{"id":10786,"date":"2019-07-04T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-04T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=10786"},"modified":"2024-01-02T07:08:35","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T15:08:35","slug":"roll-of-the-dice-working-on-a-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2019\/07\/04\/roll-of-the-dice-working-on-a-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Roll of the Dice: Working on a Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m tempted to prefix the title of this article with “In Defense of,” but “Working on a Dream” warrants no apologies.<\/p>\n

In the chapter of his catalog entitled “Lovely Pop Songs,” “Working on a Dream” ranks high. It’s more than a trifle, though–it’s a summation of Bruce’s life’s work, and the perfect title track for the album that rightfully bears its name.<\/p>\n

I think the reason why most fans and critics discount “Working on a Dream” may be the context in which we first heard it rather than the context for which it was conceived.<\/p>\n

“Working on a Dream” made its debut late in the 2008 election season. Throughout the month of October, Bruce joined then-candidate Barack Obama at rallies in several key “swing” states. Just two days before the final vote, Bruce made one last appearance in support of Obama, in Cleveland, Ohio (a Springsteen town if ever there was one).<\/p>\n

With Patti by his side and with no fanfare or explanation, a loose and clearly optimistic Bruce premiered a brand new song, dedicated to Senator Obama. Bruce never told us what the song was called that day, but it wasn’t hard to figure it out.<\/p>\n