50 years ago today…
50 years ago today, an album was released that changed my life.
On August 25, 1975, one day before my 11th birthday, Bruce Springsteen released “Born to Run.”
It was a masterpiece.
Eight songs, each meticulously and painstakingly created with musicians who would soon be known the world over as The E Street Band.
The album went on to sell millions of copies. Born to Run has become a touchstone for countless fans who see pageantry and artistry in four chords and a back beat.
Countless words have been used to describe the magic of Born to Run so I will spare you mine.
But on the 50th anniversary of its release, a new book called Jungleland by Peter Ames Carlin tells the story of how the album came into existence.
After two critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful albums, Springsteen was given one last chance. Born to Run was do or die.
The making of the album was torturous. Springsteen labored over every note of every song driving the musicians to the brink.
The story of Born to Run is the story of a driven artist, desperate to succeed but unwilling to compromise.
It’s a great story.
And there are lessons to be learned: great artists don’t compromise, they stay true to themselves and their vision. No man is an island: Bruce needed the E Street Band, his managers, producers and engineers to fully commit and they were rewarded for doing so. But when it comes time to “ship” you ship.
Let me explain.
Springsteen almost became paralyzed by the desire for perfection. The album took forever to produce, take after take after take. The song Born to Run took six months to finish. There needed to be an intervention to get Bruce to agree to release it.
But there comes a time when you just have to hit send. That’s a life lesson my friends.
Every year on the anniversary of Born to Run’s release Bruce takes a drive around the Jersey shore and visits the places that inspired the album. He remains grateful for the record that saved his career and seeks to reconnect to the places and experiences that inspired classics such as Backstreets, Thunder Road and the epic Jungleland.
I think that’s an important practice. We have to drive slow at times, take in the sites and reconnect.
There’s a line in Thunder Road that has always intrigued me.
Because in these words I sense a paradox. That makes it interesting. That makes it art.
Here’s the line: “it’s a town full of losers and we’re pulling out of here to win.”
The protagonist in the song is asking the object of his affection to leave with him, to find a better place than the dead end town where they live.
It’s a cinematic song, a girl on a porch, dress swaying, a young suitor asking her to take a chance.
Yet we know that Springsteen is an artist rooted and wedded to his native New Jersey.
He jokes that he’s travelled the world, but chooses to live a few miles from where he grew up in Freehold.
The town holds a number of memories—some good, some bad, some joyful, some painful. It’s been a full experience. One many of us can relate to.
It’s this realism, this depth of feeling, this sharing of pain and joy that makes Springsteen a special artist.
Born to Run was the album that introduced me to an artist that would play a big role in my life.
Alongside The Beatles, the Stones, The Who and several other bands and artists, Bruce’s music became the soundtrack to my life.
What made him a little different for me was that I feel like I grew up alongside his music.
The Beatles, so amazing they defy description and comparison, broke up when I was six. I didn’t have the pleasure of anticipating a new album. When I discovered music their whole canon was there for me to listen to. But with Springsteen there was always new music to discover—right up to today. Even at 75, he’s releasing new work that somehow, magically tracks with my life.
When I was 11, I liked the guitars and music on Born to Run. It was a visceral experience. But I can’t pretend I understood the record or the stories he was telling. I was too young. But over the years, after living a little and listening a lot the record began to take shape for me. Great art does that, it meets you where you are and clarifies at the same time. It also raises questions, makes you think and transports you.
So on the 50th anniversary, I want to savor that experience. And give thanks to an artist who has shaped me and so many others.
I walked the Asbury Park boardwalk yesterday! Tramps like us!
Hi Berm! Tramps like us baby we were born to run.
Once again just brilliant writing, Jeff. I was a little older than you (17) when BTR was released and knew within a short period of time this was the album of my lifetime. Every song developed characters and told a story like nothing I had ever heard before. And how does someone at Springsteen’s age at the time even create a song like Jungleland? So layered, so deep. It was a saxophone laced opera. And three years later he follows up one masterpiece with another; “Darkness on the Edge of Town” Many albums and years later, he writes “The Rising” about the 9/11 attacks. As only Bruce can, he captures the thoughts of a young fireman running up the stairs of the World Trade Center: “Can’t see nothin’ in front of me. 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 (air pack)
On my shoulder a half mile line (hose).” A brilliantly written description of that tragic day. More recently (2020) Bruce wrote an album (Letter to You) about aging and losing long time friends and loved ones. The words to the last song “I’ll see you in my dreams” are on my son’s commemorative brick under the flag pole at Atlantic & A1A.
Ralph, talk about brilliant writing.
Wow, your comment perfectly captures the essence of Bruce’s magnificent writing.
Thanks so much for sharing. I will be visiting your son’s marker as soon as I get home.