Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born 23 September 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has released 20 studio albums, many of which feature his backing band the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is one of the originators of the heartland rock style of music, combining mainstream rock musical style with narrative songs about working class American life. During a career that has spanned six decades, Springsteen has become known for his poetic, socially conscious lyrics and energetic stage performances, sometimes lasting up to four hours in length. He has been nicknamed "the Boss".

Quotes

 * This music is forever for me. It's the stage thing, that rush moment that you live for. It never lasts, but that's what you live for.
 * Time magazine (27 October 1975)


 * Music was my way of keeping people from looking through and around me. I wanted the heavies to know I was around.
 * Time magazine (27 October 1975)


 * I think what's happening now is people want to forget. There was Vietnam, there was Watergate, there was Iran – we were beaten, we were hustled, and then we were humiliated. And I think people got a need to feel good about the country they live in. But what's happening, I think, is that that need – which is a good thing – is gettin' manipulated and exploited. And you see the Reagan reelection ads on TV – you know: "It's morning in America." And you say, well, it's not morning in Pittsburgh. It's not morning above 125th Street in New York. It's midnight, and, like, there's a bad moon risin'. And that's why when Reagan mentioned my name in New Jersey, I felt it was another manipulation, and I had to disassociate myself from the president's kind words.
 * Rolling Stone magazine (December 1984)


 * Your success story is a bigger story than whatever you’re trying to say on stage... Success makes life easier. It doesn’t make living easier.
 * Q magazine (August 1992)


 * We're here to re-dedicate you to The Power, The Passion, The Mystery, and The Ministry of Rock and Roll.
 * Guitar magazine (July 1999)

And of course, nobody knows where our next election is going to take us. I believe that our current president is a threat to our democracy. He simply makes any kind of reform that much harder. I don’t know if our democracy could stand another four years of his custodianship. These are all existential threats to our democracy and our American way of life.
 * I don’t think anybody truly knows where we’re going from here yet. It depends on too many unknowns. We don’t know where the COVID virus is going to take us. We don’t know where Black Lives Matter is going to take us right now. Do we get a real practical conversation going about race and policing and ultimately about the economic inequality that’s been a stain on our social contract?
 * As quoted in "Bruce Springsteen’s Playlist for the Trump Era" by David Brooks, in The Atlantic (23 June 2020)


 * I have the feeling that the night you look at your audience and don't see yourself, and the night the audience looks at you and doesn't see themselves reflected in you, it's all over.
 * Bruce Springsteen at Todomusica.org

Bruce Springsteen Talking (2004)

 * Quotes from Bruce Springsteen Talking (2004) edited by John W. Duffy


 * At this point, I don’t need my records to be Number One or sell as many as this person or that person. That’s not fundamentally important — I don’t believe that sustains you.


 * In the third grade a nun stuffed me in a garbage can under her desk because she said that’s where I belonged.


 * There ain't a note that I play on stage that can’t be traced back directly to my mother and father.


 * The first day I can remember looking into a mirror and being able to stand what I saw was the day I had a guitar in my hand.


 * You ride in a limousine the first time, it’s a big thrill but after that it’s just a stupid car.

Singles
What I felt. I was unrecognizable to myself. I saw my reflection in a window I didn't know My own face. Oh brother are you gonna leave me? Wastin' away On the streets of Philadelphia.
 * I was bruised and battered and I couldn't tell
 * "Streets of Philadelphia", from the soundtrack to the film Philadelphia (1994)

It's just you and I my friend. My clothes don't fit me no more. I walked a thousand miles Just to slip this skin.
 * Ain't no angel gonna greet me.
 * "Streets of Philadelphia"

If you come knockin' late at night. She'll let you in her mouth If the words you say are right. If you pay the price, She'll let you deep inside. But there's a secret garden she hides.
 * She'll let you in her house
 * "Secret Garden"


 * Blind faith in your leaders, or in anything, will get you killed.
 * [|Introduction before "War", from the 1985 Born in the USA tour.]

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)


Another runner in the night. Blinded by the light. She got down but she never got tight, but she'll make it alright.
 * And she was blinded by the light. Cut loose like a deuce,
 * "Blinded by the Light"

But Mama, that's where the fun is ...
 * Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun.
 * "Blinded by the Light"

I combed my hair till it was just right and commanded the night brigade. I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch. I strolled all alone through a fallout zone and came out with my soul untouched.
 * I stood stonelike at midnight, suspended in my masquerade.
 * "Growin' Up"

Remember how I kept you waiting when it was my turn to be the god.
 * And your strength is devastating in the face of all these odds.
 * "For You"

And she kissed me just right like only a lonely angel can. She felt just right just like as sweet as a spirit in the night. In the night baby don't know what she do to you? Spirits in the night, in the night. Stand up now and let her shoot right through you.
 * And we danced all night to a soul fairy band.
 * "Spirit in the Night"

The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
For me this boardwalk life is through, babe. You ought to quit this scene too.
 * Did you hear the cops finally busted Madame Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do?
 * "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"

Senorita come sit by my fire. I just want to be your love, ain't no lie. Rosalita you're my stone desire.
 * Rosalita jump a little lighter.
 * "Rosalita"

And I know your daddy he don't dig me but he never did understand. Papa lowered the boom, he locked you in your room; I'm comin' to lend a hand. I'm comin' to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man. Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny.
 * Now I know your mama she don't like me 'cause I play in a rock and roll band.
 * "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"

Born to Run (1975)
Darling you know just what I'm here for. So you're scared and you're thinking That maybe we ain't that young anymore. '''Show a little faith, there's magic in the night; You ain't a beauty but hey you're all right.''' Oh and that's all right with me.
 * Don't run back inside
 * "Thunder Road"

Except roll down the window And let the wind blow back your hair. Well the night's busting open, These two lanes will take us anywhere. We got one last chance to make it real, To trade in these wings on some wheels. Climb in back, heaven's waiting on down the tracks. Oh come take my hand, We're riding out tonight to case the promised land. Oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road. Thunder Road.
 * Hey what else can we do now?
 * "Thunder Road"

You hear their engines roaring on. But when you get to the porch they're gone on the wind. So Mary climb in. It's a town full of losers, And I'm pulling out of here to win.
 * And in the lonely cool before dawn,
 * "Thunder Road"

Taking all the heat they was giving. The night is dark but the sidewalk's bright And lined with the light of the living. From a tenement window a transistor blasts, Turn around the corner things got real quiet real fast. She hit me with a Tenth Avenue freeze-out. Tenth Avenue freeze-out.
 * I'm stranded in the jungle,
 * "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"

And you're just a prisoner of your dreams. Holding on for your life 'cause you work all day To blow 'em away in the night.
 * And the world is busting at its seams;
 * "Night"

Just another tramp of hearts crying tears of faithlessness. Remember all the movies, Terry, we'd go see? Trying to learn how to walk like heroes we thought we had to be. And after all this time to find we're just like all the rest, Stranded in the park and forced to confess To hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets. We swore forever friends on the backstreets until the end, Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets.
 * Laying here in the dark you're like an angel on my chest,
 * "Backstreets"

At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines. Sprung from cages on Highway 9, Chrome-wheeled, fuel-injected And steppin' out over the line. Baby this town rips the bones from your back. It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap. '''We gotta get out while we're young, 'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run.'''
 * In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream.
 * "Born to Run"

On a last chance power drive. Everybody's out on the run tonight But there's no place left to hide. Together, Wendy, we can live with the sadness. I'll love you with all the madness in my soul. Someday girl, I don't know when we're gonna get to that place Where we really want to go and we'll walk in the sun. But till then tramps like us, baby we were born to run.
 * The highway's jammed with broken heroes
 * "Born To Run"

Contacts made, they vanished unseen. Kids flash guitars just like switch-blades hustling for the record machine. The hungry and the hunted explode into rock'n'roll bands That face off against each other out in the street, down in Jungleland.
 * The street's alive as secret debts are paid.
 * "Jungleland"

Between flesh and what's fantasy and the poets down here Don't write nothing at all, they just stand back and let it all be. And in the quick of the night they reach for their moment And try to make an honest stand but they wind up wounded, not even dead Tonight in Jungleland.
 * Outside the street's on fire in a real death waltz
 * "Jungleland"

Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
Let the broken hearts stand As the price you've gotta pay. We'll keep pushin' till it's understood And these badlands start treating us good.
 * Badlands, you gotta live it everyday.
 * "Badlands"

Rich man want to be king And a king ain't satisfied Till he rules everything. I want to go out tonight I want to find out what I got.
 * Poor man want to be rich
 * "Badlands"

I believe in the faith that can save me I believe in the hope And I pray that some day it may raise me Above these badlands
 * Well, I believe in the love that you gave me
 * "Badlands"

A notion deep inside, That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive.
 * For the ones who had a notion,
 * "Badlands"

You're born into this life paying for the sins of somebody else's past. Daddy worked his whole life for nothing but the pain. Now he walks these empty rooms looking for something to blame. You inherit the sins, you inherit the flames. Adam raised a Cain.
 * In the Bible Cain slew Abel and East of Eden he was cast.
 * "Adam Raised a Cain"

And start dying little by little, piece by piece. Some guys come home from work and wash up And go racin' in the street. Tonight, tonight the strip's just right. I wanna blow 'em all out of their seats. Calling out around the world, we're going racin' in the street.
 * Some guys they just give up living,
 * "Racing in the Street"

I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm. Gonna be a twister to blow everything down That ain't got the faith to stand its ground. Blow away the dreams that tear you apart, Blow away the dreams that break your heart. Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted.
 * There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor.
 * "The Promised Land"

There's so much that you want, you deserve much more than this. But if dreams came true, oh, wouldn't that be nice? But this ain't no dream we're living through tonight. Girl, you want it, you take it, you pay the price.
 * Everybody's got a hunger, a hunger they can't resist;
 * "Prove It All Night"

Something that they just can't face. Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it; They carry it with them every step that they take. Till some day they just cut it loose. Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down Where no one asks any questions, Or looks too long in your face In the darkness on the edge of town.
 * Everybody's got a secret Sonny,
 * "Darkness on the Edge of Town"

The River (1980)
You don't want nothin' that anybody can touch. You're so afraid of being somebody's fool, Not walkin' tough baby, not walkin' cool. You walk cool, but darlin', can you walk the line? And face the ties that bind. The ties that bind, Now you can't break the ties that bind.
 * Cheap romance, it's all just a crutch.
 * "The Ties That Bind"

Let the brokenhearted love again. Sherry we can run with our arms open before the tide
 * Well let there be sunlight, let there be rain.
 * "Sherry Darling"

We chose the words, and yeah, we drew the lines. There was just no way this house could hold the two of us. I guess that we were just too much of the same kind.
 * Now I don't know what it always was with us.
 * "Independence Day"

I went out for a ride and I never went back. Like a river that don't know where it's flowing, I took a wrong turn and I just kept going
 * Got a wife and kids in Baltimore Jack;
 * "Hungry Heart"

And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat. We went down to the courthouse and the judge put it all to rest. No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle, No flowers no wedding dress. That night we went down to the river. And into the river we'd dive. Oh down to the river we did ride.
 * Then I got Mary pregnant and man that was all she wrote.
 * "The River"

Or is it something worse?
 * Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
 * "The River"

These days you don't wait on Romeo's, You wait on that welfare check.
 * I was gonna be your Romeo you were gonna be my Juliet.
 * "Point Blank"

And that no matter what I do it's all over now between me and you girl. But I can't believe what you say; No I can't believe what you say 'cause baby I don't wanna fade away. Oh I don't wanna fade away. Tell me what can I do, what can I say 'Cause darlin' I don't wanna fade away.
 * Well now you say you've found another man who does things to you that I can't,
 * "Fade Away"

And I watch my baby as she sleeps. Then I climb in bed and I hold her tight. I just lay there awake in the middle of the night, Thinking 'bout the wreck on the highway.
 * Sometimes I sit up in the darkness,
 * "Wreck on the Highway"

Nebraska (1982)
At least for a little while sir me and her we had us some fun.
 * I can't say that I'm sorry for the things that we done;
 * "Nebraska"

But maybe everything that dies someday comes back. Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty, And meet me tonight in Atlantic City.
 * Well now everything dies baby that's a fact,
 * "Atlantic City"

Ralph went out lookin' for a job but he couldn't find none. He came home too drunk from mixin' Tanqueray and wine. He got a gun shot a night clerk now they call'm Johnny 99.
 * Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month.
 * "Johnny 99"

Man turns his back on his family well he just ain't no good.
 * I catch him when he's strayin' like any brother would.
 * "Highway Patrolman"

Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground. You end up like a dog that's been beat too much, Till you spend half your life just covering up.
 * Born down in a dead man's town,
 * "Born in the U.S.A."

This old world is rough, it's just getting rougher. Cover me, come on baby, cover me. Well I'm looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me.
 * The times are tough now, just getting tougher.
 * "Cover Me"

And cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my soul. At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet And a freight train running through the middle of my head. Only you can cool my desire. I'm on fire.
 * Sometimes it's like someone took a knife baby, edgy and dull
 * "I'm on Fire"

We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school. Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound; I can feel my heart begin to pound. You say you're tired and you just want to close your eyes and follow your dreams down.
 * We busted out of class had to get away from those fools;
 * "No Surrender"

We liked the same music, we liked the same bands, we liked the same clothes. We told each other that we were the wildest, the wildest things we'd ever seen. Now I wished you would have told me, I wished I could have talked to you. Just to say goodbye Bobby Jean.
 * Now you hung with me when all the others turned away turned up their nose.
 * "Bobby Jean"

I remember back when we started, My kisses used to turn you inside out. I used to drive you to work in the morning; Friday night I'd drive you all around. You used to love to drive me wild, But lately girl you get your kicks from just driving me down.
 * I pull you close but when we kiss I can feel a doubt.
 * "I'm Goin' Down"

And I'm going to drink till I get my fill. And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it, But I probably will. Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture A little of the glory of, Well time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister but boring stories of glory days.
 * Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight
 * "Glory Days"

This gun's for hire, Even if we're just dancing in the dark. You can't start a fire, worrying about your little world falling apart. This gun's for hire, Even if we're just dancing in the dark.
 * You can't start a fire, sitting 'round crying over a broken heart.
 * "Dancing in the Dark"

Packing up our bags maybe heading south. I'm thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now. Last night I sat him up behind the wheel and said son take a good look around. This is your hometown.
 * Last night me and Kate we laid in bed talking about getting out.
 * "My Hometown"

Tunnel Of Love (1987)
I been watching you awhile, maybe you been watching me too. So somebody ran out, left somebody's heart in a mess. Well if you're looking for love, honey I'm tougher than the rest.
 * Well it's Saturday night you're all dressed up in blue.
 * "Tougher Than the Rest"

And broken hearts Keep the world turnin' around.
 * Spare parts
 * "Spare Parts"

Man meets woman and they fall in love. But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough. And you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above If you want to ride on down in through this tunnel of love.
 * It ought to be easy, ought to be simple enough.
 * "Tunnel of Love"

I'll play the faithful man. But just don't look too close into the palm of my hand.
 * Now you play the loving woman;
 * "Brilliant Disguise"

I'm lost in the darkness of our love. God have mercy on the man Who doubts what he's sure of.
 * Tonight our bed is cold;
 * "Brilliant Disguise"

Human Touch (1992)
Do you think what I'm askin's too much? I just want to feel you in my arms, Share a little of that Human Touch. Feel a little of that Human Touch. Give me a little of that Human Touch.
 * Baby, in a world without pity,
 * "Human Touch"

Or if in the end Love just falls apart. Well then here's to our destruction. Baby let me be your soul driver.
 * If the angels are unkind or the season is dark,
 * "Soul Driver"

And in the blessed name of Elvis well I just let it blast. 'Til my TV lay in pieces there at my feet And they busted me for disturbin' the almighty peace. Judge said "What you got in your defense son?" "Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on." I can see by your eyes friend you're just about gone. Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on... Fifty-seven channels and nothin'
 * So I bought a .44 magnum, it was solid steel cast.
 * "57 Channels"

Lucky Town (1992)
Don't make much for tragedy. But it's a sad man my friend who's livin' in his own skin And can't stand the company. Every fool's got a reason to feelin' sorry for himself And turn his heart to stone. Tonight this fool's halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell, And I feel like I'm comin' home.
 * Now a life of leisure and a pirate's treasure
 * "Better Days"

Here's to the loaded places that we take ourselves. When it comes to luck, you make your own. Tonight I got dirt on my hands but I'm building me a new home.
 * Well here's to your good looks baby, now here's to my health.
 * "Lucky Town"

The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)
But nobody’s kiddin’ nobody about where it goes. I’m sittin’ down here in the campfire light Searchin’ for the ghost of Tom Joad.
 * Well the highway is alive tonight,
 * "The Ghost of Tom Joad"

I would not do heaven's work well. I pray the devil comes and takes me To stand in the fiery furnaces of hell.
 * When I die I don't want no part of heaven.
 * "Youngstown"

His body lyin' on a muddy hill. Nothin' taken, nothin' stolen; Somebody killed him just to kill.
 * They found him shot dead outside Stockton,
 * "The New Timer"

The Rising (2002)
This storm'll blow through by and by. House is on fire, viper's in the grass; A little revenge and this too shall pass. This too shall pass, I'm gonna pray. Right now all I got's this lonesome day.
 * Hell's brewin', dark sun's on the rise.
 * "Lonesome Day"

Deceit and betrayal's bitter fruit. It's hard to swallow, come time to pay That taste on your tongue don't easily slip away. Let kingdom come I'm gonna find my way Through this lonesome day.
 * Better ask questions before you shoot,
 * "Lonesome Day"

May your faith give us faith. May your hope give us hope. May your love give us love.
 * May your strength give us strength.
 * "Into the Fire"

Musta been a tear from your eye. Everything'll be okay. Funny, thought I felt a sweet summer breeze; Musta been you sighin' so deep. Don't worry we're gonna find a way.
 * It's rainin' but there ain't a cloud in the sky;
 * "Waitin' on a Sunny Day"

There's no prince to break the spell. I don't believe in magic, But for you I will, for you I will. If I'm a fool, I'll be a fool. Darlin' for you.
 * It's a fairytale so tragic,
 * "Countin' on a Miracle"

Searchin' through the dust, lookin' for a sign. If there's a light up ahead well brother I don't know. But I got this fever burnin' in my soul. So let's take the good times as they go, And I'll meet you further on up the road.
 * Now I been out in the desert, just doin' my time.
 * "Further On (Up the Road)"

Long black line in front of Holy Cross Blood moon risin' in a sky of black dust Tell me Baby who do you trust? The fuse is burning Shut out the lights The fuse is burning Come on let me do you right.
 * Trees on fire with the first fall's frost
 * "The Fuse"

Can't see nothin' coming up behind. I make my way through this darkness; I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me. Lost track of how far I've gone, How far I've gone, how high I've climbed. On my back's a sixty pound stone, On my shoulder a half mile line.
 * Can't see nothin' in front of me;
 * "The Rising"

Come on up, lay your hands in mine. Come on up for the rising. Come on up for the rising tonight.
 * Come on up for the rising.
 * "The Rising"

On the cold dark ground. And the rain is falling down. The church door's thrown open; I can hear the organ's song. But the congregation's gone. My city of ruins. My city of ruins.
 * There is a blood red circle
 * "My City of Ruins"


 * Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
 * "My City of Ruins"

Devils & Dust (2005)
But I don't know who to trust. When I look into your eyes There's just devils and dust. We're a long, long way from home, Bobbie. Home's a long, long way from us. I feel a dirty wind blowing Devils and dust.
 * I got my finger on the trigger
 * "Devils & Dust"

I'm just trying to survive. What if what you do to survive Kills the things you love? Fear's a powerful thing; It can turn your heart black you can trust. It'll take your God filled soul And fill it with devils and dust
 * I got God on my side.
 * "Devils & Dust"

Magic (2007)
But all I heard was a drone Bouncing off a satellite, Crushin' the last lone American night. This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there? This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?
 * I was tryin' to find my way home,
 * "Radio Nowhere"

Hello beautiful thing, maybe you could save my life. In just a glance, down here on magic street, Loves a fool's dance And I ain't got much sense, but I still got my feet.
 * She went away, she cut me like a knife.
 * "Girls in Their Summer Clothes"


 * The wise men were all fools, what to do?
 * "Last to Die"

Everybody has a friend. Everybody has a reason to begin again.
 * Here everybody has a neighbor,
 * "Long Walk Home"

It's a beautiful place to be born. It just wraps its arms around you. Nobody crowds you, nobody goes it alone. That you know flag flying over the courthouse Means certain things are set in stone: Who we are, what we'll do and what we won't."
 * My father said "Son, we're lucky in this town.
 * "Long Walk Home"

When they built you brother, they broke the mold.
 * When they built you brother, they turned this dust to gold.
 * "Terry's Song"

Working on a Dream (2009)
His heart quickened and burdened by the need to get his man. He found Pete peacefully fishing by the river. Pulled his gun and got the drop. He said "Pete you think you've changed but you have not."
 * Out of the East on an Irish stallion came bounty hunter Dan.
 * "Outlaw Pete"

To the burdens of the day, To the weary hands of time Where fortune is not kind.
 * I've seen strong hearts give way
 * "My Lucky Day"

Though trouble can feel like it's here to stay. I'm working on a dream; Our love will chase the trouble away.
 * I'm working on a dream,
 * "Working on a Dream"

If you've ever seen a one trick pony then you've seen me. Have you ever seen a one legged dog makin' his way down the street? If you've ever seen a one legged dog then you've seen me.
 * Have you ever seen a one trick pony in the field so happy and free/
 * "The Wrestler"

Wrecking Ball (2012)
I been looking for the map that leads me home. I been stumbling on good hearts turned to stone. The road of good intentions has gone dry as a bone. We take care of our own. We take care of our own. Wherever this flag’s flown, We take care of our own.
 * I been knocking on the door that holds the throne.
 * "We Take Care of Our Own"

No bombs fell from the sky, no blood soaked the ground. No powder flash blinded the eye. No deathly thunder sounded. But just as sure as the hand of God, They brought death to my hometown. They brought death to my hometown.
 * Well, no cannon ball did fly, no rifles cut us down.
 * "Death to My Hometown"

We’ll be called for our service come judgment day. Before we cross that river wide, The blood on our hands will come back on us twice.
 * Tend to your flock or they will stray.
 * "Rocky Ground"

Carries saints and sinners. This train... Carries losers and winners. This train... Carries whores and gamblers. This train... Carries lost souls. I said this train... Dreams will not be thwarted. This train... Faith will be rewarded.
 * This train...
 * "Land of Hope and Dreams"

High Hopes (2014)
Is it a wallet, this is your life? It ain't no secret, It ain't no secret, No secret my friend. You can get killed just for living In your American skin.
 * Is it a gun, is it a knife?
 * "American Skin"

These days I spend my time skipping through the dark. Through the empires of dust, I chant your name. I am the hunter of invisible game.
 * We all come up a little short and we go down hard.
 * "Hunter of Invisible Game"

Quotes about Bruce Springsteen

 * Last Thursday, at the Harvard Square theatre, I saw my rock'n'roll past flash before my eyes. And I saw something else: I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.
 * Jon Landau, The Real Paper (1974)


 * The label of liberalism is hardly a sentence to public igominy: otherwise Bruce Springsteen would still be rehabilitating used Cadillacs in Asbury Park and Jane Fonda, for all we know, would be just another overweight housewife.
 * Barbara Ehrenreich, Mother Jones (1986)


 * Our slot was immediately before Bruce Springsteen, who was headlining that night. It was his birthday and people were yelling "Bruuuuuce," you know, all night long. And Jackson Browne, at the side of the stage, he says to me "Now listen, if you go on and you think they're booing you, don't, don't get thrown because they're really just saying 'Bruce.'" And I said, "Well, what's the difference?'"
 * Tom Petty


 * Too bad the guy's name wasn't Melvin or something.
 * Bonnie Raitt, on confusing fans' shouts of "Bruuuuuce" for booing


 * I think music changed when Bruce Springsteen came on the scene. I think if it wasn't for Bruce Springsteen, we may have gone in a very scary direction. We may have gotten to the point where disco music ruled and I would have had to quit.
 * Jeff Baxter


 * I couldn't believe how happy his music made me and how good it was. He's a gift, and I didn't know. I mean, I knew 'Born in the USA' and 'Glory Days,' but I didn't know that he covered so much ground, and there was something in his music that touched what I was going through, the process of falling back in love with my America.
 * Brandon Flowers, frontman for rock band The Killers


 * Our love is like a Bruce Springsteen concert. It's not that great, it's really long. But wow! What energy.
 * Bruce McCulloch, "Our Love", from the comedy album Shame Based Man (Atlantic, 1995)


 * Bruce Springsteen feels familiar to us. But it's not an easy familiarity, is it? Even his band seems to stand taller when he walks in the room. It's complex. He's America's writer, and critic. It's like in Badlands, he's Martin Sheen and Terrence Malick. To be so accessible and so private, there's a rubric. But then again, he is an Irish-Italian, with a Jewish-sounding name. What more do you want? Add one big African sax player, and no one in this room is gonna fuck with you!
 * Bono, inducting Bruce Springsteen into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame


 * In 1974, I was 14. Even I knew the '60s were over. It was the era of soft-rock infusion. The Beatles were gone, Elvis was in Vegas. What was goin' on? Nothin' was goin' on. Bruce Springsteen was comin' on, saving music from the phonies, saving lyrics from the folkies, saving black leather jackets from the Fonz.
 * Bono, inducting Bruce Springsteen into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame


 * Here was a dude who carried himself like Brando, Dylan, and Elvis. If John Steinbeck could sing, if Van Morrison could ride a Harley-Davidson. But he was something new, too. He was the first whiff of Scorsese, the first hint of Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, and the Clash. He was the end of long hair, brown rice and bell bottoms. It was the end of the 20-minute drum solo. It was good night, Haight-Ashbury; hello, Asbury Park.
 * Bono, inducting Bruce Springsteen into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame


 * America was staggering when Springsteen appeared. The president had just resigned in disgrace. The U.S. had lost its first war. There was going to be no more oil in the ground. The days of cruising and big cars were supposed to be over. But Bruce Springsteen's vision was bigger than a Honda, it was bigger than a Subaru. Bruce made you believe that dreams were still out there, but after loss and defeat, they had to be braver, not just bigger.
 * Bono, inducting Bruce Springsteen into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame


 * We call him the Boss. Well that's a bunch of crap. He's not the boss. He works for us.
 * Bono, inducting Bruce Springsteen into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame


 * Bruce Springsteen put it best in 2004 when he said: "America is not always right. That's a fairy tale for children.... But one thing America should always be is true. And it's in seeking her truth, both the good and the bad, that we find a deeper patriotism, that we find a more authentic experience as citizens, that we find the power that is embedded only in truth to change our world for the better."
 * Van Jones The Green Collar Economy (2008)


 * The reason I’m running for president is because I can’t be Bruce Springsteen.
 * President Barack Obama


 * Whenever I see Bruce Springsteen do anything, he empties the tank. Every time. And the beautiful thing about this man is he empties that tank for his family, he empties that tank for his art, he empties that tank for his audience, and he empties it for his country. And we, on the receiving end of that beautiful gift, are ourselves rejuvenated, if not, redeemed.
 * Jon Stewart