The American Spectator : Forever Born to Run

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Forever Born to Run

By Quin Hillyer on 8.26.10 @ 6:08AM

Anthems for an age.

Thirty-five years ago the day I write this, on Wednesday, a rising artist released the greatest rock-n-roll album of all time. It was not a political album by any means, and the lead musician was and is anything but a conservative, yet conservatives should nonetheless celebrate almost every chord and lyric of the entire album known as Born to Run.

Please, readers, don't have a conniption fit. Yes, I know that the album's impresario Bruce Springsteen can spout off liberal tomfoolery in an obnoxious, self-important manner. We all know he sometimes fancies himself a protest troubadour, and that a few of his songs -- such as the anti-police "American Skin (41 Shots)" -- are absolutely insufferable. Forget all that. This is about the majesty, pathos and profoundly expressed yearning, backed by absolutely anthem-like, soul-stirring music, of a particular album in the summer of 1975 that really did "rock" the world.

This is an album of a striver, of somebody who won't accept a lesser destiny defined by his socio-economic class or by the lower expectations of others. These are the songs of a quintessentially American character (or, rather, characters, plural), of people who know the proverbial American Dream isn't a pie-in-the sky fantasy or an inherited birthright but a matter of grit, imagination, pluck, and the rawest of raw energy unleashed in the right direction.

It starts with "Thunder Road."

With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now?
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow
Back your hair
Well the nights busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels….

It's a town full of losers
And I'm pulling out of here to win.

This is the more than just the restless longing of youth; it's the insistence on taking advantage of a freedom that is both taken for granted and deeply cherished at the same time.

"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" follows, effectively celebrating the successful launch of the E Street Band, starting with the desperation of "Tear drops on the city" but ending in the triumph of Scooter (Springsteen) and the Big Man (saxophonist Clarence Clemons) "bust(ing) this city in half" (which in the youth lingo of the time was a rollicking good thing!). The song "Night" follows, again full of striving against humdrum existence and constricted dreams:

And the world is busting at its seams
And you're just a prisoner of your dreams
Holding on for your life 'cause you work all day
To blow 'em away in the night

"Backstreets" is a haunting song of lost love, far more memorable for its musicianship than for its lyrics. Then, as side two begins, the unforgettable, eponymous "Born to Run" takes flight. The restlessness is palpable and powerful:

Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
'cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run….

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

Behind the lyrics, the chords drive you forward, the backbeat won't let you quit, the melody is as catchy as anything you'll ever hear, and the piano, guitar, and sax riffs are, well, born to run into collective memory.

But "Born to Run" isn't even the best song on the album. Springsteen saved that for last. In the interim comes another desperate love song, "She's the One," and then the film-noir-ish tale of a small-time hood, "Meeting Across the River." Then comes the most superlative, operatic, poetic song that rock-n-roll can produce. It's called "Jungleland," and it's 9 minutes and 34 second of ot;> perfection. It's not upbeat at all, and its intensity and metaphorical ambiguity certainly can't be easily explained in an essay like this. But there's an energy to it, combined with a certain sort of chivalry (even if somewhat inverted from the norm), that is representative of an essential trait of the American character. What American man can't understand the sentiments behind the closing lines?

In the quick of the night they reach for their moment
And try to make an honest stand
but they wind up wounded, and not even dead --
tonight in jungleland

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About the Author

Quin Hillyer is a senior editor of The American Spectator and a senior fellow at the Center for Individual Freedom.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (91) | Leave a comment

Alert1201| 8.26.10 @ 8:10AM

Born to Run is one of the few albums I can listen to and forget the political tomfoolery of the singer.

Vern Crisler| 8.26.10 @ 9:46PM

How many more times am I going to hear that -- the greatest album of all time? Didn't the Beatles make that, or some other group with a titled called "Dark Side of the Something or Other"? And yet no one ever mentions Yes's "Tales from Topographic Oceans." And that's pretty sad.

Louis Jenkins| 8.26.10 @ 8:47AM

I used to like Springstein, but his politics messed me up good. I never listen to him anymore.

Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 8.26.10 @ 8:50AM

In 1975 "a rising artist released the greatest rock-n-roll album of all time." What? The greatest album of all time you say? You must be breathing in too much of that fresh New Jersey air Quin!! Born To Run wasn't even the best album of 1975, forget about the best of all time!!!

The top five albums in order for 1975 according to me (and I know everything-just ask anybody) are;
1. Jethro Tull's: Minstrel In The Gallery (the entire album, and yes, the flute "is" a heavy metal instrument)
2. Yes's: Relayer (one very long song on side one, Gates Of Delirium 21:56)
3. Pink Floyd's: Wish You Were Here (Shine On You Crazy Diamond, parts I-IX)
4. Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti (In My Time Of Dying)
5. Eagles: One Of These Nights (After The Thrill
Is Gone-an ode to the One maybe?)

And then maybe, (just maybe) at number six
6. Bruce Springsteen': Born To Run.

Jungleland is a really great song, that would never be a hit today, because nobody has the patience to listen to such a long piece of music, that needs some time to build. Bruce is alright to me though, but I just wish he (like Paul McCartney and others), would just "shut up 'n play yer guitar" (thanks Zappa).

Quin, the next time you're passing through Jersey, I recommend bringing some oxygen with you, then you won't get so confused!! Best album of all time? Ha!! Try Baker St. Muse (16:39)

DonDuke| 8.26.10 @ 10:07AM

Right on LLL ! Are you kidding me..... "Physical Graffiti" was a monster same for "One of these Nights". Hell Springsteen was too busy playing around with his guitarist to really pay attention to his music. "Born to Run" was good, but surely not great.

David T.| 8.26.10 @ 10:37AM

LLL--As John McEnroe would say, "You cannot be serious."

WTF Guy| 8.26.10 @ 8:33PM

Pretty good list. I would, however, take out Yes Relayer and replace it with Pink Floyd's The Wall or possibly Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic (not really rock but WTH).

Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 8.26.10 @ 9:44PM

WTF: I was only making my list above for the year 1975, The Wall was released in 1979, therefore it's not on my 1975 list. If the Wall had been released in 75, well then of course it would've been on my list, although for me, the "best" Floyd album is the almost forgotten about, The Final Cut. Or as I like to call it, Pink Floyd's official last album. Because the answer to the famous Floyd question, "which one's Pink?", is Roger Waters (bass player, song writer, and singer), and the Final Cut was his final album with them. Now Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic was released in 1974, so that's why it's also not on my 1975 list either, it almost made it (almost), but it just missed it by 365 days (so close!!). It's a great album though, and would definitely be on my 1974 list, but I don't think anyone here actually wants to here about my favorite albums by year.

WTF Guy| 8.26.10 @ 10:59PM

My apologies. You did make it clear you were referring to '75. I understand removing The Wall, but come on man, Pretzel was so great I thinks it's worthy of bumping up 1 year. Reconsider please!

Todd| 8.26.10 @ 9:55PM

If you didnt notice, Pink Floyd was already on the list with the great Wish You Were Here which would be 1 in my book. The Wall was 1980. I do like the list overall though I would have Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks listed for sure. And one of the great underrated albums ever made, Brian Eno's Another Green World. Better known for producing U2 albums like The Joshua Tree (who owe him a great debt), he made some tremendous music of his own in the 70's. Born to Run is very good for what it is but give me Floyd and Zep any day before Springsteen.

kjwb| 8.26.10 @ 8:55AM

Hard to believe it's been 35 years....while I still maintain that "Darkness on the Edge of Town is the superior album (and along with the underrated "Tunnel of Love" is Springsteen's most consistent work) there's no denying "Born to Run" its superior pop-cultural significance, along with containing some great songs in its own right. Though the piece fails to mention my favorite track - after "Thunder Road" - "Backstreets". Admittedly haven't listened to it for a while but was always struck but both the raw intensity of the vocal (particularly on the chorus) as well as the lyrical ambiguity (was "Terry" a boy or a girl? And was the realtionship a sexual one or just an intense adolescent friendship?). That Springsteen was also able to avoid being buried by the subsequent hype that resulted and remain (for better AND for worse) more or less true to himself speaks well of him, even though I agree that when he gets political he can be positively insufferable.

Quin| 8.26.10 @ 10:16AM

Thanks, kjwb. For the record, my column DOES mention "Backstreets," but only in passing. I agree it's a good song, but it's a little TOO ambiguous for my tastes: WHY are they always hiding? Anyway, other than wanting to note for the record that I did mention that song, I really enjoyed and appreciated your comments.

Mel Torme| 8.26.10 @ 3:43PM

No way is any Springsteen album the best rock album of all time, nor even in the top 100. That doesn't say he sucks, though, just that so much good rock music was made between 1965 and 1980 (or so).

You like his lyrics a lot, I know, but the tune and the "sound" make the music more than the lyrics do. Only a few Springsteen songs have really good tunes ("Born to Run", "Cadillac Ranch", "Blinded by the Light" (but he didn't write that)).

Try:

1) "American Beauty" by The Dead
2) "On the Border" by The Eagles
3) "Book of Dreams" by the Steve Miller Band
4) "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Reginald Dwight
5) "City to City" by Gerry Rafferty
6-8) Led Zeppelin "IV", "II", and "Houses of the Holy" in any order.
9) "Rumors" by Fleetwood Mac
10) "Time" by the Electric Light Orchestra

Somewhere up there. "Willy and the Poorboys" by Credence

That is just a quick and dirty list. I could put 200 or 300 up, before I would get to anyone like Bruce Springsteen. Lyrics ain't that much of the music - ask people who think Bob Dylan sucks about this, me for example. Take John Prine, for example: His lyrics are great, so I bought a coupla albums. I realized his voice (hence the "sound") isn't too great, so I like his songs better as sung by Johnny Cash.

Mel Torme| 8.26.10 @ 8:52PM

Oh, crikey! I saw someone mention Rush below, and I can't believe I didn't include them.

Put "Permanent Waves" up on that list too.

The "Boss" couldn't write a song like "Spirit of Radio" or "Limelight" in his wet dreams. You want rock, Bruce ain't got it.

Add in AC-DC too.

Oh, and Tom Petty. "The Boss". Give me a break. Send that damn yankee back to jersey. We'll take Gov. Christie, though.

Douglas Fletcher| 8.27.10 @ 1:36AM

"Blinded by the Light" (but he didn't write that))"

You're mistaken, Springsteen did write that. He didn't have a hit with it, though.

Mel Torme| 8.27.10 @ 2:17PM

Dang, I agree Doug, it was Manfred Mann that did the remake (one of the few remakes that has been better than the original song - see also, Elton John's better version of "Lucy in the Sky").

terrie| 8.28.10 @ 3:56PM

Mel... Manfred Mann sang the chorus to Blinded by the Light - incorrectlly. It's supposed to "cut loose like a deuce..." Not "wrapped up like a duche..." Me and my kid crack up every time we hear Mr. Mann's version of an outstanding song.

Occam's Tool| 8.30.10 @ 2:30AM

"Blinded by the Light" was a hit for Manfred Mann, right?

By the way, the best rock album of all time was "Boston," by Boston. Every song on it was fantastic, it had multipole top 40 hits and all eight songs on it are still played on classic rock radio.

Occam's Tool| 8.30.10 @ 2:31AM

sorry---multiple hits

kjwb| 8.27.10 @ 7:47AM

D'oh! You're right Quin - my bad & my apologies...

Dan Hirsch| 8.26.10 @ 9:19AM

Tom Petty.

The Boss? Fugedabowdit!

WTF Guy| 8.26.10 @ 10:02PM

I'm sure Petty is just as lib as The Boss.

JP| 8.26.10 @ 9:26AM

I grew out of Springsteen about the time I hit 21. Decades later I figured out I grew to like Born to Run. The lyrics were too gaudy. Springsteen's forces emotions, feelings, and ideas on his listeners with a jackhammer. I'm not saying they weren't authentic. But a person can only digest so many anthems. The 1970s were filled with long, tedious (but well played) concept albums. I remember listening to Pink Floyd's Metal; I believe one song took up the B side. And who can forget Meat Loaf, Yes, Styx, and an entire slew of musicians and groups who toiled to make a truely authentic sound that perfectly expressed thier ideas, concepts, and feelings? Springsteen was more authentic than most. The E-Street Band wasn't bashful about turning up the amplifier. But after listening to an hour of Bruce I feel like the man who ate too much at Thanksgiving. Too much of a good thing can indeed be bad.

Thank goodness the 70s are only a memory

Rick V.| 8.26.10 @ 10:54AM

JP,

If I'm not mistaken, that's "Meddle" from Pink Floyd.

DonDuke| 8.26.10 @ 10:10AM

"Thank goodness the 70s are only a memory"....
that's really the problem JP.... a lot about the 70's is kinda fuzzy............. heh

Ghost Of Michael O'Donoghue| 8.26.10 @ 10:27AM

I prefer Darkness On The Edge Of Town to BTR also. Springsteen has done some interesting work, when he's not trying to make the big "statement", such as Nebraska, the Human Touch/Lucky Town CD's. (Like George Martin said about the Beatles "White Album", there's a great LP on those 2 discs." and surprisingly, the Seeger Sessions "Live" CD, not the studio one. But overall, when it comes to Bruce, I'm reminded about a comment on a songwriter's board made about Springsteen, "Elvis Costello, Warren Zevon, & Richard Thompson can outwrite Springsteen in their sleep."

J. Rose| 8.26.10 @ 10:32AM

Thanks Quin. I forgot how great that album is.

Mark| 8.26.10 @ 10:39AM

Sorry. You're wrong. It's "Who's Next".

Todd| 8.26.10 @ 10:01PM

Damn right, much better for sure. Won't Get Fooled Again and Baba O'Reilly are both superior to Born To Run and the whole album is great from start to finish with Keith Moon in top form.

Paul McGrath| 8.26.10 @ 10:41AM

You can call it a great album if you want, but it's certainly not a great rock album. 10th Ave. Freeze Out? Watered-down jazz. Born to Run? A bloated Broadway show tune. The rest? Maybe a slightly more intelligent version of Meat Loaf. But nothing more. Springsteen is, was, and always will be, a fraud.

gearjammer| 8.26.10 @ 10:52AM

Thus, is our problem. We feed the beast. This jerk helped Obama and the dems win. He must not get one penny of our money, and not one word of positive publicity. We see how the true patriots in the country world dealt with traitors-they called the " chicks " what they were traitors and forever rejecting them. Hiller and the others can't deny themselves the yelps of the " boss". I do not want selfish prigs like you next to me in a foxhole. Any foul mouthed, unsophisticated red neck is a better man. They wore rags on their feet at Valley Forge-you girls can't part with your " tunes ". Gonna go out and buy some bourbon and listen to some patriotic music. You dweebs make me sick.

Steve A| 8.26.10 @ 10:56AM

Even before Bruce revealed his stunning lack of common sense, I thought his tunes were the ultimate cure for insomnia. Just never did it for me.

cuban pete| 8.26.10 @ 11:52AM

Bingo! He is second only to Yoko Ono as the most over rated performer in history.

Margie| 8.26.10 @ 11:29AM

Hey we're all entitled to like who we like.

It always amazed me each time along life's travels to come to find out what the political leanings of these guys were. Like Bob Dylan for instance. At the time I had no idea what a Lefty he was. Then there was Elton John, the Beatles, and on and on.

Fabulous music (although some may recoil at the thought that Dylan's music could be called such.)

And you have to admit some of Springbean's (sorry) I mean Springsteen's stuff was great, as Quin says~ and his band musically? Fantastic. Looove that saxophone.

Just imagine if these guys had their heads screwed on right.

diskojoe| 8.26.10 @ 12:48PM

Margie: Here's a pretty interesting Dylan website you should check out:

http://www.rightwingbob.com/

Margie| 8.26.10 @ 2:33PM

Thanks. I read your personal testimonial. Welcome to the Right side of another side. :^)

RCV| 8.26.10 @ 11:53AM

Thanks, Quin, for a wonderful piece!

Cajun Mark| 8.26.10 @ 12:08PM

Never been much of a Springsteen fan. However, the one that Bruce grew to admire AND play guitar in his band is Joe Grushecky from Pittsburg, PA. The Iron City Houserockers "Have A Good Time...But Get Out Alive" is the record Bruce wanted to make. Check it out.

Ghost Of Michael O'Donoghue| 8.26.10 @ 3:48PM

And don't forget Joe's American Babylon, which Springsteen co-produced. The title track is a song I've always wanted to hear Springsteen cover, or do live with Joe on one of his Pittsburgh visits.

Bruce Berger| 8.26.10 @ 12:28PM

I wholeheartedly agree that Jungleland is the album's best. In addition, it has always been a killer song in concert. The sight of every single human being in a stadium thrusting their fist in the air in unison is quite something to see.

Bilwick| 8.26.10 @ 12:32PM

The DNC anthem is the Beales' "Mr. Taxman."

RCV| 8.26.10 @ 12:48PM

The RNC's is the Beatles "Piggies"

Margie| 8.26.10 @ 2:00PM

To RCV,

And your song would be: "Bad boys, bad boys, watcha gonna do when they come for you? Bad boys..."

Bilwick| 8.26.10 @ 2:42PM

RCV's anthem is no doubt the haunting love-theme ("A Man and A State") from the soundtrack to the movie CHE.

Purple Lips| 8.26.10 @ 3:39PM

Or for Obama, Pelosi, and Reid we have Pink Floyd's Pigs 3 Different Ones:

"..Hey you Whitehouse,
Ha ha charade you are.
You house proud town mouse,
Ha ha charade you are.."

Bill| 8.26.10 @ 12:44PM

I would say Born to Run has arguably the best first and last songs of any album, except for maybe Automatic for the People by REM. However I don't even think its Springsteen's best album. Greetings from Asbury Park and Darkness on the Edge of Town are both better albums than Born to Run.

Capt G| 8.27.10 @ 2:06AM

Right you are, sir!

Oldefarte| 8.26.10 @ 12:44PM

Somewhere on TV [possibly ET, not sure] the question was proposed as to what was the public's most favorite Beatles' song, but none named MY MOST FAVORITE SONG OF THEIRS...........it was......'THE TAXMAN' [describing England's high income tax rates at the time]. If Obama/Democrats get their wish by years end, most of us are going to be singing that tune!!!!

WTF Guy| 8.26.10 @ 9:24PM

After which we all sing >>>>>REVOLUTION!

Norman Conquest| 8.26.10 @ 1:33PM

Classic rock is for those who have no taste in music.

Kenneth E. MacAlister Jr.| 8.26.10 @ 4:39PM

This is probably the most truthful statement on this thread. The classic rock movement is close-minded to everything other than hits from the late '60s through the '70s from album oriented rock bands of the era. Most classic rock fans are totally ignorant of the very artists whose hits they listen to over & over again. For example, how many classic rock fans know the original version of Fleetwood Mac was an excellent electric blues band led by the great dual lead guitars of Peter Green & Danny Kirwan & slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer & backed up famous Chicago blues musicians like Otis Spann & Eddie Boyd on some of their late'60s releases? How many classic rock fans know Santana's most famous hit "Black Magic Woman" was originally a Fleetwood Mac song written by lead guitarist Peter Green? How many classic rock fans know Fleetwood Mac released fourteen albums before Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham joined the group in 1975? How many classic rock fans know Rod Stewart got his start singing in blues-rock combos like the original Jeff Beck Group? How many classic rock fans know Thin Lizzy recorded many other songs other than "The Boys Are Back In Town"? I could go on forever. Classic rock radio is a cancer to very music it claims to celebrate.

Quin| 8.27.10 @ 10:57AM

For the record, I did know most of that -- especially the Fleetwood Mac stuff. Whatever happened to Peter Green, though?

Kenneth E. MacAlister Jr.| 8.27.10 @ 5:03PM

Peter Green is still active & still playing blues-rock music Mr. Hillyer. Don't expect classis rock radio to tell you though. If you want to know the whole story of Peter Green's troubled life read the excellent book "Peter Green, Founder Of Fleetwood Mac" by Martin Celmins. Also Danny Kirwan was discovered living homeless in London & is now rehabilitating in a London half-way house for the homeless. Jeremy Spencer is recording blues albums again, but is still a member of the Children Of God cult. Mr. Hillyer, nothing personal, but call into your local classic rock radio station & ask them to play something from Fleetwood Mac's blues era featuring Peter Green & you will get one of the following ignorant responses:
1) Fleetwood Mac didn't exist until 1975.
2) Nobody wants to hear that stuff.
3) We don't have that material. We only have Buckingham-Nicks Fleetwood Mac music.
4) We have an approved list of Fleetwood Mac songs we can play & that song is not on the list.
Classic rock radio is indeed a cancer & is killing the very music it claims to honor through the endless, mindless repetitious playing of the same small handful of hits by each artist they play. Norman Conquest's post hit the nail right on the head. Classic rock is for those who have no taste in music.

BigDogJoeB| 8.26.10 @ 1:38PM

Trust the art, not the artist. There is simply too much good in Bruce to ignore his heart, even if his head is in the wrong place

somnolence| 8.26.10 @ 1:50PM

Place Chuck Berry's After School Session or Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited next to Born To Run then see which two I choose to listen to. To me, Springsteen, all in all has always been insufferable, including his mainly infantile-juvenile poesy. As Thoreau said, simplify, simplify. If I want to listen to real rock and roll, my windows media player is chock full of the honking saxophones of yesterday: Hal Singer, Big Jay McNeely, Red Prysock, Earl Bostic, and this is just a minimal list. There is rock and roll with its precedent rhythm and blues and then there is rock. I continue to listen avidly to the first two; after the deaths of Hendrix, Morrison, and Duane Allman I only occasionally purchase or listen to the latter. There is a marked difference between rock and roll and rock.

TiredOldBuckeye| 8.26.10 @ 1:52PM

Bruce is a twit, who worships at the altar of Bruce. The album is NOT the quintessential teen angst album, as many mistakenly believe, nor is the the title song. The best song on the album is "She's the One." Bob Seegers' "Night Moves" is the purest rock song, as far as gritty realism goes, followed by Tom Pettys' "American Girl." Even the equally goofy John Hoosier Melonhead has put out better stuff than Springsteen. Then of course its all a matter of opinion and we all know about opinions...

JimH| 8.26.10 @ 2:02PM

The obvious song for Tax Partyers is the Who's Don't Get Fooled Again

Ammo Guy| 8.26.10 @ 2:19PM

Like Rush (who was born four days before me), I've been a rock aficionado since my teen years despite my distaste for the politics of those who make the music. Being a Jersey lad myself, I've always had a soft spot for Springsteen who has given me some of the best concert experiences I've ever had. In August 1975, I saw the Boss at Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom in Atlanta and was so blown away by the 2+ hour performance that I went back the next night for another round - something I normally never do. It was about a week after his historic shows at the Bottom Line and about a week before the release of the album which was followed by his appearances on the covers of Time and Newsweak. He played all the songs from the album which I had never heard, but I knew he was onto something. His lyrics got me thru my dating years: who else would write "you ain't a beauty, but hey you're all right"? What I loved about Bruce back then was that he was living the rock and roll dream without any pretense or ego; a friend of mine at the time was a concert promoter and he told me that Springsteen had fewer backstage "demands" of any artist he knew - all he wanted was an audience and a place to play. Thereafter, I've seen him perform all over the world from the smallest of venues to the Olympic Stadium in Munich. On stage he remains much the same and mostly just plays music without a lot of advocacy, except for local food kitchens and Vietnam veterans. OTOH, I guess four decades of adulation from fans and association with the swells from Hollywood will adversely affect any man. He's no Tom Waits, but who is?

DJA| 8.26.10 @ 2:34PM

Bruce had a few good songs. But he's a POS! Get the hell out of America, you liberal scum-bag!

Bobby Dale| 8.26.10 @ 3:38PM

Just like the big (old) banks of Wall Street, Springsteen and his generation of musicians gobble up all of the cash by continuing to tour, past their expiration date, leaving only crumbs for the younger generation.
Born to Run was a very good album, but there have been better ones. People west of Philadelphia are not as enamored with it as those between Philly and the Hamptons.

Cpm| 8.26.10 @ 3:40PM

Born to Run was launched with almost simultaneous cover stories in Time and Newsweak. Until then I had never heard of him. I agree it is a great album, pretty much the last one before he became political, but I also agree that it wasn't the best of that year. I don't know anybody who plays Springsteen anymore, nor can I remember in what year was the last time I listened to one of his songs.

dw| 8.26.10 @ 3:47PM

He is way over rated for both his music and his brains. You can not seperate his music from his views. His lyrics can not help but reflect his politics and the acceptance and support of it serves to further the ongoing reinforcement of liberalism, especially to the mind numb among us.

WTF Guy| 8.26.10 @ 9:32PM

He kept his mouth shut up until the mid 90's at which point he turned into chatty-friggin-kathy. Man-o-Man he'd flap his gums at every chance.

Quin| 8.27.10 @ 11:05AM

He's actually a thoughtful guy. I once read a long interview with him focused exclusively on his admiration for Walker Percy's writings. (Percy, not a particularly political being, is still clearly more "right" than "left" and is claimed by faithful Catholics as one of their greatest.) I also have heard numerous stories attesting to Springsteen's generosity and sincerity. And, while a lefty, he is an old-fashioned, Hubert Humphrey type of lefty who deeply loves his country. He may not like those who run the government sometimes, but he loves his country. Witness his utterly from-the-heart response to 9/11, among other examples. Conservatives are the ones who are supposed to say that NOT everything is political, while the lefties wrongly insist that everything personal is also political. In that light, as a conservative, I think it behooves us to separate Springsteen's politics and some of his other unlikeable traits from his music and some of his other admirable qualities.

dw| 8.27.10 @ 12:30PM

Obama claims to love America even while he destroys it. By your reasoning we need to play some sort of game of nuancing and parsing peoples intents even as they conspire to ruin our country. Some may not do it consciously but never the less done it is.
At this time I believe we can no longer give any quarter to the left. Giving them any amount of credibility at all has contributed to the erosion of our values and the installation of a communist as POTUS.

Kenneth E. MacAlister Jr.| 8.26.10 @ 3:47PM

The greatest rock 'n' roll album of all time. Right. Springsteen is right up there with Billy Joel as an instant cure for insomnia. Boring, bloated, overrated, & downright pompous. Declaring "Born To Run" as the best rock 'n' roll album of all time over the great works of early Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Chuck Berry, etc. is insane. Rock 'n' roll is supposed to be fun & energetic, not preachy & plodding. Sorry Mr. Hillyer. Even if you remove his personal politics Springsteen is still overrated & a pompous blowhard. I'll stick with the pioneers of the music. They knew how to entertain. Something sorely lacking in most music from the late '60s onward.

PittsburghPete| 8.26.10 @ 3:48PM

Bruce took the I IV V chord progressions of the 50's and 60's and added some suspends and variations of minor chords to create his 'optimistic desperation' sound. All on his own. He never went to music school. Never had a mentor. He got a guitar and went out and found how top play it.
Just like the pioneers of the blues and rock-and-roll before, everyone of those notes came straight from the edge of the bed, nowhere else.
The six shooter symbolized the freedom and recklesness of the primitive west. Bruce and his six string, like others, created an endless wilderness of unbridled freedom and abandon.
There's a reason both the electric guitar and rock and roll were created in America.

Redstateboy| 8.26.10 @ 4:08PM

Naa, Naa, Naa... I got two words for the "Boss"
"Dixie Chicks" I'm sorry but I ain't contribute'n a Penny to No "Star" who holds and Advocates believes that are destructive to the Country I love so dearly. Ya hear that Afleck? Penn? Damon? DiCaprio? Baldwin? and You Springsteen.. I'll hum your tunes but I ain't stink'n Cd of your'n.

gearjammer| 8.27.10 @ 9:06AM

You get it.

Redstateboy| 8.26.10 @ 4:33PM

uh....... that'd be... "I ain't buy'n a stink'n Cd of your'n."

Albert| 8.26.10 @ 5:49PM

I didn't like Bruce S. even before I heard his politics. His voice grates on my ears and his lyrics and music are insufferable.

WTF Guy| 8.26.10 @ 9:33PM

You gotta admit Tunnel of Love is exceptionable.

BiLl HuSsein O'StaLin| 8.26.10 @ 6:55PM

Personally, I wish he would drop dead.

albert constantine, jr.| 8.26.10 @ 8:51PM

I was in the audience of Springsteen's performance at the Spectrum in Philadelphia the night John Lennon was shot (River album tour). I loved the music, but I've never been able to stomach the man's politics. Despite many fans in blue, his song lyrics have always revealed he disliked cops long before "41 Shots". He only likes veterans (and just about anyone else) as victims, and I can hardly think of a song since Rosalita with a happy ending that includes any form of capitalist success (the record company, baby, just gave me a big advance). As far as BTR, I think "Thunder Road" is superior (primarily due to its homage to Roy Orbison), though most of the tunes listed by Mr. Hilyer are quite adequate. Despite my contempt for the Boss as a pundit and a fellow traveller, I still have my favorites, though ("Point Blank" from "The River" and "Downbound Train" from "Born in the USA").

Yosemeti Sam| 8.27.10 @ 12:31AM

Andrés Segovia - a genuine MAN with a guitar!

The melodies from his instrument permutate with each replay in terms of mental reverie evocations.

This S character is a strummer - plain and simple!

Same ole, same ole.

IMO.

MoeBlotz| 8.27.10 @ 12:34AM

So did "The Boss" help set the stage for Ronald Reagan's presidency?

Cpm| 8.27.10 @ 12:02PM

The 1984 Reagan campaign used "Born in the USA" as a tune at rallies until Bruce's liberal friends told him about it and he told them to stop.

PCC| 8.27.10 @ 6:19AM

Studies have shown conclusively that "best album ever" and "most awesome performer" opinions are directly related to the age of the opinionater, i.e., when he or she was 18 years old (or some such).

I wonder how old Quin was in 1975?

Ken Thompson| 8.27.10 @ 10:43AM

I can't believe you guys mentioned Tom Petty! Come on, the guy can't sing! It's just moaning and groaning. It's not that he can't hit the high notes-- he can't hit any notes at all! Now if he would re-record all his songs with somebody who can actually sing.......

When any person learns to play a guitar and sing, to the point of selling CDs and concert tickets, and that money is his sole income--that's pure raw capitalism. He's not relying on government. He's using his own talents and abilities to make money, to make his way in the world.
So, if he's going to attack capitalism, he's really attacking his own source of income and his own philosophy. He needs to get rid of every guitar and piano and never play again, destroy all his CDs, and get a job as a clerk in the DMV. That way he will be putting his money where his mouth is. He should practice what he preaches.
Yes, I've got Born To Run and Greetings from Asbury Park and a few other CD's. I really like Rosalita and Spirits in the Night, and his modern era song One Step Up.
But Springsteen is just like all the other hypocritical liberals who could be described as "do what I say, not what I do." So many of them make huge amounts of money through capitalism, and then turn around and attack capitalism. If they were true to their word, all the liberal movie stars should pack up and leave Hollywood and never make another movie. All the liberal rock stars should never make another recording. Kerry, Pelosi, Reid, the Kennedy's, and all the other liberal politicians should give up their hundreds of millions of dollars and live in a trailer.

12-String Infidel| 8.27.10 @ 10:45AM

"Born To Run" was not even the best album of 1975.
The two that I had in constant rotation were "Johnathan Richman & The Modern Lovers" first LP and The Flamin' Groovies "Shake Some Action". I also dig Creme Soda's "Tricky Zingers" and the great "Relatively Clean Rivers" album.

Manya Shochet| 8.27.10 @ 11:12AM

"Best"? Most attempts to quantify "best" in music tend to deteriorate into nitpicking that does not help me decide what to listen to. "Iconic" might be a better term.

12-String Infidel--I love Jonathan Richman's first album, but it's awfully marginal to make any "best album of--" list.

I remember "Born to Run", which I actually initially checked out of the public library, hit me like a ton of bricks in my sophomore year , and it still bears listening. Zevon has worn better though, as has Bob Seger.

funkfortynine| 8.28.10 @ 10:30AM

I stopped listening to rock music 25 years ago but I did listen to Bruce's first albums. Last year my sister called and said she had tickets to Bruce. I had never seen him. The guy next to me had seen him 40 times. I said I wanted to hear him play "Promised Land". He said "oh, he NEVER plays that in concert". Guess what? He played em all, "Jungleland" "Badlands" and "Promised Land". It was awesome.

Alleykid| 8.28.10 @ 12:08PM

I missed the initial Springsteen express. Finally caught on with Darkness At The Edge Of Town in '78. Very much liked The River and Nebraska, but Born In The USA became such a mega-hit that I began to lose interest. Tunnel Of Love had some good stuff, but nothing since then has done anything for me. Although I did like that tribute to Pete Seeger.

Alleykid| 8.29.10 @ 12:36AM

In '75 and '76 Todd Rundgren was the rocker that blasted on my 8 track.

Dave| 8.29.10 @ 6:53AM

Born to Run - Sgt. Pepper ...The Best of Tiffany? Who knows what the worlds most important and influential album is or ever ... was. Fact is, too many of 'em required a B.A. degree in Moon Bat Science in order to figure out what "the genius of the month" was try to say on that piece of whirling vinyl. To this day, I still don't have a clue as to who or what Brian Wilson was trying to connect with on that ill-fated Smiley Smile album he suckered The Beach Boys into recording. Thing is, I don't think they did either.

Today, I admit to being an old fud; longing for a more gentle and simpler time when the toughest music crisis you had to deal with was seeing how many spins of Little Richard you could manage on your portable turntable before ol' mom finally figured out that Tutti-Frutti wasn't one of the 31 flavors.

Sigh!

Patrick Shanahan| 8.29.10 @ 10:44PM

I'm sorry. Have you assumed my personality?

Jungleland may well be the single best "rock" song ever written. It is a poem fit perfectly to place and time. Excpet that "the poets down her don't write nuthin' at all, they just sit back and let it all be?"

Mr. Burke, your muse has arrived.

Ken Royall| 8.30.10 @ 1:01AM

One of the most overrated artists in musical history.

Ken Royall| 8.30.10 @ 1:04AM

There are plenty of political undertones on the Born to Run LP if you listen for them. In fact his entire catalog seems to stress the hopelessness of working class people to get anywhere in life, the unfairness of it all. Class warfare CRAP, all of it.

Occam's Tool| 8.30.10 @ 2:36AM

And, of course, Bruce "Libtard" Springsteen is definitely outrocked by the Detroit City Madman and ace bowhunter, who is also A Great American Hero. I am speaking, of course, about THE NUGE!

Occam's Tool| 8.30.10 @ 2:36AM

And, of course, Bruce "Libtard" Springsteen is definitely outrocked by the Detroit City Madman and ace bowhunter, who is also A Great American Hero. I am speaking, of course, about THE NUGE!

TKP| 9.1.10 @ 8:41AM

Never a huge Bruce fan, more of a Billy Joel guy for balads, and the Who for kick A rock - but appreciated some of his stuff, especially The Rising. Went to a concert with Wife and friends in NJ a few years ago, insufferable - Bruce is the epitome of , as Laura Ingrahm said :

"Just shut up and sing"