I'm currently reading Bruce Springsteen's autobiography with the same title as this classic album. I always enjoy reading about my favorite musicians and learning their stories; Bruce's story is one that is well reflected in his music and in the kind of person he is. The Boss was raised in working class New Jersey, in a poor neighborhood. He saw music as a way out and worked his tail off to make it in the music business.
My first exposure to Springsteen was the album Born in the U.S.A. The title song, "Dancing in the Dark," "Glory Days,"and others were mainstays on the radio and MTV throughout the '80s. It took me a long time to look into his earlier music, like Born to Run. Bruce and The E Street Band released two albums prior to Born to Run, but it was this one that exploded and brought superstardom to Bruce and the band. It's one of those classic albums that everybody should own; the massive sound of the E Street Band and Bruce's unbelievable songwriting abilities are at their finest.
Born to Run is by no means my favorite Springsteen album, however. I prefer his more stripped down work - albums like Nebraska, The Ghost of Tom Joad, The Rising (written in response to 9/11; if you haven't listened to this one, do yourself a favor and do so), and Devils and Dust among my favorites. That doesn't mean I don't love his upbeat rock albums like this one, Born in the U.S.A., and Wrecking Ball, because I do. But I think in order to truly appreciate Springsteen as an artist one must listen to his "lighter" side (although many of his darker songs are of the slower variety). His songwriting and storytelling abilities are amazing. He is one of the voices of working class America and has maintained a connection to his own working class roots, and I've always respected him for that.
When I was serving as an LDS missionary in Peru, I heard the song "Born in the U.S.A." on a bus. It brought tears to my eyes. Yes, I know it's a protest song, but don't ever think that Springsteen doesn't love this country as much as anyone else. He just sees the injustices that come with it, and he felt like young men dying in Vietnam (including his own friends) in a war that many saw as unnecessary was one of those injustices.
From "Born to Run":
The highways jammed with broken heroes
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
