Bruce Springsteen has written more than a few classics in his time as a performer. At 76, he shows no sign of stopping following a tour of North America and the release of protest song, Streets of Minneapolis. But The Boss has a few underwhelming albums under his belt and hasn’t always written to the high standards of Born in the U.S.A. and Born to Run. One album has been singled out by fans as both his “weakest album” and yet where some of his best lyrics can be found.
Human Touch was released in the same year as Lucky Town but didn’t land as well as The Boss had hoped it would. Critics at the time and fans even now believe it’s a far lesser experience than preceding albums like Tunnel of Love and later album, The Ghost of Tom Joad. Despite this, fans believe there are a few songs featured which are deserving of your time. A post to the Bruce Springsteen subreddit had fans share their thoughts on which songs were worth salvaging from the Human Touch project.
One Springsteen listener asked: “Is Human Touch too criticised? I know this is often considered Springsteen’s weakest album, but I think the influx of criticism could have been too manufactured. There are a lot of weak spots in this album, as some material seems to be second hand quality compared to most of Bruce’s work.
“But there are some great songs in this album, mainly the title track, which I believe is one of Springsteen’s best opening songs. Roll of the Dice, I Wish I Were Blind, and Real World, which I also believe is one of his most underrated tracks, are all high-quality songs. Soul Driver, With Every Wish, Man’s Job, and Cross My Heart are all solid album tracks, but the second half of the album is definitely weak compared to most of his work.
“It’s still hard for me to find this album weaker than albums like Working on a Dream, The Ghost of Tom Joad, High Hopes, and Lucky Town. Would like to hear your thoughts on the album?” One response suggested that Human Touch was “at least a cohesive album” when compared to High Hopes.
Another fan suggested the title track is one of Springsteen’s very best songs. They wrote: “Out of all the amazing lyrics Bruce has given us this one just hits me the depths of my soul every single time. I dare anyone to say they can’t relate at least one moment of their life to these words.”
A third shared: “Lucky Town and Human Touch deserved more praise when they were released. I feel like the lack of praise has carried over ever since because instead of listening to the albums, it was easier to just assume the criticisms were accurate. These deserve to be included with his best work.”
Some believe the criticism of Lucky Town and Human Touch is not aimed at the lyrics or instrumental quality, but because Springsteen had ditched The E Street Band for both recordings.
A fan wrote: “No doubt in my mind that the excessive criticism is almost entirely from fans of the E Street Band, unhappy that Bruce broke up the club – and remember, at that point there was no indication that the break wasn’t permanent. So the correct read is that a lot of criticism was just about imploring Bruce to get the band back together, which he did! So people ought to judge these two albums fairly, but many are just too stuck on that initial reaction.”
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