The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music’s Lyric Lab series will open with a session devoted to “Thunder Road,” Sept. 15.
A new series at The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch — titled The Lyric Lab — will take a close look at important individual songs in Springsteen’s catalog. The first session, focused on “Thunder Road,” will take place on Sept. 15; others will look at “Atlantic City,” Oct. 21; and “Born in the USA,” Nov. 20.
The series will take place at the Center’s 240-seat Powell Soundstage. For information, visit springsteencenter.org/program.
There will no admission charge, but attendees are asked to register in advance, and will have a “Pay What You Wish” option when doing so.
Melissa Kozlowski, the Center’s director of curatorial affairs, will host the series, and described it on Facebook as “an ongoing lecture and discussion series that takes a close look at individual songs and recurring themes throughout Springsteen’s catalog. Through guided analysis, historical context, archival materials, recorded performances, and audience discussion, participants will examine how Springsteen uses language, imagery, character, and narrative to tell stories about work, family, community, faith, justice, identity, and the American experience.
“Each session focuses on a single song or closely related group of songs, exploring their origins, evolution, and enduring relevance. Together, attendees will discover how Springsteen’s lyrics function not only as popular music, but also as poetry, social history, and a uniquely American form of storytelling.”
Click HERE for a 2021 post of my own, taking a close look at “Thunder Road.”
The Springsteen Center opened in June of this year. Here is a photo gallery by Thomas E. Franklin of NJ News Wire.
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