Nebraska': How Bruce Springsteen built something beautiful out of tragedy

"In September 1981, Bruce Springsteen, then 32, finished the tour for his double album, The River. The singer had never been in such a triumphant position. He was enjoying what he always yearned for: for his style of rock and roll, tinged with muscular soul and stories of characters in search of freedom, to resonate with a mass audience. He was the hero of the people. However, a few days after the final concert, he collapsed."

"I hit a personal wall I didn't even know existed, he said. This was the dark breeding ground for the most atypical album in his discography, Nebraska (1982), a work that his record label didn't want to release because it seemed too depressing. Springsteen's response further enraged the executives: There will be no singles, no tour to support it, no press interviews. He didn't even want to be on the cover."

"Despite protests from CBS Records, the album was released and reached a creditable third place on the U.S. sales charts. On October 24, Nebraska '82: Expanded Edition, a four-disc set of previously unreleased material, was released. On the same day, Deliver Me From Nowhere hit theaters. The biopic, directed by Scott Cooper, stars Jeremy Allen White, the star of The Bear, in the role of Bruce."

In September 1981 Springsteen completed The River tour and then collapsed, reporting that he had 'hit a personal wall.' He wrote and recorded Nebraska (1982) in a raw, atypical style, largely as a survival exercise addressing childhood issues and trauma. CBS Records resisted release, deeming the material too depressing, but Springsteen insisted on no singles, no supporting tour, no interviews, and minimal cover presence. The album nonetheless reached number three on U.S. charts. On October 24 Nebraska '82: Expanded Edition, a four-disc set of unreleased material, appeared alongside Deliver Me From Nowhere, a biopic starring Jeremy Allen White based on Warren Zanes' book.

Read at english.elpais.com