Editing Human Touch (section)

==Critical reception==
{{Album reviews
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]] 
| rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="AM">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r18770}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|1|4}}<ref name="Kot">{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=January 25, 2009|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-01-25-0901230323-story.html|title=Springsteen's latest effort a 'Dream' deflated|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=September 27, 2020|archive-date=November 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129070612/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-01-25-0901230323-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Consumer Guide]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating-Christgau|hm1}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=2000|page=[https://archive.org/details/christgausconsum00chri_0/page/294 294]|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]]|isbn=0312245602|chapter=Bruce Springsteen|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xVQbszFuEGMC&pg=PA294|access-date=September 6, 2015|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/christgausconsum00chri_0}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev4score = B−<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Browne |first=David |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207841,00.html |title=Human Touch Review |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=April 3, 1992 |access-date=May 17, 2012 |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524203945/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207841,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[NME]]''
| rev5score = 5/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Ace of boss |last1=Bailie |first1=Stuart |last2=Staunton |first2=Terry |date=11 March 1995 |magazine=[[New Musical Express]] |pages=54–55}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev6score = 5.8/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/bruce-springsteen-the-album-collection-vol-2-1987-1996/|title=Tunnel of Love / Chimes of Freedom EP / Human Touch / Lucky Town / In Concert/MTV Plugged / The Ghost of Tom Joad / Blood Brothers EP|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|last=Sodomsky|first=Sam|date=19 May 2018|access-date=4 April 2025}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' 
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=DeCurtis |first=Anthony |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/human-touch-19920403 |title=Human Touch &#124; Album Reviews |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 3, 1992 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]]''
| rev8Score = B−<ref>{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=October 29, 2016|url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2444-Streamnotes-October-2016.html|title=Streamnotes (October 2016)|website=Tom Hull - on the Web|access-date=July 2, 2020|archive-date=July 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704021921/http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2444-Streamnotes-October-2016.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
''Human Touch'' debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] selling 246,000 copies during its first week.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgwEAAAAMBAJ&q=bruce+springsteen+human+touch+and+lucky+town+debut+billboard+200&pg=PA75| title=Billboard| date=August 17, 2002| access-date=November 1, 2020| archive-date=August 23, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823171001/https://books.google.com/books?id=BgwEAAAAMBAJ&q=bruce+springsteen+human+touch+and+lucky+town+debut+billboard+200&pg=PA75| url-status=live}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/double-drivel/Content?oid=879459 |title=Double drivel |author-link=Bill Wyman |last=Wyman |first=Bill |date=1992-04-09 |website=[[The Chicago Reader]] |language=en |access-date=2020-09-27 |archive-date=November 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112091123/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/double-drivel/Content?oid=879459 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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."<ref name= "Chicago 1995">{{Cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-02-26-9502260078-story.html |title=Born Again |author-link=Greg Kot |last=Kot |first=Greg |date=1995-02-26 |website=[[The Chicago Tribune]] |language=en |access-date=2020-09-27 |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129075339/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-02-26-9502260078-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[AllMusic]] later described the album as "generic pop" and "his first that didn't at least aspire to greatness."<ref name="AM"/>

The album is generally disliked by Springsteen fans, and in 2012 was ranked last among Springsteen's albums by the online magazine ''[[Nerve (website)|Nerve]]''. Regarding the bad reputation of ''Human Touch'' and ''Lucky Town'' among his fans, Springsteen said: "I tried it [writing happy songs] in the early '90s and it didn't work; the public didn't like it."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nerve.com/music/bruce-springsteen-albums-from-worst-to-best |title=Ranked: Bruce Springsteen Albums from Worst to Best |website=[[Nerve (website)|Nerve.com]] |date=March 5, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2012 |archive-date=April 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414022215/http://www.nerve.com/music/bruce-springsteen-albums-from-worst-to-best |url-status=live }}</ref>