Point Blank (Bruce Springsteen song)
Encyclopedia
"Point Blank" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen
and first released on Springsteen's 1980 album The River. In Europe, it was also released as a single in 1981, backed by another song from The River, "Ramrod
" Although it was not released as a single in the US, it did reach #20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
album. "Point Blank" had its live premiere on July 7, 1978 in a concert on the Darkness Tour
at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California
, at which "Independence Day
" was also premiered. In its 1978 incarnation, the lyrics dealt with the singer's girlfriend's drug addiction. A live 1978 performance from Houston, Texas is included on a DVD in The Promise
box set.
"Point Blank", along with the title track
, "Wreck on the Highway
" and "Independence Day
," is one of the verse-chorus songs on The River that was essentially a short story or character sketch. As with "The River" and "Independence Day," this song deals with the disappointments of working-class family life. With The River, Springsteen figured out how to create an album on which happy songs like "Sherry Darling" could co-exist with painful songs like "Point Blank." And "Point Blank" is one of the most painful songs on the album. The emotions covered by the song include disappointment, fear, loneliness and desperation.
"Point Blank" is also one of several songs on the album dealing with the conflict between dreams and reality. The singer dreams that he is still with his former girlfriend and they are dancing together. But waking up, he realizes he saw the girlfriend standing in the doorway trying to stay out of the rain, looking "like just another stranger waitin' to get blown away." The ex-girlfriend is the subject of the song's narrative. She grew up fast, but rather than getting the life she wanted, she ended up on welfare. The singer sings that:
This was the third reference to a Romeo in a Springsteen-penned song, earlier ones being "Incident on 57th Street" from the 1973 album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle and "Fire", which was covered by Robert Gordon
in 1978.
The music is highlighted by Roy Bittan
's sensitive piano playing and Springsteen's singing, alternating between vulnerability, disbelief and anger.
There are at least two theories as to the origin of the title. One theory is that it comes from the 1967 Lee Marvin
movie Point Blank. Another is that it came from a comment made by an ex-girlfriend during the heat of an argument.
described the song as "portentous." Author June Skinner Sawyers described the song as "a song of shadows, of lives going nowhere, of broken relationships, and broken promises." On the other hand, Sputnik Music critic John Cruz considers "Point Blank" to be "perhaps one of Springsteen's dullest moments on record with its plodding rhythm and uneven lyrics, the band seemingly searching for a groove they never quite find."
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and first released on Springsteen's 1980 album The River. In Europe, it was also released as a single in 1981, backed by another song from The River, "Ramrod
Ramrod (song)
"Ramrod" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for his fifth album, The River, released in 1980. It was recorded at The Power Station in New York in June or July 1979. The song was actually written earlier and recorded for Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of...
" Although it was not released as a single in the US, it did reach #20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Lyrics and music
"Point Blank" was written in 1978, and was the first song Springsteen wrote after completing the Darkness on the Edge of TownDarkness on the Edge of Town
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth album by Bruce Springsteen, released in the late spring of 1978. The album marked the end of a three year period of forced hiatus from recording brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel...
album. "Point Blank" had its live premiere on July 7, 1978 in a concert on the Darkness Tour
Darkness Tour
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Darkness Tour was a concert tour of North America that ran from May 1978 through the rest of the year, in conjunction with the release of Springsteen's album Darkness on the Edge of Town...
at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
, at which "Independence Day
Independence Day (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Independence Day" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was originally released on his fifth album, The River...
" was also premiered. In its 1978 incarnation, the lyrics dealt with the singer's girlfriend's drug addiction. A live 1978 performance from Houston, Texas is included on a DVD in The Promise
The Promise (Bruce Springsteen album)
The Promise is the 17th studio album by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen, released November 16, 2010 on Columbia Records. It is a double CD compilation of previously unreleased songs drawing from the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions. The album is also available as part of the box set...
box set.
"Point Blank", along with the title track
The River (Bruce Springsteen song)
"The River" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, accompanied by the E Street Band. It was the title track of his fifth album, The River, and was a hit single in parts of Europe. It reached #25 in the Netherlands, and reached the top 10 in both Sweden and Norway...
, "Wreck on the Highway
Wreck on the Highway
"Wreck on the Highway" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was originally released as the final track on his fifth album, The River...
" and "Independence Day
Independence Day (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Independence Day" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was originally released on his fifth album, The River...
," is one of the verse-chorus songs on The River that was essentially a short story or character sketch. As with "The River" and "Independence Day," this song deals with the disappointments of working-class family life. With The River, Springsteen figured out how to create an album on which happy songs like "Sherry Darling" could co-exist with painful songs like "Point Blank." And "Point Blank" is one of the most painful songs on the album. The emotions covered by the song include disappointment, fear, loneliness and desperation.
"Point Blank" is also one of several songs on the album dealing with the conflict between dreams and reality. The singer dreams that he is still with his former girlfriend and they are dancing together. But waking up, he realizes he saw the girlfriend standing in the doorway trying to stay out of the rain, looking "like just another stranger waitin' to get blown away." The ex-girlfriend is the subject of the song's narrative. She grew up fast, but rather than getting the life she wanted, she ended up on welfare. The singer sings that:
- I was gonna be your Romeo you were gonna be my Juliet
- These days you don't wait on Romeo's
- You wait on that welfare check
This was the third reference to a Romeo in a Springsteen-penned song, earlier ones being "Incident on 57th Street" from the 1973 album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle and "Fire", which was covered by Robert Gordon
Robert Gordon (musician)
Robert Gordon is an American rockabilly musician. Gordon rose to fame performing in several genres including alternative rock, punk rock, and rock and roll.- Early days:...
in 1978.
The music is highlighted by Roy Bittan
Roy Bittan
Roy Bittan is an American keyboardist, best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, which he joined on August 23, 1974...
's sensitive piano playing and Springsteen's singing, alternating between vulnerability, disbelief and anger.
Themes
Author Rob Kirkpatrick describes the theme of the "Point Blank" as "you're born dying." Jeffrey Symynkywicz described the theme as being that "there is an inexorable decline that is carved at the heart of life." Springsteen has stated that one of the themes of the song is the fact that if you ease up as you get older, you effectively cease to exist. When introducing the song at a 1981 concert, Springsteen stated:
A song ain't no good until somebody hears it. By yourself you can't have an effect. You have to reach out. This is a song about someone who loses that power, which is the most powerful thing in the world – your ability to affect your friends' lives ... and my life ... and maybe I can do somethin' for you. So ... this is called "Point Blank."
There are at least two theories as to the origin of the title. One theory is that it comes from the 1967 Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
movie Point Blank. Another is that it came from a comment made by an ex-girlfriend during the heat of an argument.
Critical reception
Rolling Stone Magazine critic Dave MarshDave Marsh
Dave Marsh is an American music critic, author, editor and radio talk show host. He was a formative editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone, and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on...
described the song as "portentous." Author June Skinner Sawyers described the song as "a song of shadows, of lives going nowhere, of broken relationships, and broken promises." On the other hand, Sputnik Music critic John Cruz considers "Point Blank" to be "perhaps one of Springsteen's dullest moments on record with its plodding rhythm and uneven lyrics, the band seemingly searching for a groove they never quite find."