A Bite of Bruce Springsteen šŖ
The beloved super icon and unstoppable poetic lyricist
Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.
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The more I learn about him, the more I like him
Thereās a lot to love about Bruce Springsteen. A cherished, uber-popular, almost mythical figure, he represents so much to so many (thereās even a film about his impact on peopleās lives).
I used to think of him as a sort of caricature of Americana, a strong flavor that I couldnāt decide if I liked. As I started digging deeper, I found there was so much more than meets the eye.
Initially compared to Bob Dylan, heās one of the most gifted lyricists of all time. He writes less about America, and more about Americans ā a distinction that injects his songs with a kind of relatability that resonates with practically anyone who listens to his music.
A dedicated advocate for social issues, he does more than just sing about peopleās struggles. He supports racial justice, gender equality, reproductive rights, wage equality, immigrant rights, LGBTQ rights and has spoken out in support of gay marriage. Bruce was even one of the first artists to boycott North Carolina's anti-transgender bathroom bill in 2016.
Essentially, he cares about people. People he doesnāt know, people heāll never meet, people who arenāt even his fans. Bruce is the real deal.
Bruce Springsteen
The basics
š¤ American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist
š¤ b. 1949 (Long Branch, New Jersey)
š¤ Nicknamed āthe Bossā
Why you should know him: A worldwide cultural phenomenon and āthe embodiment of rock and roll,ā Bruce Springsteen is the 27th best-selling music artist of all time and the first artist in history to release a top-five album across six consecutive decades
If you like
āØ Tom Petty
āØ Bob Dylan
āØ Vampire Weekend
āØ Jim Croce
āØ Billy Joel
āØ Warren Zevon
āØ John Prine
Known for
š Pioneering heartland rock, writing socially conscious, poetic lyrics about working class American life
š His energetic concerts, which sometimes last over 4 hours and which Obama called ānot just rock-and-roll concerts, but communionsā
š Recording 21 albums and winning 20 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, 2 Golden Globes, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the National Medal of Arts
š Regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, with āmore words in some individual songs than other artists had in whole albumsā
Bite-sized facts
šŖ Grew up listening to fellow New Jersey singer Frank Sinatra on the radio, became interested in being a musician by 7 after seeing Elvis Presley's performances on The Ed Sullivan Show
šŖ Described by a former high school teacher as a āloner who wanted nothing more than to play his guitar,ā his mother rented him a guitar for $6 a week and later took out a loan to buy him a $60 Kent guitar
šŖ As a teen, got his start performing professionally by joining, forming & touring with a series of bands ā the Rogues, the Castiles, Earth, Child (later called Steel Mill, which gathered a cult following), Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom, the Sundance Blues Band, and the Bruce Springsteen Band
šŖ At 23, formed a new band that eventually became known as the E Street Band which heās played with for 6 decades
šŖ Got the nickname āthe Bossā because he was in charge of collecting his bandās nightly pay and distributing it among his bandmates
šŖ Catapulted into worldwide fame in 1975 with his breakthrough third record, Born to Run
šŖ Made a huge political impact with his hit song āBorn in the U.S.A.ā advocating for the rights of the working-class and making a bitter commentary on the treatment of Vietnam veterans
šŖ Credited with helping contribute to the fall of the Berlin Wall thanks to his 1988 concert in East Germany described as āthe most important rock concert ever, anywhere,ā the success of which catalyzed opposition to the regime in East Germany
šŖ Has avoided hard drugs his entire life, eats a mostly vegetarian diet, and runs six miles three times a week
In film & TV
šŗ Darren Aronofskyās The Wrestler (2009): Springsteen won the Golden Globe for Best Song for āThe Wrestlerā
šŗ Jeremy Allen White will play Springsteen and perform his songs in the upcoming film, Deliver Me from Nowhere
Songs & dates
ā« 1973 Releases his first album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.; then ā4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)ā and āIncident on 57th Streetā become fan favorites off his second album, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
ā« 1975 āBorn to Runā and āTenth Avenue Freeze-Outā become Hot 100 hits off Born to Run, which reaches No. 3 on the Billboard charts and goes 7x platinum in the US
ā« 1980 āHungry Heatā becomes his first Top 10 single and āFade Awayā reaches No. 20 off The River, his first album to top the Billboard 200 chart
ā« 1984 āDancing in the Darkā hits No. 2 on the Billboard charts, and all seven singles from Born in the U.S.A. reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100; the album becomes one of the best-selling albums of all time
ā« 2003 āThe Risingā wins 2 Grammy Awards off The Rising, dedicated to the victims of the September 11 attacks, becomes his best-selling album of new material in 15 years, wins Grammy for Best Rock Album
ā« 2012 āWe Take Care of Our Ownā is nominated for 2 Grammy Awards off the album Wrecking Ball, which becomes his tenth No. 1 album in the U.S. and tops album charts worldwide
ā« 2020 Letter to You reaches No. 2 in the US
He said
ā āThe best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with.ā
ā āI spent most of my life as a musician measuring the distance between the American Dream and American reality.ā
ā āI have to write and play. If I became an electrician tomorrow, I'd still come home at night and write songs.ā
ā āYou can't be afraid of getting old. Old is good, if you're gathering in life. Our band is good at understanding that equation.ā
ā āIf I went tomorrow, itās OK. What a fucking ride!ā
Bruce Springsteen Playlist
I gathered my fav Springsteen songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week š
Where to start
Unexpected crossover
Watch Bruce dance with a young Courteney Cox in the 1984 music video for his hit single āDancing in the Darkā (fun fact: this music video helped launch Courteneyās career pre-Friends).
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The Academy Award-winning song
In the music video for his Oscar-winning song āStreets of Philadelphiaā from the film Philadelphia, Bruce is actually singing live, recorded using a hidden microphone ā you can actually hear the footsteps and kids playing in the background.
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āNever been so overwhelmed by a totally unknown talentā
Listen to a then-undiscovered 20-year-old Bruce in the cult favorite band Steel Mill in this recording of a full live concert from January 13, 1970 at The Matrix in San Francisco. Music critic Philip Eldwood wrote of the show that he had ānever been so overwhelmed by a totally unknown talent.ā
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (2024)
Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, this documentary follows Bruce Springsteen as he offers the most in-depth look ever at the creation of his legendary live performances, including footage of band rehearsals, backstage moments, rare archival clips and personal reflections from Springsteen himself. Watch on Hulu.
Bruce Springsteen changed Brendan Higginsās life
š A top-read essay
Brendan Higgins shares the personal meaning he finds in The Boss's 2002 tune. You might want to grab some tissues.ā No. 001 - Bruce Springsteen's āMary's Placeā changed my life
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No other artist has had more impact on my life. It could be argued that no other PERSON has had more impact on my life. Bruce built my worldview- a place where "nobody wins unless everybody wins" (his words) and "nobody crowds you, but nobody goes it alone" (from the amazing "Long Walk Home"). It's a worldview I still aspire to every day.
I remember seeing him at his sold-out 10 night run at MSG in 2000 (I was at 8 of the 10 shows) when he debuted a song about the shooting of a Guinean immigrant student named Amadou Diallo, who was shot 41 times by police while reaching for his wallet to try to prove his identity. The song "American Skin (41 Shots)" was an early and eloquent protest against police violence upon people of color. Bruce's audience can still be at least half conservative and the stunned reaction of the audience was shocking. Booos rose up from the audience. Loudly. The other half of the audience tried to drown them out with support, but the mood in the room was ugly. The next day the NY Post had a cover story about how angry the police union was that their "American" hero had betrayed them. The spokesman for the police union called Springsteen a "fag". (You can look it up). The NYPD pulled their security detail. But Springsteen never budged. He continued to perform the song nightly and invited the family of Amadou Diallo to the last show of the run. He has put his money where his mouth is time and time again.
No one has inspired me more.