You think of Bruce Springsteen as a guy who can take care of himself in a scuffle, who would intimidate his way out of a fight rather than duke it out. Just nobody messes with him.

Maybe, on his home ground. Apparently not always.

Bruce has been hurt. You can hear it all over Darkness on the Edge of Town: title, opening cut, vocals, lyrics, production. He's running scared. (p. 67)

On Born to Run, Bruce was flying down streets he knew, a flawless escape. On Darkness, he's being chased. It's not an easy album to listen to; Born to Run seems innocent beside it. This record is trouble.

I was disappointed when I first heard it. Bruce uses all the same settings—night, cars, driving—and the music sounded so much the same. He quotes liberally from himself—chord changes, guitar riffs, vocal tone—and there was a...