile video, "Dancing in the Dark" earned Springsteen legions of new fans without alienating the older ones. Hey there, baby, I could use just a little help, he implores at one point in the song. In this case, Jon Landau came through with the ideal assistance for The Boss.