When You're Alone

Album: Tunnel of Love (1987)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is mostly about how one would continue at the end of a relationship. The second verse describes about how one might feel afterwards: "With just the shirt on my back, I left and swore I'd never look back. But, there are things that'll knock you down that you don't even see coming, and send you crawling, like a baby, back home." This describes when the memory of something good will aid in the return. The third verse describes how time will pass and one would forget about all the bad times and think only of the good. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Gene - San Diego, CA
  • "When You're Alone" is a deep cut in Springsteen's catalog, played live only a handful of times. It's from his Tunnel Of Love album, which he recorded mostly on his own, bringing in members of his E Street Band for overdubs. This was a turbulent time for Bruce, whose marriage to Julianne Phillips was ending and his spark with E Street singer Patti Scialfa was turning into a fire. His divorce was finalized in 1989, the same year he broke up the E Street Band (he brought them back together in 1999). In 1991 he married Scialfa.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Devo

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.