Bruce Springsteen - Brilliant Disguise Lyrics Meaning

The song was certainly inspired by Bruce's feelings for actress Julianne Phillips, whom he'd recently married, but it's not directly about cheating or adultery. Rather, it's about the end of the honeymoon, and the start of a real marriage.

When a man and woman are dating, they're often putting on a false front. For instance, the man may try hard to seem funnier, warmer, more sophisticated and more generous than he really is. The woman may try to seem more deferent and more fun-loving than she really is. When we're falling in love with someone, and want that other person to fall in lvoe with us, we TRY to seem perfect.

If we succeed, we may win over the person we love, and we may get married. But after the honeymoon is over, eventually, we start to show our true selves. And that can come as a shock! We may find ourelves wondering, "who is this person I'm married to? Where's the person I was dating, the person I fell in love with?"

"Brilliant Disguise" is about those very questions. I think that, shortly after their wedding, Bruce began to look at Julianne Phillips and think, "Maybe you're not REALLY the person I thought you were. And maybe, I'M not the person you thought I was either. And just maybe, we made a big mistake in getting married."