As far as that Flannery O'Connor thought goes...I can't see a connection either, but I did hear a guy in a documentary on Bruce Springsteen say that Bruce used Flannery O'Connor's "meanness" concept. This guy was refering to Nebraska when the killer in the song said "I guess it's just a meanness in this world," but Bruce also used the concept of the "meanness in this world" in this song and Flannery O'Connor referred to "doing him a meanness" as in killing someone or burning down his house. I don't know if she used this phraseology anywhere else in her writing or wrote of it more in depth. I'm not sure of the meaning of all this, but there you go.
Actually, there is a connection. She influence him on his scaled-down songwriting on Nebraska. Springsteen, for instance, used that "meanness" concept. In some article I read that Springsteen said in an interview:
Actually, there is a connection. She influence him on his scaled-down songwriting on Nebraska. Springsteen, for instance, used that "meanness" concept. In some article I read that Springsteen said in an interview:
"I was interested in writing kind of smaller than I had been, writing with just detail." And he connects a sudden transformation in his songwriting style at the time with "these stories I was reading by Flannery O'Connor," exclaiming to the interviewer, "she's just incredible".
"I was interested in writing kind of smaller than I had been, writing with just detail." And he connects a sudden transformation in his songwriting style at the time with "these stories I was reading by Flannery O'Connor," exclaiming to the interviewer, "she's just incredible".
Springsteen also wrote in a letter to Will Percy: "Right prior to the record Nebraska,...
Springsteen also wrote in a letter to Will Percy: "Right prior to the record Nebraska, I was deep into O'Connor." and later on:
"There was something in those stories of hers that I felt captured a certain part of the American character that I was interested in writing about. They were a big, big revelation. She got to the heart of some part of meaness that she never spelled out, because if she spelled it out you wouldn't be getting it. It was always at the core of every one of her stories - the way she left that hole there, that hole that's inside of everybody. There was some dark thing - component of spirituality - that I sensed in her stories, and thath set me off exploring characters of my own."
I guess this song must be seen as some kind of 'homage' to Flannery O'Connor. Besides, see last lines in the second verse: "She's gonna have to tell about the meanness in this world / And how a good man is so hard to find". These are two direct references to O'Connor's work.
As far as that Flannery O'Connor thought goes...I can't see a connection either, but I did hear a guy in a documentary on Bruce Springsteen say that Bruce used Flannery O'Connor's "meanness" concept. This guy was refering to Nebraska when the killer in the song said "I guess it's just a meanness in this world," but Bruce also used the concept of the "meanness in this world" in this song and Flannery O'Connor referred to "doing him a meanness" as in killing someone or burning down his house. I don't know if she used this phraseology anywhere else in her writing or wrote of it more in depth. I'm not sure of the meaning of all this, but there you go.
Actually, there is a connection. She influence him on his scaled-down songwriting on Nebraska. Springsteen, for instance, used that "meanness" concept. In some article I read that Springsteen said in an interview:
Actually, there is a connection. She influence him on his scaled-down songwriting on Nebraska. Springsteen, for instance, used that "meanness" concept. In some article I read that Springsteen said in an interview:
"I was interested in writing kind of smaller than I had been, writing with just detail." And he connects a sudden transformation in his songwriting style at the time with "these stories I was reading by Flannery O'Connor," exclaiming to the interviewer, "she's just incredible".
"I was interested in writing kind of smaller than I had been, writing with just detail." And he connects a sudden transformation in his songwriting style at the time with "these stories I was reading by Flannery O'Connor," exclaiming to the interviewer, "she's just incredible".
Springsteen also wrote in a letter to Will Percy: "Right prior to the record Nebraska,...
Springsteen also wrote in a letter to Will Percy: "Right prior to the record Nebraska, I was deep into O'Connor." and later on:
"There was something in those stories of hers that I felt captured a certain part of the American character that I was interested in writing about. They were a big, big revelation. She got to the heart of some part of meaness that she never spelled out, because if she spelled it out you wouldn't be getting it. It was always at the core of every one of her stories - the way she left that hole there, that hole that's inside of everybody. There was some dark thing - component of spirituality - that I sensed in her stories, and thath set me off exploring characters of my own."
I guess this song must be seen as some kind of 'homage' to Flannery O'Connor. Besides, see last lines in the second verse: "She's gonna have to tell about the meanness in this world / And how a good man is so hard to find". These are two direct references to O'Connor's work.