View source for Bruce Springsteen

{{Short description|American rock musician (born 1949)}}
{{Redirect|Springsteen}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Bruce Springsteen
| image              = Bruce Springsteen Springsteen-79.jpg
| caption            = Springsteen in 2025
| alt                = Bruce Springsteen at the 2025 New York Film Festival
| birth_name         = <!--Leave this blank as he does not use a stage name, per the rules -->
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1949|9|23}}
| birth_place        = [[Long Branch, New Jersey]], U.S.<!-- Note that he was born in a hospital in LONG BRANCH but was raised in FREEHOLD -->
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Singer
* songwriter
* musician
}}
| spouse             = {{plain list|
* {{marriage|[[Julianne Phillips]]<br />|1985|1989|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Patti Scialfa]]<br />|1991}}
}}
| children           = 3, including [[Jessica Springsteen|Jessica]]
| relatives          = [[Pamela Springsteen]] (sister)
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Bruce Springsteen|Full list]]
| website            = {{URL|brucespringsteen.net}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed           = yes
| instrument      = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
* harmonica
}}<!--- If you think an instrument should be listed, a discussion to reach consensus is needed first per: Template:Infobox_musical_artist#instrument--->
| genre           = {{flat list|
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
* [[heartland rock]]
* [[folk music|folk]]
* [[pop rock]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/pop-rock |title=Pop Rock Music Guide: A Brief History of Pop Rock |website=Masterclass |date=February 8, 2022 |access-date=July 14, 2023 |archive-date=October 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231002142415/https://www.masterclass.com/articles/pop-rock |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
| works           = {{flatlist|
* [[Bruce Springsteen discography|Discography]]
* [[List of songs recorded by Bruce Springsteen|songs]]
}}
| years_active    = 1964–present
| label           = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| current_member_of = [[E Street Band]]
| past_member_of  = {{flatlist|
* [[The Castiles]]
* [[Steel Mill]]
}}
}}
| signature          = Bruce Springsteen sig.svg
}}

'''Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen''' (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.<!-- Kindly do not put "podcaster" in that list. It violates WP:UNDUE. --> Nicknamed "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music#S|the Boss]]", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature the [[E Street Band]], his backing band since 1972. Springsteen is a pioneer of [[heartland rock]], combining commercially successful rock with poetic, socially conscious lyrics that reflect [[Working class in the United States|working class American life]]. He is known for his energetic concerts, some of which last more than four hours.

Springsteen released his first two albums, ''[[Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.]]'' and ''[[The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle]]'', in 1973. Although both were well received by critics, neither earned him a large audience. He changed his style and achieved worldwide popularity with ''[[Born to Run]]'' (1975). Springsteen followed with ''[[Darkness on the Edge of Town]]'' (1978) and ''[[The River (Bruce Springsteen album)|The River]]'' (1980), Springsteen's first album to top the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart. After the solo acoustic album ''[[Nebraska (album)|Nebraska]]'' (1982), he recorded ''[[Born in the U.S.A.]]'' (1984) with the E Street Band, which became his most commercially successful album and the [[List of best-selling albums|23rd-best selling album ever]] as of 2024. All seven singles from ''Born in the U.S.A.'' reached the Top 10 of the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], including the [[Born in the U.S.A. (song)|title track]]. Springsteen mostly hired session musicians for the recording of his next three albums, ''[[Tunnel of Love (album)|Tunnel of Love]]'' (1987), ''[[Human Touch]]'' (1992), and ''[[Lucky Town]]'' (1992). He reassembled the E Street Band for ''[[Greatest Hits (Bruce Springsteen album)|Greatest Hits]]'' (1995), and recorded the acoustic album ''[[The Ghost of Tom Joad]]'' (1995) and the EP ''[[Blood Brothers (EP)|Blood Brothers]]'' (1996) solo.

Springsteen then released ''[[The Rising (album)|The Rising]]'' (2002), which was dedicated to the victims of the [[September 11 attacks]]. He released two more folk albums, ''[[Devils & Dust]]'' (2005) and ''[[We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions]]'' (2006), his first cover album. Springsteen followed with two more albums with the E Street Band, ''[[Magic (Bruce Springsteen album)|Magic]]'' (2007) and ''[[Working on a Dream]]'' (2009). His next albums, ''[[Wrecking Ball (Bruce Springsteen album)|Wrecking Ball]]'' (2012) and ''[[High Hopes (album)|High Hopes]]'' (2014), topped album charts worldwide. In 2017, 2018 and 2021, Springsteen performed the critically acclaimed show ''[[Springsteen on Broadway]]'', in which he performed songs and told stories from [[Born to Run (autobiography)|his 2016 autobiography]]; an [[Springsteen on Broadway (album)|album version]] from the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] performances was released in 2018. He released the solo album ''[[Western Stars]]'' in 2019, ''[[Letter to You]]'' with the E Street Band in 2020, and a solo covers album entitled ''[[Only the Strong Survive (Bruce Springsteen album)|Only the Strong Survive]]'' in 2022. ''Letter to You'' reached No. 2 in the US, making Springsteen the first artist to release a top-five album in six consecutive decades.

A prominent musician from the [[album era]], Springsteen has sold more than 140 million records worldwide, making him one of the [[best-selling music artists of all time]]. [[List of awards and nominations received by Bruce Springsteen|His accolades]] include 20 [[Grammy Award]]s, two [[Golden Globe]]s, an [[Academy Award]], and a [[Special Tony Award]]. He was inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] and the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1999, received the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] in 2009, was named [[MusiCares]] person of the year in 2013, and was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 2016 and the [[National Medal of Arts]] in 2023. In 2010, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Springsteen 23rd on its list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|100 Greatest Artists of All Time]]", describing him as "the embodiment of rock and roll". In 2025, Springsteen became one of only five artists to gross over $2.3 billion in touring thanks to his [[Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour|2023-2025 Tour]] with the E Street Band.

==Early life and education==
[[File:Freehold High School.jpg|thumb|Springsteen attended [[Freehold High School]] in [[Freehold Borough, New Jersey]], where a former teacher described him as a "loner who wanted nothing more than to play his guitar". He graduated in 1967, but felt so alienated that he skipped his graduation ceremony.<ref name="Springsteen. Robert Hilburn 1985, p. 28">''Springsteen''. Robert Hilburn, 1985, p. 28.</ref>]]
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born at [[Monmouth Medical Center]] in [[Long Branch, New Jersey]], on September 23, 1949,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cross |first=Charles R. |title=Backstreets: Springsteen – the man and his music |publisher=Harmony Books |year=1992 |isbn=0-517-58929-X |page=40}}</ref> to Douglas Frederick "Dutch" Springsteen (1924–1998) and his wife, Adele Ann (née Zerilli; 1925–2024).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ew.com/bruce-springsteen-mourns-death-mother-adele-98-8557767 |title=Bruce Springsteen mourns death of mother Adele at 98, quotes song written for her |first=Shania |last=Russell |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=February 1, 2024 |accessdate=February 2, 2024 |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202003419/https://ew.com/bruce-springsteen-mourns-death-mother-adele-98-8557767 |url-status=live}}</ref> Springsteen's father<ref name="Douglas-obit-Asbury-Park-Press">{{Cite news |date=May 3, 1998 |title=Douglas Springsteen, father of rock star, Belmont, Calif. |language=en |page=36 |work=Asbury Park Press |location=Asbury Park, New Jersey |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/144343133/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030162436/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/144343133/ |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |quote=Douglas F. Springsteen, father of rock star Bruce Springsteen, died April 26 at home. He was 73. Mr. Springsteen was a former bus driver at San Francisco Airport and an Army veteran of World War II. He was a former communicant of St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Freehold, and graduated from its school in 1939. Born in Freehold, he lived there for most of his life before moving to California in 1969. |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Flynn |first=Fiona |date=May 27, 2016 |title=9 things you may not have known about Bruce Springsteen |url=https://entertainment.ie/music/9-things-you-may-not-have-known-about-bruce-springsteen-258657 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020155/https://entertainment.ie/music/9-things-you-may-not-have-known-about-bruce-springsteen-258657/ |archive-date=February 7, 2019 |access-date=February 6, 2019 |website=Entertainment.ie}}</ref> worked as a bus driver and other jobs.<ref name="Douglas-obit-Asbury-Park-Press" /> His father had mental health issues throughout his life, which worsened in his later life.<ref name="RS2">{{Cite magazine |last=Green |first=Andy |date=September 27, 2016 |title=Bruce Springsteen's Enthralling New Memoir: 10 Things We Learned |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteens-enthralling-new-memoir-10-things-we-learned-127609/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916235750/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteens-enthralling-new-memoir-10-things-we-learned-127609/ |archive-date=September 16, 2018}}</ref> His mother, who was originally from the [[Bay Ridge]] neighborhood of [[Brooklyn, New York]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=John |date=October 31, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen's mother was 'born to run' in Brooklyn |url=https://brooklynreporter.com/2019/10/bruce-springsteens-mother-was-born-to-run-in-brooklyn/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727044332/https://brooklynreporter.com/2019/10/bruce-springsteens-mother-was-born-to-run-in-brooklyn/ |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |website=[[Brooklyn Reporter]]}}</ref> worked as a legal secretary and was the family's main breadwinner.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Italian American Contributions |url=http://www.niaf.org/research/contribution.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520214950/https://www.niaf.org/research/contribution.asp |archive-date=May 20, 2013 |access-date=June 21, 2013 |publisher=National Italian American Foundation}}</ref> He is of Dutch, Irish, and Italian descent,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Springsteen visits his Irish ancestral roots as the E Street Band plays Dublin |url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/2023/05/07/bruce-springsteen-visits-irish-ancestral-roots-while-on-tour/70192031007/ |access-date=September 24, 2023 |website=Asbury Park Press |language=en-US |archive-date=March 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305105411/https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/2023/05/07/bruce-springsteen-visits-irish-ancestral-roots-while-on-tour/70192031007/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and grew up [[Catholic]] in [[Freehold Borough, New Jersey|Freehold, New Jersey]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2024/10/bruce-springsteen-says-people-are-still-calling-him-springstein.html|title=Bruce Springsteen says people are still calling him 'Springstein'|first=Amy |last=Kuperinsky|website=NJ.com|date=October 14, 2024}}</ref>

Springsteen's paternal ancestors were among the early Dutch families who, in the 17th century, settled in [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial-era America]], then part of the [[Dutch Republic]] known as [[New Netherland]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Luongo |first=Michael |date=November 21, 2019 |title=My Hometown: exploring Bruce Springsteen's New Jersey roots |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/nov/21/freehold-new-jersey-us-bruce-springsteen-hometown-tours |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307173108/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/nov/21/freehold-new-jersey-us-bruce-springsteen-hometown-tours |archive-date=March 7, 2020 |access-date=March 8, 2020 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> Springsteen's paternal ancestor, John Springsteen, was a [[Patriot (American Revolution)|patriot]] in the [[American Revolution]], which evolved into the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. The Springsteen surname originates in [[Groningen (province)|Groningen]], a province in the [[Netherlands]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 4, 2020 |title=Doris Day and Bruce Springsteen's Groningen Roots |url=https://northerntimes.nl/doris-day-and-bruce-springsteen-can-trace-their-roots-to-groningen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926092152/https://northerntimes.nl/doris-day-and-bruce-springsteen-can-trace-their-roots-to-groningen/ |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |access-date=October 4, 2020 |website=The Northern Times}}</ref> and is [[topographic name|topographic]], translating to "jump stone" and meaning a [[wikt:stepping stone|stepping stone]] used on unpaved streets or between two houses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celebrity Baby Names: Paul Stanley – Family Education |url=http://baby-names.familyeducation.com/celebrities/s/484 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309130003/http://baby-names.familyeducation.com/celebrities/s/484 |archive-date=March 9, 2016 |access-date=January 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='Springsteen: His Hometown' exhibit to open in Freehold Borough |date=July 30, 2019 |url=https://centraljersey.com/2019/07/30/springsteen-his-hometown-exhibit-to-open-sept-29/?amp |access-date=June 3, 2023 |archive-date=June 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603161226/https://centraljersey.com/2019/07/30/springsteen-his-hometown-exhibit-to-open-sept-29/?amp |url-status=live}}</ref> Springsteen's Italian maternal grandfather was born in [[Vico Equense]] and emigrated through [[Ellis Island]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=King |first=Carol |date=June 5, 2013 |title=Bruce Springsteen Falls In Love With Chocolate Guitar From Sicily |url=http://www.italymagazine.com/news/bruce-springsteen-falls-love-chocolate-guitar-sicily |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111182505/https://www.italymagazine.com/news/bruce-springsteen-falls-love-chocolate-guitar-sicily |archive-date=January 11, 2019 |access-date=January 11, 2019 |website=ITALY Magazine}}</ref> He arrived in the United States unable to read or write English, but went on to become a lawyer and impressed the young Springsteen as being "larger than life".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UXcArb4nT4 Bruce Springsteen accepts Ellis Island award with mother and aunts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519230131/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UXcArb4nT4 |date=May 19, 2021}}. Video. Published July 16, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2019.</ref>

Springsteen has two younger sisters, Virginia (born 1951) and [[Pamela Springsteen|Pamela]] (born {{circa}} 1962). Pamela Springsteen worked briefly as an actress and later as a photographer; she took photos for three Springsteen albums, ''[[Human Touch]]'', ''[[Lucky Town]]'', and ''[[The Ghost of Tom Joad]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pamela Springsteen Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/pamela-springsteen-mn0001801733/credits |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727051152/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/pamela-springsteen-mn0001801733/credits |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |access-date=March 8, 2020 |publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>

Springsteen attended the St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Freehold, where he was at odds with the nuns and rebelled against the strictures imposed upon him, though some of his later music reflected a Catholic ethos and included [[Irish Catholic]] hymns with a rock music twist.<ref name="glorydays">{{Cite book |last=Marsh |first=Dave |title=Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s |year=1987 |pages=88–89}}</ref> In 2012, Springsteen said that it was his Catholic upbringing rather than his political ideology that most influenced his music. He said his faith gave him a "very active spiritual life" but joked that this "made it very difficult sexually" and added "once a Catholic, always a Catholic".<ref name="RS2" /><ref>Editors, "Boss Talk", ''The Tablet,'' February 25, 2012.</ref> He grew up hearing fellow New Jersey singer [[Frank Sinatra]] on the radio, and became interested in being a musician by the age of seven after seeing [[Elvis Presley]]'s performances on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in 1956 and 1957. Soon after, his mother rented him a guitar from Mike Diehl's Music in Freehold for $6 a week and took a few weeks of guitar lessons, but quit after it failed to provide him with the instant gratification he desired.{{sfn|Statham|2013|pp=8–9}}

In ninth grade, Springsteen entered [[Freehold High School]], a public high school, but did not fit in there either. A former teacher said Springsteen was a "loner who wanted nothing more than to play his guitar". He graduated in 1967, but felt so alienated that he skipped his graduation ceremony.<ref name="Springsteen. Robert Hilburn 1985, p. 28"/> He briefly attended [[Ocean County College]], but dropped out.<ref name="glorydays" /> At age 19, Springsteen was [[Conscription in the United States|called for his draft physical]], but failed it because of a [[concussion]] he suffered in a motorcycle accident two years earlier combined with his behavior at induction, both of which reportedly made him unacceptable for [[military service]]. In failing his examination, Springsteen likely avoided service in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Loder |first=Kurt |date=December 6, 1984 |title=The Rolling Stone Interview: Bruce Springsteen |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/5933449 |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421085029/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/5933449 |archive-date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=March 21, 2010}}</ref> In 1969, when he was 20 years old, Springsteen's parents and sister Pamela moved to [[San Mateo, California]]; he and his sister Virginia, who was married and pregnant at the time, remained in Freehold.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 27, 1975 |title=The Backstreet Phantom of Rock |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,913583-4,00.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030110837/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,913583-4,00.html |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |access-date=October 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Gary |date=October 6, 2018 |title=Springsteen Pt. 1 – Freehold Days |url=https://michiganrockandrollegends.com/index.php/blog/262-springsteen-pt-1-freehold-days |access-date=October 27, 2020 |website=Michigan Rock and Roll Legends}}{{dead link|date=June 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wire Reports |date=May 2, 1998 |title=Douglas Springsteen; Father of Famed Singer |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-02-mn-45638-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030150116/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-02-mn-45638-story.html |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Chris |date=October 21, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen talks personal trilogy, John Wayne and 'Western Stars': The transcript |url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/10/21/bruce-springsteen-western-stars-mental-health-therapy-john-wayne-western-stars-transcript/3989703002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20191024212956/https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/10/21/bruce-springsteen-western-stars-mental-health-therapy-john-wayne-western-stars-transcript/3989703002/ |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |website=Asbury Park Press}}</ref>

==Career==
=== <span class="anchor" id="The Castiles"></span> 1964–1972: Early career ===
[[File:Stone Pony Asbury Park NJ1.jpg|thumb|[[The Stone Pony]], a live music club and bar in [[Asbury Park, New Jersey]], where Springsteen and other [[E Street Band]] members played regularly in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, Springsteen met his second and current wife, [[Patti Scialfa]], at the Stone Pony.]]
In 1964, Springsteen saw [[the Beatles]]' televised appearances on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''. Inspired, he bought his first guitar for $18.95 at the [[Western Auto]] appliance store.<ref name="Crandall" />{{sfn|Statham|2013|pp=12–13}} Thereafter, he started playing for audiences with a band called the Rogues at local venues, including [[Elks Lodge]] in Freehold.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|p=26}} Later that year, his mother took out a loan to buy him a $60 [[Kent (guitar)|Kent]] guitar, an act he later memorialized in his song "The Wish". In 1965, he went to the house of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in town. They helped him become the lead guitarist and subsequently one of the lead singers of [[the Castiles]], a band that recorded two original songs at a public recording studio in [[Brick Township]] and played a variety of venues, including [[Cafe Wha?]] in [[Greenwich Village]]. Marion Vinyard said she believed the young Springsteen when he promised he would make it big.{{sfn|Statham|2013|p=}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 17, 2002 |title=Musicians' best friends to be honored in Freehold |url=http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2002/0417/Front_page/003.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223191210/http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2002/0417/Front_page/003.html |archive-date=February 23, 2009 |access-date=June 9, 2012 |website=News Transcript |location=New Jersey}}</ref> In the late 1960s, Springsteen performed briefly in a [[power trio]] known as Earth, who played in various clubs in New Jersey and at a major show at the Hotel Diplomat in [[New York City]].{{sfn|Statham|2013|p=}}

From 1969 through early 1971, Springsteen performed with the band Child, which later changed its name to [[Steel Mill]] and included [[Danny Federici]], [[Vini Lopez]], [[Vinnie Roslin]], and later [[Steven Van Zandt]] and [[Robbin Thompson]]. Steel Mill performed at various [[Jersey Shore]] venues and also outside of New Jersey, in [[Richmond, Virginia]];<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 29, 1986 |title=The Boss Growing Up in Richmond |work=[[The Commonwealth Times]] |url=http://dig.library.vcu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/com/id/7779/rec/36 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112138/http://dig.library.vcu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/com/id/7779/rec/36 |archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> [[Nashville, Tennessee]]; and [[California]],{{sfn|Statham|2013|p=}} and gathered a cult following. In his January 1970 review of Steel Mill's show at [[The Matrix (club)|The Matrix]], music critic Philip Elwood wrote in the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' that he had "never been so overwhelmed by a totally unknown talent"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Comaratta |first=Len |date=March 3, 2012 |title=Dusting 'Em Off: Bruce Springsteen with Steel Mill – Live at the Matrix, San Francisco 1/13/70 |url=https://consequence.net/2012/03/dusting-em-off-bruce-springsteen-with-steel-mill-live-at-the-matrix-san-francisco-11370/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016023707/https://consequenceofsound.net/2012/03/dusting-em-off-bruce-springsteen-with-steel-mill-live-at-the-matrix-san-francisco-11370/ |archive-date=October 16, 2020 |access-date=October 14, 2020}}</ref> and called Steel Mill "the first big thing that's happened to [[Asbury Park]] since the good ship [[SS Morro Castle (1930)|''Morro Castle'']] burned to the waterline of that Jersey beach in '34".{{sfn|Statham|2013|p=}} Elwood praised the band's "cohesive musicality" and called Springsteen "a most impressive composer".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Elwood |first=Philip |date=January 14, 1970 |title=A Memorable Wet Night with the Steel Mill |work=San Francisco Examiner |url=https://pusabase.com/blog/2020/01/13/steel-mill-live-at-the-matrix-50th-anniversary-edition/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014045022/https://pusabase.com/blog/2020/01/13/steel-mill-live-at-the-matrix-50th-anniversary-edition/ |archive-date=October 14, 2020}}</ref> In [[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]], Steel Mill recorded three original Springsteen songs at Pacific Recording.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 22, 2020 |title=Kingdom of Days: February 22 |url=https://estreetshuffle.com/index.php/2020/02/22/kingdom-of-days-february-22/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101073311/https://estreetshuffle.com/index.php/2020/02/22/kingdom-of-days-february-22/ |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |website=E Street Shuffle |quote=("He's Guilty," "Goin' Back to Georgia," and "The Train Song")...This is only Bruce's second time in a recording studio.}}</ref>

{{quote box |align=left |width=25em |quote=This was different, shifted the lay of the land. Four guys, playing and singing, writing their own material. [...] Rock 'n' roll came to my house where there seemed to be no way out [...] and opened up a whole world of possibilities.
|source= —Springsteen on the [[cultural impact of the Beatles|impact of the Beatles]]<ref name="Crandall">{{Cite web |last=Crandall |first=Bill |date=February 6, 2014 |title=10 musicians who saw the Beatles standing there |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-musicians-who-saw-the-beatles-standing-there/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420144355/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-musicians-who-saw-the-beatles-standing-there/ |archive-date=April 20, 2020 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |publisher=CBS News}}</ref>}}
As Springsteen sought to shape a unique and genuine musical and lyrical style, he performed with the bands Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom from early-to-mid-1971, the Sundance Blues Band in mid-1971, and the Bruce Springsteen Band from mid-1971 to mid-1972.<ref>{{cite book|last=Santelli|first = Robert| date = September 28, 2006| title = Greetings From E Street: The Story of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band| publisher = Chronicle Books| isbn = 0-8118-5348-9}}</ref> His songwriting ability included, as his future record label described it in early publicity campaigns, "more words in some individual songs than other artists had in whole albums". He brought his skills to the attention of several people who went on to prove influential to his career development, including managers [[Mike Appel]] and Jim Cretecos, who in turn brought him to the attention of [[John Hammond (record producer)|John Hammond]], a talent scout at [[Columbia Records]]. In May 1972, Springsteen auditioned for Hammond.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lifton |first=Dave |title=Revisiting Bruce Springsteen's Columbia Records Audition |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-auditioned-for-columbia-records-40-years-ago-this-month/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507213653/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-auditioned-for-columbia-records-40-years-ago-this-month/ |archive-date=May 7, 2019 |access-date=August 6, 2019 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=May 2, 2015}}</ref>

In October 1972, Springsteen formed a new band for the recording of his debut album, ''[[Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.]]'' The band eventually became known as the [[E Street Band]], although the name was not used until September 1974.<ref name="rs-esb">{{Cite magazine |last=Fricke |first=David |author-link=David Fricke |date=January 21, 2009 |title=The Band on Bruce: Their Springsteen |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/25556603/the_band_on_bruce_their_springsteen/print |url-status=dead |access-date=February 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401080648/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/25556603/the_band_on_bruce_their_springsteen |archive-date=April 1, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Springsteen Bands: from Rogues to E Street Band, passing from Castiles and Steel Mill |url=http://www.brucespringsteen.it/e_streetx.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193948/http://www.brucespringsteen.it/e_streetx.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |publisher=brucespringsteen.it}}</ref> Springsteen acquired the nickname "the Boss" during this period, since he took on the task of collecting his band's nightly pay and distributing it among his bandmates.<ref name="bbc-nicknames">{{Cite news |last=Brett |first=Oliver |date=January 15, 2009 |title=What's in a nickname? |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7829013.stm |url-status=live |access-date=January 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118223753/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7829013.stm |archive-date=January 18, 2009}}</ref> The nickname also reportedly sprang from games of ''[[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]'', which Springsteen played with other Jersey Shore musicians.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Marchand |first=Francois |date=November 29, 2012 |title=Review: Bruce Springsteen rocks like a boss in Vancouver |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/Review+Bruce+Springsteen+rocks+like+boss+Vancouver/7612975/story.html |url-status=dead |access-date=September 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830170940/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Review%20Bruce%20Springsteen%20rocks%20like%20boss%20Vancouver/7612975/story.html |archive-date=August 30, 2017}}</ref>

===1972–1974: Initial struggle===
Springsteen was signed to [[Columbia Records]] in 1972 by John Hammond, who had signed [[Bob Dylan]] to the same label a decade earlier. His debut album, ''[[Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.]]'', was released in January 1973, establishing him as a critical favorite.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bangs |first=Lester |author-link=Lester Bangs |date=July 5, 1973 |title=Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/107193/greetings_from_asbury_park_nj |url-status=dead |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919090512/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/107193/greetings_from_asbury_park_nj |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |access-date=March 21, 2010}}</ref> Because of Springsteen's lyrical poeticism and [[folk rock]]-rooted music exemplified on tracks like "[[Blinded by the Light]]" and "[[For You (Bruce Springsteen song)|For You]]", and his connection with Hammond and Columbia Records, critics initially compared Springsteen to [[Bob Dylan]]. "He sings with a freshness and urgency I haven't heard since I was rocked by '[[Like a Rolling Stone]]'", ''[[Crawdaddy (magazine)|Crawdaddy]]'' magazine editor [[Peter Knobler]] wrote in a March 1973 profile of Springsteen's that included photographs taken by [[Ed Gallucci]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ed Gallucci Photography |url=http://www.edgallucciphotography.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140111052624/http://www.edgallucciphotography.com/ |archive-date=January 11, 2014 |access-date=March 17, 2014 |publisher=Ed Gallucci Photography}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=''Glory Days: A Bruce Springsteen Symposium''. Monmouth University |url=http://www.usi.edu/glory-days/agenda-events |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402155345/http://www.usi.edu/glory-days/agenda-events |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=March 17, 2014 |publisher=Usi.edu}}</ref> Knobler is the journalist who discovered Springsteen in the rock press.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 August 2012 |title=GLORY DAYS: A BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SYMPOSIUM |url=https://www.monmouth.edu/news/glory-days-a-bruce-springsteen-symposium/ |website=Monmouth University|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811090434/https://www.monmouth.edu/news/glory-days-a-bruce-springsteen-symposium/ |archive-date=11 August 2020 |access-date=26 October 2025}}</ref> ''Crawdaddy'' was an early champion of Springsteen; Knobler profiled him in the magazine three times, in 1973, 1975, and 1978.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 2, 2009 |title=History of ''Crawdaddy'' |url=http://beatpatrol.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/peter-knobler-crawdaddy-2008/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805210655/http://beatpatrol.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/peter-knobler-crawdaddy-2008/ |archive-date=August 5, 2009 |access-date=March 21, 2010 |publisher=crawdaddy.com}}</ref> In June 1976, Springsteen and the E Street Band acknowledged the magazine's support by giving a private performance at the magazine's 10th Anniversary Party in New York City.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rockwell |first=John |date=May 9, 1976 |title=''Crawdaddy'' Party Mirrors Magazine |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/09/archives/crawdaddy-party-mirrors-magazine.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102065905/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40C15F93C5B167493CBA9178DD85F428785F9 |archive-date=November 2, 2012}}</ref>

Springsteen's second album, ''[[The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle]]'', was released in November 1973, eleven months after ''Greetings from Asbury Park''. Like Springsteen's inaugural album, ''The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle'' was met with critical acclaim but limited commercial success. Springsteen's songs became grander in form and scope with the E Street Band providing a less folksy, more [[rhythm and blues]] vibe, and lyrics that romanticized teenage street life. "[[4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)]]" and "Incident on 57th Street" became fan favorites, while "[[Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)]]" continues to rank among Springsteen's most beloved concert numbers. "Rosalita" is the ninth-most played song in Springsteen's concert catalog; as of June 2020, he has played it live 809 times.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lifton |first=Dave |date=June 4, 2020 |title=Which Songs Has Bruce Springsteen Played The Most In Concert? |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-most-played-songs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112040826/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-most-played-songs/ |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=UltimateClassicRock.com}}</ref>

In February 1974, [[the Stone Pony]], a music venue and bar, opened on Ocean Avenue in [[Asbury Park]], and Springsteen played there regularly. Several years later, in the early 1980s, prior to the start of the [[Born in the U.S.A. Tour]] in June 1984, Springsteen also met his second and current wife [[Patti Scialfa]] at the Stone Pony during her performance there. A regular venue for Springsteen, [[Jon Bon Jovi]], [[Southside Johnny]], and other acts from the area, the Stone Pony has since been described as "an integral part of music history for decades."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/17/nyregion/stone-pony-asbury-park-nj.html "How a legendary club rode the ups and downs of the Jersey Shore's most rocking town"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 17, 2019</ref>

After seeing Springsteen's performance at the Harvard Square Theater in 1974, music critic [[Jon Landau]] wrote that he "saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Landau |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Landau |date=May 22, 1974 |title=Growing Young With Rock and Roll |work=[[The Real Paper]] |url=https://ew.com/ew/article/0,,20057685_20057687_20152218,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=March 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116052323/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C20057685_20057687_20152218%2C00.html |archive-date=January 16, 2010}}</ref> Springsteen met Landau in Boston a month prior and the two became close friends;{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=178–179}}{{sfn|Dolan|2012|pp=104–105}} Landau subsequently became the co-producer of Springsteen's next album, ''[[Born to Run]]'', in February 1975.{{sfn|Marsh|1981|p=146}}{{sfn|Masur|2010|p=54}} As Springsteen's last-ditch effort at a commercially viable record, Springsteen became bogged down in the recording process while striving for a "[[Wall of Sound]]" production.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=86–89}} When his manager, [[Mike Appel]], orchestrated the release of an early mix of "[[Born to Run (song)|Born to Run]]" to nearly a dozen radio stations, anticipation built toward the album's release.{{sfn|Masur|2010|p=48}}

The album took over 14 months to record, with six months spent recording "Born to Run" alone.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=71–72}} E Street Band members David Sancious and Ernest Carter departed after "Born to Run" was completed, and were replaced by [[Roy Bittan]] and [[Max Weinberg]] on piano and drums, respectively.{{sfn|Gaar|2016|p=50}}{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=182–184}} Springsteen battled with anger and frustration throughout the sessions, saying he heard "sounds in [his] head" that he could not explain to the others in the studio.<ref name="week">{{cite web |last=Moss |first=Charles |url=https://theweek.com/articles/569558/born-run-40-short-history-album-that-turned-bruce-springsteen-into-americas-biggest-rock-star |title=Born to Run at 40: A short history of the album that turned Bruce Springsteen into America's biggest rock star |work=[[The Week]] |date=August 24, 2015 |access-date=June 19, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316033829/http://theweek.com/articles/569558/born-run-40-short-history-album-that-turned-bruce-springsteen-into-americas-biggest-rock-star |archive-date=March 16, 2017}}</ref> He also dealt with two producers who had opposing views.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|p=194}} During the recording of "[[Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out]]", Steven Van Zandt conceived the horn parts for the horn players on the spot in the studio after Springsteen and Bittan had failed to write proper ones by the time the players arrived to record. He joined the E Street Band shortly thereafter.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=80–81}}{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=196–197}}{{sfn|Masur|2010|pp=57–58}} Mixing for ''Born to Run'' lasted until July 20, 1975, just before a concert tour began.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=197–199}}{{sfn|Dolan|2012|pp=124–125}}

''Born to Run'' was mastered while the band was on the road. Springsteen was furious at the initial acetate, throwing it into the swimming pool of the hotel he was staying at. He contemplated scrapping the entire project and re-recording it live before he was stopped by Landau.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=197–199}}{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|p=75}} Springsteen was sent multiple mixes as he was on the road and rejected all of them until August when he approved the final one.{{sfn|Dolan|2012|pp=125–126}}{{sfn|Masur|2010|p=62}}

===1975–1983: ''Born to Run'' and breakthrough success===
[[File:Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 1977.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Springsteen and the E Street Band in February 1977]]
''[[Born to Run]]'' was released in August 1975. It proved to be a breakthrough album<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 25, 2015 |title=How Bruce Springsteen Made 'Born To Run' an American Masterpiece |url=https://observer.com/2015/08/how-bruce-springsteen-made-born-to-run-an-american-masterpiece/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704091905/https://observer.com/2015/08/how-bruce-springsteen-made-born-to-run-an-american-masterpiece/ |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2019 |website=[[The New York Observer]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kahn |first=Ashley |date=November 10, 2005 |title=Springsteen Looks Back On 'Born to Run' |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113157733159792810 |url-status=live |access-date=July 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704091911/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113157733159792810 |archive-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 20, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen looks for mercy and deliverance in new album 'Western Stars' |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2019/06/20/bruce-springsteen-looks-mercy-and-deliverance-new-album-western-stars |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704091906/https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2019/06/20/bruce-springsteen-looks-mercy-and-deliverance-new-album-western-stars |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2019 |website=America Magazine}}</ref> that catapulted Springsteen to worldwide fame.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=November 17, 2005 |title=Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' Turns 30 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteens-born-to-run-turns-30-57678/ |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925212225/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteens-born-to-run-turns-30-57678/ |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref> The album peaked at No. 3 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape]] chart, eventually going seven times platinum in the US.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=70–71}} The album's two singles, "Born to Run" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" reached No. 23 and 83, respectively, on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.{{sfn|Dolan|2012|p=128}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Lifton |first=Dave |title=Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run': A Track-by-Track Guide |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-songs/ |website=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]] |access-date=August 10, 2023 |date=August 22, 2020 |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810232707/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-songs/ |url-status=live}}</ref> According to author Louis Masur, the album's success was tied to the fears of growing old held by a generation of late teenagers.{{sfn|Masur|2010|pp=111–112}} In October 1975, Springsteen appeared on the covers of both ''[[Newsweek]]'' and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' in the same week, becoming the first artist to do so.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lifton |first=Dave |title=Revisiting Bruce Springsteen's 'Time' and 'Newsweek' Covers |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-time-newsweek/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617132317/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-time-newsweek/ |archive-date=June 17, 2019 |access-date=August 6, 2019 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=October 27, 2015}}</ref> The magazines' cover stories resulted in a media backlash,{{sfn|Masur|2010|p=132}} as critics began wondering if Springsteen was for real or the product of record company promotion.<ref>{{cite web |last=Edwards |first=Henry |title=If There Hadn't Been a Bruce Springsteen, Then the Critics Would Have Made Him Up; The Invention of Bruce Springsteen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/05/archives/if-there-hadnt-been-a-bruce-springsteen-then-the-critics-would-have.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=August 10, 2023 |date=October 5, 1975 |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230641/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/05/archives/if-there-hadnt-been-a-bruce-springsteen-then-the-critics-would-have.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rockwell |first=John |author-link=John Rockwell |title=The Pop Life; 'Hype' and the Springsteen Case |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/24/archives/the-pop-life-hype-and-the-springsteen-case.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=August 10, 2023 |date=October 24, 1975 |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230642/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/24/archives/the-pop-life-hype-and-the-springsteen-case.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Springsteen was hurt by the backlash{{sfn|Masur|2010|p=133}} and disliked his newfound attention. When the E Street Band arrived in London for their first concerts outside North America,{{sfn|Gaar|2016|p=61}} Springsteen personally tore down promotional posters in the lobby of the [[Hammersmith Odeon]].{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=212–213}}

A legal battle with Appel kept Springsteen out of the studio for nearly a year, during which time he kept the E Street Band together through [[Born to Run tours|extensive touring across the U.S.]] and continued writing new material.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=102–109}}<ref name="CameronGuardian">{{cite web |last=Cameron |first=Keith |title=Bruce Springsteen: 'People thought we were gone. Finished' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/sep/23/bruce-springsteen-darkness-edge-town |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=September 23, 2010 |access-date=January 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002195304/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/sep/23/bruce-springsteen-darkness-edge-town |archive-date=October 2, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> Reaching a settlement with Appel in May 1977,{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=102–109}} Springsteen returned to the studio, and the subsequent nine-month recording sessions with the E Street Band produced ''[[Darkness on the Edge of Town]]''.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|p=345}} The record stripped the "Wall of Sound" production of ''Born to Run''{{sfn|Dolan|2012|pp=149–152}}{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=114–115}} for a rawer [[hard rock]] sound.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=102–109}}{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|2007|pp=56–61}} Its lyrics focus on ill-fortuned people who fight back against overwhelming odds.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=102–109}}{{sfn|Springsteen|2016|p=262}}

Released in June 1978,{{sfn|Gaar|2016|p=71}} ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'' sold fewer copies than its predecessor,<ref>{{cite web |last=Ruhlmann |first=William |title=''Darkness on the Edge of Town'' – Bruce Springsteen |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-mw0000191913 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117033315/https://www.allmusic.com/album/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-mw0000191913 |url-status=live}}</ref> but remained on the ''Billboard'' chart for 167 weeks, selling three million copies in the U.S.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=102–109}}{{sfn|Gaar|2016|pp=68–70}} Its three singles—"[[Prove It All Night]]", "[[Badlands (song)|Badlands]]", and "[[The Promised Land (Bruce Springsteen song)|The Promised Land]]"—performed modestly.{{sfn|Gaar|2016|pp=68–70}} The supporting [[Darkness Tour]] was Springsteen's largest up to that point and featured shows that lasted upwards of three hours in length.{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|2007|pp=61–64}}{{sfn|Gaar|2016|pp=72–75}} The staff of ''[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]'' said the tour solidified Springsteen and the E Street Band as "one of the most exciting live acts in rock 'n' roll".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gallucci |first1=Michael |last2=DeRiso |first2=Nick |last3=Lifton |first3=Dave |last4=Filcman |first4=Debra |last5=Smith |first5=Rob |date=June 1, 2018 |title='Darkness on the Edge of Town' at 40: Our Writers Answer Five Important Questions |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-roundtable/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204162955/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-roundtable/ |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |access-date=January 31, 2023 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock}}</ref>

[[File:Bruce Springsteen at the New Haven Coliseum (7238976872).jpg|thumb|left|Springsteen performing in [[New Haven, Connecticut]], {{Circa|1977–1978}}]]
By the late 1970s, Springsteen earned a reputation as a songwriter whose material could provide hits for other bands. [[Manfred Mann's Earth Band]] had achieved a U.S. No. 1 pop hit with a heavily rearranged version of ''Greetings''{{'}} "Blinded by the Light" in early 1977. [[Patti Smith]] reached No. 13 with her version of Springsteen's unreleased "[[Because the Night]]" with revised lyrics by Smith in 1978. [[The Pointer Sisters]] hit No. 2 in 1979 with Springsteen's then unreleased "[[Fire (Bruce Springsteen song)|Fire]]".{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|2007|pp=52–54}} Between 1976 and 1978, Springsteen provided four compositions to [[Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes]], including "[[The Fever (Bruce Springsteen song)|The Fever]]" and "Hearts of Stone", and collaborated on four more with [[Steven Van Zandt]], producer of their first three albums.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=}} In September 1979, Springsteen and the E Street Band joined the [[Musicians United for Safe Energy]] [[Anti-nuclear movement|anti-nuclear power]] collective at [[Madison Square Garden]] for two nights, playing an abbreviated set while premiering two songs from his upcoming album. The subsequent ''[[No Nukes (album)|No Nukes]]'' live album, as well as the following summer's ''[[No Nukes (film)|No Nukes]]'' documentary film, represented the first official recordings and footage of Springsteen's fabled live act and Springsteen's first tentative dip into political involvement.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=December 26, 2018 |title=Bruce Springsteen Releases Complete 'No Nukes 1979' Concert |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-no-nukes-1979-concerts-772755/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116183304/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-no-nukes-1979-concerts-772755/ |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021}}</ref>

The recording sessions for Springsteen's fifth album, ''[[The River (Bruce Springsteen album)|The River]]'', lasted 18 months.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|p=270}} The 20-track [[double album]]{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=144–146}} was an attempt at capturing the energy and feel of the E Street Band playing live on stage<ref>{{cite web |last=Rose |first=Caryn |title=Springsteen's new ties that bind box set |url=https://www.salon.com/2015/12/07/springsteens_new_ties_that_bind_box_set_chronicles_the_fascinating_and_frustrating_road_to_the_river/ |website=[[Salon.com]] |date=December 7, 2015 |access-date=February 6, 2024 |archive-date=February 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206193756/https://www.salon.com/2015/12/07/springsteens_new_ties_that_bind_box_set_chronicles_the_fascinating_and_frustrating_road_to_the_river/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and featured a mix of party songs and introspective ballads.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Larry David |last2=Rutter |first2=Jon |year=2008 |title=There's a Reckoning on the Edge of Town: Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on The River |journal=Journal of Popular Music Studies |location=[[Ball State University]] |publisher=Wiley Online Library |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=109–128 |doi=10.1111/j.1533-1598.2008.00153.x | issn=1524-2226}}</ref> Released in October 1980, ''The River'' became Springsteen's biggest and fastest-selling album yet, topping the U.S. ''Billboard'' chart.{{sfn|Dolan|2012|pp=167–181}} The single "[[Hungry Heart]]" became his first top ten single as a performer, reaching number five,{{sfn|Dolan|2012|pp=167–181}} while "[[Fade Away (Bruce Springsteen song)|Fade Away]]" reached No. 20.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=186–187}}

Several songs on ''The River'' foreshadowed the direction of Springsteen's next record,{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=142–144}} the [[Minimal music|minimalist]], folk-inspired solo effort ''[[Nebraska (album)|Nebraska]]'', released in September 1982.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=192–193}} Springsteen recorded the songs on the album as [[Demo (music)|demo]] recordings at his home in [[Colts Neck, New Jersey]], intending to re-record them with the E Street Band, but after poor test sessions he decided to release the recordings as is.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=HHauser|title=Dusting 'Em Off: Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska|url=https://consequence.net/2013/07/dusting-em-off-bruce-springsteen-nebraska/|access-date=April 25, 2017|magazine=[[Consequence of Sound]]|date=July 20, 2013|archive-date=April 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426153200/https://consequenceofsound.net/2013/07/dusting-em-off-bruce-springsteen-nebraska/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=194–195}} The album chronicled dark hardships felt by everyday blue-collar workers, as well as bleak tales of criminals, cops, and gang wars.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=192–193}}{{sfn|Carlin|2012|p=292}} ''Nebraska'' sold minimally compared to Springsteen's three previous albums, but reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' chart.{{sfn|Gaar|2016|pp=82–83}} Nevertheless, it surprised critics, who praised it as a brave artistic statement.{{sfn|Gaar|2016|pp=82–83}}

===1984–1986: ''Born in the U.S.A.'' and cultural phenomenon===
[[File:Springsteen 05051981 01 200.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Springsteen performing in [[Oslo]], Norway, in May 1981]]
In 1984, Springsteen released ''[[Born in the U.S.A.]]'', which sold 30&nbsp;million worldwide, and became one of the [[List of best-selling albums|best-selling albums of all time]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20200576.html|title=Bruce Springsteen still shows who's boss|work=Irish Examiner|access-date=February 13, 2021|archive-date=May 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517000523/https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/music/bruce-springsteen-still-shows-whos-boss-200576.html|url-status=live}}</ref> with seven singles hitting the top ten. The [[Born in the U.S.A. (song)|title track]] was a bitter commentary on the treatment of [[Vietnam veteran]]s, some of whom were Springsteen's friends. The lyrics in the verses were entirely unambiguous when listened to, but the anthemic music and the title of the song made it hard for many, from politicians to the common person, to get the lyrics—except those in the chorus, which could be read many ways.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guterman |first=Jimmy |title=Runaway American Dream |date=2005 |publisher=Da Capo Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |page=153}}</ref> The song made a huge political impact, as he was advocating for the rights of the common working-class man.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Ronald Reagan Changed Bruce Springsteen's Politics |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/bruce-springsteen-ronald-reagan-107448/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220020008/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/bruce-springsteen-ronald-reagan-107448 |archive-date=December 20, 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2015 |website=[[Politico]]|date=June 4, 2014}}</ref>

The song was widely misinterpreted as [[patriotic]], and in connection with the [[1984 United States presidential election|1984 presidential campaign]] became the [[Born in the U.S.A. (song)#Political reactions|subject of considerable folklore]]. In 1984, conservative columnist [[George Will]] attended a Springsteen concert and then wrote a column praising Springsteen's work ethic. Six days after the column's publication, then President [[Ronald Reagan]], in a campaign rally in [[Hammonton, New Jersey]], made brief mention of the song, saying, "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts. It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire—New Jersey's own, Bruce Springsteen." Two nights later, at a concert in [[Pittsburgh]], Springsteen told the crowd, "Well, the president was mentioning my name in his speech the other day and I kind of got to wondering what his favorite album of mine must've been, you know? I don't think it was the ''Nebraska'' album. I don't think he's been listening to this one." He then began playing "Johnny 99", with its allusions to closing factories and criminals.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dolan |first=Marc |date=April 6, 2014 |title=How Ronald Reagan Changed Bruce Springsteen's Politics |work=Politico |url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/bruce-springsteen-ronald-reagan-107448.html |url-status=dead |access-date=July 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809012611/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/bruce-springsteen-ronald-reagan-107448.html |archive-date=August 9, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:SpringsteenMadison.jpg|thumb|left|Springsteen and [[E Street Band]] member [[Clarence Clemons]] performing in [[Madison, Wisconsin]]]]
"[[Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen song)|Dancing in the Dark]]" was the biggest of seven hit singles from ''Born in the U.S.A.'', peaking at No. 2 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' singles chart. The video for the song showed a young [[Courteney Cox]] dancing on stage with Springsteen, which helped start the actress's career. The song "[[Cover Me (Bruce Springsteen song)|Cover Me]]" was written by Springsteen for [[Donna Summer]], but his record company persuaded him to keep it for the new album. A big fan of Summer's work, Springsteen wrote another song for her, "[[Protection (Donna Summer song)|Protection]]". Videos for ''Born in the U.S.A.'' were directed by [[Brian De Palma]] and [[John Sayles]]. Springsteen played on the "[[We Are the World]]" song and [[We Are the World (album)|album]] in 1985. His live cover of the [[Trapped (Jimmy Cliff song)|Jimmy Cliff song "Trapped"]] from that album received moderate airplay on US Top 40 stations as well as reaching No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' [[Top Rock Tracks]] chart.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1CQEAAAAMBAJ&q=billboard%201985&pg=PT52 |title=Billboard |date=May 11, 1985 |access-date=August 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727134630/https://books.google.com/books?id=1CQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT52&q=billboard%201985 |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Born in the U.S.A.'' period represented the height of Springsteen's visibility in popular culture and the broadest audience he would ever reach (aided by the release of [[Arthur Baker (musician)|Arthur Baker]]'s [[remix|dance mixes]] of three of the singles). From June 15 to August 10, 1985, all seven of his albums appeared on the [[UK Albums Chart]]: the first time an artist had charted their entire back catalogue simultaneously.<ref>Roberts, David. ''[[British Hit Singles & Albums|The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums]]'', p. 444. Guinness Publishing Ltd. 7th edition (1996). {{ISBN|0-85112-619-7}}</ref> ''[[Live/1975–85]]'', a five-record box set (also on three cassettes or three CDs), was released near the end of 1986 and became the first box set to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. It is one of the most commercially successful live albums of all time, ultimately selling 13&nbsp;million units in the U.S. During the 1980s, several Springsteen [[fanzines]] were launched, including ''[[Backstreets Magazine|Backstreets]]'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Backstreets |url=https://www.backstreets.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108235901/https://www.backstreets.com/ |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |access-date=January 7, 2021 |website=backstreets.com}}</ref>

=== 1987–1999: ''Tunnel of Love'', Academy Award and Hall of Fame===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1988-0719-38, Bruce Springsteen, Konzert in der DDR.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Springsteen performing on the [[Tunnel of Love Express Tour]] at the [[Radrennbahn Weissensee]] in [[East Berlin]] in July 1988]]
Springsteen released the much more sedate and contemplative ''[[Tunnel of Love (album)|Tunnel of Love]]'' in October 1987. The album is a mature reflection on the many faces of love found, lost and squandered, and the full sound of the E Street Band is included only selectively.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=264–271}} Although it sold less than ''Born in the U.S.A.'', it was a commercial success, reaching No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=264–271}}<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1987-11-07/ | title=Billboard 200™ | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> On July 19, 1988, Springsteen's [[Berlin Wall#Bruce Springsteen, 1988|concert in East Germany]] attracted 300,000 spectators. Journalist Erik Kirschbaum called the concert "the most important rock concert ever, anywhere" in his 2013 book ''Rocking the Wall. Bruce Springsteen: The Berlin Concert That Changed the World''. The concert had been conceived by the [[Socialist Unity Party]]'s [[Free German Youth|youth wing]] in an attempt to placate the youth of [[East Germany]], who were hungry for more freedom and the popular music of the West. However, it is Kirschbaum's opinion that the success of the concert catalyzed opposition to the regime in East Germany, and helped contribute to the [[fall of the Berlin Wall]] the following year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crossland |first=David |date=June 19, 2013 |title=Chimes of Freedom: How Springsteen Helped Tear Down the Wall |work=Der Spiegel |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/book-says-springsteen-concert-helped-bring-down-berlin-wall-a-906236-2.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620162251/http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/book-says-springsteen-concert-helped-bring-down-berlin-wall-a-906236-2.html |archive-date=June 20, 2013}}</ref>

Later in 1988, Springsteen headlined the worldwide [[Human Rights Now!]] tour for [[Amnesty International]]. In October 1989, he dissolved the E Street Band.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Luerssen |first=John D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4NCGDwAAQBAJ&q=In+late+1989%2C+he+dissolved+the+E+Street+Band&pg=PT229 |title=Bruce Springsteen FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Boss |date=September 1, 2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-61713-460-9 |language=en |access-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414022021/https://books.google.com/books?id=4NCGDwAAQBAJ&q=In+late+1989%2C+he+dissolved+the+E+Street+Band&pg=PT229 |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|p=304}} In 1992, after risking fan accusations of "going Hollywood" by moving to Los Angeles and working with [[session musician]]s, Springsteen released two albums at once: ''[[Human Touch]]'' and ''[[Lucky Town]]''.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|p=304}} An electric band appearance on the acoustic ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' television program (later released as ''[[In Concert/MTV Plugged]]'') was poorly received and cemented fan dissatisfaction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hyden |first=Steven |title=Twilight of the Gods |publisher=Harper Collins |year=2018 |isbn=978-0062657138 |page=109}}</ref> 

[[File:President Bill Clinton and Bruce Springsteen.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] with Springsteen in December 1997]]
Springsteen won an [[Academy Award]] in 1994 for his song "[[Streets of Philadelphia]]", which appeared on the soundtrack to the film ''[[Philadelphia (film)|Philadelphia]]''. The video for the song shows Springsteen's actual vocal performance, recorded using a hidden microphone, to a prerecorded instrumental track. This technique was developed on the "[[Brilliant Disguise#Video|Brilliant Disguise]]" video.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|p=288}} In 1995, after temporarily re-organizing the E Street Band for a few new songs recorded for his first ''[[Greatest Hits (Bruce Springsteen album)|Greatest Hits]]'' album (a recording session that was chronicled in the documentary ''[[Blood Brothers (1996 film)|Blood Brothers]]''), and also one show at Tramps in New York City,{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|p=354}} he released his second folk album, ''[[The Ghost of Tom Joad]]''. The album was inspired by [[John Steinbeck]]'s ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' and by ''Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass'', a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author [[Dale Maharidge]] and photographer [[Michael Williamson (photographer)|Michael Williamson]]. ''Rolling Stone'' characterized the album as Springsteen's first overtly social statement since ''Born in the U.S.A.'', drawing a strong parallel to ''Nebraska'', due to its acoustic nature and Depression-era storytelling sensibility reminiscent of Woody Guthrie. The album is noted for its bleak, unrelenting atmosphere, focusing on characters who are broken by life's hardships, with few escapes and little musical relief from the dark, desolate scenarios portrayed.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Gilmore|first=Mikal|author-link=Mikal Gilmore|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-ghost-of-tom-joad-248758|title=The Ghost of Tom Joad|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=December 28, 1995|access-date=April 7, 2020}}</ref>

Springsteen supported the album on the lengthy, worldwide, small-venue solo acoustic [[Ghost of Tom Joad Tour]]. The tour presented many of his older songs in drastically reshaped acoustic form. Springsteen explicitly reminded his audiences to "shut the fuck up" and not to clap during the performances.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Masciotra |first=David |date=September 16, 2017 |title=Bruce Springsteen's 'The Ghost of Tom Joad', then and now |url=https://www.salon.com/2017/09/16/bruce-springsteens-the-ghost-of-tom-joad-then-and-now/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104131505/https://www.salon.com/2017/09/16/bruce-springsteens-the-ghost-of-tom-joad-then-and-now/ |archive-date=January 4, 2021 |access-date=January 7, 2021 |website=Salon}}</ref> Following the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour, Springsteen moved from California back to New Jersey with his family.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Tyrangiel |first1=Josh |last2=Carcaterra |first2=Kate |date=August 5, 2002 |title=Bruce Rising |pages=2 of 6 |magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1002987-2,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=March 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224174330/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1002987-2%2C00.html |archive-date=December 24, 2007}}</ref> In 1998, he released the sprawling, four-disc [[box set]] of [[outtake]]s, ''[[Tracks (Bruce Springsteen album)|Tracks]]''. Later, he would acknowledge that the 1990s were musically a "lost period" for him: "I didn't do a lot of work. Some people would say I didn't do my best work."<ref name="rs-cover">{{Cite magazine |last=Fricke |first=David |author-link=David Fricke |date=February 5, 2009 |title=Bringing It All Back Home |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=http://www.shorefire.com/media/R1071Bruce_20090123_113016.pdf |url-status=dead |access-date=May 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325122048/http://www.shorefire.com/media/R1071Bruce_20090123_113016.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2009}}</ref>

Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 by [[Bono]] (the lead singer of U2), a favor he returned in 2005.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Mar |first=Alex |date=February 25, 2005 |title=Springsteen to Induct U2 into Hall of Fame |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/springsteen-to-induct-u2-into-hall-of-fame-20050225 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403031438/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/springsteen-to-induct-u2-into-hall-of-fame-20050225 |archive-date=April 3, 2015 |access-date=March 18, 2015}}</ref> In 1999, Springsteen and the E Street Band reunited and began their extensive [[Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour|Reunion Tour]], which lasted over a year. Highlights included a record sold-out, 15-show run at [[Continental Airlines Arena]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]] and a ten-night, sold-out engagement at New York City's Madison Square Garden. A new song played at these shows, "[[American Skin (41 Shots)]]" (about the police shooting of [[Amadou Diallo]]), proved controversial.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=609–610}}

===2002–2007: ''The Rising'', ''Devils & Dust'', and other releases===
[[File:RisingTourGiantsStadiumLot.jpg|thumb|The scene outside [[Giants Stadium]] during Springsteen's record-setting, 10-night stand at the stadium on [[The Rising Tour]] in July 2003]]
In 2002, Springsteen released his first studio effort with the full band in 18 years, ''[[The Rising (album)|The Rising]]'', produced by [[Brendan O'Brien (music producer)|Brendan O'Brien]]. The album, mostly a reflection on the [[September 11 attacks]], was a critical and popular success. [[The Rising (Bruce Springsteen song)|The title track]] gained airplay in several radio formats, and the record became Springsteen's best-selling album of new material in 15 years. Kicked off by an early-morning Asbury Park appearance on ''[[The Today Show]]'', [[The Rising Tour]] commenced; the band barnstormed through a series of single-night arena stands in the U.S. and Europe. Springsteen played an unprecedented 10 nights at [[Giants Stadium]] in New Jersey.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wiederhorn |first=Jon |date=September 16, 2003 |title=Springsteen Is Box-Office Boss With Projected $120M Gross |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1478248/20030916/story.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305020658/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1478248/20030916/story.jhtml |archive-date=March 5, 2010 |publisher=MTV}}</ref>

''The Rising'' won the Grammy for [[Best Rock Album]] and was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] at the [[45th Annual Grammy Awards]] in 2003. In addition, "The Rising" won the Grammy for [[Best Rock Song]] and for [[Best Male Rock Vocal Performance]], and nominated for [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year.]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 4, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/bruce-springsteen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406060819/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/bruce-springsteen |archive-date=April 6, 2019 |access-date=March 27, 2018 |publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences}}</ref> At the ceremony, Springsteen performed [[the Clash]]'s "[[London Calling (song)|London Calling]]" with [[Elvis Costello]], [[Dave Grohl]], and E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt and [[No Doubt]]'s bassist, [[Tony Kanal]], in tribute to [[Joe Strummer]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Runtagh |first1=Jordan |last2=Bienstock |first2=Richard |date=February 11, 2016 |title=15 Great Grammy Tribute Performances |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/15-great-grammy-tribute-performances-17553/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226112621/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/15-great-grammy-tribute-performances-17553/ |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021}}</ref> In 2004, Springsteen and the E Street Band participated in the [[Vote for Change]] tour, with [[John Mellencamp]], [[John Fogerty]], the [[Dixie Chicks]], [[Pearl Jam]], [[R.E.M.]], [[Bright Eyes (band)|Bright Eyes]], the [[Dave Matthews Band]], [[Jackson Browne]], and other musicians.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/bruce-springsteen-michael-stipe-collaborate-because-the-night-and-bad-day|title="Michael, come out and sing one with me please." Watch American icons Bruce Springsteen and Michael Stipe collaborate on a cover of Patti Smith's Because The Night and perform R.E.M. deep cut Bad Day together back in 2004|first=Paul|last=Branniganpublished|date=March 5, 2025|website=louder}}</ref>

[[File:Bruce Springsteen 2005.jpg|thumb|left|An acoustic guitar number by Springsteen during the [[Devils & Dust Tour]] at the [[Festhalle Frankfurt]] in June 2005]]
The solo record ''[[Devils & Dust]]'' was released in April 2005. It is a low-key, mostly acoustic album, in the same vein as ''Nebraska'' and ''The Ghost of Tom Joad''. Some of the material was written almost 10 years earlier, during or shortly after the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour; a few of the songs had been performed at that time but unreleased.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McShane |first=Larry |date=February 16, 2005 |title=New Springsteen Album Due in April |work=ABC News |agency=Associated Press |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=505843 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050411150147/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=505843 |archive-date=April 11, 2005}}</ref> The [[Devils & Dust (song)|title track]] concerns an ordinary soldier's feelings and fears during the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|Iraq War]]. The album topped the charts in ten countries. Springsteen began the solo [[Devils & Dust Tour]] at the same time as the album's release, playing both small and large venues. Attendance was disappointing in a few regions, and except in Europe tickets were easier to get than in the past.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 2, 2006 |title=Springsteen Does Seeger On First Covers Album |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/59518/springsteen-does-seeger-on-first-covers-album |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112054115/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/59518/springsteen-does-seeger-on-first-covers-album |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Bruce Springsteen Milan 2006 05 12.jpg|thumb|Springsteen and [[the Sessions Band]] performing [[Sessions Band Tour|on their tour]] at the [[Fila Forum]] in [[Milan]], Italy in May 2006]]
In April 2006, Springsteen released ''[[We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions]]'', an American roots music project focused around a big folk sound treatment of 15 songs popularized by the radical musical activism of [[Pete Seeger]]. A [[Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour|tour]] began the same month, with the 18-strong ensemble of musicians dubbed the Seeger Sessions Band (and later shortened to the Sessions Band). The tour proved very popular in Europe, selling out everywhere and receiving some excellent reviews,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Manzoor |first=Sarfraz |date=May 14, 2006 |title=A runaway American dream |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/may/14/1 |url-status=live |access-date=April 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126112411/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0%2C%2C1774131%2C00.html |archive-date=January 26, 2008}}</ref> including its opening act in New Orleans, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Remembering Bruce Springsteen's big moment at the 2006 New Orleans Jazz Fest |date=April 22, 2012 |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/remembering-bruce-springsteens-big-moment-at-the-2006-new-orleans-jazz-fest/article_cf54700f-ba74-5130-a384-0287d236a4bd.html}}</ref> but newspapers reported that a number of U.S. shows suffered from sparse attendance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band – PopMatters Concert Review |url=https://popmatters.com/music/concerts/s/springsteen-bruce-060531.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525011903/http://www.popmatters.com/music/concerts/s/springsteen-bruce-060531.shtml |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |access-date=August 27, 2010 |website=PopMatters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tianen |first=Dave |date=June 15, 2006 |title=Born to strum |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=436152 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061118060401/http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=436152 |archive-date=November 18, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-springsteen-review-story,1,5443206.story |access-date=August 27, 2010}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Springsteen's next album, ''[[Magic (Bruce Springsteen album)|Magic]]'', was released in October 2007. Recorded with the E Street Band, it had 10 new Springsteen songs plus "[[Long Walk Home]]", performed once with the Sessions band, and a hidden track (the first included on a Springsteen studio release), "[[Terry's Song]]", a tribute to Springsteen's long-time assistant Terry Magovern, who died in July 2007.<ref name="back">[http://www.backstreets.com/news.html "Terry Magovern, Rest in Peace"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208074157/http://backstreets.com/news.html |date=February 8, 2009}}, Backstreets.com, August 1, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2007.</ref> ''Magic'' debuted at No. 1 in the U.S.,<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Katie |last=Hasty |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/springsteen-is-boss-of-album-chart-with-magic-1048343/ |title=Springsteen Is Boss Of Album Chart With 'Magic' |magazine=Billboard |date=October 10, 2007 |access-date=March 1, 2024 |archive-date=February 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224122612/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/springsteen-is-boss-of-album-chart-with-magic-1048343/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Ireland and the UK.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|p=503}} Springsteen supported the album on the [[Magic Tour (Bruce Springsteen)|Magic Tour]], his first tour with the E Street Band since 2003.<ref name="sf">{{cite web|url=http://www.shorefire.com/index.php?a=pressrelease&o=1279 |title=Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band Announce First Full Scale Tour Of US & Europe Since 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928132515/http://www.shorefire.com/index.php?a=pressrelease&o=1279 |archive-date=September 28, 2011 |work=[[Shore Fire Media]] |date=August 28, 2007 |access-date=August 28, 2007}}</ref> It was the final tour for longtime E Street member [[Danny Federici]], who died in 2008.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=430–431}}

===2008–2011: Political involvement, Super Bowl XLIII, and Kennedy Center Honors===
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Springsteen supported [[Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign]].<ref name="USA Today-2008">{{Cite news |date=April 16, 2008 |title=Springsteen endorses Obama for president |work=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-16-springsteen_N.htm |url-status=live |access-date=April 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417074552/http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-16-springsteen_N.htm |archive-date=April 17, 2008}}</ref> He gave solo acoustic performances in support of Obama's campaign throughout 2008,<ref name="Pitchfork-2008">{{Cite web |date=October 3, 2008 |title=Bruce Springsteen Adds Acoustic Obama Shows |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/146179-bruce-springsteen-adds-acoustic-obama-shows |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409171928/http://pitchfork.com/news/33651-bruce-springsteen-adds-acoustic-obama-shows/ |archive-date=April 9, 2009 |access-date=August 27, 2010 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> culminating with a November 2 rally at which he debuted the song "[[Working on a Dream (song)|Working on a Dream]]" in a duet with Scialfa.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 2, 2008 |title=Springsteen plays new 'Working on a Dream' tune at Obama rally in Cleveland |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |url=http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2008/11/springsteen_plays_new_working.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185747/http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2008/11/springsteen_plays_new_working.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref> Following Obama's electoral victory on November 4, Springsteen's song "The Rising" was the first song played over the loudspeakers after Obama's victory speech in Chicago's [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]]. Springsteen was the musical opener for the [[We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial|Obama Inaugural Celebration]] on January 18, 2009, which was attended by over 400,000 people.<ref name="WP1">{{Cite news |last1=Hendrix |first1=Steve |last2=Mummolo |first2=Jonathan |date=January 18, 2009 |title=Jamming on the Mall for Obama |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/18/AR2009011800917.html?sid=ST2009011802825&s_pos= |access-date=June 5, 2022 |archive-date=September 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901235138/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/18/AR2009011800917.html?sid=ST2009011802825&s_pos= |url-status=live}}</ref> He performed "The Rising" with an all-female choir. Later he performed [[Woody Guthrie]]'s "[[This Land Is Your Land]]" with Pete Seeger.

On January 11, 2009, Springsteen won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Song]] for "[[The Wrestler (song)|The Wrestler]]", from the [[Darren Aronofsky]] [[The Wrestler (2008 film)|film by the same name]].<ref name="GGwin">{{Cite magazine |date=September 14, 2009 |title=Springsteen, Rahman Snag Musical Golden Globes |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269633/springsteen-rahman-snag-musical-golden-globes |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425185725/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269633/springsteen-rahman-snag-musical-golden-globes |archive-date=April 25, 2014 |access-date=August 27, 2010}} Archived from the original on January 5, 2011.</ref> After receiving a heartfelt letter from lead actor [[Mickey Rourke]], Springsteen supplied the song for the film for free.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bardsley |first=Garth |date=January 12, 2009 |title=How Mickey Rourke Got Bruce Springsteen's 'Wrestler' Song – For Free – MTV Movie News |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602516/how-mickey-rourke-got-bruce-springsteens-wrestler-song-free.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110729090316/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602516/how-mickey-rourke-got-bruce-springsteens-wrestler-song-free.jhtml |archive-date=July 29, 2011 |access-date=December 7, 2011 |publisher=MTV}}</ref>

Springsteen performed at the [[Super Bowl halftime shows|halftime show]] at [[Super Bowl XLIII]] on February 1, 2009,<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 11, 2008 |title=Report: "The Boss" to play Super Bowl halftime show |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/scorecard/nflnews.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231085903/http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/scorecard/nflnews.asp?articleID=237980 |archive-date=December 31, 2008}}.</ref> agreeing to perform after having declined on prior occasions.<ref name="nyt-laur">{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Pareles |date=February 1, 2009 |title=The Rock Laureate |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/arts/music/01pare.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609215104/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/arts/music/01pare.html |archive-date=June 9, 2011}}</ref> A few days before the game, Springsteen gave a rare press conference at which he promised a "twelve-minute party".<ref name="sfm111708" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lapointe |first=Joe |date=January 30, 2009 |title=Springsteen Promises '12-Minute Party' at Halftime |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/sports/football/30springsteen.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417085524/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/sports/football/30springsteen.html |archive-date=April 17, 2009}}</ref> It has been reported that this press conference was Springsteen's first press conference in more than 25 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Les |date=January 29, 2009 |title=No Cheering in the Press Box, Except When It Comes to the Boss |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012904283.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112200446/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012904283.html |archive-date=November 12, 2012}}</ref> His 12-minute 45-second set, with the E Street Band and the Miami Horns, included abbreviated renditions of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", "Born to Run", "Working on a Dream", and "Glory Days", the latter complete with football references in place of the original baseball-themed lyrics. The set of appearances and promotional activities led Springsteen to say, "This has probably been the busiest month of my life."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wallace |first=Lindsay |date=February 10, 2009 |title=Bruce Springsteen Exclusive: 'I Didn't Even Know I Was Up For A Grammy!' |publisher=[[MTV News]] |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604738/20090210/springsteen_bruce.jhtml |url-status=dead |access-date=March 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317045041/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604738/20090210/springsteen_bruce.jhtml |archive-date=March 17, 2009}}</ref>

[[File:American Land ESB Fireworks Giants 100309.jpg|thumb|Fireworks go off at the conclusion of the "E! Street! Band!" exhortation during the final shows at [[Giants Stadium]] in October 2009]]
''[[Working on a Dream]]'', dedicated to Federici, was released in late January 2009.<ref name="sfm111708">{{Cite press release |title=Bruce Springsteen's 'Working on a Dream' Set For January 27 Release on Columbia Records |date=November 17, 2008 |publisher=[[Shore Fire Media]] |url=http://www.shorefiremedia.com/index.php?a=pressrelease&o=2462 |access-date=November 18, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716063703/http://www.shorefiremedia.com/index.php?a=pressrelease&o=2462 |archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref> The supporting [[Working on a Dream Tour]] ran from April to November 2009. The band performed five final shows at Giants Stadium, opening with a new song highlighting the historic stadium, and Springsteen's Jersey roots, named "Wrecking Ball".<ref name="nyt101109">{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Pareles |date=October 11, 2009 |title=For Springsteen and Giants Stadium, a Last Dance |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/arts/music/12bruce.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708114624/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/arts/music/12bruce.html |archive-date=July 8, 2012}}</ref>

Springsteen received the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] on December 6, 2009. President Obama gave a speech in which he asserted that Springsteen had incorporated the lives of regular Americans into his expansive palette of songs. Obama added that Springsteen's concerts were not just rock-and-roll concerts, but "communions". The event included musical tributes from [[Melissa Etheridge]], [[Ben Harper]], John Mellencamp, [[Jennifer Nettles]], [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], and [[Eddie Vedder]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 7, 2009 |title=Obama honours Bruce Springsteen |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8398675.stm |url-status=live |access-date=April 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105060259/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8398675.stm |archive-date=January 5, 2010}}</ref>

The 2000s ended with Springsteen named one of eight Artists of the Decade by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=The Voices: Artists of the Decade |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/issue1094-95 |url-status=dead |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213013718/http://www.rollingstone.com/issue1094-95 |archive-date=December 13, 2009 |access-date=December 19, 2009}}</ref> and with Springsteen's tours ranking him fourth among artists in total concert grosses for the decade.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 11, 2009 |title=Top Touring Artists of the Decade |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266415/top-touring-artists-of-the-decade |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316061805/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266415/top-touring-artists-of-the-decade |archive-date=March 16, 2013 |access-date=December 19, 2009}}</ref>

[[Clarence Clemons]], the E Street Band's saxophonist and founding member, died on June 18, 2011, of complications from a stroke.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2011 |title=Clarence Clemons dies of complications from stroke |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/clarence_clemons_dies.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121160311/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/clarence_clemons_dies.html |archive-date=November 21, 2011 |access-date=November 20, 2011 |website=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

===2012–2018: Autobiography and Broadway show===
[[File:Bruce Springsteen & Steven Van Zandt (7479347764).jpg|thumb|left|Springsteen and [[Steven Van Zandt]] performing at the [[New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival]] in 2012]]
Springsteen's 17th studio album, ''[[Wrecking Ball (Bruce Springsteen album)|Wrecking Ball]]'', was released in March 2012. The album consists of eleven tracks plus two bonus tracks. Three songs previously only available as live versions, "Wrecking Ball", "[[Land of Hope and Dreams]]", and "American Land", appear on the album.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 18, 2012 |title=Bruce Springsteen Announces New Album, Wrecking Ball |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/45149-bruce-springsteen-announces-new-album-wrecking-ball/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321073204/http://pitchfork.com/news/45149-bruce-springsteen-announces-new-album-wrecking-ball/ |archive-date=March 21, 2012 |access-date=March 19, 2012 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> ''Wrecking Ball'' became Springsteen's tenth No. 1 album in the U.S., tying him with Elvis Presley for third most No. 1 albums of all time, behind the Beatles (19) and [[Jay Z]] (12) as of 2009.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 14, 2009 |title=Bruce Springsteen Squeaks By Adele, Earns Tenth No. 1 Album |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/502085/bruce-springsteen-squeaks-by-adele-earns-tenth-no-1-album |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530161731/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/502085/bruce-springsteen-squeaks-by-adele-earns-tenth-no-1-album |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |access-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref> The supporting [[Wrecking Ball Tour]] shortly after its release. On July 31, 2012, in [[Helsinki]], Finland, Springsteen performed his longest concert at four hours and six minutes with 33 songs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2012 |title=From the road: Helsinki |url=http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2012/from-the-road-helsinki |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002233644/http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2012/from-the-road-helsinki |archive-date=October 2, 2012 |access-date=October 12, 2012 |publisher=Brucespringsteen.net}}</ref>

In 2012, Springsteen campaigned for President Barack Obama's re-election in the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 presidential election]], appearing and performing at Obama rallies in [[Ohio]], [[Pittsburgh]], [[Iowa]], [[Virginia]], and [[Wisconsin]]. At the rallies, he briefly spoke to the audience and performed a short acoustic set that included a newly written song titled "Forward".<ref name="Knickerbocker">{{Cite web |last=Knickerbocker |first=Brad |date=October 13, 2012 |title=Bruce Springsteen rocks out for Barack Obama |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2012/1013/Bruce-Springsteen-rocks-out-for-Barack-Obama |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205939/http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2012/1013/Bruce-Springsteen-rocks-out-for-Barack-Obama |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |website=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]}}</ref><ref name="Orel-2012">{{Cite web |last=Orel |first=Matt |date=November 5, 2012 |title=Bruce joins President Obama and Jay Z in Ohio |url=http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2012/bruce-joins-president-obama-and-jay-z-in-ohio |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109011827/http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2012/bruce-joins-president-obama-and-jay-z-in-ohio |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |access-date=November 6, 2012 |publisher=Brucespringsteen.net}}</ref><ref name="Sweet-2012">{{Cite news |last=Sweet |first=Lynn |date=November 6, 2012 |title=Obama makes last pitch with Boss, Jay-Z in Ohio |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/13575960-452/obama-makes-last-pitch-with-boss-jay-z-in-ohio.html |url-status=dead |access-date=November 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109044747/http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/13575960-452/obama-makes-last-pitch-with-boss-jay-z-in-ohio.html |archive-date=November 9, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Bruce Springsteen - Roskilde Festival 2012.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Springsteen in 2012]]

At year's end, the Wrecking Ball Tour was named ''Top Draw'' by the [[Billboard Touring Awards|''Billboard'' Touring Awards]] for having the highest attendance of any tour that year. Financially, the tour grossed second to the one by [[Roger Waters]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 10, 2012 |title=Roger Waters and Bruce Springsteen win big at Billboard Touring Awards |url=http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/entertainment/celebrity/Roger-Waters-and-Bruce-Springsteen-win-big-at-Billboard-Touring-Awards_63894667 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522215159/http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/entertainment/celebrity/Roger-Waters-and-Bruce-Springsteen-win-big-at-Billboard-Touring-Awards_63894667 |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |access-date=November 13, 2012 |publisher=Wxyz.com}}</ref> Springsteen finished second only to [[Madonna]] as the top money maker of 2012, with $33.44&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 23, 2013 |title=Madonna Edges Out Springsteen As Music's Top Money Maker |work=Starpulse |url=http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2013/02/23/madonna_edges_out_springsteen_as_music?ref_src=news_rss |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202092530/http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2013/02/23/madonna_edges_out_springsteen_as_music?ref_src=news_rss |archive-date=February 2, 2014 |access-date=February 25, 2013 |publisher=Starpulse.com}}</ref> The ''Wrecking Ball'' album, along with the single "We Take Care of Our Own", was nominated for three [[Grammy Awards]], including Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "We Take Care of Our Own" and Best Rock Album.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 6, 2012 |title=Bruce Springsteen Nabs Three GRAMMY Nominations; "Springsteen" Gets Two More |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/06/bruce-springsteen-nabs-three-grammy-nominations-springsteen-gets-two-more-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607085842/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/06/bruce-springsteen-nabs-three-grammy-nominations-springsteen-gets-two-more-2/ |archive-date=June 7, 2013 |access-date=December 15, 2012 |publisher=CBS New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |title=Bruce Springsteen Added To GRAMMY Performance Lineup |date=February 2, 2012 |publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |url=http://www.grammy.com/news/bruce-springsteen-added-to-grammy-performance-lineup |access-date=December 15, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106010825/http://www.grammy.com/news/bruce-springsteen-added-to-grammy-performance-lineup |archive-date=January 6, 2013}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' named ''Wrecking Ball'' the number one album of 2012 on their Top 50 list.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 5, 2012 |title=50 Best Albums of 2012: Bruce Springsteen, 'Wrecking Ball' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2012-20121205/bruce-springsteen-wrecking-ball-19691231 |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216233754/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2012-20121205/bruce-springsteen-wrecking-ball-19691231 |archive-date=December 16, 2012 |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref>

In late July 2013, the documentary ''[[Springsteen & I]]'', directed by [[Baillie Walsh]] and produced by [[Ridley Scott]], was released simultaneously via a worldwide cinema broadcast in over 50 countries and in over 2000 movie theaters.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 28, 2015 |title=Springsteen & I: fans tell their stories of The Boss |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/bruce-springsteen/10194440/Springsteen-and-I-fans-tell-their-stories-of-The-Boss.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102080936/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/bruce-springsteen/10194440/Springsteen-and-I-fans-tell-their-stories-of-The-Boss.html |archive-date=January 2, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:141105-D-KC128-981 (15541591358).jpg|thumb|left|Springsteen performing during the Stand Up for Heroes special in 2014]]
Springsteen released his eighteenth studio album, ''[[High Hopes (album)|High Hopes]]'', in January 2014. The first single and video were of a newly recorded version of the song "[[High Hopes (Bruce Springsteen song)|High Hopes]]", which Springsteen had previously recorded in 1995. The album was the first by Springsteen in which all songs are either cover songs, newly recorded outtakes from previous records, or newly recorded versions of songs previously released. The 2014 E Street Band touring lineup appears on the album, including material they had recorded with Clemons and Federici before their deaths.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=November 25, 2013 |title=New Bruce Springsteen Album Due January 14th |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/new-bruce-springsteen-album-due-january-14th-183999/ |access-date=June 11, 2024 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US}}</ref> ''High Hopes'' became Springsteen's eleventh No. 1 album in the US.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caulfiel |first=Keith |title=Bruce Springsteen Aiming for 11th No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart |date=January 18, 2014 |url=http://music.yahoo.com/news/bruce-springsteen-aiming-11th-no-1-album-billboard-003137560.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203023033/http://music.yahoo.com/news/bruce-springsteen-aiming-11th-no-1-album-billboard-003137560.html |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |publisher=Yahoo! Music}}</ref> It was his [[List of artists by number of UK Albums Chart number ones|tenth No. 1 in the UK]], tying him for fifth all-time with [[the Rolling Stones]] and U2.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25802202 "Bruce Springsteen scores 10th UK number one album"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102080937/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25802202 |date=January 2, 2016}}. BBC News. Retrieved January 26, 2014</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' named ''High Hopes'' the second best album of the year (behind U2's ''[[Songs of Innocence (U2 album)|Songs of Innocence]]'') on their Top 50 Albums of 2014 list.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 2014 |title=Bruce Springsteen, 'High Hopes' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2014-20141201/bruce-springsteen-high-hopes-20141201 |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116082105/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2014-20141201/bruce-springsteen-high-hopes-20141201 |archive-date=January 16, 2015 |access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref>
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Springsteen made his acting debut in the final episode of season three of Van Zandt's show ''[[Lilyhammer]]'', which was named "Loose Ends" after a Springsteen song on the ''Tracks'' album.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Giles |first=Jeff |date=December 18, 2014 |title=Steve Van Zandt Talk Bruce Springsteen's 'Lillehammer' Appearance |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-lilyhammer/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227200248/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springsteen-lilyhammer/ |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock}}</ref>

On August 6, 2015, Springsteen performed "Land of Hope and Dreams" and "Born to Run" on the final episode of ''[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]'', as Stewart's final 'Moment of Zen'. On October 16, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of ''The River'', Springsteen announced ''[[The Ties That Bind: The River Collection]]'' box set. Released on December 4, it contains four CDs (including many previously unreleased songs) and three DVDs (or Blu-ray) along with a 148-page coffee table book. In November 2015, "American Skin (41 Shots)" was performed with [[John Legend]] at ''[[Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Friedlander |first=Whitney |date=October 22, 2015 |title=A+E's 'Shining a Light' to Feature Bruce Springsteen, Jamie Foxx |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/shining-a-light-concert-bruce-springsteen-jamie-foxx-ae-iheartmedia-1201624092/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108122343/https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/shining-a-light-concert-bruce-springsteen-jamie-foxx-ae-iheartmedia-1201624092/ |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |access-date=January 9, 2021 |website=Variety}}</ref>
Springsteen made his first appearance on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' since 2002 on December 19, 2015, performing "Meet Me in the City", "[[The Ties That Bind (Bruce Springsteen song)|The Ties That Bind]]", and "[[Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town]]".<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 19, 2015 |title=Watch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: The Ties That Bind From Saturday Night Live |url=https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-the-ties-that-bind/2957168 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113014839/http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-the-ties-that-bind/2957168 |archive-date=January 13, 2016 |access-date=January 14, 2016 |website=NBC.com}}</ref>

[[File:SpringsteenWembley050616 (59 of 60).jpg|thumb|Springsteen and the E Street Band performing at [[Wembley Stadium]] in June 2016]]
[[The River Tour 2016]] began in January 2016 in support of ''The Ties That Bind: The River Collection'' box set. All first-leg shows in North America included an in-sequence performance of the entire ''The River'' album along with other songs from Springsteen's catalog, and all dates were recorded and made available for purchase.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 4, 2015 |title=Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Announce 2016 The River Tour |url=http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2015/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-announce-2016-the-river-tour-3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221083750/http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2015/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-announce-2016-the-river-tour-3 |archive-date=December 21, 2015 |access-date=December 4, 2015 |website=brucespringsteen.net}}</ref> In April 2016, Springsteen was one of the first artists to boycott North Carolina's anti-transgender bathroom bill.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 8, 2016 |title=A statement from Bruce Springsteen on North Carolina |url=http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2016/a-statement-from-bruce-springsteen-on-north-carolina |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523233251/http://brucespringsteen.net/news/2016/a-statement-from-bruce-springsteen-on-north-carolina |archive-date=May 23, 2019 |access-date=May 23, 2019 |website=brucespringsteen.net}}</ref>

''[[Chapter and Verse (Bruce Springsteen album)|Chapter and Verse]]'', a compilation from throughout Springsteen's career dating back to 1966, was released in September 2016. The same month, [[Simon & Schuster]] published his 500-page autobiography, ''[[Born to Run (autobiography)|Born to Run]]''. The book rose quickly to the top of ''The New York Times'' Best Sellers List.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Newman |first=Melinda |title=Bruce Springsteen Is The Boss of the New York Times Best Sellers List With 'Born To Run' |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/melindanewman/2016/10/05/bruce-springsteen-is-the-boss-of-the-new-york-times-best-sellers-list-with-born-to-run/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007185110/http://www.forbes.com/sites/melindanewman/2016/10/05/bruce-springsteen-is-the-boss-of-the-new-york-times-best-sellers-list-with-born-to-run/ |archive-date=October 7, 2016}}</ref>

On September 7, 2016, at [[Citizens Bank Park]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], Springsteen performed for four hours and four minutes, his longest-ever show in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2016 |title=Springsteen breaks concert length record yet again in Philly; see the setlist |url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2016/09/springsteen_breaks_concert_length_record_yet_again.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908164317/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2016/09/springsteen_breaks_concert_length_record_yet_again.html |archive-date=September 8, 2016 |access-date=September 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Springsteen breaks his record for longest US show |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/springsteen-breaks-his-record-for-longest-us-show/ar-BBw5zQu?OCID=ansmsnnews11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827092253/http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/springsteen-breaks-his-record-for-longest-us-show/ar-BBw5zQu?OCID=ansmsnnews11 |archive-date=August 27, 2016 |access-date=November 22, 2019 |publisher=[[MSN]]}}</ref> The River Tour 2016 was the top-grossing worldwide tour of 2016; it pulled in $268.3&nbsp;million globally and was the highest-grossing tour since 2014 for any artist topping [[Taylor Swift]]'s [[1989 World Tour|2015 tour]], which grossed $250.1&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 30, 2016 |title=Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé post top-grossing tours of 2016 |url=https://latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-bruce-springsteen-beyonce-top-tours-20161229-story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230073036/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-bruce-springsteen-beyonce-top-tours-20161229-story.html |archive-date=December 30, 2016 |access-date=December 30, 2016 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

Springsteen supported [[Hillary Clinton]]'s [[Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign|2016 presidential campaign]] by performing an acoustic set of "Thunder Road", "Long Walk Home" and "Dancing in the Dark" at a rally in Philadelphia on November 7, 2016. On November 22, Springsteen was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom award by [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Presidential Medal of Freedom |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/campaign/medal-of-freedom |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120190622/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/campaign/medal-of-freedom |archive-date=January 20, 2017 |access-date=November 25, 2016 |publisher=[[White House]] |via=[[NARA|National Archives]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Lorne Michaels Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom |url=https://www.yahoo.com/music/bruce-springsteen-robert-niro-lorne-211600096.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117064633/https://www.yahoo.com/music/bruce-springsteen-robert-niro-lorne-211600096.html |archive-date=November 17, 2016}}</ref> On January 12, 2017, Springsteen and Scialfa performed a special 15-song acoustic set for Barack and Michelle Obama at the [[White House]]'s East Room two days before the president gave his farewell address to the nation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Backstreets.com: 2017 Setlists |url=http://www.backstreets.com/setlists.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120034015/http://www.backstreets.com/setlists.html |archive-date=January 20, 2017 |access-date=January 19, 2017 |website=Backstreets.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 19, 2017 |title=Bruce Springsteen plays farewell gig for Barack Obama at the White House |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/19/bruce-springsteen-farewell-gig-president-barack-obama-white-house |url-status=live |access-date=January 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119110645/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/19/bruce-springsteen-farewell-gig-president-barack-obama-white-house |archive-date=January 19, 2017 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

[[File:Springsteen On Broadway - Walter Kerr Theater - Thursday 2nd November 2017 SpringsteenBroadWay021117-27 (26448770829).jpg|thumb|Springsteen during a performance of ''[[Springsteen on Broadway]]'' in 2017]]
''[[Springsteen on Broadway]]'', an eight-week run at the [[Walter Kerr Theatre]] on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in New York City in fall 2017, was announced in June 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 16, 2017 |title=Bruce Springsteen heads to Broadway this fall |work=New York Post |url=https://nypost.com/2017/06/16/bruce-springsteen-heads-to-broadway-this-fall/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616175323/http://nypost.com/2017/06/16/bruce-springsteen-heads-to-broadway-this-fall/ |archive-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref> The show included Springsteen reading excerpts from his 2016 autobiography ''Born to Run'' and performing other spoken reminiscences.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 9, 2017 |title=Bruce Springsteen Is Bringing His Music and His Memories to Broadway! |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/arts/music/bruce-springsteen-broadway-concerts.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502093725/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/arts/music/bruce-springsteen-broadway-concerts.html |archive-date=May 2, 2019}}</ref> Originally scheduled to run from October 12 through November 26, the show was extended three times; the last performance occurred on December 15, 2018.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=902934494524477440 |user=Ticketmaster |title=#SpringsteenBroadway has been Extended! More information coming today. There will NOT be any additional codes released for today's onsale. |date=August 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 27, 2017 |title=Springsteen on Broadway Extends Through June – Playbill |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/springsteen-on-broadway-extends-through-june |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401215411/http://www.playbill.com/article/springsteen-on-broadway-extends-through-june |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |access-date=January 18, 2018 |website=Playbill}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=March 21, 2018 |title=Bruce Springsteen Signs Up for More Time on Broadway |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/theater/bruce-springsteen-broadway-extension.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216163230/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/theater/bruce-springsteen-broadway-extension.html |archive-date=December 16, 2018}}</ref> For Springsteen's production of ''Springsteen on Broadway'', he was honored with a [[Special Tony Award]] at the [[72nd Tony Awards]] in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bruce Springsteen on Broadway: What comes after the Tony Award? |language=en |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/nation-now/2018/05/02/bruce-springsteen-broadway-tony-award-what-next/573126002/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503175853/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/nation-now/2018/05/02/bruce-springsteen-broadway-tony-award-what-next/573126002/ |archive-date=May 3, 2018}}</ref>

The live album ''Springsteen on Broadway'' was released in December 2018. It reached the top 10 in more than 10 countries and No. 11 in the United States.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Fear |first=David |date=December 1, 2018 |title=Trailers of the Week: 'Springsteen on Broadway,' 'I Am the Night,' 'Artemis Fowl' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/trailers-of-the-week-springsteen-on-broadway-i-am-the-night-760258/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202143255/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/trailers-of-the-week-springsteen-on-broadway-i-am-the-night-760258/ |archive-date=December 2, 2018 |access-date=December 2, 2018}}</ref>

===2019–2021: ''Western Stars'' ===
Springsteen's nineteenth studio album, ''[[Western Stars]]'', was released in June 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 3, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen's 'Western Stars' Grows More Satisfying with Repeated Exposure |url=https://www.popmatters.com/bruce-springsteen-western-stars-2638663688.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1?rebelltitem=1 |access-date=December 31, 2019 |website=PopMatters |language=en |archive-date=December 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231185915/https://www.popmatters.com/bruce-springsteen-western-stars-2638663688.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1?rebelltitem=1 |url-status=live}}</ref>

It was announced on July 23, 2019, that Springsteen would premiere his film, ''Western Stars'', at the [[Toronto Film Festival]] in September 2019. He co-directed the film along with longtime collaborator [[Thom Zimny]]. The film features Springsteen and his backing band performing the music from ''Western Stars'' to a live audience.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=July 23, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen to Debut 'Western Stars' Film at Toronto Film Festival |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-western-stars-toronto-film-festival-862320/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723181119/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-western-stars-toronto-film-festival-862320/ |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 23, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen Turns Director for Inventive Concert Film 'Western Stars' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/bruce-springsteen-director-concert-film-western-stars-1202160168/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723182128/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/bruce-springsteen-director-concert-film-western-stars-1202160168/ |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |website=[[IndieWire]]}}</ref> The film was released in theaters in October 2019, and the film's soundtrack, ''[[Western Stars#Film|Western Stars – Songs from the Film]]'', was also released that day.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 25, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen reveals new Western Stars film soundtrack: Stream |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bruce-springsteen-reveals-western-stars-040001417.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107145319/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bruce-springsteen-reveals-western-stars-040001417.html |archive-date=November 7, 2019 |access-date=November 7, 2019 |publisher=[[Yahoo!]]}}</ref>

On May 29, 2020, Springsteen appeared remotely during a livestream, no-audience concert by the [[Dropkick Murphys]] at [[Fenway Park]] in [[Boston]]. Springsteen performed the Dropkick Murphys song "[[Rose Tattoo (song)|Rose Tattoo]]" and his song "American Land", sharing co-vocals with [[Ken Casey]] on both songs. The event marked the first music performance without an in-person audience at a major U.S. arena, stadium or ballpark during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 18, 2020 |title=Dropkick Murphys to Play Audience-Less Concert From Fenway Park With Bruce Springsteen |url=https://consequence.net/2020/05/dropkick-murphys-bruce-springsteen-fenway-park/ |website=Consequence |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524184640/https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/05/dropkick-murphys-bruce-springsteen-fenway-park/ |archive-date=May 24, 2020 |access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref> The livestream attracted over 9&nbsp;million viewers and raised over $700,000 through charitable donations.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=May 3, 2020 |title=Dropkick Murphys and Bruce Springsteen's Fenway Park Show Raises a Ton of Money For Boston Charities |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/dropkick-murphys-bruce-springsteen-fenway-show-donations-total-9395675/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604002051/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9395675/dropkick-murphys-bruce-springsteen-fenway-show-donations-total |archive-date=June 4, 2020 |access-date=May 6, 2020}}</ref>

Springsteen's twentieth studio album, ''[[Letter to You]]'', was released in October 2020.<ref name="Variety-2020" /><ref name="The Earliest Bird-2020" /> An accompanying documentary of the same name was released the same month.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Chris |date=October 23, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen Writes a Letter to You, Releases New Album and Apple TV+ Doc |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/bruce-springsteen-letter-to-you-new-album-documentary-apple.html |website=Vulture |access-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105033709/https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/bruce-springsteen-letter-to-you-new-album-documentary-apple.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hiatt-2020">{{Cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=October 5, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen Announces 'Letter to You' Documentary Release Date |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-letter-to-you-date-1066105/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118073934/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-letter-to-you-date-1066105/ |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |access-date=April 25, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> The documentary was shot exclusively in black and white and was directed by Thom Zimny.<ref name="Hiatt-2020" /> The album was supported by two singles, "[[Letter to You (song)|Letter to You]]" and "[[Ghosts (Bruce Springsteen song)|Ghosts]]", released in September.<ref name="Variety-2020">{{Cite web |date=September 10, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen Drops New Song, 'Letter to You,' Album Due Next Month (Listen) |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/bruce-springsteen-new-song-letter-to-you-listen-1234764254/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910132646/https://variety.com/2020/music/news/bruce-springsteen-new-song-letter-to-you-listen-1234764254/ |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |access-date=September 10, 2020 |website=Variety}}</ref><ref name="The Earliest Bird-2020">{{Cite web |last1=Lababedi |first1=Iman |date=October 23, 2020 |title=The Earliest Bird: Top Release October 23rd, 2020, Bruce Springsteen's "Letter To You" Reviewed – Rock NYC |work=Rock NYC |url=https://rocknyc.live/the-earliest-bird-top-release-october-23rd-2020-bruce-springsteens-letter-to-you-reviewed.html |access-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105033711/https://rocknyc.live/the-earliest-bird-top-release-october-23rd-2020-bruce-springsteens-letter-to-you-reviewed.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1308752984029962241 |user=springsteen |title="Count the band in then kick into overdrive / By the end of the set we leave no one alive / Ghosts runnin' through the night / Our spirits filled with light…" Ghosts out tomorrow! https://t.co/2c86E5tUlY |first=Bruce |last=Springsteen |date=September 23, 2020 |access-date=December 31, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In November, Springsteen was featured as a guest singer for [[Bleachers (band)|Bleachers]]' single, "[[Chinatown (Bleachers song)|Chinatown]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Martoccio |first=Angie |date=November 16, 2020 |title=Bleachers Return With 'Chinatown' Featuring Bruce Springsteen |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bleachers-chinatown-bruce-springsteen-new-album-1090416/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205232639/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bleachers-chinatown-bruce-springsteen-new-album-1090416/ |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |access-date=December 10, 2020}}</ref> ''Letter to You'' reached No. 2 in the US, making Springsteen the first artist to release a top-five album in six consecutive decades.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lenker |first=Maureen Lee |date=November 3, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen reminds us why he's the Boss, becomes first artist with a Top 5 album in six decades |url=https://ew.com/music/bruce-springsteen-first-artist-top-5-album-six-decades/ |access-date=November 14, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114150852/https://ew.com/music/bruce-springsteen-first-artist-top-5-album-six-decades/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Springsteen and the E Street Band were musical guests on the December 12, 2020, episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', where they performed "Ghosts" and "[[I'll See You in My Dreams (Bruce Springsteen song)|I'll See You in My Dreams]]". This marked the band's first performance since 2017 and their first to promote ''Letter to You''. [[Garry Tallent]] and [[Soozie Tyrell]] opted to remain at home due to [[COVID-19]] concerns; this was the first time Tallent had missed a performance with the band, and Jack Daley of the Disciples of Soul filled in for him.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Dua Lipa, Morgan Wallen to Perform on SNL |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/11/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-dua-lipa-morgan-wallen-to-perform-on-snl/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125185708/https://www.spin.com/2020/11/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-dua-lipa-morgan-wallen-to-perform-on-snl/ |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |website=Spin}}</ref>

In February 2021, it was announced that Springsteen was releasing an eight-part [[podcast]] on [[Spotify]] titled ''[[Renegades: Born in the USA]]'' that would feature himself in conversation with Barack Obama discussing a wide range of topics including family, race, marriage, fatherhood, and the state of the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 22, 2021 |title=Inside new podcast featuring Bruce Springsteen in conversation with Barack Obama |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/inside-podcast-featuring-bruce-springsteen-conversation-barack-obama/story?id=76062675 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223183833/https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/inside-podcast-featuring-bruce-springsteen-conversation-barack-obama/story?id=76062675 |archive-date=February 23, 2021 |access-date=February 23, 2021 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref> Springsteen performed co-lead vocals and guitar on [[John Mellencamp]]'s song "Wasted Days", released in September 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Springsteen Joins John Mellencamp on Contemplative 'Wasted Days' |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/bruce-springsteen-joins-john-mellencamp-on-contemplative-e2-80-98wasted-days-e2-80-99/ar-AAOXflX?ocid=BingNewsSearch |access-date=September 29, 2021 |publisher=MSN |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929145124/https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/bruce-springsteen-joins-john-mellencamp-on-contemplative-e2-80-98wasted-days-e2-80-99/ar-AAOXflX?ocid=BingNewsSearch |url-status=live}}</ref>

On June 7, 2021, Springsteen announced that his ''Springsteen on Broadway'' shows would return for a limited run at Jujamcyn's [[St. James Theatre]] beginning on June 26, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Springsteen on Broadway to Return to Broadway for Limited Run Beginning June 26 |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/SPRINGSTEEN-ON-BROADWAY-to-Return-to-Broadway-for-Limited-Run-Beginning-June-26-20210607 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |publisher=Broadway World |archive-date=June 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607171445/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/SPRINGSTEEN-ON-BROADWAY-to-Return-to-Broadway-for-Limited-Run-Beginning-June-26-20210607 |url-status=live}}</ref> In an interview with [[E Street Radio]]'s Jim Rotolo on June 10, 2021, Springsteen said that he did not plan on playing any shows in 2021 but was talked into the Broadway shows by a "friend".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Springsteen on Broadway and beyond: E Street Band tour, new music coming |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/bruce-springsteen-on-broadway-and-beyond-e-street-band-tour-new-music-coming/ar-AAKV0BR?ocid=BingNewsSearch |access-date=June 10, 2021 |publisher=MSN |archive-date=June 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611001248/https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/bruce-springsteen-on-broadway-and-beyond-e-street-band-tour-new-music-coming/ar-AAKV0BR?ocid=BingNewsSearch |url-status=live}}</ref> During the same interview, Springsteen also announced an upcoming collaboration with [[the Killers]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 10, 2021 |title=Bruce Springsteen Talks 'Broadway' Return, New Music with Killers and John Mellencamp, and 2022 tour? |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/bruce-springsteen-talks-broadway-killers-mellencamp-tour-1234993677/ |access-date=June 10, 2021 |website=Variety |archive-date=June 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611003557/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/bruce-springsteen-talks-broadway-killers-mellencamp-tour-1234993677/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

On September 11, 2021, Springsteen performed "[[I'll See You in My Dreams (Bruce Springsteen song)|I'll See You in My Dreams]]" in tribute to the [[Casualties of the September 11 attacks|victims]] of the September 11 attacks.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=September 11, 2021 |title=See Bruce Springsteen Perform 'I'll See You in My Dreams' at 9/11 20th Anniversary Memorial |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-9-11-20th-anniversary-memorial-1224193/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911135126/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-9-11-20th-anniversary-memorial-1224193/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

On December 13, 2021, Springsteen gave a surprise four-song performance at the John Henry's Friends benefit concert for children diagnosed with [[Autism]] where he was joined by [[Steve Earle and the Dukes]] as his backing band.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 13, 2021 |title=Bruce Springsteen plugs in, goes gray at Steve Earle autism benefit in New York City |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/bruce-springsteen-plugs-goes-gray-220736480.html |access-date=December 16, 2021 |website=Yahoo |language=en-US |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216211745/https://www.yahoo.com/news/bruce-springsteen-plugs-goes-gray-220736480.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On December 16, 2021, Springsteen sold the masters of his entire catalog and the coinciding music publishing rights to [[Sony Music]] for $500 million. This topped what [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Taylor Swift]] received for their catalogs by $200 million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 16, 2021 |title=Bruce Springsteen Sells His Masters, Publishing Catalog to Sony for $500 Million |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/bruce-springsteen-sells-his-masters-publishing-catalog-to-sony-for-500-million/ |access-date=December 16, 2021 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216014309/https://pitchfork.com/news/bruce-springsteen-sells-his-masters-publishing-catalog-to-sony-for-500-million/ |url-status=live}}</ref> This sale, along with his Broadway shows and projects with Obama, helped him top the ''Rolling Stone'' list of the highest-paid musicians of 2021.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greenburg |first=Zack O'Malley |date=January 14, 2022 |title=Nine of the 10 Highest-Paid Musicians of 2021 Were Men |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/highest-paid-musicians-2021-bruce-springsteen-jay-z-taylor-swift-1281654/jay-z-470-million-1282532/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114224129/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/highest-paid-musicians-2021-bruce-springsteen-jay-z-taylor-swift-1281654/jay-z-470-million-1282532/ |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |access-date=January 16, 2022}}</ref>

===Since 2022: ''Only the Strong Survive'', collaborations, touring, and ''The Lost Albums''===

On May 24, 2022, it was announced that he would be launching an international tour with the E Street Band in 2023, the first such since 2017.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=May 24, 2022 |title=Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Announce 2023 World Tour |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-2023-world-tour-1357475/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524040232/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-and-the-e-street-band-2023-world-tour-1357475/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Bruce Springsteen performing at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington 27 February 2023.jpg|thumb|Springsteen performing in Seattle, February 2023]] In November, Springsteen released his twenty-first studio album, ''[[Only the Strong Survive (Bruce Springsteen album)|Only the Strong Survive]]'', a covers album of classic [[soul music]] songs from the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=September 29, 2022 |title=Bruce Springsteen to Release 'Only the Strong Survive,' New Album of Classic Soul Covers |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/bruce-springsteen-to-release-e2-80-98only-the-strong-survive-e2-80-99-new-album-of-classic-soul-covers/ar-AA12oirU |access-date=September 30, 2022 |website=MSN |archive-date=September 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930165915/https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/bruce-springsteen-to-release-e2-80-98only-the-strong-survive-e2-80-99-new-album-of-classic-soul-covers/ar-AA12oirU |url-status=live}}</ref> To promote the album, Springsteen performed on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon]]'' in mid-November, along with a special [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] episode on November 24.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-turn-back-the-hands-of-time-fallon-1234631741/|title=See Bruce Springsteen Deliver Rousing 'Turn Back the Hands of Time' on 'Fallon'|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=November 16, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jambase.com/article/bruce-springsteen-roots-dont-play-that-song-fallon-video|title=Bruce Springsteen Enlists The Roots & The Nightshift For Authoritative 'Don't Play That Song' On 'Fallon'|website=JamBase|last=Bernstein |first=Scott |date=November 25, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/11/25/bruce-springsteen-on-jimmy-fallon-roots-join-night-shift-band/69676235007/|title=Bruce Springsteen plays soul classic with Night Shift band, Roots on 'Jimmy Fallon'|first=Chris|last=Jordan|website=Asbury Park Press|date=November 25, 2022}}</ref>

On February 1, 2023, Springsteen and the E Street band launched [[Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour|their first tour in six years]], due to conclude in July 2025. 

In a November 2022 interview, Springsteen confirmed that he planned a Volume 2 of the album; at the time, he said it was "probably three-quarters recorded".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=November 22, 2022 |title=Bruce Springsteen Breaks Down His R&B Covers LP — and Responds to Fan Outrage Over Ticket Prices |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bruce-springsteen-covers-lp-fan-outrage-ticket-prices-1234632658/ |access-date=June 16, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616200219/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bruce-springsteen-covers-lp-fan-outrage-ticket-prices-1234632658/amp/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Taysom |first=Joe |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Bruce Springsteen has recorded another album of soul covers |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bruce-springsteen-has-recorded-another-album-of-soul-covers/ |access-date=June 16, 2023 |website=Far Out Magazine |archive-date=June 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615201224/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bruce-springsteen-has-recorded-another-album-of-soul-covers/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Springsteen provided vocals on the song "History Books" by [[the Gaslight Anthem]], the title track on the band's October 2023 album.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=July 21, 2023 |title=Hear Bruce Springsteen Join The Gaslight Anthem on New Single 'History Books' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-gaslight-anthem-history-books-1234792716/ |access-date=July 21, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721014809/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-gaslight-anthem-history-books-1234792716/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The same month, he collaborated with [[Bryce Dessner]] on "Addicted to Romance", an original song for the ''[[She Came to Me (soundtrack)|She Came to Me]]'' soundtrack album.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Qureshi |first=Arusa |date=February 14, 2023 |title=Bruce Springsteen and The National's Bryce Dessner team up for new song 'Addicted To Romance' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/bruce-springsteen-and-the-nationals-bryce-dessner-team-up-for-new-song-addicted-to-romance-3398506 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301072145/https://www.nme.com/news/music/bruce-springsteen-and-the-nationals-bryce-dessner-team-up-for-new-song-addicted-to-romance-3398506 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |access-date=October 9, 2023 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Strauss |first=Matthew |title=Bruce Springsteen and the National's Bryce Dessner Collaborate on New Song |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/bruce-springsteen-and-the-national-bryce-dessner-collaborate-on-new-song-listen/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930124956/https://pitchfork.com/news/bruce-springsteen-and-the-national-bryce-dessner-collaborate-on-new-song-listen/ |date=September 29, 2023 |archive-date=September 30, 2023 |access-date=October 9, 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> In September, Springsteen announced the postponement of eight shows scheduled for September. Springsteen was undergoing treatment for [[peptic ulcer]] disease and doctors recommended he not perform live. A few days later, the remaining twelve shows scheduled for November through December 2023 were also postponed to dates in March and April, and between August and November 2024. In total, twenty-nine shows on the tour were postponed due to Springsteen's illness along with Springsteen and other members of the band having [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{cite web |last=O'Toole |first=Scarlett |date=September 23, 2023 |title=Inside Bruce Springsteen's health woes from 'dangerous' depression to throat surgery |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/us-celebrity-news/inside-bruce-springsteens-health-woes-30981287 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923223646/https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/us-celebrity-news/inside-bruce-springsteens-health-woes-30981287 |archive-date=September 23, 2023 |accessdate=September 24, 2023 |work=mirror.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://brucespringsteen.net/news/2023/september-postponements/ | title=September 2023 Postponements | work=brucespringsteen.net | date=September 6, 2023 | accessdate=September 7, 2023 | archive-date=September 7, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907022257/https://brucespringsteen.net/news/2023/september-postponements/ | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://brucespringsteen.net/news/2023/2023-postponements/ | title=2023 Postponements | work=brucespringsteen.net | date=September 27, 2023 | accessdate=September 27, 2023 | archive-date=September 27, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927164703/https://brucespringsteen.net/news/2023/2023-postponements/ | url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:SpringsteenCardiff050524 (118 of 166) (53705484155).jpg|thumb|[[Jake Clemons]] and Springsteen during a performance in Cardiff in May 2024]]In April 2024, [[20th Century Studios]] announced a [[biographical film]], ''[[Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere]]'', based on the 2023 book by [[Warren Zanes]] about the making of ''Nebraska''. It is written and directed by [[Scott Cooper (director)|Scott Cooper]]; [[Jeremy Allen White]] will play Springsteen and perform his own singing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fleming |first1=Mike Jr |last2=Kroll |first2=Justin |date=April 8, 2024 |title=In Coup For New Chief David Greenbaum, 20th Century Lands 'Deliver Me From Nowhere'; Jeremy Allen White Plays Bruce Springsteen For Scott Cooper In Drama On Making Of 'Nebraska' Album |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/bruce-springsteen-movie-jeremy-allen-white-20th-century-1235876983/ |access-date=April 8, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fu |first=Eddie |date=June 26, 2024 |title=Jeremy Allen White Plans to Do His Own Singing in Bruce Springsteen Movie |url=https://consequence.net/2024/06/jeremy-allen-white-bruce-springsteen-movie-singing/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR00qfai9c3CjH5JOEFC3XNJ2jLEX2gVWAPfak79eZJv13ftJmZVuosBYu0_aem_PcosRop1qO7rMmmheAkeXg |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |language=en-US}}</ref> That year, Springsteen contributed guitar to a re-release of [[Mark Knopfler]]'s "[[Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero]]" in aid of the [[Teenage Cancer Trust]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-knopfler-recruits-bruce-springsteen-brian-may-ronnie-wood-teenage-cancer-trust-single-3584338 | title=Mark Knopfler recruits Bruce Springsteen, Brian May, Ronnie Wood and more for Teenage Cancer Trust single | work=NME | first=Liberty | last=Dunworth | date=February 8, 2024 | access-date=March 4, 2024 | archive-date=March 4, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304174544/https://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-knopfler-recruits-bruce-springsteen-brian-may-ronnie-wood-teenage-cancer-trust-single-3584338 | url-status=live}}</ref> His eighth compilation album, ''[[Best of Bruce Springsteen]]'', was released on April 19.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2024/03/bruce-springsteen-greatest-hits-album/|title=Bruce Springsteen Announces New Greatest Hits Album|last=Harrison|first=Scoop|website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]|date=March 1, 2024|access-date=March 2, 2024}}</ref> In October, [[Disney+]] and [[Hulu]] released a documentary about Springsteen's 2023–2024 tour, ''Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/bruce-springsteen-documentary-world-tour-disney-plus-hulu-1236003198/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1Qjb4qmJV_Bid0GJVfYA-ENdpTUhWFuggYrxOcvYYJJwuK3qJ0w9xBZMc_aem_AavoUEGyugBnRD7ZOrlzg8SsjI9YE7vlkqbC1pxDf-__TmazYI4FTeNxqkt2iZ-QdLWyODaIA1DN6Nq__4jCU9-w|title=Bruce Springsteen Documentary About E Street Band World Tour Set at Disney+ and Hulu|last=DeMartin|first=Rob|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 14, 2024|access-date=May 17, 2024}}</ref> The documentary made its debut at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] in September 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/07/22/bruce-springsteen-toronto-film-festival-road-diary-disney-hulu/74500318007/|title=Bruce Springsteen to appear at Toronto film festival for upcoming 'Road Diary' doc|last=Jordan|first=Chris|website=app.com|date=July 22, 2024|access-date=July 22, 2024}}</ref> In July 2024, ''[[Forbes]]'' reported that Springsteen had a net worth of more than $1.1 billion, thanks to his tours and the sale of his back catalogue in 2021,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Voytko-Best |first=Lisette |date=July 19, 2024 |title=Bruce Springsteen is now a billionaire |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2024/07/19/bruce-springsteen-is-now-a-billionaire/ |access-date=July 20, 2024 |website=[[Forbes]] |language=en}}</ref> making him one of the [[List of celebrities by net worth|richest celebrities]] and [[List of music artists by net worth|musicians]]. During his August 23, 2024, show in [[Philadelphia]], Springsteen denounced rumors of a farewell tour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Chris |date=August 24, 2024 |title=Bruce Springsteen, during second night in Philly, talks about last year's illness |url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/08/24/bruce-springsteen-e-street-band-philadelphia-night-two/74922095007/ |access-date=August 24, 2024 |website=app.com |language=en}}</ref>

In April 2025, Springsteen announced the ''[[Tracks II: The Lost Albums]]'' collection, which was released on June 27, 2025. It features seven full-length albums of unreleased material dating from 1983 to 2018. The collection includes 83 songs, 74 of which were previously unreleased. A twenty-song companion album, ''Lost and Found: Selections from The Lost Albums'', was also released on June 27.<ref>{{cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |title=Bruce Springsteen's Mythic Lost Albums Compiled in New Box Set: Listen to "Rain in the River" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/bruce-springsteens-mythic-lost-albums-compiled-in-new-box-set-listen-to-rain-in-the-river/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=April 3, 2025 |date=April 3, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bruce Springsteen's 'Tracks II: The Lost Albums' — Featuring 7 Never-Heard, Full-length Records |url=https://brucespringsteen.net/news/2025/bruce-springsteens-tracks-ii-the-lost-albums-featuring-7-never-heard-full-length-records/ |website=brucespringsteen.net |access-date=April 3, 2025 |date=April 3, 2025}}</ref> On May 21, 2025, Springsteen released the ''Land of Hope & Dreams'' EP. The four-song EP features songs from the tour opener in [[Manchester]] on May 14, 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harrison |first=Scoop |date=May 21, 2025 |title=Bruce Springsteen Releases New Anti-Trump EP |url=https://consequence.net/2025/05/bruce-springsteen-land-of-hope-and-dreams-ep/ |access-date=May 21, 2025 |website=consequence.net}}</ref> A 17-minute documentary entitled ''Inside Tracks II: The Lost Albums'' was released on June 20, 2025; it gives viewers an in-depth look at each ''Lost Album''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bruce Springsteen - Inside Tracks II: The Lost Albums |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo-pkzr0588|website=youtube.com|access-date=June 20, 2025 |date=June 20, 2025}}</ref>

In a June 2025 interview with Rolling Stone, Springsteen confirmed that a new solo album is completed and will be released in 2026, ''Only the Strong Survive, Volume 2'' is also completed, and a ''Tracks III'' box set will be released in the next three years. Springsteen also at first denied the existence of the long-rumored ''[[Electric Nebraska]]'' album, but a month after the interview corrected himself and confirmed that songs from those sessions existed. Springsteen discussed the future of the E Street Band, saying he wants to "play more often with less dates" and that "it’s very exciting to play with the E Street Band now, and I’m looking forward to doing a good deal of it in the future. But that future is finite." He said he would also like to do another solo tour similar to his Broadway shows. Springsteen said there will never be a farewell tour and that he hopes to still be onstage in his nineties.<ref>{{cite web |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=June 20, 2025 |title=Bruce Springsteen: 'Time Is Finite, and Your Performing Time Is Finite' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bruce-springsteen-biopic-new-album-interview-1235367320/ |access-date=June 19, 2025 |website=rollingstone.com}}</ref>

Springsteen and the E Street Band's [[Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour|2023–2025 Tour]] was the highest-grossing tour of their career grossing close to $730 million worldwide and placing it as one of the top ten highest-grossing tours ever. It more than doubled their previous all-time gross from their 2012–2013 [[Wrecking Ball Tour]]. It also made Springsteen one of just five artists ever to have grossed over $2.3 billion touring in his career.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=July 16, 2025 |title=Bruce Springsteen's Latest Tour Grosses Over $700 Million |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-tour-700-million-gross-1235387503/ |accessdate=July 16, 2025 |work=rollingstone.com}}</ref>

On August 22, 2025, Springsteen released the song "Lonely Night in the Park" to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the ''Born to Run'' album. A low quality version of the song appeared on various fan released bootlegs over the years and in 2005 was briefly played on SiriusXM's E Street Radio channel.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sterling |first=Scott |title=Bruce Springsteen Unearths Born to Run Outtake "Lonely Night in the Park": Stream |url=https://consequence.net/2025/08/bruce-springsteen-lonely-night-in-the-park-born-to-run-outtake/ |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |access-date=August 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250822151610/https://consequence.net/2025/08/bruce-springsteen-lonely-night-in-the-park-born-to-run-outtake/ |archive-date=August 22, 2025 |date=August 22, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Artistry and legacy==
{{quote box
| align = right
| width = 25em
| quote = I spent most of my life as a musician measuring the distance between the [[American Dream]] and American reality.
| source = —Springsteen at a rally for presidential candidate Barack Obama on November 2, 2008<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hagen |first=Mark |date=January 18, 2009 |title=Meet the new boss |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jan/18/bruce-springsteen-interview |url-status=live |access-date=September 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930145120/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jan/18/bruce-springsteen-interview |archive-date=September 30, 2013}}</ref>
}}

Widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time,<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/interactive/lists-100-greatest-songwriters/#bruce-springsteen |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624095503/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-songwriters#bruce-springsteen |archive-date=June 24, 2018 |access-date=March 21, 2021}}</ref> Springsteen has been called a "rock 'n' roll poet" who "[radiates] working-class authenticity".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeitz |first=Joshua |date=August 24, 2015 |title=How 'Born to Run' Captured the Decline of the American Dream |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/08/born-to-run-at-40/402137/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704164429/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/08/born-to-run-at-40/402137/ |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2019 |website=The Atlantic}}</ref> He is a pioneer of [[heartland rock]], a genre combining mainstream rock music with [[working class]] thematic concerns and socially conscious lyrics. According to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', his work "epitomizes rock's deepest values: desire, the need for freedom and the search to find yourself."<ref name="RS1" /> Often described as cinematic in their scope, Springsteen's lyrics frequently explore highly personal themes such as individual commitment, dissatisfaction and dismay with life in a context of everyday situations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wurtzel |first=Elizabeth |date=June 22, 2008 |title=Bruce almighty, Elizabeth Wurtzel on Bruce Springsteen's lyrics |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jun/22/popandrock.culture4 |url-status=live |access-date=September 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220050248/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jun/22/popandrock.culture4 |archive-date=December 20, 2013}}</ref> Springsteen's themes include social and political commentary<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Alterman |first=Eric |date=April 11, 2012 |title=Bruce Springsteen's Political Voice |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/bruce-springsteens-political-voice/ |url-status=live |magazine=The Nation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704164556/https://www.thenation.com/article/bruce-springsteens-political-voice/ |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Powers |first=Ann |date=January 19, 2012 |title=Bruce Springsteen's New Wave Of Social Protest |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/01/19/145454546/we-take-care-of-our-own-springsteens-new-wave-of-social-protest |url-status=live |access-date=July 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704164557/https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/01/19/145454546/we-take-care-of-our-own-springsteens-new-wave-of-social-protest |archive-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref> and are rooted in the struggles faced by his own family of origin.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leopold |first=Todd |title=Bruce Springsteen and the song of the working man |url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/06/18/showbiz/bruce-springsteen-wrecking-ball-working-man/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704164430/https://www.cnn.com/2012/06/18/showbiz/bruce-springsteen-wrecking-ball-working-man/index.html |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2019 |publisher=CNN}}</ref>

A shift in Springsteen's lyrical approach began with the album ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'',<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Haltom |first1=William |last2=McCann |first2=Michael W. |year=1996 |title=From Badlands to Better Days: Bruce Springsteen Observes Law and Politics |url=https://www.pugetsound.edu/faculty-pages/haltom/bruce-springsteen/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116145204/https://www.pugetsound.edu/faculty-pages/haltom/bruce-springsteen/ |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |access-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref> in which he focused on the emotional struggles of working class life,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Millman |first=Joyce |date=April 16, 2008 |title=A Map of the Future: "Darkness on the Edge of Town" at 30 |url=http://www.brucespringsteenspecialcollection.net/BSSC_Darkness30.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090608001051/http://www.brucespringsteenspecialcollection.net/BSSC_Darkness30.htm |archive-date=June 8, 2009 |access-date=September 29, 2010 |publisher=brucespringsteenspecialcollection.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Richardson |first=Mark |date=January 6, 2004 |title=Album Review: "Darkness on the Edge of Town" |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7727-the-essential-bruce-springsteen/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121031601/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7727-the-essential-bruce-springsteen/ |archive-date=November 21, 2010 |access-date=September 29, 2010 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> alongside more typical rock and roll themes. Reviewing ''Born in the U.S.A.'', ''Rolling Stone'' critic Debby Miller noted that "Springsteen ignored the [[British Invasion]] and embraced instead the legacy of [[Phil Spector]]'s releases, the sort of soul that was coming from [[Atlantic Records]], and especially the garage bands that had anomalous radio hits. He's always chased the utopian feeling of that music".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Miller |first=Debby |date=July 19, 1984 |title=Born in the U.S.A. |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/born-in-the-u-s-a-97901/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-date=December 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217182945/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/born-in-the-u-s-a-97901/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Bruce Springsteen 20080815.jpg|thumb|Springsteen performing in front of drummer [[Max Weinberg]] on the [[Magic Tour (Bruce Springsteen)|Magic Tour]] at [[Veterans Memorial Arena]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] in August 2008]]
[[Jon Pareles]] included Springsteen among the "pantheon" of artists of the [[album era]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Pareles |date=January 5, 1997 |title=All That Music, and Nothing to Listen To |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/05/arts/all-that-music-and-nothing-to-listen-to.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=March 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227043520/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/05/arts/all-that-music-and-nothing-to-listen-to.html |archive-date=December 27, 2017}}</ref> "Springsteen is the quintessential album-era rock star," writes [[Ann Powers]], who argues that while other acts like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and [[Marvin Gaye]] probably made better individual works, "none [had] used the long-player form itself more powerfully over the arc of a career, not only to establish a world through song, but to inhabit an enduring persona". He used it to lyricize "America's slide from industrial-era swagger into service-economy [[anomie]]". In her mind, Springsteen needed the "track-by-track architecture of albums to flesh out characters, relate each to the other, extend metaphors and build a palpable, detail-strewn landscape through which they could travel". He simultaneously grew musically "both with his stalwart E Street Band (a metaphor itself for the family connections and community spirit his songs celebrate or lament) and in more minimalist projects."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Powers |first=Ann |date=January 26, 2009 |title=CD: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-26-et-springsteen26-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125104123/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-26-et-springsteen26-story.html |archive-date=January 25, 2021}}</ref>

Springsteen and the E Street Band have frequently appeared in lists ranking the best live acts of all time.<ref name="BaltinLive">{{cite web |last=Baltin |first=Steve |title=Springsteen, Prince, Bowie, And The Best Live Acts Of The Last 50 Years |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebaltin/2024/05/26/springsteen-prince-bowie-and-the-best-live-acts-of-the-last-50-years/ |website=[[Forbes]] |access-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527003926/https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebaltin/2024/05/26/springsteen-prince-bowie-and-the-best-live-acts-of-the-last-50-years/?sh=45d0a1f602c3 |archive-date=May 27, 2024 |date=May 26, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Top Ten Live Acts of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rolling-stone-readers-pick-the-top-ten-live-acts-of-all-time-11789/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=July 4, 2024 |date=March 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Barton |first1=Laura |title=The 30 bands and artists to see live before you die … or they split up |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/24/30-musical-acts-to-see-before-you-die |website=The Guardian |access-date=July 4, 2024 |date=June 24, 2023}}</ref> In ''[[Forbes]]'', Steve Baltin wrote: "There has never been a live experience in music that captures the feeling of liberation and optimism rock and roll is supposed to bring you more than a Springsteen and the E Street Band show."<ref name="BaltinLive" /> In January 2023, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' named Springsteen the 77th-greatest singer of all time.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=January 1, 2023|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/bruce-springsteen-46-1234643079/|access-date=July 3, 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=July 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703220612/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/bruce-springsteen-46-1234643079/|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2023, the governor of New Jersey issued a proclamation announcing September 23 "Bruce Springsteen Day".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Springsteen gets state day in NJ, misses American Music Honors event due to COVID |url=https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/04/16/bruce-springsteen-covid-patti-scialfa-american-music-honors-proclamation/70116070007/ |access-date=April 16, 2023 |website=Asbury Park Press |language=en-US |archive-date=March 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305105419/https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/04/16/bruce-springsteen-covid-patti-scialfa-american-music-honors-proclamation/70116070007/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Springsteen's songs have been the subject of various scholarly articles analyzing his music and lyrics.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bohn |first=Katie |title=Authenticity in the USA: How Springsteen's music stayed true through the years |work=[[Penn State University]] |date=August 16, 2021 |url=https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/authenticity-usa-how-springsteens-music-stayed-true-through-years/ |access-date=June 3, 2024}}</ref> The Bruce Springsteen Special Collection houses academic journals and papers on Springsteen published since the 1980s. Springsteen himself said in 2001: "The Collection has almost 1,000 books and magazines on myself and the band–more stuff than every place except my mother's basement!"<ref>{{cite web |title=Academic Journals and Papers |url=https://brucespringsteenspecialcollection.monmouth.edu/academic-journals-and-papers/#top |website=The Bruce Springsteen Special Collection |access-date=June 2, 2024}}</ref>

In 2003, ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list included ''[[Born to Run]]'' (18),<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Born to Run ranked no. 18 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/born-to-run-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902071320/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/born-to-run-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |archive-date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Born in the U.S.A.]]'' (85),<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Born in the U.S.A. ranked no. 85 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/born-in-the-u-s-a-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902072547/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/born-in-the-u-s-a-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |archive-date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> ''[[The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle]]'' (132),<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=E Street Shuffle ranked no. 132 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-wild-the-innocent-and-the-e-street-shuffle-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902071659/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-wild-the-innocent-and-the-e-street-shuffle-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |archive-date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Darkness on the Edge of Town]]'' (151),<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Edge of Town ranked no. 151 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902064908/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |archive-date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Nebraska (album)|Nebraska]]'' (224),<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Nebraska ranked no. 224 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/nebraska-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902071447/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/nebraska-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |archive-date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> ''[[The River (Bruce Springsteen album)|The River]]'' (250),<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=The River ranked no. 250 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-river-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902020541/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-river-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |archive-date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.]]'' (379),<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Greetings ranked no. 379 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/greetings-from-asbury-park-n-j-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902124111/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/greetings-from-asbury-park-n-j-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |archive-date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> and ''[[Tunnel of Love (album)|Tunnel of Love]]'' (475).<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Tunnel of Love ranked no. 475 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/tunnel-of-love-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902125139/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/tunnel-of-love-bruce-springsteen-19691231 |archive-date=September 2, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> In 2004, on their [[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]] list, ''Rolling Stone'' included "[[Born to Run (song)|Born to Run]]" (21), "[[Thunder Road (song)|Thunder Road]]" (86),<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004 1–100 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619072533/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page |archive-date=June 19, 2008 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> and "[[Born in the U.S.A. (song)|Born in the U.S.A.]]" (275).<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004 201–300 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/3 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619105433/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/3 |archive-date=June 19, 2008 |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> In 2010, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Springsteen 23rd on its list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|100 Greatest Artists of All Time]]", describing him as "the embodiment of rock and roll".<ref name="RS1">{{Cite magazine |date=December 3, 2010 |title=Best Musicians, Artists of All Time According to Rolling Stone – Bruce Springsteen |first1=Jackson |last1=Browne |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/bruce-springsteen-10-92264/ |url-status=live |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308225430/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/bruce-springsteen-10-92264/ |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |access-date=March 20, 2021}}</ref>

==Personal life==
===Relationships===
[[File:Springsteen On Broadway - Walter Kerr Theater - Thursday 2nd November 2017 SpringsteenBroadWay021117-43 (26448754919) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Springsteen with his wife [[Patti Scialfa]], a member of the [[E Street Band]], during a 2017 performance of ''[[Springsteen on Broadway]]'']]
Springsteen briefly dated artist Karon Bihari in the 1970s, who claimed the ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'' song "Candy's Room" was about her.{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2020|pp=118–119}} He also had relationships with photographer [[Lynn Goldsmith]], model Karen Darvin and, for four years in the 1980s, actress [[Joyce Hyser]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 4, 1985 |title=Springsteen Keeps Love Life in Dark |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-09-04-8502060579-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514151354/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-09-04-8502060579-story.html |archive-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref>

In the early 1980s, he met [[Patti Scialfa]] at [[the Stone Pony]] the evening she was performing alongside his friend [[Bobby Bandiera]], with whom she wrote "At Least We Got Shoes" for [[Southside Johnny]]. Springsteen liked her voice and after the performance he introduced himself to her. They soon started spending time together and became friends.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Birch|first=Ian|title=Patti Scialfa, "Red-Headed Woman"|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=August 1993|pages=42–44|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/patti-scialfa-red-headed-woman|access-date=December 28, 2024|via=Rock's Backpages}}</ref>

Early in 1984, Springsteen asked Scialfa to join the E Street Band for the [[Born in the U.S.A. Tour]], which began in June 1984. According to the book ''Bruce'' by Peter Ames Carlin, they seemed about to become a couple through the first leg of the tour,{{sfn|Carlin|2012|p=343}} but Springsteen was introduced to actress [[Julianne Phillips]] and married her shortly after midnight on May 13, 1985, at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in [[Lake Oswego, Oregon]].<ref name="bbmtmo">{{Cite news |date=May 13, 1985 |title=Springsteen, model married this morning |page=A1 |work=The Bulletin |agency=United Press International |location=Bend, Oregon |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0x9ZAAAAIBAJ&pg=6128%2C328108 |url-status=live |access-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414035120/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0x9ZAAAAIBAJ&pg=6128%2C328108 |archive-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref><ref name="baffwew">{{Cite news |date=May 13, 1985 |title=Bruce, actress fool fans with early wedding |page=B2 |work=[[Spokane Chronicle]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GFoaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6646%2C2812331 |url-status=live |access-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414014623/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GFoaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6646%2C2812331 |archive-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref><ref name="ergseccer">{{Cite news |date=May 14, 1985 |title=Springsteen marries in secret ceremony |page=1A |work=[[Eugene Register-Guard]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MPFVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3099%2C3593205 |url-status=live |access-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414014818/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MPFVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3099%2C3593205 |archive-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref> Opposites in background, the two had an 11-year age difference and Springsteen's traveling took its toll on their relationship. Many of the songs on ''Tunnel of Love'' described the unhappiness he felt in his relationship with Phillips.{{sfn|Carlin|2012|pp=345–346}}

The [[Tunnel of Love Express Tour]] began in February 1988 and Springsteen convinced Scialfa to postpone her own solo record and join the tour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Katz |first=Larry |date=September 15, 2004 |title=E Street detour: Patti Scialfa leaves hubby Bruce Springsteen at home during road trip |url=https://www.angelfire.com/ny5/pattiscialfa/articles/bh.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927164254/http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/pattiscialfa/articles/bh.html |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |access-date=October 13, 2013 |website=Boston Herald |publisher=Angelfire.com}}</ref> Scialfa moved in with Springsteen shortly after he separated from Phillips.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Bruce Springsteen's Wife Supported Him Through His Battle With Depression |url=https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/wellness/how-bruce-springsteens-wife-supported-him-through-his-battle-with-depression/ar-AAB4mmG |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806163047/https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/wellness/how-bruce-springsteens-wife-supported-him-through-his-battle-with-depression/ar-AAB4mmG |archive-date=August 6, 2019 |access-date=August 6, 2019 |publisher=MSN}}</ref> On August 30, 1988, citing [[irreconcilable differences]], Phillips filed for divorce in [[Los Angeles]],<ref name="sekdiv">{{Cite news |date=August 31, 1988 |title=Springsteen's wife seeks divorce |page=3A |work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=news services |location=Oregon |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lehVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6102%2C7335279 |url-status=live |access-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414035507/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lehVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6102%2C7335279 |archive-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref> and a settlement was reached in December and finalized on March 1, 1989.<ref name="swfvfst">{{Cite news |date=December 16, 1988 |title=Springsteen, wife divorced; 'fair settlement' kept secret |page=2A |work=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=news services |location=Oregon |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jvFVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6755%2C4205041 |url-status=live |access-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414014817/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jvFVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6755%2C4205041 |archive-date=April 14, 2021}}</ref><ref name="upidiv">{{Cite news |date=December 15, 1988 |title=Rocker Springsteen, wife reach divorce agreement |work=United Press International |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/12/15/Rocker-Springsteen-wife-reach-divorce-agreement/9883598165200/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927122940/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/12/15/Rocker-Springsteen-wife-reach-divorce-agreement/9883598165200/ |archive-date=September 27, 2018}}</ref>

Springsteen received press criticism for the apparent haste in which he and Scialfa started their relationship. In a 1995 interview with ''The Advocate'', he told Judy Wieder about the negative publicity the couple subsequently received: "It's a strange society that assumes it has the right to tell people whom they should love and whom they shouldn't. But the truth is, I basically ignored the entire thing as much as I could. I said, 'Well, all I know is, this feels real, and maybe I have got a mess going here in some fashion, but that's life.'"<ref name="Wieder1995">{{Cite web |last=Wieder |first=Judy |year=1995 |title=Bruce Springsteen: The Advocate Interview |url=http://www.brucespringsteen.hu/docs/1995advocate.doc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313013142/http://www.brucespringsteen.hu/docs/1995advocate.doc |archive-date=March 13, 2012 |access-date=June 9, 2012 |website=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |format=doc |via=brucespringsteen.hu}}</ref> Years later, he reflected, "'I didn't protect Juli... some sort of public announcement would have been fair, but I felt overly concerned about my own privacy. I handled it badly, and I still feel badly about it. It was cruel for people to find out the way they did.'"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carlin |first=Peter Ames |title=Bruce Springsteen book excerpt: From a 'Tunnel of Love' with Julianne Phillips to 'Dancing in the Dark' with Patti Scialfa |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location=New York |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/bruce-julianne-patti-article-1.1186683 |url-status=live |access-date=August 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806163104/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/bruce-julianne-patti-article-1.1186683 |archive-date=August 6, 2019}}</ref>

Springsteen and Scialfa lived in New Jersey before moving to Los Angeles, where they decided to start a family. On July 25, 1990, Scialfa gave birth to the couple's first child, a son.{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|2007|p=120}}<ref name="reader">{{Cite book |last=Sawyers |first=June Skinner |url=https://archive.org/details/racinginstreetth00sawy |title=Racing in the Street: The Bruce Springsteen Reader |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2004 |isbn=0142003549}}</ref> On June 8, 1991, Springsteen and Scialfa married at their Los Angeles home in a private ceremony, only attended by family and close friends. Their second child, [[Jessica Rae Springsteen]], was born on December 30, 1991.{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|2007|p=120}}<ref name="reader" /> Their third child, a son, was born on January 5, 1994.<ref name="reader" />{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|2007|p=149}} In a 1995 interview, Springsteen said, "I went through a divorce, and it was really difficult and painful and I was very frightened about getting married again. So part of me said, 'Hey, what does it matter?' But it does matter. It's very different than just living together. First of all, stepping up publicly—which is what you do: You get your license, you do all the social rituals—is a part of your place in society and in some way part of society's acceptance of you&nbsp;... Patti and I both found that it did mean something."<ref name="Wieder1995" />

When their children reached school age in the 1990s, Springsteen and Scialfa moved back to New Jersey to raise them away from [[paparazzi]]. The family owns and lives on a horse farm in [[Colts Neck Township, New Jersey|Colts Neck Township]] and has a home in [[Rumson]]; they also own homes in Los Angeles and [[Wellington, Florida]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=David |first=Mark |date=March 19, 2010 |title=The Boss Buys and Sells at a Loss in Flahreeduh |url=https://variety.com/2010/dirt/real-estalker/the-boss-buys-and-sells-at-a-loss-in-flahreeduh-1201230161/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109193507/https://variety.com/2010/dirt/real-estalker/the-boss-buys-and-sells-at-a-loss-in-flahreeduh-1201230161/ |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |access-date=November 9, 2019 |website=Variety |language=en}}</ref> Evan graduated from [[Boston College]]; he writes and performs his own songs and won the 2012 Singer/Songwriter Competition held during Boston College's Arts Festival.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Festival Highlights |publisher=Boston College |url=http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/artscouncil/festival/highlights/2012highlights/2012music.html |access-date=September 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729104305/http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/artscouncil/festival/highlights/2012highlights/2012music.html |archive-date=July 29, 2013}}</ref> Jessica graduated from [[Duke University]] and is a nationally ranked champion [[Equestrianism|equestrian]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jaffer |first=Nancy |date=October 9, 2009 |title=Jessica Springsteen finishes second at Talent Search Finals East, deciding whether to pursue equitation |work=[[The Star-Ledger]] |url=http://www.nj.com/sports/njsports/index.ssf/2009/10/jessica_springsteen_finishes_s.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063508/http://www.nj.com/sports/njsports/index.ssf/2009/10/jessica_springsteen_finishes_s.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> She made her show-jumping debut with Team USA in August 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Nicola |title=Bruce Springsteen attends Dublin Horse Show to cheer on daughter Jess |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bruce-springsteen-attends-dublin-horse-show-to-cheer-on-daughter-jess-30489497.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925004710/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bruce-springsteen-attends-dublin-horse-show-to-cheer-on-daughter-jess-30489497.html |archive-date=September 25, 2015 |access-date=August 10, 2014 |website=Irish Independent|date=August 7, 2014}}</ref> Sam is a firefighter in [[Jersey City]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hochron |first=Adam |date=January 17, 2014 |title=Monmouth County Fire Academy Graduates 42 New Members – Police & Fire – Marlboro-ColtsNeck, NJ Patch |url=http://marlboro-coltsneck.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/monmouth-county-fire-academy-graduates-42-new-members-marlboro-coltsneck |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124101009/http://marlboro-coltsneck.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/monmouth-county-fire-academy-graduates-42-new-members-marlboro-coltsneck |archive-date=January 24, 2014 |access-date=January 21, 2014 |publisher=Marlboro-coltsneck.patch.com}}</ref> On July 17, 2022, Springsteen and Scialfa became grandparents when their son Sam and his fiancée had a daughter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 17, 2022 |title=Bruce Springsteen is a grandfather! See Lily Harper Springsteen, his son Sam's new baby |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/07/17/bruce-springsteen-grandfather-baby-lily-harper-springsteen/10081018002/ |access-date=July 22, 2022 |website=broadwayworld.com |archive-date=July 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722124301/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/07/17/bruce-springsteen-grandfather-baby-lily-harper-springsteen/10081018002/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Health===
[[File:Bruce Springsteen Springsteen-76.jpg|thumb|upright|Springsteen at the 2025 New York Film Festival for ''[[Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere]]'']]
Springsteen has avoided hard drugs his entire life.<ref name="drugs">{{Cite news |last=Hall |first=Landon |date=December 6, 2012 |title=Springsteen's fitness: Reason to believe |language=en-US |work=[[Orange County Register]] |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2012/12/06/springsteens-fitness-reason-to-believe/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727054728/https://www.ocregister.com/2012/12/06/springsteens-fitness-reason-to-believe/ |archive-date=July 27, 2020}}</ref> Van Zandt said in 2012, "[Springsteen is] the only guy I know—I think the only guy I know at all—who never did drugs."<ref name="drugs" /> Springsteen has spoken about his struggles with [[Clinical depression|depression]], which he began to address in his 30s after years of denial.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 7, 2016 |title=Bruce Springsteen says years of depression left him 'crushed' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/07/bruce-springsteen-depression-crushed-born-to-run |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218230438/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/07/bruce-springsteen-depression-crushed-born-to-run |archive-date=December 18, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> During this time, he also became frustrated with being an underweight "fast food junkie" who had to be helped off the stage after a show due to his poor health. He later began following a mostly [[vegetarian]] diet while running up to six miles on a treadmill and lifting weights three times a week.<ref name="drugs" /> A 2019 ''[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]'' article celebrating his 70th birthday revealed that he still maintains this routine and diet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 24, 2019 |title=Bruce Springsteen works out at $9.99 a month New Jersey gym |url=https://consequence.net/2019/09/bruce-springsteen-workout-routine-look-like-boss/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207050628/https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/09/bruce-springsteen-workout-routine-look-like-boss/ |archive-date=December 7, 2019 |access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> In September 2023, Springsteen announced the postponement of all his concerts in the US beginning in that month and through December, due to his ongoing treatment for [[peptic ulcer disease]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Ben|last=Beaumont-Thomas|title=Bruce Springsteen postpones US tour dates due to peptic ulcer treatment|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/sep/07/bruce-springsteen-postpones-us-tour-dates-due-to-peptic-ulcer|access-date=September 7, 2023|work=The Guardian|date=September 7, 2023|archive-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907085133/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/sep/07/bruce-springsteen-postpones-us-tour-dates-due-to-peptic-ulcer|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Religion===
While rejecting religion in his earlier years, Springsteen stated in his 2016 autobiography ''Born to Run'', "I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I believe in his power to save, love [...] but not to damn." In terms of his [[lapsed Catholic]]ism, he said that he "came to ruefully and bemusedly understand that once you're a Catholic you're always a Catholic ... I don't participate in my religion but I know somewhere... deep inside... I'm still on the team."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deigan |first=Tom |date=March 22, 2021 |title=Proud Irish American Bruce Springsteen says deep down he's still Catholic |url=http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/proud-irish-american-boss-bruce-springsteen-says-deep-down-he-s-still-catholic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316150841/http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/proud-irish-american-boss-bruce-springsteen-says-deep-down-he-s-still-catholic |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |access-date=February 18, 2017 |website=IrishCentral}}</ref>

===Wealth===
In a 2017 interview with [[Tom Hanks]], Springsteen admitted that he [[Tax evasion in the United States|evaded taxes]] early in his career since the government had not paid attention to his taxes prior to his 1975 appearance on the cover of ''[[Time magazine|Time]]''.<ref name="tax2017">{{Cite web |last=Melas |first=Chloe |date=April 29, 2017 |title=Bruce Springsteen explains why he used to not pay taxes |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/29/celebrities/bruce-springsteen-taxes/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608021440/http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/29/celebrities/bruce-springsteen-taxes/index.html |archive-date=June 8, 2017 |access-date=June 24, 2017 |publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Most of his income over the next several years went towards paying back his taxes; by his 30th birthday, he had only $20,000, despite multiple bestselling records and tours.<ref name="tax2017" /> ''[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]'' "conservatively" estimated Springsteen's net worth at US$1.1 billion in 2024.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2024/07/19/bruce-springsteen-is-now-a-billionaire/ Springsteen is now a billionaire], forbes.com. Accessed May 8, 2025.</ref>

=== Hobbies ===
Springsteen is a model railroader. He collects and runs HO scale model trains.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Simpson |first=Dave |date=March 23, 2022 |title='I'm proud to be called a nerd!' The pop and rock greats who love model railways |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/mar/23/im-proud-to-be-called-a-nerd-the-pop-and-rock-greats-who-love-model-railways |access-date=July 7, 2025 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Political views and activism==
[[File:P20230321CS-0553.jpg|thumb|Springsteen with U.S. President [[Joe Biden]] in the [[East Room]] at the White House in March 2023]]
Springsteen announced his endorsement of [[Barack Obama]]'s [[Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008|2008 presidential campaign]] in April 2008.<ref name="USA Today-2008" /> He appeared at several rallies in support of Obama throughout that year.<ref name="Pitchfork-2008" /> At one rally in Ohio, Springsteen discussed the importance of "truth, transparency and integrity in government, the right of every American to have a job, a living wage, to be educated in a decent school, and a life filled with the [[dignity of work]], the promise and the sanctity of home".<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2008 |title=Bruce Springsteen News&nbsp;– Recording Artists' Eleventh Hour Campaigns&nbsp;– Mostly for Obama |url=http://www.idiomag.com/peek/47658/bruce_springsteen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224224623/http://www.idiomag.com/peek/47658/bruce_springsteen |archive-date=December 24, 2008 |access-date=November 3, 2008 |publisher=idiomag}}</ref> Despite saying that he would sit out the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 presidential election]], Springsteen campaigned for Obama's re-election in Ohio, Iowa, Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin.<ref name="Knickerbocker" /><ref name="Orel-2012" /><ref name="Sweet-2012" />

Springsteen supports [[LGBTQ rights]] and [[gay marriage]]. In 2009, he posted the following statement on his website: "I've long believed in and have always spoken out for the rights of same sex couples and fully agree with [[Governor Corzine]] when he writes that 'The marriage-equality issue should be recognized for what it truly is—a civil rights issue that must be approved to assure that every citizen is treated equally under the law.{{'"}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rocker Bruce Springsteen endorses N.J. gay marriage bill |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/200/springsteen_endorses_gay_marri.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022215325/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/200/springsteen_endorses_gay_marri.html |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |access-date=December 8, 2009 |website=[[The Star-Ledger]]}}</ref> In 2012, he lent his support to the Four 2012, an ad campaign for gay marriage. Springsteen noted in the ad, "I couldn't agree more with that statement and urge those who support equal treatment for our [[gay]] and [[lesbian]] brothers and sisters to let their voices be heard now."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Curtis |date=October 2, 2012 |title=Bruce Springsteen Stars in Gay Marriage Social Media Campaign |work=[[HuffPost]] |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/bruce-springsteen-gay-marriage-the-four-campaign-_n_1932197.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003222803/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/bruce-springsteen-gay-marriage-the-four-campaign-_n_1932197.html |archive-date=October 3, 2012}}</ref> In April 2016, Springsteen cancelled a show in [[Greensboro, North Carolina]], days before it was to take place to protest the state's newly passed [[Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act]], also referred to as the "[[bathroom law]]", which dictates which restrooms [[transgender]] people are permitted to use and prevents [[LGBTQ]] citizens from suing over human rights violations in the workplace. Springsteen released a statement on his website. The [[Human Rights Campaign]] celebrated Springsteen's statement, and he has received praise and gratitude from the [[LGBTQ community]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCormick |first=Joseph Patrick |date=April 8, 2016 |title=Bruce Springsteen dumps North Carolina over bigoted anti-LGBT law |work=[[PinkNews]] |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/04/08/bruce-springsteen-dumps-north-carolina-over-bigoted-anti-lgbt-law/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409030229/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/04/08/bruce-springsteen-dumps-north-carolina-over-bigoted-anti-lgbt-law/ |archive-date=April 9, 2016}}</ref>

During a 2017 show in [[Perth]], Australia, Springsteen made a statement celebrating the post-inauguration [[2017 Women's March|Women's March]] against the incoming [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] in cities worldwide: "We're a long way from home, and our hearts and spirits are with the hundreds of thousands of women and men that marched yesterday in every city in America, and in Melbourne&nbsp;... [They] rallied against hate and division and in support of tolerance, inclusion, [[reproductive rights]], [[civil rights]], [[racial justice]], LGBTQ rights, the environment, wage equality, [[gender equality]], healthcare, and immigrant rights. We stand with you. We are the new American resistance."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=January 22, 2017 |title=Bruce Springsteen on Women's March: 'The New American Resistance' |language=en-US |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-on-womens-march-the-new-american-resistance-113698/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170123074732/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/springsteen-on-womens-march-the-new-american-resistance-w462367 |archive-date=January 23, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Bruce Springsteen |title=Bruce Springsteen in Perth – January 22, 2017 |date=January 22, 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSV7wsiLhpk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413142553/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSV7wsiLhpk |access-date=September 20, 2018 |archive-date=April 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=euronews (in English) |title=Bruce Springsteen joins 'new resistance' against 'demagogue' Trump |date=January 23, 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yfZMx4hpdw |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202055154/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yfZMx4hpdw |access-date=September 20, 2018 |archive-date=February 2, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Springsteen is a staunch critic of [[Donald Trump]], whom he calls the "conman from [[Queens]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=May 19, 2025 |title='The Republic Is Under Siege By a Moron': Everything Bruce Springsteen Has Said About Trump |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/everything-bruce-springsteen-said-about-donald-trump-1235342533/ |access-date=May 31, 2025 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> During Trump's [[First presidency of Donald Trump|first term as president of the United States]] in October 2019, Springsteen said Trump "doesn't have a grasp of the deep meaning of what it means to be an American",<ref>{{Cite news |last=Henderson |first=Cydney |title=Bruce Springsteen: President Trump doesn't understand 'what it means to be American' |language=en-US |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/10/24/bruce-springsteen-trump-doesnt-know-what-means-american/4088475002/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827142040/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/10/24/bruce-springsteen-trump-doesnt-know-what-means-american/4088475002/ |archive-date=August 27, 2020}}</ref> and in June 2020 called him a "threat to our democracy".<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=June 24, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen Calls President Trump a 'Threat to Our Democracy' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/bruce-springsteen-calls-out-trump-interview-9407927/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818212000/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9407927/bruce-springsteen-calls-out-trump-interview |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |access-date=August 18, 2020}}</ref> Springsteen's song "The Rising" was featured prominently in the [[2020 Democratic National Convention]] in support of [[Joe Biden]], accompanied with a new video and campaign slogan, #TheRising.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 18, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen debuts new 'The Rising' video during Democratic National Convention |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/bruce-springsteen-debuts-new-the-rising-video-to-back-joe-biden-2731052 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818232103/https://www.nme.com/news/music/bruce-springsteen-debuts-new-the-rising-video-to-back-joe-biden-2731052 |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |access-date=August 18, 2020 |website=[[NME]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> On October 13, 2020, author [[Don Winslow]] released a video critical of Trump prior to his campaign event in Pennsylvania. The video features Springsteen's song "Streets of Philadelphia".<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 13, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen & Don Winslow Team On Video Just In Time For President Trump's Pennsylvania Rally: WATCH |url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/bruce-springsteen-don-winslow-video-president-trump-pennsylvania-rally-1234596540/#! |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013175440/https://deadline.com/2020/10/bruce-springsteen-don-winslow-video-president-trump-pennsylvania-rally-1234596540/#! |archive-date=October 13, 2020 |access-date=October 14, 2020 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> A few days prior to the [[2020 United States presidential election]], Springsteen provided narration for a campaign ad that spotlights Biden's upbringing in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]] with "My Hometown" playing throughout the ad.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=October 31, 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen Narrates Joe Biden's 'Hometown' Scranton Ad |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-joe-biden-hometown-scranton-ad-1084458/ |url-status=live |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106212657/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-joe-biden-hometown-scranton-ad-1084458/ |archive-date=November 6, 2020 |access-date=November 5, 2020}}</ref> Biden used "We Take Care of Our Own" as one of his theme songs, as Obama had before him in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scinto |first=Maria |date=November 7, 2020 |title=Joe Biden's Victory Speech Walkout Song Explained |url=https://www.thelist.com/274941/joe-bidens-victory-speech-walkout-song-explained/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121175620/https://www.thelist.com/274941/joe-bidens-victory-speech-walkout-song-explained/ |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |access-date=April 29, 2021 |website=TheList.com |language=en-US}}</ref> On October 3, 2024, Springsteen endorsed Vice President [[Kamala Harris]] in the [[2024 United States presidential election]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DArLPGnIJD3/ |access-date=October 3, 2024 |website=www.instagram.com}}</ref> and gave a speech at one of her campaign rallies on October 24.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pager |first=Tyler |date=October 24, 2024 |title=Obama, Springsteen join Harris to energize campaign's final sprint |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/24/harris-obama-perry-springsteen/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

During a show in [[Manchester|Manchester, England]], on May 14, 2025, Springsteen spoke out against Trump and called [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|his administration]] "corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous". Two days later, Trump responded on [[Truth Social]] by calling Springsteen "highly overrated" and "dumb as a rock".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Suarez Sang |first=Lucia |date=May 16, 2025 |title=After Bruce Springsteen calls Trump "treasonous," the president responds by criticizing the rock star's skin |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bruce-springsteen-land-of-hopes-and-dreams-tour-trump-truth-social-post/ |newspaper=[[CBS News]]}}</ref> Tino Gagliardi, the president of the [[American Federation of Musicians]] defended Springsteen, saying, "Musicians have the right to freedom of expression, and we stand in solidarity with all our members."<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 16, 2025 |title=AFM Statement from International President Tino Gagliardi on Trump Attacking Members Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift |url=https://www.afm.org/2025/05/afm-statement-on-trump-attacking-members-bruce-springsteen-and-taylor-swift/|newspaper=[[American Federation of Musicians]]}}</ref> On May 19, Trump called for a major investigation into Springsteen, [[Beyoncé]], [[Oprah]], and other celebrities for their endorsement of Harris. He claims that Harris illegally paid them to support her 2024 campaign for president.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 19, 2025 |title=Trump Preps for Putin Call With Another Meltdown Over Bruce Springsteen |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-melts-down-bruce-springsteen-investigation-1235342386/|newspaper=[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> Musicians such as [[Neil Young]] and [[Eddie Vedder]] spoke out in defense of Springsteen saying his freedom of speech rights were being violated.<ref>{{cite web |title=Music Stars Voice Support for Bruce Springsteen in Clash with Trump|url=https://www.newsweek.com/bruce-springsteen-trump-eddie-vedder-taylor-swift-neil-young-2075264 |website=newsweek.com |access-date=May 21, 2025 |date=May 21, 2025}}</ref> Springsteen included recordings of his Manchester remarks as part of a live EP release, ''Land of Hope and Dreams.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeLuca |first=Dan |date=May 21, 2025 |title=Bruce Springsteen's 'Land of Hope and Dreams' EP includes the anti-Trump speeches he's been making on his European tour |url=https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/bruce-springsteen-donald-trump-new-ep-20250521.html |access-date=May 22, 2025 |website=Inquirer.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Achievements and awards ==
{{See also|List of awards and nominations received by Bruce Springsteen}}
[[File:Bruce Springsteen Presidential Medal of Freedom.jpg|thumb|Springsteen receiving the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] at the White House from President Barack Obama in 2016]]

Springsteen has sold more than 140&nbsp;million records worldwide and more than 71&nbsp;million records in the United States, making him one of the [[List of best-selling music artists|world's best-selling artists]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Selling Artists – December 04, 2013 |url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209120422/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists |archive-date=December 9, 2013 |access-date=December 4, 2013 |publisher=Record Industry Association of America}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Glatter |first=Hayley |date=May 10, 2018 |title=Throwback Thursday: Bruce Springsteen Plays in Cambridge |work=[[Boston (magazine)|Boston]] |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2018/05/10/tbt-bruce-springsteen-cambridge/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510144137/https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2018/05/10/tbt-bruce-springsteen-cambridge/ |archive-date=May 10, 2018}}</ref> He has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 [[Grammy Award]]s,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/bruce-springsteen/6389|title=Bruce Springsteen|website=grammy.com|access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref> two [[Golden Globe]]s,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://goldenglobes.com/person/bruce-springsteen/|title=Bruce Springsteen|website=goldenglobes.com|access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref> an Academy Award,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/remember-when-bruce-springsteen-won-a-best-original-song-oscar-for-streets-of-philadelphia/|title=Remember When Bruce Springsteen Won a Best Original Song Oscar for "Streets of Philadelphia"|first=Matt|last=Friedlander|date=March 21, 2024|website=American Songwriter}}</ref> and a Special Tony Award (for ''Springsteen on Broadway'').<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/bruce-springsteen-receives-special-honor-at-2018-tony-awards-1118810/|title=Tonys: Bruce Springsteen Honored With Special Award|first=Evan|last=Real|date=June 10, 2018|website=hollywoodreporter.com}}</ref> Springsteen was inducted into both the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.songhall.org/ceremony/1999_Award_and_Induction_Ceremony|title=1999 Award and Induction Ceremony - Songwriters Hall of Fame|website=www.songhall.org|access-date=March 31, 2025|archive-date=March 31, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250331072824/https://www.songhall.org/ceremony/1999_Award_and_Induction_Ceremony|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/on-this-day-in-1999-bruce-springsteen-was-inducted-by-bono-into-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-22957258|title=On this day in 1999: Bruce Springsteen was inducted by Bono into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|first=Colm|last=O'Hare|website=Hotpress|access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref> in 1999, received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2009/dec/06/kennedy-center-honors-springsteen-de-niro-others/|title=Kennedy Center honors Springsteen, De Niro, others|website=www.nevadaappeal.com|date=December 6, 2009}}</ref> was named [[MusiCares]] person of the year in 2013,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/bruce-springsteen-honored-at-musicares-420045/|title=Because the Night Belongs to Bruce: MusiCares Honors Springsteen as Person of the Year|website=hollywoodreporter.com|first=Shirley|last=Halperin|date=February 9, 2013}}</ref> and was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by President Barack Obama in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/watch-bruce-springsteen-get-his-medal-of-freedom.html|title=Bruce Springsteen Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom: 'There Is a Place for Everyone in Bruce Springsteen's America'|date=November 22, 2016|website=Vulture|last=Ivie|first=Devon}}</ref>

In May 2021, Springsteen became the eighth recipient of the Woody Guthrie Prize, a prize that honors an artist who speaks out for [[social justice]] and carries on the spirit of the folk singer.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=May 4, 2021 |title=Bruce Springsteen wins 2021 Woody Guthrie Prize |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/9567482/bruce-springsteen-2021-woody-guthrie-prize/ |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505003659/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/9567482/bruce-springsteen-2021-woody-guthrie-prize/ |archive-date=May 5, 2021 |access-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref> In March 2023, Springsteen was awarded the 2021 [[National Medal of Arts]] from President [[Joe Biden]] at the [[White House]]. Springsteen was supposed to receive the award in 2021 but the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] postponed the ceremonies.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 21, 2023 |title=Bruce Springsteen to get National Medal of Arts from Biden |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/bruce-springsteen-national-medal-arts-joe-biden/ |magazine=CBS News |language=en-US |access-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326011129/https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/bruce-springsteen-national-medal-arts-joe-biden/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2024, it was announced that Springsteen would be named an Academy Fellow by [[The Ivors Academy]] in May 2024. On May 23, 2024, Springsteen became the first international songwriter that the academy has inducted into the Fellowship in its 80-year history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Paul McCartney roasts Bruce Springsteen at London awards ceremony |website=[[CNN]] |date=May 23, 2024 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/24/entertainment/paul-mccartney-roast-bruce-springsteen-ivor-awards-scli-intl/index.html}}</ref>

On October 18, 2025, Springsteen received the [[Academy Museum of Motion Pictures]] inaugural Legacy Award "for an artist whose body of work has inspired generations of storytellers and deeply influenced our culture."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chuba |first=Kirsten |date=2025-10-19 |title=Star-Studded Academy Museum Gala, Honoring Bruce Springsteen and Bowen Yang, Raises Over $12M |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/academy-museum-gala-bruce-springsteen-bowen-yang-12m-1236404978/ |access-date=2025-10-20 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> On November 3, 2025, he was inducted Into the 2025 class of Library Lions by the New York Public Library.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-11-04 |title=Bruce Springsteen Among Honorees at New York Public Library Gala |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/style/nypl-gala-bruce-springsteen.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20251105&instance_id=165797&nl=today's-headlines&regi_id=27938949&segment_id=209977&user_id=80f038e96447a051fdc29f398e7ec42b |access-date=2025-11-05 |language=en}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{main|Bruce Springsteen discography|List of songs recorded by Bruce Springsteen}}

'''Studio albums'''
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.]]'' (1973)
* ''[[The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Born to Run]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Darkness on the Edge of Town]]'' (1978)
* ''[[The River (Bruce Springsteen album)|The River]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Nebraska (album)|Nebraska]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Born in the U.S.A.]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Tunnel of Love (album)|Tunnel of Love]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Human Touch]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Lucky Town]]'' (1992)
* ''[[The Ghost of Tom Joad]]'' (1995)
* ''[[The Rising (album)|The Rising]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Devils & Dust]]'' (2005)
* ''[[We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Magic (Bruce Springsteen album)|Magic]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Working on a Dream]]'' (2009)
* ''[[Wrecking Ball (Bruce Springsteen album)|Wrecking Ball]]'' (2012)
* ''[[High Hopes (album)|High Hopes]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Western Stars]]'' (2019)
* ''[[Letter to You]]'' (2020)
* ''[[Only the Strong Survive (Bruce Springsteen album)|Only the Strong Survive]]'' (2022)
{{Div col end}}

== Concert tours ==
[[File:BruceSpringsteenPhillySelloutBanner.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|A banner hanging at [[Xfinity Mobile Arena]] in [[Philadelphia]], recognizing Springsteen's 53 sellout concerts at the arena as of 2014; as of 2023, Springsteen has performed 67 sellout concerts at the Philadelphia venue.<ref>[https://twitter.com/WellsFargoCtr/status/1636512240911171584 "Wells Fargo Center"] at [[Twitter]], March 16, 2023</ref>]]

Springsteen has developed a reputation for energetic and long-lasting live performances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2016 |title=Bruce Springsteen delivers historic marathon at the Key |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/bruce-springsteen-delivers-an-energetic-marathon-at-the-key/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704164754/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/bruce-springsteen-delivers-an-energetic-marathon-at-the-key/ |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2019 |website=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 24, 2012 |title=Bruce Springsteen: Can his shows be too long? |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2012/08/24/bruce_springsteen_can_his_shows_be_too_long.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704164752/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2012/08/24/bruce_springsteen_can_his_shows_be_too_long.html |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |access-date=July 4, 2019 |website=The Star}}</ref>

===Headlining tours===
{{Div col}}
* [[Born to Run tours]] (1974–1977)
* [[Darkness Tour]] (1978–1979)
* [[The River Tour]] (1980–1981)
* [[Born in the U.S.A. Tour]] (1984–1985)
* [[Tunnel of Love Express Tour]] (1988)
* [[Bruce Springsteen 1992–1993 World Tour]] (1992–1993)
* [[Ghost of Tom Joad Tour]] (1995–1997)
* [[Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour]] (1999–2000)
* [[The Rising Tour]] (2002–2003)
* [[Devils & Dust Tour]] (2005)
* [[Bruce Springsteen with the Seeger Sessions Band Tour]] (2006)
* [[Magic Tour (Bruce Springsteen)|Magic Tour]] (2007–2008)
* [[Working on a Dream Tour]] (2009)
* [[Wrecking Ball World Tour]] (2012–2013)
* [[High Hopes Tour]] (2014)
* [[The River Tour (2016)|The River Tour]] (2016–2017)
* [[Springsteen and E Street Band 2023–2025 Tour]] (2023–2025)
{{Div col end}}

===Residency===
* ''[[Springsteen on Broadway]]'' (2017–18; 2021)

===Co-headlining tours===
* [[Human Rights Now!]] (1988)
* [[Vote for Change]] (2004)

==See also==
* [[Forbes list of highest-earning musicians|''Forbes'' list of highest-earning musicians]]
* [[Honorific nicknames in popular music#S|Honorific nicknames in popular music]]
* [[List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart]]
* [[List of highest-grossing live music artists]]
* [[List of music artists by net worth]]
* [[Music of New Jersey]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Carlin|first=Peter Ames|title=Bruce|url=https://archive.org/details/bruce0000carl_f9l2/mode/2up|location=New York |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|year=2012|isbn=978-1-4391-9182-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Dolan |first=Marc |title=Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock 'n' Roll |url=https://archive.org/details/brucespringsteen0000dola/mode/2up |year=2012 |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0-39308-135-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Gaar|first=Gillian G.|title=Boss: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – The Illustrated History|url=https://archive.org/details/bossbrucesprings0000gaar/mode/2up|year=2016|location=Minneapolis|publisher=Voyageur Press|isbn=978-0-76034-972-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Margotin |first1=Philippe |last2=Guesdon |first2=Jean-Michel |title=Bruce Springsteen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nrlRzQEACAAJ |year=2020 |publisher=[[Cassell Illustrated]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-78472-649-2 |access-date=March 1, 2024 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226235802/https://books.google.com/books?id=nrlRzQEACAAJ |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Kirkpatrick|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Kirkpatrick|year=2007|title=The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen |url=https://archive.org/details/wordsmusicofbruc00kirk/page/56|location=Santa Barbara|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=978-0-27598-938-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Marsh |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Marsh |year=1981 |title=Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story |url=https://archive.org/details/borntorunbrucesp00mars/ |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Dell Publishing |isbn=978-0-440-10694-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Marsh |first=Dave |year=2004 |title=Bruce Springsteen: Two Hearts – The Definitive Biography, 1972–2003 |location=Abingdon-on-Thames |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-415-96928-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Masur |first=Louis P. |year=2010 |title=Runaway Dream: Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen's American Vision |url=https://archive.org/details/runawaydreamborn00masu |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-60819-101-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Springsteen|first=Bruce|author-link=Bruce Springsteen|title=Born to Run|location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2016|isbn=978-1-5011-4151-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Statham |first=Craig |year=2013 |title=Springsteen: Saint in the City: 1949–1974 |publisher=Soundcheck Books |isbn=978-0957144231}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|www.brucespringsteen.net}}
* [http://live.brucespringsteen.net Bruce Springsteen Archives]
*{{allMusic}}
* {{IMDb name|819803}}

{{Bruce Springsteen|state=expanded}}
{{Bruce Springsteen songs}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Bruce Springsteen|Awards for Bruce Springsteen]]
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Original Song}}
{{American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist}}
{{American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Song}}
{{Brit International Artist}}
{{Critics' Choice Documentary Award for Best Narration}}
{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}}
{{Grammy Award for Song of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Music Film}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Album}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Song}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2000s}}
{{MusiCares Person of the Year}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 2010s & 2020s}}
{{Polar Music Prize}}
{{1999 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Special Tony Award}}
}}
{{Billboard Year-End number one albums 1970–1989}}
{{Steven Van Zandt}}

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[[Category:Kennedy Center honorees]]
[[Category:American lead guitarists]]
[[Category:Culture of New Jersey]]
[[Category:New Jersey Democrats]]
[[Category:Ocean County College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Bradley Beach, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Colts Neck Township, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Freehold Borough, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Musicians from Long Branch, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Ocean Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Rumson, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]
[[Category:Rail transport modellers]]
[[Category:Rock and roll musicians]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sony Music Publishing artists]]
[[Category:Special Tony Award recipients]]
[[Category:Steel Mill members]]
[[Category:The Sessions Band members]]
[[Category:Springsteen family|Bruce]]