Radio Nowhere

Bruce Springsteen “Nowhere Radio”
Playing on his great theme of righteous, uplifting anger, this hook-studded throwback sports his first key change since “Hungry Heart,” which was also thin-yet-crowd-friendly (anybody remember the EXPRESSIVE key change?). But the irony here doesn’t quite catch hold: will this song get played on the radio? Yeah, just like Tom Petty’s “Last DJ” and Sting’s “I Want My MTV” before it, but without much frisson. The clown often mocks his own circus but they don’t refund your money. When Springsteen wonders if anybody’s alive out there, the question is merely rhetorical. The answer is: “Duh, no, we’re Bushwhacked zombies, support the troops, thanks for the mention.”