8: Bruce Springsteen releases Born to Run, makes the covers of Newsweek and Time, October 27, 1975
On August 13, 1975, two weeks before the release of Born To Run, Springsteen and the E Street Band began a five-night, 10-show stand at New York’s Bottom Line club; it attracted major media attention, was broadcast live on WNEW-FM, and convinced many skeptics that Springsteen was for real.
But on August 25th hundreds of thousands of people finally got to hear the classic record Bruce had been working on in the studio. Born To Run, Bruce’s third album, was his breakthrough hit in the States and around the world. His first album to feature Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg, Born to Run cemented Springsteen’s reputation among critics and established his first mainstream fan base. The album’s iconic cover was the gateway in to rock and roll greatness. Bruce, The Big Man, and the future E Street Band delivered on the promise of a great record in the making with songs like Thunder Road, She’s The One, Backstreets, Jungleland, Meeting Across The River, Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, Night and the still anthemic title track. Eight songs. Less than 40 minutes. Sheer brilliance.
With its panoramic imagery, thundering production and desperate optimism, some fans consider this among the best rock & roll albums of all time and Springsteen’s finest work. It established him as a sincere and dynamic rock & roll personality who spoke for and in the voice of a large part of the rock audience. To cap off the triumph, Springsteen appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek in the same week, on October 27 of that year.
Music critic Greil Marcus summarizes the soul of Born To Run in a lengthy review of the album in which he writes:
“Oh-o, come on, take my hand,” Springsteen sings, “Riding out to case the promised land.” And there, in a line, is Born to Run. You take what you find, but you never give up your demand for something better because you know, in your heart, that you deserve it. That contradiction is what keeps Springsteen’s story, and the promised land’s, alive. Springsteen took what he found and made something better himself. This album is it.”
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Born To Run – audio and lyrics
Greil Marcus’s Rolling Stone review
David Dye, XPN Producer/Host of the World Cafe, remembers his favorite Bruce moments he wasn’t there for
Diane O’Dwyer of Chester Springs, PA remembers Bruce in London
Donald from Collegeville, PA was convinced that Bruce was overrated
David Janofsky of Mt. Laurel, NJ recalls Bruce in 1980
Greg from West Chester, PA remembers when Born to Run came out
John Nagele of Philadelphia remembers Bruce the night Lennon died
David DeLuca of Norristown, PA remembers that same moment
Booooo!!! Springsteen ranked higher than The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper? Only in Philadelphia would that happen! If you are anywhere outside of the Philadelphia / New Jersey area no one really cares about Springsteen.
October 19th, 2007 at 10:20 amI didn’t discover this album until late spring 1979, but it is still (and probably always will be) in my top 5. My son Jay is 32, and I doubt he can remember now, but when he was 5, he knew every word to every song on this album, simply because I played it every day for months. I can still hear him singing “Hiding in the backstreets” at the top of his lungs.
October 19th, 2007 at 10:40 amWhile I was a student at Rutgers from 1971-75 The E Street Band was the house band at the Hub a tiny student center on campus. It cost $2 to get in with all the beer you could drink. Great all night shows! That was when David Sancious was the keyboard player. I moved to the West coast in 75 and arrived in LA the day that Bruce was on the covers of Newsweek and Time. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like he followed us across the country. There was the guy that I had drunk beer with for 4 years! Not only that but he was opening his west coast tour that night in LA! I couldn’t miss it. He was still a relative unknown on the West coast so I was able get some tickets. It was great to see someone achieve his dreams of becoming a rock and roll star. He would always say”Man, this band is so good. We are going to hit it big soon.” I still have fond memories of those beer soaked floors in the old Hub with the E Street Band playing all night!
October 19th, 2007 at 10:44 amRegarding the title of this MMMM, I remember seeing him in concert at Virginia Tech in early Spring ‘76. When he sang “Rosalita” he changed the words to “Tell him this is his last chance/ to get his Daughter in a fine romance/ ’cause I got my picture, Rosey…on the cover of Time and Newsweek”. Another trivia moment for that concert - Nils Lofgren was playing separately later that night a local bar in Blacksburg. The Boss and Clarence C came and listened to Nils’ show. Of course, later on Nils ended up joining the E Street Band. What a great memory! Thanks,
October 19th, 2007 at 11:06 amSteve: You, and xpn, ARE in Philadelphia!! There may be some warts here, but BRUCE ain’t one of them (and certainly not XPN). No doubt, globally, you have a valid point, but no one is saying this is scientific or global. Enjoy Bruce.
October 19th, 2007 at 11:52 amEvery song on this album is a masterpiece. Every song makes me feel like I’m down the shore and youth can be everlasting. How about that sax sole on Jungland? Mmmm. And how many other songs can people recite from beginning to end like Thunder Road? Definitely top 10 worthy. Bruuuuuuce!
October 19th, 2007 at 1:03 pmAmen, Steve. Amen.
October 19th, 2007 at 1:37 pmsteve you might be right. but this is philly and it doesnt diminish what springsteen did. the first bruce album i bought was greatest hits in 1999. then i bought his first two albums and worked my way through to the point where i had almost heard everything by the time the rising came out.
October 20th, 2007 at 4:30 ambruce’s music painted the landscape and memories of my teenage years. whenever i hear “sandy (4th of july)” or incident on 57th st.” or of course “rosalita” i think back to being 16, 17 years old and driving in a car with my girlfriend nothing stopping us from going wherever we wanted to go.
but like my life, bruce’s music change. if he had never released another album, those songs would be underground, my older brother/sister turned me onto this song kind of music. on born to run, bruce sang about the world that he would write about more or less up to his day — and he wrote about the worlds we all live in - where we struggle to get by, where we know there is something out there, something better — once he finally got there, his music, in plain terms, sucked.
not many people my age are big bruce fans. and i think its a shame - to most people, born in the usa, is all they hear. and most people are as oblivious to what the song is really saying as ronald reagan was. is it a coincidence we are where we are 23 years after USA and now, 32 years after born to run, one of the all time, classic, makes you tear up inside, makes you want to break out and drive for miles and miles to the promised land kind of album was released.
Steve, it is true that this list may have a Philadelphia/New Jersey slant. It is a Philly station with a majority of its listeners in this area. But to suggest that “If you are anywhere outside of the Philadelphia / New Jersey area no one really cares about Springsteen” just can’t be supported by facts. His concert tours regularly sell out nation wide, both “The Rising” (525,000 copies in its first week) and “Magic” (335,000 copies in its first week) opened at #1 on Billboard. A quick survey of classic rock station’s “Top 500″ song lists regularly include several Bruce songs near the top with B to R in the top 5. He has appeared on Time’s cover as late as 2002 and is regularly on the cover of major music publications (Rolling Stone, etc). The facts would suggest that very few artists are as popular 30 years into their career’s as Springsteen. You may not like Springsteen’s music and it is fair to say that Sgt. Peppers would out rank B to R on most lists but leave the hyperbole behind. Accept the list for what it is (a listener vote) and vote a few extra times next year.
October 20th, 2007 at 1:12 pma great moment re: born to run was Creem magazine’s review panning the album totally. last issue of THAT rag i ever wasted $ on …
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:07 pmI preface my comments by saying that I am a devout Beatlemaniac.
That said we are in the “Land Of Bruce” here in the tri-state area. Also, Springsteen is no slouch musically and culturally.
I am 45 years old. Most of my enjoyment (as a teen and an adult) of the Beatles came after they broke up. I don’t know when or how Steve enjoyed them.
However Springsteen did contemporarily provide “a soundtrack” for my high school (GWHS) and college (UofD), and continues to turn out new and interesting music.
Is Bruce better than the Beatles? I won’t dare to ignite that firestorm. Is Bruce more popular with XPN listeners. By this poll “yes”. Take heart Beatle People in that Bruce Springsteen, a working class hero, has acknowledged his debt to Lennon and The Beatles several times. He was raised on them too.
Now get on with your lives…..there are more important things……………
October 23rd, 2007 at 1:14 pmI saw Bruce for the first time that week, at Penn State’s Rec Hall. What a great show and what an atmosphere. I have seen him live at least 6 more times but that show will always be my favorite.
November 6th, 2007 at 4:28 pm