MEMORABLE MONDAYS: Bruce Springsteen

 Did you know Springsteen was born in 1949? He definitely does not look it. This man has aged well! Probably all the rocking good music. He is the 27th best selling music artist of all time, with around 140 MILLION albums sold worldwide! So what made Springsteen who he was?

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey on September 23rd, 1949. His father was a bus driver who developed worsening mental health issues. His mother worked as a legal secretary and was the main breadwinner. His ancestry includes Irish, Dutch, and Italian. He was raised as a Catholic. Bruce has two younger sisters, Pamela and Virginia. Pamela actually did the photography for some of his albums.

As a child, he attended the St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Freehold. He was often at odds with the nuns and rebelled against the structure imposed upon him. This Catholic upbringing was a big inspiration for a great deal of his music. Bruce himself has said that this rather than his political ideology inspired his music the most. He became interested in being a musician around age 7, after seeing Elvis performances on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 and 1957. His mother rented him a guitar, but it did not provide him the instant gratification he desired. 

The Beatles became a larger inspiration to Springsteen, as he saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. It inspired him to buy his first guitar. He started playing for local audiences in a band called The Rogues. Later that year, his mother took out a loan to get him a better guitar. This was the topic of his song "The Wish". By 1965, he went to the house of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in town. They helped him become the lead guitarist and one of the lead singers for The Castiles. In the later 60s, he also performed briefly with power trio known as Earth. 

By ninth grade, Springsteen began at Freehold High School, a public school, where he did not fit in either. A teacher said that Springsteen was a loner who wanted nothing more than to play guitar. He graduated in 1967, but did not attend his graduation ceremony as he felt alienated. He was drafted at 19 for the Vietnam War, but he failed the physical. His failure came from a concussion he suffered in a motorcycle accident prior and his behavior at induction. In 1969, when he was 20, his parents and sister Pamela moved to San Mateo, California. He and Virginia stayed in Freehold, New Jersey. 

From 1969 to 1971, Springsteen performed with the band Child, which later renamed to Steel Mill. It also included Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, Vinnie Roslin, Steven Van Zandt, and Robbin Thompson. This band gathered a cult following, that even got the recognition of music critics in the San Francisco area. Springsteen sought to shape a unique musical and lyrical style, and began performing with other bands as well. He was with Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom, The Sundance Blues Band, and the Bruce Springsteen Band. His skills got him the attention of a talent scout from Columbia Records. In 1972, Springsteen auditioned in front of John Hammond. He formed another new band for his record label debut, that was known as the E Street Band. He gained the nickname "the Boss" during his time since he collected the band's nightly pay and distributed it, and also his liking of playing Monopoly with other musicians. 

Springsteen's debut "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." was released in 1973, establishing him as a critical favorite. However, actual sales were slow. He was compared originally critically to Bob Dylan, because of his poeticism, folk-rock, and connection to Hammond. Crawdaddy Magazine was an early pusher of Springsteen, having written an editorial on him 3 different times. Springsteen acknowledged this support by giving a private performance to them on the 10th Anniversary of the magazine in New York City. 

His second album, also released in 1973, "The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle" also received critical acclaim but slow sales. This shifted slightly away from the folk styling and more toward rhythm and blues. Critics saw it as a return to good old rock n roll, and away from the folk influence. In revisits, it is considered an overlook innovative piece in his discography. 

In 1974, the Stone Pony opened in Asbury Park, and Springsteen played there regularly for several years. He also would meet his second wife at this venue. It became a venue that attracted several national acts, which made it an integral part of music history. 

Jon Landau, a music critic, saw Springsteen live and felt Springsteen was the future of rock n roll. They met and became close friends, and Landau became the co-producer of Springsteen's next album. "Born to Run" released in 1975, and was designed to try and break it into the mainstream. It had an expensive promotional campaign that led to some success with the Billboard charts. The heavy handed campaign, however, changed the critical perception of Springsteen. They questioned if it deserved such attention, and felt it was overproduced. At this time, he also became embroiled in legal issues with Appel, leading to a tour for almost two years. He was often frustrated during the recording of the album, even throwing the original acetate into the swimming pool of the hotel he was staying at. His 14th month perfectionism did lead to its success, but he realized how unfavorable his record deal was. He sued Appel for rights to his music and it kept him out of the studio for nearly a year. 

Upon settlement, he returned to the studio to record "Darkness on the Edge of Town", which took a harder rock approach than his previous works. He wanted to emphasize the band as a whole. The album sales did not do as well as Born to Run, but Darkness Tour became his largest tour up to that time in his career. It is often seen as one of his best works, and was critically acclaimed. Many feel this album showed what was to be of most of his future work. It is an album dedicated to the underdog.

Springsteen earned a reputation in the 70s for being a songwriter as well. Manfred Mann's Earth Band achieved a #1 hit with a rearranged version of Blinded by the Light. Patti Smith reached number 13 with her version of Springsteen's unreleased Because the Night. The Pointer Sisters got to number 2 with the Springsteen's then-unreleased song Fire. 

In 1979, Springsteen joined the Musicians United for Safe Energy, an anti-nuclear power collective, at Madison Square Garden for two nights. This was his first dip into political involvement, and also had him included on the No Nukes live album release. 

His next album would come in 1980. The River returned a bit more to his Heartland rock roots, while he wanted to make a recorded album as close to the feeling of the live performances as possible. It was met with mostly stellar critical reviews, although some felt he was beginning to recycle old material and losing his creative edge. They saw him as the beginning of the movement of 80s heartland rock. Many critics now and in retrospect feel divided on the consistency of the album, feeling it seems like 2 separate releases in one. 

This waltzed Springsteen into Nebraska, a complete shift in the stylings of the last few albums.Released in 1982,  He originally recorded them in his home, meant for re-recording with the band. After poor test sessions, he chose to release the recordings as they were. It chronicled issues for blue collar workers and also concepts like crime and the death penalty. It surprised critics deeply as usually a big name artist on a major label would not release a slow performing artistic statement. It is still one of his most deeply respected releases. 

His next release in 1984, Born in the U.S.A, became one of his most well known albums and covers. It features a more pop influenced sound, while exploring working-class struggles, disillusionment, patriotism, and personal relationships. There was a mild controversy that it was meant to display him peeing on the flag, but Springsteen denied this, saying a photo of his butt looked better than a picture of his face. This release has a strong piece of history as being the very first album manufactured on compact disc. It became one of the best selling albums of all time. Although commercially loved, it was a bit controversial for some critics. Some felt it was too pop influenced and his other work was better. He was criticized also for exaggerating his themes in the chase of success. Bruce himself in retrospect has mixed feelings on the release, feeling Nebraska had better songwriting. He also felt it really made him rethink how he presented himself to the audience. The song Born in the U.S.A was also misunderstood and used by many on the American right. The tour supporting this album created the Live/1975-1985 boxset and was the first boxset to debut at #1 on the charts. 

After the bustling success of his last release, he returned to a more contemplative sound with Tunnel of Love in 1987. He shifted back toward the style of Nebraska, and would mark a departure of utilization of the E Street Band until around 2002. It grapples around the failing of his first marriage. Some feel it is a great album that is less understood unless you have been married for a few years. During this time, Springsteen dabbled more in politics. He performed a concert in East Germany that many feel helped contribute to the fall of the Berlin Wall. He headlined the worldwife Human Rights Now! tour. He officially dissolved the E Street Band in 1989.

His next move led to his moment of going Hollywood. He moved to Los Angeles and worked to release two albums at once. Both albums released in 1992. Human Touch is the more remembered one. The fans despised this release, ranking it last in a 2012 ranking amongst the fans from Nerve. The album received mixed critical reviews as well. Lucky Town is perceived as the more superior work of the two. Springsteen saw them as his attempt to write happy songs, and that it was not well-loved by his fans. 

He appeared with an electric band on the acoustic MTV Unplugged which was poorly received by his fanbase. It cemented the current fan dissatisfaction. Perhaps, daringly to say, Springsteen had sold out. His next album came in 1995, The Ghost of Tom Joad. It was a return to the folksier styles of his earlier work and far more contemplative. Similar to Nebraska, it received critical acclaim but not as strong of chart success. He also caused a stir with his more intimate tour, where he told fans to shut up and stop clapping. Springsteen describes the 90s as a musically lost period for him. 

Springsteen in 1999 was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame by Bono, a favor he would return in 2005. He reunited the E Street Band in 1999 for an extensive Reunion Tour, which lasted over a year. His next album released in 2002, was a triumphant return to form. Much of the album reflected on the 9/11 attacks on America. It went on to be awarded heavily too. 

Springsteen in 2005 released a solo, mostly acoustic album. Devils & Dust was similar to Nebraska and Ghost of Tom Joad. Some of the songs had been written almost 10 years prior. The title track centers around the feelings about the Iraq war. It debuted #1 on the charts. It was well liked by critics as well, deeming it a bit more edgy in lyricism. 

In 2006, Springsteen released "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions", a roots project focused on a folk sound treatment of 15 songs popularized by the activism of Pete Seeger. The tour was very popular in Europe, but struggled to sell in the US. 

Magic, his next major release, came in 2007. He recorded it with the E Street Band, and it was the final tour and album for Danny Federici, who died in 2008. It continues themes discussing disillusionment but also centered about issues of war, and general foreboding. In 2008, Springsteen was a big supporter of Obama's political campaign. In 2009, he did the Superbowl Halftime Show for Super Bowl XLIII. 

His next album, Working on a Dream, released in 2009. It was dedicated to Federici, who passed away the previous year. It includes Federici's last recorded work, and incorporates work from Federici's son, Jason. It was successful but had slightly more mixed critical reviews. Some enjoyed it, but others felt the album was a bit lacking. Springsteen in 2009 also received Kennedy Center Honors. In 2011, Clarence Clemons, the band's saxophonist, passed away from complications of a stroke.

Springsteen has continued his heartland roots through his next releases, Wrecking Ball in 2012, High Hopes in 2014, Western Stars in 2019, and Letter to You in 2020. His last release, Only the Strong Survive, is his first cover album since his Seeger Sessions, focusing on several soul songs. 

Springsteen has avoided drugs his entire career. This seems a very valuable feat to note considering the rampant addiction in Hollywood circles. He mentioned that he began to address his problems with depression in his 30s after years of denial. He also started a better diet as he was tired of being a fast ood junkie who had to be helped off the stage due to poor health. In 2023, he had to postpone tour dates due to ongoing treatment for peptic ulcer disease. 

While rejecting religion in early years, he has said in his later life that he does have a personal relationship with Jesus. He does not practice his catholicism deeply, but feels he is still on the team. 

It is definitely not too late to discover a long time great, a staple of rock n roll, and an artist in a true sense of the word. His career seems to grapple with the deep struggles of choosing success or choosing the art. Somehow, Springsteen found a way to juggle the two without alienating either party completely.