Bruce Springsteen: Songs

by Bruce Springsteen

Commemorates Bruce Springsteen's twenty-fifth anniversary as a recording artist with a volume containing his song lyrics, personal reflections, and photographs and illustrations by such artists as Annie Liebowitz and Herb Ritts. 125,000 first printing.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Poetry, Biography Memoir

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is an American songwriter, singer and guitarist. He has frequently recorded and toured with the E Street Band. Springsteen is most widely known for his brand of heartland rock infused with pop hooks, poetic lyrics, and Americana sentiments centered around his native New Jersey. His eloquence in expressing ordinary, everyday problems has earned him numerous awards, including twenty Grammy Awards and an Academy Award, along with an international fan base. His most famous albums, Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A., epitomize his penchant for finding grandeur in the struggles of daily life. He has sold over 64 million albums in the U.S. alone.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this as the entry for poetry in one of my reading challenges this year. It is an enormous, really heavy coffee table book that has been precisely there, on the coffee table, since Summer. Obviously not designed to be read in one go, but as lyrics accompaniment to the music whenever it takes your fancy, or whenever the music is no mere background for other tasks.

I am completely biased with Springsteen, as I totally love the man. He and Dylan were my English teachers in my pre-adolescent years and perhaps ultimately, loving the language so much, part of the reason why I ended up emigrating to the UK.

Since Dylan has won the Nobel for literature, I think it is not so far-fetched to chose a lyrics book for poetry. Still, some of the earlier lyrics are completely incomprehensible and obscure to me, I simply can not guess the meaning of his words, and that perhaps has spoiled my enjoyment. Still, anything related to the Boss, it made me stop and think.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course it's a fabulous five-star coffee table book, it's by Bruce himself (my favorite person in the whole world that I don't actually know personally). He gives an insightful intro to each album, letting you know where he was at the time, what themes and images were influential and meaningful. Now I need to go back and listen to each album through; his commentary adds a whole new layer.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book - a must for fans, I just wish he'd put out another updated edition.

[Muzzlehatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Springsteen's lyrics don't read as well -- as poetically and with as much resonance, anyway -- as those of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, or Robert Hunter, his three greatest and most similar contemporaries in my opinion. But the early songs, up through "The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle" certainly, and maybe up through "Nebraska", are worth reading for the storytelling power he is often capable of conveying, and the dark worlds of lost and foundering souls that yearn to escape to somewhere that they don't even know how to dream of.

I have the hardcover, which is a handsome package; nice photographs throughout and an all-around solid production. Necessary for all serious fans of course, but probably not something for the casual listener/reader.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book. Bruce In his own words about each album!

[Bliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one gets pulled from my shelf all. the. time.

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any Boss fan. This book was written by Bruce and gives an insight into what he was thinking when writing his song. This includes all song lyrics from Greetings to The Rising.

[Charles Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, as I expected. Loved reading it
I come from down in the valley
Where, mister, when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of this valley down to where the fields were green

We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river we'd ride

Then I got Mary pregnant
And, man, that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
No flowers, no wedding dress

That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river we did ride
Ah-yah

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well, mister, they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
And Mary acts like she don't care

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse

That sends me down to the river
Though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight
Ah-yah-yah
Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh, down to the river we ride
Ah-yah-ay

Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh

[Gabrielle Danoux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livre de luxe avec beaucoup d'images et du papier glacé, acheté d'occasion : que ne ferait-on pas pour les chansons de Springsteen ! Celle qui me trotte souvent dans la tête, c'est "The River" (La Rivière) : "I come from down in the valley, where mister when you're young, they bring you up to do like your daddy done" (Je viens d'en bas dans la vallée, où monsieur quand vous êtes jeune, ils vous élèvent de manière à ce que vous fassiez la même chose que votre père), ou plus optimiste "Thunder Road" : "it's a town full of losers I'm pulling out of here to win" (c'est une ville pleine de perdant dont je me tire pour gagner).

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice detailed look back on the songs of the Boss by the artist himself. If you love his music, then you will love this book.

[Tim Pacific · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m very bias when it comes to Bruce’s work.

[Adam Carrico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Springsteen writes good songs.

[ScottRichard Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This covers his first album through The Ghost of Tom Joad. It gives great insight as to Springsteen’s efforts behind each song and album.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun to read this as you listen to the albums. It’s great to read the artists commentary about each of his albums.
Wow. Just realized that the last line in Wild Billy’s Circus Story from The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle is, “All aboard, Nebraska’s our next stop.” The album Nebraska would come out nine years later.

[Marc Casson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, its great to dip in and out of, reading lyrics and hearing Bruce's insights on his early career. The huge glossy photo's are very enjoyable though more information on the meaning being certain lyrics would be welcome.

[Sean Keefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, I keep this book next to my bed as my inspiration.

[Jesse Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good collection of Bruce's thoughts on his albums up to Ghost of Tom Joad