As a girl who grew up in rural Missouri, some of my notable memories involve a summer afternoon, a country road, Bruce Springsteen and a car radio.
When I first saw the trailer for his biopic, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” I was hit with a load of nostalgia, and decided to rediscover some songs I fell in love with years ago, and even discovered some new favorites. In honor of the film’s release on Oct. 24, here are 10 Springsteen songs I believe truly transcend time, but bear with me, I am a lover of the classics.
10. Born to Run
Lyric: “Together, Wendy, we can live with the sadness I’ll love you with all the madness in my soul/ Oh, 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 ’til then, tramps like us/Baby, we were born to run”
Much of Springsteen’s music captures what it feels like to be young and yearn for something more in life. The lyrics of “Born to Run” paint an inspiring instrumental picture of a young man who is willing to survive off the ambition of his soul.
9. Glory Days
Lyric: “Think I’m going down to the well tonight/And I’m gonna drink ’til I get my fill/And I hope when I get old, I don’t sit around thinking about it/But I probably will/Yeah, just sitting back/Trying to recapture a little of the glory of/Well, the time slips away/Leaves you with nothing, mister, but boring stories of Glory days”
Springsteen embodies every bit of small-town nostalgia with “Glory Days.” This song was ironically played before every single one of my high school football team’s home games. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized the glory Springsteen sings about carries a bittersweet reminiscence of what it feels like to be young and carefree.
Being carefree used to be.
8. Hungry Heart
Lyric: “Everybody needs a place to rest/Everybody wants to have a home/Don’t make no difference what nobody says/Ain’t nobody like to be alone”
“Hungry Heart” portrays the tale of an unsatisfied man who leaves his wife and kids in search of something more. This song was one of the first major hits and is an addicting, upbeat explanation of male selfishness.
7. My Hometown
Lyric: “Last night me and Kate we laid in bed/Talking about getting out/Packing up our bags, maybe heading south/I’m thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now/Last night I sat him up behind the wheel/And said, “Son, take a good look around/This is your hometown”
“My Hometown” allows listeners to see Springsteen’s life in his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey through his eyes. He begins by telling a story of the pride his father instilled in him when he was young, but goes on to explain how his opinion of Freehold changed as he grew older and began to understand the racial issues and economic depression he witnessed. When he grows up and has a son of his own, he plans to leave-but not before showing his child where he came from.
6. Born in the U.S.A.
Lyric: “Born down in a dead man’s town/The first kick I took was when I hit the ground/End up like a dog that’s been beat too much/’Til you spend half your life just coverin’ up, now”
It seems as though the 4th of July is almost baked into “Born in the U.S.A.,” but the lyrics tell a different story. Springsteen writes from the point of view of a Vietnam War veteran who was drafted when he was very young, and comes home only to be abandoned by his country. Another notable lyric of this song is “I’m ten years burnin’ down the road/Nowhere to run, ain’t got nowhere to go.” This song exposes how Americans stand behind soldiers during times or war, but abandon them when the battle follows them home.
5. Dancing in the Dark
Lyric: “I check my look in the mirror/Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face/Man, I ain’t gettin’ nowhere/I’m just livin’ in a dump like this/There’s somethin’ happenin’ somewhere/Baby, I just know that there is”
Springsteen personifies the desperate need for better and deeper outcomes in “Dancing In the Dark.” This song is Springsteen’s most well-known and was written after pressure from his manager to produce a hit on his album “Born in the U.S.A.”
4. Badlands
Lyric: “Poor man wanna be rich/Rich man wanna be king/And a king ain’t satisfied/’Til he rules everything/I wanna go out tonight/I wanna find out what I got”
“Badlands” can be interpreted as motivation to overcome obstacles and take control of your life and future. In this lyric, Springsteen makes a point that even the most powerful are never satisfied, but you can be.
3. I’m On Fire
Lyric: “Sometimes it’s like someone took a knife, baby, edgy and dull
And cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skull/At night, I wake up with the sheets soakin’ wet/ And a freight train runnin’ through the middle of my head.”
“I’m On Fire” tells a story full of angst and desire. Springsteen sings about a man who wants a love he cannot have, and the reason is up to interpretation. The song only has two verses, and is almost written like a high-tension poem. Much of the story is left perfectly unsaid, but I think that is what makes the song great.
2. Reason to Believe
Lyric: “Struck me kinda funny/Funny yeah, indeed/How at the end of every hard-earned day/People find some reason to believe”
Springsteen’s “Reason to Believe” was featured on the album “Nebraska,” the record “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” is centered around. The song tells a dark story of the hardships people face and the faith that keeps them going. Similar to “Dancing in the Dark,” the contrasting tone and uplifting message somehow convince you to regain confidence that there is a light at the end of every tunnel.
1 . Atlantic City
Lyric: “Well baby, everything dies, that’s a fact/But maybe everything that dies someday comes back/Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty/And meet me tonight in Atlantic City”
“Atlantic City” is another great artwork from Springsteen’s 1982 album “Nebraska.” In the song he tells the story of a young gambler who is no stranger to bad decisions and driven by the need to hold onto the women he loves. The song tells a story of hope and rebirth. The end is up to interpretation, but I like to think the young couple makes it out okay somehow.
Conclusion
Springsteen tells stories through his music in a way that is undoubtedly original to himself. There is truly a burst of nostalgia and melancholy in every song.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” is out now.