65: Rain Perry Discusses Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska

Send us Fan MailAl has had issues with Bruce Springsteen’s music for more than 40 years, and singer/songwriter Rain Perry is here to help him work through them. She introduces Al to Springsteen’s first solo album, Nebraska, and analyzes his particular approach to songcraft. Rain also talks about how she became a Springsteen fan, as well as what she doesn’t like about his music. She also delves into her soon-to-be-released A White Album.Correction: Al cites April 15 as the release date for Rain’s new album and the tax filing deadline in the U.S. While this is the correct date for Rain’s album release, Tax Day is actually April 18 this year.Buy Rain’s music! https://rainperry.bandcamp.comWhile you’re at it, sign up for her mailing list at rainperry.com.Also, you can follow Rain on Twitter and Instagram at @rainperry.Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.Al has recently launched You, Me and An Album: The Newsletter. You can subscribe for free to get Al’s monthly posts, but paid subscriptions give you access to weekly posts and much more. Please consider trying a paid subscription as it also helps to support this podcast! https://youmealbum.substack.com/0:59 Rain joins the show1:37 Al feels like the only person in the world who doesn’t like Bruce Springsteen’s music3:24 Rain talks about her formative musical experiences6:51 Springsteen’s music resonates with Rain because of the way he tells personal stories8:22 Rain identifies which Springsteen album she first got into9:26 Rain explains why she chose Nebraska instead of another Springsteen album11:53 The track “Johnny 99” highlighted Al’s sense of disconnect with Springsteen’s songs14:53 Rain talks about her initial impressions of Nebraska17:01 The six major themes of Springsteen’s songsReactions to selected tracks:18:16 Johnny 9922:11 Highway Patrolman27:46 Nebraska30:13 Reason to Believe33:45 Atlantic City/Used Cars37:21 Open All Night38:42 Springsteen on Broadway left an impression on Rain42:11 Springsteen inspires Rain to write from other people’s perspectives47:27 Rain talks about what she likes and dislikes about Springsteen’s songs musically54:56 Rain and Al discuss her new record, A White AlbumSupport the show