10 Classic Music Albums Turning 20 In 2022
7. The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
The entire course of the '00s seemed to switch on a dime on September 11th, 2001. As much as the world may have been changing in terms of technology, there was a certain tension in the air that was not going to be going away any time soon, especially when George Bush plunged the US into war. In a world that divided, we needed something to bring us together, and the Boss may have been the one person able to do it.
Much like the rest of the citizens on the East Coast, Springsteen was pretty desensitized in the wake of 9/11, not really having a clear idea of what to do. When he started to learn about how much of the victims were fans of his music though, he turned his songwriting outward and focused on detailing the lives of the people who got lost on that fateful day. While The Rising is by no means a concept record, you can really feel the intensity in the air, as Springsteen tries his best to get some sort of closure out of the deal.
There are definitely some moments that confront the tragedy directly like My City of Ruins, but the crux of the album feels like you're in Bruce's head, as he walks around those city streets that have seemed to fall strangely quiet in the last few months. Life after this wasn't going to be easy, but we'll all find the strength to carry on eventually.