Bruce Springsteen's 'Dancing In The Dark' Is A Song About Depression

When Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" hit the radio airwaves and MTV in 1984, The Boss really pulled a fast one on us. A seemingly happy hit single with its bouncy, upbeat synth and danceable rhythm, like an endless amount of other pop songs in the 80s and 90s, hid some really dark lyrics behind its catch exterior.

The best song lyrics are just vague enough to be interpreted in hundreds of ways, depending on the listener's personal experience, point of view, and maybe even the mood they were in when they first heard it.

For me, Dancing in the Dark is about depression. Despite the sugar-coated beat and Springsteen's unwavering smile in the music video above.

Consider the opening verse:

"I get up in the evening
And I ain't got nothing to say
I come home in the morning
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain't nothing but tired
Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself"

"I ain't got nothing to say," taken in context of the surrounding verse, is profound despite its simplicity. When I'm experiencing the worst of depression, I have so much to say, but I can't articulate any of it. It's like my true voice has been robbed. Talking often feels pointless.

"I go to bed feeling the same way" describes a monotonous routine. When I'm depressed it feels like each day just bleeds into the next. There's not happiness or joy, there's just a sort of numb existence. And I don't have the energy to break that cycle of sameness.

The line "Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself"? Jesus. THAT is dark. It's physical and mental exhaustion. It's being sick of feeling this way, but being powerless to change it. It's a total lack of engagement with the outside world, and sometimes with your closest friends and family.

And that's the just the first verse!

The chorus of "This gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark" must have a million interpretations. But to me it sounds like desperation. I picture a person just flailing about in the dark, looking for some kind of emotional connection to something, anything, to escape the routine of depression.

Sorry if I spoiled the song for you...

My interpretation can be the polar opposite of yours, and that's OK! It's just that it took me literal decades to hear "Dancing in the Dark" on a different frequency. I don't know what caused me to finally look past the shiny, sugary pop exterior, but it was an interesting revelation and I wanted to share it with you.