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

Background

Not long after Springsteen broke up the E Street Band in October 1989, pianist Roy Bittan played Springsteen three instrumental songs he had written: "Roll of the Dice", "Real World" and "Trouble in Paradise". Springsteen later added lyrics to the songs, and liked them to the point where he began writing and recording more songs.

| rev2 = Chicago Tribune

| rev2Score =

| rev3 = Christgau's Consumer Guide

| rev3Score =

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4score = B−

| rev5 = NME

| rev5score = 5/10

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6score = 5.8/10

| rev7 = Rolling Stone

| rev7score =

| rev8 = Tom Hull

| rev8Score = B−

Human Touch debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 selling 246,000 copies during its first week. The album was met with a generally mixed critical reception. Rolling Stone gave the album 4 stars and noted 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." However Bill Wyman of The Chicago Reader gave the album a very 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 said there was 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."

Though his initial review was more positive, 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." AllMusic later described the album as "generic pop" and "his first that didn't at least aspire to greatness."

Track listing

All music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, except where noted

Unreleased outtakes

Springsteen's first album without the E Street Band featured numerous outtakes, many of which have been released. A cover of "Viva Las Vegas" was released as a B-side and on The Essential Bruce Springsteen, "Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips" was released on a children's album, and "30 Days Out" was also a B-side. "Part Man, Part Monkey", a track originally recorded during the Tunnel of Love session and performed on that tour, was re-recorded and released as a B-side and on Tracks along with other outtakes such as "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 released on 18 Tracks. Springsteen also recorded "Red-Headed Woman", a tribute to his wife Patti Scialfa and a song performed often, eventually released as a live version on the MTV Unplugged album, "Secret Garden", which would later get 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 and one that Springsteen would not release until 2005's Devils & Dust.

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

Personnel

  • Bruce Springsteen – guitar, vocals; bass on "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)"

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:

  • Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Roy Bittan – production
  • Toby Scott – engineering
  • Robert "RJ" Jaczko – additional engineering and assistant engineering
  • Greg Goldman, Randy Wine, Tom Hardisty, Clif Norrell, Craig Johnson, Buzz Burrows – assistant engineering
  • Bob Clearmountain – mixing
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Scott Hull, Dave Collins – digital editing
  • Sandra Choron – art direction
  • Victor Weaver – typography design
  • David Rose – cover photography, interior photography
  • Annie Leibovitz, Harvy Gruyaert – interior photography

Singles

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="13"| Peak chart positions

|- style=font-size:smaller;

! style="width:25px;"| US

! style="width:25px;"| US Main

! style="width:25px;"| US AC

! style="width:25px;"| UK

! style="width:25px;"| IRE

! style="width:25px;"| GER

! style="width:25px;"| SWI

! style="width:25px;"| AUT

! style="width:25px;"| NOR

! style="width:25px;"| SWE

! style="width:25px;"| NZ

! style="width:25px;"| AUS

! style="width:25px;"| NL

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1992

| style="text-align:left;"| "Human Touch"<sup>[[#endnote A|[A]]]</sup>

| 16

| 1

| 8

| 11

| 4

| 15

| 4

| 19

| 1

| 4

| 12

| 17

| 3

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| "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

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

!scope="col"|Chart (1992)

!scope="col"|Peak<br />position

|-

!scope="row"|Australian ARIA Albums Chart

|3

|-

!scope="row"|Austrian Albums Chart

|1

|-

!scope="row"|Canadian RPM Albums Chart

|2

|-

!scope="row"|Dutch Albums Chart

|3

|-

!scope="row"|European Albums (Music & Media)

|align="center"|1

|-

!scope="row"|French SNEP Albums Chart

|3

|-

!scope="row"|German Media Control Albums Chart

|3

|-

! scope="row"|Italian M&D Albums Chart

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|Japanese Oricon Albums Chart

|4

|-

!scope="row"|New Zealand Albums Chart

|5

|-

!scope="row"|Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart

|1

|-

!scope="row"|Spanish Albums Chart

|1

|-

!scope="row"|Swedish Albums Chart

|1

|-

!scope="row"|Swiss Albums Chart

|1

|-

!scope="row"|UK Albums Chart

|1

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|2

|-

!scope="row"|Zimbabwean Albums Chart

|style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

!scope="col"|Chart (1992)

!scope="col"|Position

|-

!scope="row"|Austrian Albums Chart

|21

|-

!scope="row"| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)

|21

|-

!scope="row"|French Albums Chart

|51

|-

!scope="row"|Swiss Albums Chart

|19

|-

!scope="row"|UK Albums Chart

|67

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|48

|}

Certifications

References

  • Audio and lyrics