Bruce Springsteen, Halloween, Brilliant Disguise

Today's Friday Bruce Fix takes its inspiration from the fact that tomorrow is Halloween.  I am a little too old to get dressed up and go out trick or treating, although for the right party invitation I might just dust off my legendary Christmas tree costume.  Actually, tomorrow night I'll be home handing out, to the monsters that come to my front door, whichever chocolate treats I manage not to eat between now and then.  Kids, you better hurry but remember, no costume, no disguise, no candy.

This week's first clip revisits a difficult period in Bruce's life when his marriage to Julianne Phillips was falling apart.  Bruce has always done a nice job of keeping the juicy details of his personal life fairly private, yet all the while writing about the things going on in his life.  We didn't really know why his first marriage wasn't working out, yet we knew it was happening by listening to the songs on 'Tunnel of Love'. 

'Brilliant Disguise' was the first single off the album.  As usual, it is full of great lines such as:  "I want to know if it's you I don't trust, 'cause I damn sure don't trust myself" and "God have mercy on the man, who doubts what he's sure of".  I love the live vocal track and the very slow zoom that lasts through the whole song in the official video, with Bruce looking very much like a man who doubts what he's sure of.

If for some reason the above clip gets removed from YouTube, you can always link here to watch it:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx0E6EbpSn0

The second clip comes from a performance years later, in October of 2007 at New York's Madison Square Gardens, with Bruce a lot more sure of the relationship he's in, and with a lot of distance from the relationship that inspired the song.  Same song, different context, and here it seems to mean something different, that perhaps while there are always going to be challenges, this relationship is and will always be much better.

Happy Halloween, happy Friday!

Comments

[Friday Bruce Fix]

Thanks both of you for your comments. I do think Brilliant Disguise is one of his all time best songs.

[girltrueheart]

Thanks for this one! Brings back great and reflective memories. I wrote a short story on this song, in letter form, inspired by real events between me and my prom date one year after the dance. Loved it then, love it now.

[Josi Guerra]

Amei, amei muito este video, Bruce cantando maravilhosamente com Patti, casal perfeito, amei, amei, amei ...