Did you guys hate stuff like this in 1988...??

[faulknersj]

I don’t even care…I loved it then and listening back…I still love it.

That song and the production style take me back to 88’ and that feels nice

 

[gln1955]

I wasn't listening to much pop radio at that time, but I don't recognize it as being one of his bigger hits. If my band were covering Springsteen, it would not be this.

 

[Lo-E]

Growing up in NJ, I was the blasphemer who didn’t like Bruce. Great showman, great songwriter, hard worker who deserves his success…. but I never want to listen to him. Ever. I feel the same about his band; good players that I don’t like listening to.

So, Tunnel of Love? Sure, I hated it but not because Bruce was “selling out”, I hated it because it wasn’t a style I liked very much and I didn’t like Bruce to begin with.

A lot of artists at that time made overproduced, sappy hits that made them lots of money. I never begrudged them that. Their goal as professional musicians was to entertain; to build a following and create product that people wanted to buy. Whether I liked the material or not, I couldn’t blame them for wanting to make a living and be successful.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I can't stand Springsteen. I never understood how he ever got famous.

 

[8xlaxx]

Tune and LP/CD are brilliant and well-written lyrically. Selling to the late-80s pop scene but liking the chord progression and walk-downs. Would definitely stack this up against Petty’s stuff of the day.

 

[TomB]

I love the diversity and breadth of responses of responses to this thread. It helps show that TB is truly a broad-based musical community. To a certain small slice of the general population during a slice of time Springsteen was a god. …perhaps not as much so for bassists. Personally, I dig Tunnel of Love .

 

[Tommy Sparks]

Never a Bruce fan. The born in the USA album is the only one that I have and it’s the only one I’ll probably have. Tunnel of love is probably my favorite track on the album. Why? I have no idea. It’s definitely not the kind of music that I like.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Springsteen has always been 100% authentically whatever he was pretending to be that month.

 

[nkjanssen]

Was a metal guy for most of the 80’s and never a huge Springsteen fan (though I’ve since grown into appreciating him). Despite both of those things, I actually always kind of liked that song.

 

[BassGuyFL]

I can't stand Springsteen. I never understood how he ever got famous.

Same. All that "Americana rock", Bruce, Mellencamp, Petty, Seger. Never did anything for me.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

I was an 18 yo metal head in 88. I did like this song though.

 

[jerry]

Its a good song! I could never figure out the vitriol against Bruce, seems like a nice guy, pays his band better than almost anybody, doesn't have "freak off" orgies. OP, who did you like in 1988?

 

[jerry]

Its a good song! I could never figure out the vitriol against Bruce, seems like a nice guy, pays his band better than almost anybody, doesn't have "freak off" orgies. OP, who did you like in 1988?

 

[D.A.R.K.]

Never liked Bruce, but it wasn't really him- although BITUSA sounds quite horrible to me sonically.
It was all the brainless kids around me, happily having this stuff shoved down their throats, that turned me off.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Like when you first heard it on the radio were you like "oh, there's another million dollar sellout synth-pop song for Bruce" or did you actually kinda like it?

No. No problem with what Bruce does, and everything he creates is not required to sound like the E Street Band.

 

[bass12]

I was never much of a Springsteen fan (as much as I respect the man as an artist) and being born in '75 this kind of thing (Tunnel Of Love) was just another song on the radio to me. I have no problem with synths and some of my favourite records are '80s releases filled with them.

 

[BigJohnAZ]

I like it, I really like his Human Touch record, too. Every artist/band has to adapt and evolve, whether we like it or not. It also depends when a new fan comes into their career.

Just like Rush couldn't keep recording a 2112ish style record forever, and Metallica couldn't keep doing a reprise of Master of Puppets forever, the Beatles couldn't keep running out another version of I Saw Her Standing There, or there would not have been Pepper. Bruce couldn't keep making Born to Run version 12. Look how every act evolves. Even KISS made a disco single and it was huge! Did KISS actually sell out for that song? Sure. But, they made mucho $ from it and the fans loved it. I still love that song. So what?

Trust me, every artist hates playing some of their tunes that actually made them famous. Alex Lifeson hated playing Closer to the Heart for the millionth time. They go where their creativity takes them.

 

[FilterFunk]

I neither like it nor dislike it. I guess the best way for me to describe my opinion of the song would be to say that I don't mind it. It's just...there. If it were 1988 and it came on the radio, I wouldn't turn it off, but I wouldn't turn it up, either.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

I hated it at the time... now,compared to 90% of contemporary music..it sounds ok.
Bruce with cheesy synths?...He sorta jumped the shark with "Dancing in the dark".

 

[FilterFunk]

I didn't mind it, I don't mind it now...unless I'm exposed to it for too long and it's not turned up too loud.

I neither like it nor dislike it. I guess the best way for me to describe my opinion of the song would be to say that I don't mind it. It's just...there. If it were 1988 and it came on the radio, I wouldn't turn it off, but I wouldn't turn it up, either.

I wish I'd read your post before I posted. We're basically saying the same thing, only you said it more succinctly.