At Bruce Springsteen’s recent show in Edinburgh, a fan managed to hand the 73-year-old rock icon a copy of his dissertation about masculinity.
Pondering the masculinity of the Boss is logical: his themes include brotherhood, father-son conflict and the trials of physical labour; his songs are populated with downtrodden blue-collar workers, suicidal firefighters, forgotten soldiers returning from various wars, and economically disempowered men driven to murder.
Indeed, he’s seen as one of the quintessential writers of the male experience. So why does he appeal to so many women?
As the authors of Mary Climbs In point out, rock music, like many industries, is “a traditionally male forum – women can often be and feel marginalised, unheard, unseen, stereotyped, or idealised” within it.
You could feasibly make that criticism of Springsteen’s songwriting: his earlier material is more or less devoid of anything meaningful said to women, save a handful of lovers. He got told off in the 1980s by a feminist organisation for using pre-feminism cliches like “little girls” in his work (his defence was that it was a “rock’n’roll term”). Many of his female characters are passive and acted upon rather than actors.
Bruce Springsteen has been cherished by his fans for decades, from his early days playing high school gymnasiums through globally successful albums and huge stadium shows to solo performances in intimate theaters. As his long and illustrious career has evolved, the legendary devotion of his fans has remained a constant. Springsteen fans have become worthy of study in their own right, with books, memoirs, and even a movie documenting their passion and perspectives. But his fans are not monolithic, and surprisingly little attention has been paid to why so many women from across the world adore The Boss.
Mary Climbs In illuminates this once overlooked but increasingly important and multi-faceted conversation about female audiences for Springsteen’s music. Drawing on unique surveys of fans themselves, the study offers insight into women’s experiences in their own voices. Authors Lorraine Mangione and Donna Luff explore the depth of women fans’ connection to Springsteen and the profound ways this connection has shaped their lives. Reflections from fans enliven each page as readers journey through the camaraderie and joy of concerts, the sorrow and confusion of personal loss and suffering, the love and closeness of community, and the search for meaning and for the self. Viewed through a psychological lens, women fans’ relationship with Springsteen is revealed in all its complexity as never before. Mary Climbs In is an important interdisciplinary contribution to the growing field of Springsteen studies and a must-read for any fan.
Related- Photographer Pamela Springsteen 'Behind the Lens', including brother Bruce
