"Is a dream a lie that don't come true, or is it something worse" One of the most beautifully haunting lines in Rock. This is what you get when you attend a Springsteen concert. So much more than music.. so much more. You get quite a bit of his life story, and that which inspired the brilliant words that make up his music. "Independence Day" and "Point Blank" are two other strong achievements on this album. Hell the whole damn album is a work of art!!

He wrote this song about his sister and her husband. She got pregnant and married at 17. That was around 1965. He was a rodeo rider and worked in construction. They are still married and have numerous kids, grandkids (and maybe even great grands kids) now. His sister didn't know he had written it until she was in the audience when he first played it in 1979 at the NYC No Nukes Concert. She came back stage after the show in tears and told him "That's my song".

The River is a song he wrote about his sister's marriage and her struggles as a teen bride. It's very personal to him. He likes to say that she is still married to the same man.

In interviews and in his autobiography, Bruce said his relationship with his father was very good by the time he died. Bruce came to understand the challenges his father faced and his father Douglas learned there was real value in what Bruce was doing as a career.

Bruce has always been a part of my life. ❤

Growing up, my dad and I always bonded over Bruce Springsteen’s music. Nobody else in our family were fans of his, so whenever my dad and I were in the car alone together, we would always have on “E Street Radio”, the Springsteen XM radio station. He passed away very suddenly two years ago now. I still keep Bruce in rotation on the radio, keeping those good memories alive.

This is my favorite Springsteen song. Just rips out your guts. Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?

For a year or two I listened to this every morning just to hear Bruce say "how are you doing out there tonight", and I'd think "I'm still here", and in my headphones Bruce would reply "that's good." Got me through a period when I felt very lost.

Thunder Road is my all-time favorite Springsteen song but The River, in my opinion, is his best written song. It is so tight and has so many levels to it that my mind is boggled. Dude was in his 20's when he wrote that song. Man, in my 20's I was lucky if I was half aware of what was around me.

"It's a sad man my friend who's living in his own skin and doesn't like the company." Better Days

"Is a dream a lie if it don't come true or is it something worse...?" Always been a great, great line.

Yes, it's a true story. Bruce wrote a lot of songs about his dad. He asked his dad, which song of his did he like and his dad said, the ones about him. His dad died in 1998 but they had made peace with each other. He has that great gift of storytelling. Bono of U2 says it's the Irish side of him.....I think he's right.

Springsteen still the best concert i have ever seen. Brilliance, energy, passion and tightness of music and oh don't get me started on Clarence's clarinet. Early 80's and i've seen many great shows before and since but just under 4 hours of blood pumping greatness just can't be beat

That song hurts deep, a eulogy to a broken american dream. "Is a dream a lie if it don't come true or is it something worse?"

It struck me listening this time that there is more connection between the intro and the song than I had realized - the song is about fatherhood, too.

Bruce gets me everytime...we must embrace the LEGENDS...thank you Bruce Springsteen for years of greatness 🤟

Bruce Springsteen is one of my favorite artists of all time. Whenever he plays with the E Street Band, true magic happens. It is really one of those awesome situations where “1+1=3” as Bruce would say in his concerts. I went to see him in 2016 during “The River 2016” tour. Best concert I’ve ever been to, and it will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The song doesn't actually end abruptly. It must be the way it was cut for the single clip here, but it glides out beautifully. The versions differ, but usually there is an accordion, and in the last 20 years he added a haunting falsetto towards the end.

Since I first heard this song, the line: "Those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse, is a dream a lie if it don't come true, Or is it something worse!" Has haunted me... I lie awake at night, pondering the goals and dreams I had a youngster growing up, and where life has led me, and that line. That damn line. We're my dreams and goals lies? Or were they something worse than a lie? One things for sure, my life (as most people's is) is so far away from what I envisioned and wanted and aimed for. As someone prone to overthinking I get deeep. It in my will that this song be played as my body is committed.

Bruce and I are the same age. So I've been a fan of his for a long, long time. This is the song that convinced me he was something more than just a great rock and roller.

This is probably my favorite Springsteen song.

Thanks for sharing your story Harri. Great reaction my friend 💕 Btw, the song is based on Bruce's sister, and brother-in-law.

Bruce always gets you in the end, the song that got me on to him was "One Step Up" a story about relationship going wrong, it's beautiful and his voice is like an angel on the fade out. A Bruce gig is like all the best gigs you've ever seen rolled into one. Elvis to James Brown, it's all in there.

Thanks for a great memory of a great artist Harri. I love this piece. One of Bruce's best. I think the song itself is supposed to be about his sister and his brother-in-law...but I could be mistaken.

I remember the dad/son hair argument. I was in many myself. The live version of No Surrender is really good as well.

Saw Bruce and the E street Band 3 times in concert. Best concerts I've ever attended. Lasting 3 hours each with only a 20 minute break in the middle. Pure magic. I was exhausted at the end.

Bruce's ability to tell a story, is incomparable. Cheers for the review dude 🤙

Almost every man can relate to one thing or another in the song. With the intro it's one of the most intense songs for me.

My first Springsteen concert was when he was touring the The River LP. I've said it before and I'll say it again, your first Springsteen concert isn't just a concert, it's a religous experience!

That harmonica rips right through you.

Love Bruce! ♥️🎼🎵🎶🇨🇦

I grew up in the Philadelphia area and Bruce was big here. I couldn't get tickets to see him, always sold out. I went to Iowa when this album came out and got to see him there. The place wasn't even full! But Bruce and Clarence were rocking up and down the aisle. Great show! Love the Boss!

This. This intro. I had this album and this one was great. Closest thing to The Boss' concert experience. Man used to play three hour plus concerts!

Please listen to BS's "Independence Day". Will make you think of dad.

This track is my dad's too. I still have him, we drink beer together every Wednesday and I appreciate him so much.

Great reaction. Way to go Uncle Phil. It's about time someone reacted to one of the best songs ever made. At night on them banks I'd lie awake And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take

Anytime Bruce speaks or sings about his father, I get choked up. Listen to his song "Mansion on the Hill." In that he almost seems to become a child again. He even calls his father "daddy": "At night, my daddy'd take me and we'd ride..through the streets of a town so silent and still, park on a back road along on the highway side, look up at that mansion on the hill."

Sorry to hear about you losing your Dad. I lost mine this past January. We all butt heads and rebel as youths but if you can resolve any issues ‘in the living years’ it sure helps with the inevitable loss.

Great reaction to a beautiful song. Thank you ❤

Bruce was the best concert ever, over 3½ hours of hard hitting music sung and played with passion, it was a wonderful experience,in 1985 the best £14.50 I ever spent. Wembley Stadium filled with music and lovers of music, and yes this reminds me of my Dad too,when I first went to war in the middle east, telling me to "keep your Fekin 'ead down son"

Beautiful. Haunting. Satisfying.

Great reaction. Greetings from Germany

Thank you so much for reacting to this version with the intro! Sends shivers down my spine each time

Love that song and his story that precedes it. Don’t hear it much, one of his sneaky great cuts.

You'll definitely like the Mike & The Mechanics song "Living Years". About dads and loss. On a different note, you said you like harmonica. Do you know Blues Traveler? The lead singer plays harmonica unlike anyone else. Their most well-known songs are "Hook", "Run Around" "The Mountains Win Again" and "But Anyway"

This song was very timely in my life at that time in that my best friend who I was about to go to away to college with got his girlfriend pregnant and yes "man that was all she wrote" for him.

I'm a massive Springsteen fan. This version gets me every simgle time, especially when he blows into the harmonica to start the song. I also have 'Is a dream a lie if don't come true, or is it something worse' tattooed onto my right forearm.

I hope you've heard the rest. One of the best Springsteen endings. And for one of the most profound experiences ever, eyeball this footage of Springsteen (and the E-Street horns) taking a request from the crowd, an old Check Berry tune. Bruce states he had not played the song since he was 16 or 17. Worse, none of horn section knew the song but knew all the common rifts from their R&B roots. And the story of Jake on Saxophone is special. They were a fortunate crowd that day. And let me again request either "The Promised Land" [there is harmonica beyond belief], OR The studio version of "Jackson Cage" OR "The Promised Land" and just read the lyrics of "Jackson Cage". Yes the words are poetry, but to me it is the Cajun musical style, the phrasing and the tempo. Steve Vansant's guitar work and his high falsetto will be like diamonds in your ears. And then there are the live versions too. Amazing tune.

I was never a big Springsteen fan ,like his music but i was into different kinds of music at the time . I had an opportunity to see him for Born to run tour but decided not to go .( Big mistake) But my friends went & raved about him so much that when he toured for Darkness at the... I decided to check him out .I've seen 100s of concerts but he definitely one of the best concerts I've seen . Super high energy ,fun , emotional story telling , plays for like 2/ 3 hrs. & his energy level is beyond words ,then you add Clarence, Little Steven, Neil's Lofgren etc. That when you leave your charged up your thinking Wow ! What a great concert . Well... I saw him about 4 times after that & he was always incredible ! I was even at his famous No Nukes show that you can watch on KZfaq . Of course I don't know what he'll be like on this upcoming tour ,no band or performer are as good as when they're in their prime ,but I'm sure it will be good . Also if you enjoy his storytelling i highly recommend his Broadway show i know that was available on KZfaq also . He's such a laid back nice average guy i know he was wandering around the Jersey shore this past week & often pops up someplace or show .I know he stopped to have ice cream 🍦 at the Jersey shore with John Cougar Mellencamp a few months back . But people spot him on the Boardwalk quite often & take pictures & chat with him . ✌️😎

not me giggling when i hear what version youre listening to, because i already know youre gonna be put through it

Bruce is an incredible storyteller. Based on his autobiography, Bruce says he didn’t learn to drive a car until he was much older (driving across country to California to make a gig) so I don’t think he got into riding motorcycles until he was older either which means no accident but I think the part about the draft is true. Bruce is an incredible storyteller.

This live album has the cream of the crop of vintage Springsteen on it, every cut is 10x better than the studio versions. Dude is way better live.

Thanks Michele, a lady of taste for sure. Take care Sweetie.

One of my favorites

So good.....

Thanks for your father story..greetings from germany..👍👍

Been going to Springsteen concerts since 1974 when they performed in bars and nightclubs and he would thank the audience for supporting the band. His concerts are the closest thing to a revival meeting that most people will ever get to. You leave feeling grateful and feeling better about yourself and your life!

Thanks for this, Harri. A beautiful reaction.

With the context of the intro, I think the narrator of the song is his father. The real story is his sister’s marriage, but as he tells the story on that day in that place, I think he’s identifying with his dad. The dreams that don’t come true are not his but his father’s

I wish this had been live…he is amazing to watch. Great reaction and thank you for doing it. I’m a HUGE Bruce Springsteen fan.💫✨

I really enjoy your cerebral reactions with interesting commentary. For as long as I can remember I have been a Bruce fan, in fact I was in Asbury Park last night. I once loved this track, however I’m older now and have grown to hate it. Not Springsteen’s fault. In August of 2012 I held, kissed my son and wished him good luck. Told him I loved him, and he did the same. He PASSED his tests. Passed them so high, the Recruiter advised him to go to Officer’s School. After a ton of consultation and encouragement, he decided on entering The Infantry, saying, “I’m no different than anyone else in here. I’ll start at the bottom.” Two and a half years later, after earning two Purple Hearts and The Army’s Metal for Heroism and Meritorious Service (for taking out multiple insurgents ambushing his direct superior, mere yards away, thus saving their very lives and possibly many more) our home town gave him a day in his honor. Were’s the problem…? In that two year period his mother and I divorced. He wasn’t the same when he came back and we’ve not spoken since that day in August of 2012… a permanent hole in my heart, every minute of every single f****** day.

So good

Great video. And you are right the story was true.

Very well done

This song reminds me of my life.

Love your work, man.

You're a real one Harri. Love your vids.

...and the song has such a good fade.

I really like the host's style here. He strikes the right balance between talking too much and saying too little. He also doesn't make himself the focus of the video. This is an all too common failing of many of these sites. This is one of my top 4 or 5 Springsteen songs, for the lyrics, as well as the sound and tone of the number.

My dad was a barber when I was growing up in the 60s so I'm with you on this!

Listen to Jungleland. Clarence's sax solo is exquisite!!

So many of these reaction channels. I enjoy the music again, but only rarely do the reactors bring anything to the experience. I found you a while back and have enjoyed a number of your videos.. Your intelligence and authenticity and your ability just to listen to the music make your channel special.

It's well documented truth about the relationship

you may find "Independence Day" (same album) even more emotional

A good one though you need to react to his tune Rosalina. You will love it!👍🏻❤️🎼🎤

That was cool when you said "The song hasn't even started yet and he's already got me all messed up........"! Bruce's album "Tunnel of Love" came out the same year I proposed to my girlfriend (now my wife). There are a few songs on that album that make me emotional just hearing them because they tend to be about relationships, getting married, etc. There's a great song on that album about a father/son relationship called "Walk Like A Man". I highly recommend it. My Dad is 81 now and there are so many things he told me when I was younger and even in the days before the wedding that I didn't believe then, but they were all so true.

All considered I miss him so much....

Two amazing ones to check out the rising and the Streets of Philadelphia

FFS sake you are a top man. I had my long hair cut off before my first holiday in Italy. I went from 17 to 12 in minutes. At least he didn't call me a poof anymore?

It’s ok I miss my dad as well my hero

You GOTTA watch Springsteen on Broadway on Netflix to understand the man and the songwriter Springsteen and I produced by Ridley Scott shows perfectly what he is to us fans Thunder road ,The promise , Racing in the streets …. are incredibly well written human stories On the flip side 2009 Super Bowl halftime show….. earth quaking botty shaking pants dropping legendary E Street Band Cheers from France😉

@HarriBest Reactions: The River is such a deep song (pardon the pun). The opening story about his dad and the Vietnam draft is not really connected to the song, it's just a narrative interlude in one of his concerts. The song, as already noted in many other comments here, is directly inspired by the relationship of his sister and her husband. The crux of the song is "Those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse / Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, it is it something worse? / That sends me down to the river, though I know the river is dry". Truly an emotionally shattering performance, made even more powerful by Bruce's vocal and his wailing harmonica.

People keep missing "& The E Street Band" in these titles. Bruce is amazing but with the boys (and now 1 girl) he is GREAT!

On a lighter note, love your shirt.

Redux. Reminds me of the time seeing Schindler's List and the reel broke during the pivotal Act III storyline resolution. Lights up! Followed by groans. .

For anyone who ever had 'issues' with their father back in the day, Bruce's song 'Independence Day' will rip your heart out, and James Blunt's 'Monsters' will affect you even more deeply.

It sucks because there was a killer harmonica solo at the end that was cut off.

In high school I was into hair metal and wanted long hair but my dad wouldn't let me. After school I had ska and punk. In the end, I had short hair and my dad had a pony tail.

Jerked a tear out of me too Harri. On my way to patreon

Adam Raised a Cain is a song about his Dad.

"They bring you up to do like your daddy done." This song is about how responsibility is laid upon you. To escape you are born to run.Is a dream a lie?

🤗

This is not part of the song.. it is the intro... lead up to the song.

You must listen "Independence Day"

after this story he should of sang Independence day which is a song about his father and leaving home

It always makes me think about my fist girlfriend and cry it was never the same

I think that this is a song of circumstances rather than love, or should I say, how love and relationships suffer under poor circumstances, especially poor economic circumstances. Even more so if the conditions were harsh to begin with. There are lots of songs which reference his Father's life though, including 'Factory' and 'Walk Like a Man'.

I know the stories Bruce tells about his dad are all true -- his song, "Adam Raised a Cain" is about his struggle...but again it's universal as you related. Bruce talks and sings a lot about loneliness and I think his main drive is to let his listener know they are not alone in their confusion, desperation, anger or hopelessness.

😭

Please do STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA. It's in the movie PHILADELPHIA with Tom Hanks. The character dies of aids. Great movie Great song!!!