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Human Touch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Human Touch
Studio album by
Bruce Springsteen
ReleasedMarch 27, 1992[1]
RecordedSeptember 1989 – March 1991
StudiosA&M
Soundworks West
Ocean Way Recording
Westlake Recording Studios
Record Plant (Los Angeles)
Genres
Length58:49
LabelColumbia
ProducersBruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Roy Bittan
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Chimes of Freedom
(1988)		 Human Touch
(1992)		 Lucky Town
(1992)
Singles from Human Touch
  1. "Human Touch"
    Released: March 1992[5]
  2. "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)"
    Released: June 1992
  3. "Roll of the Dice"
    Released: November 1992 (Japan)

Human Touch is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. The album was released on March 27, 1992,[6] the same day as Lucky Town. It was the more popular of the two albums, peaking at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. Its lead single, "Human Touch" (released as a double A-side single with Lucky Town's "Better Days"), peaked at number one on the Mainstream Rock chart and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Human Touch has since been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over one million copies in the US, and it was nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards.[7]

Background

[edit]

Shortly after Springsteen disbanded the E Street Band in October 1989, pianist Roy Bittan played three instrumental tracks he had written for Springsteen: "Roll of the Dice", "Real World", and "Trouble in Paradise".[8] Springsteen later added lyrics to the compositions and liked them enough to begin writing and recording additional material.[8] With the E Street Band dissolved—aside from Bittan, who played keyboards and co-produced the album—Springsteen assembled a group of studio musicians in Los Angeles, primarily utilizing bassist Randy Jackson and drummer Jeff Porcaro.[8] A diverse group of background vocalists contributed to the project, including Sam Moore, Bobby Hatfield, and Bobby King. Ultimately, approximately 25 songs were recorded, though the exact number remains unknown.[8]

The album was initially scheduled for a spring or summer 1991 release, after being pushed back from early 1991, but production was halted when Springsteen began recording Lucky Town later that year.[8] Springsteen ultimately decided to release both albums on the same day, resulting in Human Touch debuting on March 27, 1992—more than two years after the project commenced.[8]

Springsteen asked Porcaro to join the touring band for the subsequent promotional tour, but Porcaro declined due to prior commitments with his own band, Toto. Porcaro died of a heart attack a few months later while working in his garden.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStar[3]
Chicago TribuneStar[9]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(1-star Honorable Mention)[10]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[11]
NME5/10[12]
Pitchfork5.8/10[13]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStar[14]
Tom HullB−[15]

Human Touch debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 246,000 copies during its first week.[16] The album was met with generally mixed reviews. Rolling Stone awarded it four stars, noting that the songs "explore the movement from disenchanted isolation to a willingness to risk love and its attendant traumas again." The review also stated that the title track "stands among Springsteen's best work." Conversely, Bill Wyman of The Chicago Reader gave the album a harsh review, calling it "the worst piece of [expletive] you can imagine coming from a talent on Springsteen's level." Out of the album's 14 tracks, Wyman found only "one passable Springsteen song, 'The Long Goodbye.' The lyrics don't make much sense...but it has a bruising musical onslaught that covers up a lot."[17]

Although his initial review was more favorable, Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune later wrote that "in retrospect, Human Touch tried to re-create the stadium-rocking aura of an E Street album, with session musicians unsuccessfully replacing the road-tested band."[2] AllMusic retrospectively described the album as "generic pop" and "his first that didn't at least aspire to greatness."[3]

The album is generally unpopular among Springsteen's fanbase, and in 2012, it was ranked last among his discography by the online magazine Nerve. Addressing the cool reception of Human Touch and Lucky Town among fans, Springsteen remarked: "I tried it [writing happy songs] in the early '90s and it didn't work; the public didn't like it."[18]

Track listing

[edit]

All music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Human Touch" 6:31
2."Soul Driver" 4:39
3."57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" 2:28
4."Cross My Heart"
3:51
5."Gloria's Eyes" 3:46
6."With Every Wish" 4:39
7."Roll of the Dice"
4:17
8."Real World"
  • Springsteen
  • Bittan
5:26
9."All or Nothin' at All" 3:23
10."Man's Job" 4:37
11."I Wish I Were Blind" 4:48
12."The Long Goodbye" 3:30
13."Real Man" 4:33
14."Pony Boy"Traditional, arrangement and additional lyrics by Springsteen2:14

Unreleased outtakes

[edit]

Springsteen's first album without the E Street Band generated numerous outtakes, many of which were later released. A cover of "Viva Las Vegas" was issued as a B-side and included on The Essential Bruce Springsteen; "Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips" appeared on a children's compilation album; and "30 Days Out" served as another B-side. "Part Man, Part Monkey"—a track originally recorded during the Tunnel of Love sessions and performed on that tour—was re-recorded and released as a B-side and on Tracks. Other outtakes included on Tracks include "Trouble In Paradise", "Sad Eyes", "Leavin' Train", "Seven Angels", "My Lover Man", "When the Lights Go Out", "Over the Rise", "Goin' Cali", and "Loose Change". "Trouble River" was subsequently released on 18 Tracks. Springsteen also recorded "Red-Headed Woman", a live version of which eventually appeared on the MTV Unplugged album. Additionally, he recorded "Secret Garden", which was later re-worked with the reunited E Street Band in 1995 for Greatest Hits, and "All the Way Home", a song Springsteen gave to Southside Johnny that he would not release himself until 2005's Devils & Dust.[19]

  • "Red Headed Woman"
  • "Secret Garden"
  • "All the Way Home"

Personnel

[edit]

Additional musicians

  • Randy Jackson – bass
  • Jeff Porcaro – drums, percussion (except on "With Every Wish")
  • Roy Bittan – keyboards
  • Sam Moore – harmony vocals on "Soul Driver", "Real World", and "Man's Job"
  • Patti Scialfa – harmony vocals on "Human Touch" and "Pony Boy"
  • David Sancious – Hammond organ on "Soul Driver" and "Real Man"
  • Ian McLagan – piano on "Real Man"
  • Bobby King – backing vocals on "Roll of the Dice" and "Man's Job"
  • Tim Pierce – second guitar on "Soul Driver" and "Roll of the Dice"
  • Michael Fisher – percussion on "Soul Driver"
  • Bobby Hatfield – harmony vocals on "I Wish I Were Blind"
  • Mark Isham – muted trumpet on "With Every Wish"
  • Douglas Lunn – bass on "With Every Wish"
  • Kurt Wortman – drums and dumbeck on "With Every Wish"

Technical:

Singles

[edit]
Year Single Peak chart positions[20][21]
US US Main US AC UK IRE GER SWI AUT NOR SWE NZ AUS NL
1992 "Human Touch"[A] 16 1 8 11 4 15 4 19 1 4 12 17 3
"57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" 68 6 — 32 26 — — — 9 32 – — 39

Singles were released in both U.S. and UK/Europe, unless otherwise indicated:

  • A^ Charted as double A-Side with "Better Days" when released in the United States.

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[45] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[46] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[47] Gold 35,627[47]
Germany (BVMI)[48] Gold 250,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[49] Gold 116,000[50]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[51] Gold 7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[52] Gold 25,000*
Spain (Promusicae)[53] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[54] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[55] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[56] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[57] Platinum 1,168,000[58]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Advertisement". Music Week. March 28, 1992. p. 3.
  2. 1 2 Kot, Greg (February 26, 1995). "Born Again". The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Human Touch at AllMusic
  4. ↑ Molanphy, Chris (July 16, 2021). "Tramps Like Us Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Bruce Springsteen - Human Touch". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". Riaa.com. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen". Grammy Awards. November 23, 2020. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch/Lucky Town – Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. March 31, 1992. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  9. ↑ Kot, Greg (January 25, 2009). "Springsteen's latest effort a 'Dream' deflated". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  10. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Bruce Springsteen". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. p. 294. ISBN 0312245602. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  11. ↑ Browne, David (April 3, 1992). "Human Touch Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  12. ↑ Bailie, Stuart; Staunton, Terry (March 11, 1995). "Ace of boss". New Musical Express. pp. 54–55.
  13. ↑ Sodomsky, Sam (May 19, 2018). "Tunnel of Love / Chimes of Freedom EP / Human Touch / Lucky Town / In Concert/MTV Plugged / The Ghost of Tom Joad / Blood Brothers EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  14. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony (April 3, 1992). "Human Touch | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  15. ↑ Hull, Tom (October 29, 2016). "Streamnotes (October 2016)". Tom Hull - on the Web. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Billboard". August 17, 2002. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  17. ↑ Wyman, Bill (April 9, 1992). "Double drivel". The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Ranked: Bruce Springsteen Albums from Worst to Best". Nerve.com. March 5, 2012. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Brucebase – Human Touch – Studio Sessions". Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Artist Chart History (Singles) – Bruce Springsteen". Allmusic. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  21. ↑ "UK Chartlog". zobbel.de. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  22. ↑ "australian-charts.com Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original (ASP) on March 28, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  23. ↑ "austriancharts.at Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch". Hung Medien (in German). Archived from the original (ASP) on March 30, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  24. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Archived April 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 1, 2014
  25. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  26. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 17. April 25, 1992. p. 25 – via World Radio History.
  27. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on May 6, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2014.Note: user must select 'Bruce SPRINGSTEEN' from drop-down
  28. ↑ "Album Search: Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved May 1, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  29. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Human touch".
  30. ↑ "マドンナ、洋楽女性初の快挙 アルバム2作同時初登場TOP10" [Madonna's two albums simultaneously enter the top-10]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. April 3, 2012. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  31. ↑ "charts.nz Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  32. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch". Hung Medien. VG-lista. Archived from the original (ASP) on December 4, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  33. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  34. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch" (ASP) (in Swedish). Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Archived from the original (ASP) on November 3, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen : Artist: Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  38. ↑
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  39. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1992" (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on August 4, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  40. ↑ "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. December 19, 1992. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  41. ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1992 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on July 11, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1992" (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Top US Billboard 200 Albums - Year-end 1992". BestSellingAlbums.org. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  44. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  45. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  46. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch". Music Canada. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  47. 1 2 "Kulta- ja platinalevyt - Bruce Springsteen" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  48. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bruce Springsteen; 'Human Touch')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  49. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – ブルース・スプリングスティーン – ヒューマン・タッチ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1992年4月 on the drop-down menu
  50. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  51. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  52. ↑ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  53. ↑ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1991–1995". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  54. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  55. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Human Touch')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  56. ↑ "British album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 6, 2012. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Human Touch Bruce Springsteen in the "Search:" field.
  57. ↑ "American album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  58. ↑ "Ask Billboard: Basia, Bon Jovi and the Boss". Billboard.
[edit]
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