Book Review: Bridge and Tunnel Boys

Born four months apart, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel both released their debut albums in the early 1970s, quickly becoming two of the most successful rock stars of their generation. While their critical receptions have been very different, surprising parallels emerge when we look at the arcs of their careers and the musical influences that have inspired them.

Bridge and Tunnel Boys compares the life and work of Long Islander Joel and Asbury Park, New Jersey, native Springsteen, considering how each man forged a distinctive sound that derived from his unique position on the periphery of the Big Apple. Locating their music within a longer tradition of the New York metropolitan sound, dating back to the early 1900s, cultural historian Jim Cullen explores how each man drew from the city’s diverse racial and ethnic influences. His study explains how, despite frequently releasing songs that questioned the American dream, Springsteen and Joel were able to appeal to wide audiences during both the national uncertainty of the 1970s and the triumphalism of the Reagan era. By placing these two New York–area icons in a new context, it allows us to hear their most beloved songs with new appreciation.

Bridge and Tunnel Boys will be published on October 13, 2023. Rutgers University Press provided an early galley for review.

The first albums I bought by Joel and Springsteen were 52nd Street and Born In The USA respectively (though I had heard plenty of the Boss' early albums from my older brother). Together these two artists are part of the frequent signposts on the road of my high school and college years during the 80's.

Cullen takes a very scholarly look at their lives and music, applying the details to the cultural movements of New York City. His approach to the subjects is elevated and thought-provoking. If this subject was the focus of a liberal arts course (the type of elective I would have gravitated to in college), his book would serve well as part of the course reading materials. It was educating as well as entertaining.

I also enjoyed his dissection of each's albums track by track. It encouraged me to pull up my music library to revisit many of these classics and to listen at them through a slightly different direction.