One Step Up

This song depicts a troubled relationship where every time they take one step up, they take two steps back. The guy in the song is really down on his luck; he finds himself in a motel room and looking to cheat on his marriage. It was painfully relevant for Springsteen, who was having problems with his marriage to Julianne Phillips at the time. They divorced in 1989 and Bruce took up with his backing singer Patti Scialfa. They had their first child in 1990 and got married in 1991.

Springsteen recorded the song in his home studio in Rumson, New Jersey. He played all the instruments on the track, and the only other vocalist is Patti Scialfa, who sang backup. It was a sign of things to come: Bruce broke up the E Street Band two years later and did a lot of recording on his own, using another set of musicians to play on his next albums, Human Touch and Lucky Town (both released on the same day in 1992) and yet another group when he toured to support them.

This was the third single released in America from Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love album, a far more somber and introspective set than its predecessor, Born In The U.S.A.. The first two singles were "Brilliant Disguise" and "Tunnel of Love," which also look at what happens when doubt creeps into a marriage. These were far removed from the stadium stompers Springsteen was known for, but they hold up as some of his more poetic and heartfelt songs, and they did pretty well on the charts, with "One Step Up" climbing to #13.