Who is Bruce Springsteen?
Bruce Springsteen unveiled his 16th studio album, Working on a Dream, on Tuesday. Rolling Stone gives the album five stars and calls it “the richest of the three great rock albums Springsteen has made this decade.” In 2005, Stephen Metcalf examined Springsteen’s legacy and explained why he still loves the Boss. The piece is reprinted below. Bruce SpringsteenIn his early live shows, Bruce Springsteen had a habit of rattling off, while the band vamped softly in the background, some thoroughly implausible story from his youth. This he punctuated with a shy, wheezing laugh that let you know he didn’t for a second buy into his own bullshit. Back then, in the early 1970s, Bruce was still a regional act, touring the dive bars and dive colleges of the Atlantic coast, playing any venue that would have him. As a matter of routine, a Springsteen show would kick off with audience members throwing gifts onto the stage. Not bras and panties, mind you, but gifts—something thoughtful, not too expensiv
The release of Bruce Springsteen’s 15th studio album, Magic, has set off a new round of debates about America’s last rock star. Is he the “endearing Jersey wharf rat” of his early years or the “majestic American simpleton” of his later years? In a 2005 “Music Box” piece titled “Faux Americana,” reprinted below, Stephen Metcalf examines the legacy—and identity—of Bruce.
Bruce Springsteen campaigned aggressively for the last two Democratic presidential candidates, but that hasnt stopped Republicans from joining Democrats in cashing in on the Bosss Monday night concert in Washington. At least a dozen lawmakers and political committees are planning fundraisers at the sold-out concert at the Verizon Center.
American singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen is known for his down-to-earth image and his songs that celebrate the working man. Since the release of his breakthrough album, Born to Run in 1975, Springsteen has achieved an iconic status in American popular music. He has won fifteen Grammys, an Oscar, and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
