For anyone who has had a conversation with me about music over the past 15 years can attest to, Bruce Springsteen is my favorite musician of all-time. The Boss has become the de-facto orator of American history over the past 50 years due to his prolific career longevity and his willingness to tackle subject matter that peels back the layers of American life and exposes, through his poignant magnifying glass, what lurks underneath the surface in our collective subconsciousness. It’s found in his respect for the musical traditions that came before him, his innate sense of the songwriting craft, and his ability to transform in audio form a sense of feeling and wonderment. But what truly makes him special is the passion he has for telling the stories of common everyday Americans and showing us all of the sadness and beauty that co-exists within each of us.
In 1975 Springsteen was at somewhat of a career crossroads. Following the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful Greetings from Asbury Park and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle and approaching his third album, Columbia Records was on the verge of dropping him entirely from their roster. This was effectively the make or break moment for his career and the results played out like an inspirational film tailor made for the big screen– Springsteen and The E Street Band spent a year and a half in the studio pouring their heart out to meticulously craft each sound on the album, and came out the other side with a hit record that launched Springsteen’s career. One of my favorite stories of these sessions is from the title track “Born To Run”. Springsteen was obsessed with the sound in his head that he could hear during the writing of the song, and although the band did numerous takes during recording sessions, they didn’t match the sound that was rattling around in his head. It led to a grueling process that lasted six months and finally resulted in a final recording that had 72 tracks which included strings, more than one dozen guitar tracks, sax, drums, glockenspiel, bass, multiple keyboards and a variety of vocals. And the rest was history.
Springsteen’s quest for perfection not only applies to the care he took with the recording of Born To Run in 1975, but also his epic live show which has become an indelible part of his mystique. Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to see him live for the first time in my life on Easter Sunday at Chase Center in San Francisco with the E Street Band. To say it was a religious experience would be a massive understatement– it was one of the best live music experiences of my entire life, filled with tears of joy and a feeling of wonder that I’ll never forget, and the fact I got to share it with my wife standing beside me the whole time made it even more special. Even at the age of 74 Springsteen brought it for nearly three hours, and seeing Springsteen flanked by Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Max Weinberg, Gary Tallent, Roy Bittan, and Clarence Clemons’ nephew Jake Clemons (who filled in for his uncle after his passing) moved me in a way that cannot be summarized in words. It was a bucket list item that has filled me full for the rest of 2024.
Standout Songs: “Born To Run”, “Thunder Road”, “Jungleland”, “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”, “Backstreets”, “She’s The One”
Matthew. 