Maps of Music

Human Touch (1992)

Where the lyrics of Human Touch take you, and where it was really made.

Released the same day as Lucky Town, Human Touch sold better and reached number two on the Billboard 200, yet critics were sharply divided on it.

Key places

Los Angeles recording studio (1992)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Springsteen assembled studio musicians in Los Angeles for the album. Westlake Recording Studios is listed among the studios where the album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Los Angeles recording studio (1992)

Recording site Record Plant (Los Angeles) — Springsteen assembled studio musicians in Los Angeles for the album. Record Plant is listed among the studios where the album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Human Touch: ninth studio album by Bruce Springsteen
• Released March 27, 1992, the same day as Lucky Town
• Of the two albums released that day, Human Touch was the more popular
• Peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200
• Lead single "Human Touch", released as a double A-side with "Better Days", peaked at number one on the Mainstream Rock chart
• The single reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100
• Certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over one million copies in the US

Background

• Shortly after the E Street Band was disbanded in October 1989, pianist Roy Bittan wrote three instrumental tracks for Springsteen
• Those tracks were "Roll of the Dice", "Real World", and "Trouble in Paradise"
• Springsteen later added lyrics and kept writing and recording more material
• With the E Street Band dissolved, apart from Bittan, who played keyboards and co-produced the album, Springsteen assembled studio musicians in Los Angeles
• Bassist Randy Jackson and drummer Jeff Porcaro were the main players
• Approximately 25 songs were recorded, though the exact number is unknown
• The album was first scheduled for spring or summer 1991 after being pushed back from early 1991
• Production was halted when Springsteen began recording Lucky Town later that year
• Springsteen decided to release both albums on the same day

Recording

• Recorded in Los Angeles with a group of studio session musicians
• Toby Scott handled engineering; Bob Clearmountain mixed the album; Bob Ludwig mastered it
• Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and Roy Bittan are credited as producers

Cover

• David Rose credited for cover photography

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey; grew up in Freehold, New Jersey.
• Inspired by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, began playing with local bands in the 1960s, including the Castiles, Steel Mill and the Bruce Springsteen Band.
• Formed the band that became the E Street Band in October 1972; the name came into use in September 1974.
• Signed to Columbia Records in 1972 by John Hammond; debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. released January 1973.

Members

• Performs solo and with the E Street Band, his backing band since 1972.
• Long-time members include Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Steven Van Zandt, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg and Patti Scialfa.
• Clemons died June 18, 2011; Federici died in 2008.

Career

• Born to Run (1975) brought worldwide fame; Born in the U.S.A. (1984) became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• Won an Academy Award in 1994 for "Streets of Philadelphia"; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
• Has sold more than 140 million records worldwide; holds 20 Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award.
• The 2023–2025 tour with the E Street Band was among the highest-grossing tours in history.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Human Touch debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 246,000 copies in its first week
• Rolling Stone awarded the album four stars, noting that the songs explore a move from disenchanted isolation to a willingness to risk love again
• Rolling Stone also said the title track stands among Springsteen's best work
• Bill Wyman of the Chicago Reader gave the album a harsh review, finding only one passable Springsteen song out of its 14 tracks
• Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune, although his initial review was more favorable, later wrote that the album tried to recreate the stadium-rocking aura of an E Street album with session musicians

Reappraisal

• AllMusic later described the album as generic pop and the first of Springsteen's albums that did not at least aspire to greatness
• In 2012, the online magazine Nerve ranked the album last among Springsteen's discography
• The album is generally unpopular among Springsteen's fanbase
• Springsteen later remarked that he tried writing happy songs in the early 1990s and it did not work with the public

Records

• Billboard 200: peaked at number two
• First-week sales: 246,000 copies
• Mainstream Rock chart: lead single "Human Touch" reached number one
• Billboard Hot 100: lead single reached number 16
• RIAA: Platinum for over one million US sales
• Nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Roy Bittan's three instrumental tracks were the seed of the album, written after the E Street Band disbanded in October 1989
• Jeff Porcaro turned down Springsteen's invitation to join the touring band because of his commitments with Toto
• Porcaro died of a heart attack a few months later while working in his garden
• Springsteen's first album without the E Street Band produced many outtakes, several of which were later released
• "Part Man, Part Monkey" was first recorded during the Tunnel of Love sessions, then re-recorded and released as a B-side and on Tracks
• The album was delayed from early 1991 and its production halted when Lucky Town recording began

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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