Let’s not mince words and say that if you’re a Bruce Springsteen fan then Letter to You on Apple TV+ is probably going to be something that you’ll enjoy. For anyone that has to ask who Bruce Springsteen is though, first things first, they need to get a musical education, and then they need to open their eyes and ears a bit since Springsteen has been an American icon for quite some time now. His rise to prominence wasn’t the easiest thing in the world since it did take him a bit of time to really get his bearings and find a fanbase that was willing to follow him, but once that happened things kind of took off in a way that was bound to turn him into a legend at one point. His career has been something that people have been following since they were much younger and many people have idolized the musician for so long that trying to say anything against him might create the necessity for a war of words that might see fans trying to educate those that don’t know enough about Springsteen and the E Street Band to really say anything. Yeah, that’s about how serious some people are about their favorite musical stars since it’s no joke when talking about what the music has meant to so many people.
The truth about music, apart from being mathematical in nature as some would point out, is that it has a very potent ability to elicit emotions, spark memories, and pull at people in ways that are difficult to fully describe with words. Many would say that they have a very visceral reaction to music since it does speak to something deep inside of them that they don’t normally allow others to see, while others might say that it’s a little more cerebral since it tweaks at the functions of our brains in a way that causes us to act in one manner or another. Both would be correct since music does affect a lot of people in a very profound manner. Springsteen has typically been one of the many musicians whose songs have centered on the working class individuals of America, as many of his songs tend to speak of stories that have little to nothing to do with the upper echelon of society and have everything to do with the unity that many would love to see within the country. While this is definitely a positive message, one can easily think that it’s been taken in a different way by those that are aware that he was a very big follower of Barack Obama and is in no way impressed by Donald Trump. It’s likely that if this does come up in the documentary though it will be brief. It’s a hope at least.
What will be easy to see no doubt is the explanation of how he came from being someone on stage playing the guitar and trying to spread his words to a legend that’s been highly celebrated for so many years and is bound to go down in history as one of the greatest musicians ever. A person doesn’t have to like him in order to realize this since the recognition given to someone that has accomplished as much as he has in his life is more than enough sometimes, especially since the simple respect given to someone that has done something this great is all that’s really needed. The documentary is likely to go into how the band came to exist, what it’s like in the recording room, and so on and so forth. In short, it’s a documentary on a musician that’s been loved by the masses over the years and how his life has been shaped into what it currently is. Whether we’ll get to see everything that went into making Bruce who he is and why is pretty simple to answer, we won’t. The documentary is only going to cover so much, and if there are any downsides that are bound to be shown then they’ll likely be shown in a light that makes people empathetic to his past, whether it’s fan service or just a way to go deeper into his life as people might want. In short, the documentary is an explanation of his life in a way that fans will appreciate and won’t be likely to question.
That sounds a little cynical, doesn’t it? In a way, it’s meant to since there are times when documentaries are great and offer up a lot of answers to questions that people continually pose regarding their favorite celebrities. But sometimes it feels as though it’s another way to glorify those that don’t really need it. Bruce Springsteen is a legend already, but it’s fair to say that this documentary is bound to remind people of that fact.
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