Charting Bruce Springsteen’s career from scrappy Dylanesque folksinger to “rock ‘n’ roll[‘s] future” to one of the biggest artists on the planet means sifting through a catalog of records that evolved almost every step of the way while still united by common lyrical and musical themes.
It was there from the start, on his 1973 debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., and it was there as he began to build his legend two years later on the epochal Born to Run. It remained there through various ups (Born in the U.S.A.) and downs (Human Touch) and more ups (The Rising), as you’ll see in our list of the Best Song From Every Bruce Springsteen Album.
The music sometimes changed – the twisted wordiness found on the debut gave way to more concise storytelling on albums like The River and Nebraska, and the early acoustic songs became full-fledged E Street Band rave-ups later on. So did his outlook. The restless characters who wanted nothing more than to escape their dead-end towns and jobs settled into more responsible adults on The River, even when those grown-up commitments stung (Springsteen’s troubled marriage is all over 1987’s Tunnel of Love).
He also grew into a more political songwriter over the years, as the idealistic young man of the ’70s found a voice for his working-class heroes on albums like Born in the U.S.A., The Ghost of Tom Joad and Wrecking Ball. Most remarkably, through it all he remained one of rock’s most essential and relevant artists, as you’ll see in the below list of the Best Song From Every Bruce Springsteen Album.
‘Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.’ (1973): “Lost in the Flood”
The second-longest song, and Side One closer, on Springsteen’s debut is one of his first character-driven epics and a sign of things to come. ‘Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.’ is kind of a ragged introduction, mixing Dylanesque flights of surrealist folk with more earnest attempts at contemporary songwriting. “Lost in the Flood” contains a little of both. There’s no guitar on the song, and the lyrics may or may not be about a fractured Vietnam veteran, but Springsteen sings it with such conviction and sense of desolation that it hardly matters.
‘The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle’ (1973): “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”
Springsteen was still searching for a voice when his second album came out 10 months after his debut. Unlike that first record, which was mostly filled with acoustic folk songs influenced by Bob Dylan, ‘The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle’ is ass-shaking rock ‘n’ roll that shines a brighter spotlight on the evolving E Street Band. “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” is the sweaty highlight, seven restless minutes of horny wordplay, blaring saxophones and ringing guitars. It quickly became a cornerstone of the band’s live shows.
‘Born to Run’ (1975): “Born to Run”
‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ (1978): “Badlands”
After his breakthrough with 1975’s ‘Born to Run,’ Springsteen took three long years (an eternity back in the ’70s) to get another record in shops. Part of this had to do with a lawsuit involving his former manager. During the downtime, Springsteen recorded dozens of songs for his fourth album, which he eventually whittled down to the 10 found on ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town.’ The LP kicks off with “Badlands,” all rolling drums and sense of purpose that introduced a leaner and tougher Springsteen. The album’s themes link the chain between the idealistic ‘Born to Run’ and the grown-up ‘The River.’ ‘Badlands’ is the perfect intro – lyrically, musically and thematically – to what may be Springsteen’s most consistent album.
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