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Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind the Songs
In Bruce The Stories Behind the Songs, longtime Rolling Stone writer Brian Hiatt digs into the writing and recording of the song on Springsteen’s studio albums, from 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. to 2014’s High Hopes —plus all the released outtakes.
The legend of Bruce Springsteen may well outlast rock ‘n’ roll itself. And for all the muscle and magic of his life-shaking concerts with the E Street Band, his legendary status comes down to the songs. He is an acknowledged master of music and lyrics, with decades of hits, from “Blinded by the Light” and “Born to Run” to “Hungry Heart,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “The Rising.”
Brian Hiatt offers a unique look at the legendary rocker’s songwriting methods, along with historical context, scores of colorful anecdotes, and more than 180 photographs. He has interviewed Springsteen five times in the past and has conducted numerous new interviews with his collaborators, from longtime producers to the E Street Band, to create an authoritative and lushly illustrated journey through Springsteen’s entire songbook and career.
“Even Springsteen fans, who can chart their lives by his tours, are bound to learn . . . This book is for those true fans.” — New York Daily News
“It’s a coffee table book that’s a blast to read—not only hefty and beautiful to look at, but a rich study of Bruce’s work . . . The result is a song-by-song look at Springsteen’s catalog that is, even for major Springsteen fans, enlightening as well as entertaining—not just a rehash of everything you already know.” — Backstreets Magazine
The legend of Bruce Springsteen may well outlast rock ‘n’ roll itself. And for all the muscle and magic of his life-shaking concerts with the E Street Band, his legendary status comes down to the songs. He is an acknowledged master of music and lyrics, with decades of hits, from “Blinded by the Light” and “Born to Run” to “Hungry Heart,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “The Rising.”
Brian Hiatt offers a unique look at the legendary rocker’s songwriting methods, along with historical context, scores of colorful anecdotes, and more than 180 photographs. He has interviewed Springsteen five times in the past and has conducted numerous new interviews with his collaborators, from longtime producers to the E Street Band, to create an authoritative and lushly illustrated journey through Springsteen’s entire songbook and career.
“Even Springsteen fans, who can chart their lives by his tours, are bound to learn . . . This book is for those true fans.” — New York Daily News
“It’s a coffee table book that’s a blast to read—not only hefty and beautiful to look at, but a rich study of Bruce’s work . . . The result is a song-by-song look at Springsteen’s catalog that is, even for major Springsteen fans, enlightening as well as entertaining—not just a rehash of everything you already know.” — Backstreets Magazine
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2019
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287 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 6, 2019
I've been a Bruce Springsteen fan for over half my life. I got into him during the lull between Human Touch/Lucky Town and The Ghost of Tom Joad. This gave me ample time to scour Springsteen's back catalog, starting with Nebraska, then Tunnel of Love, then everything else, all at once.
A lot of that back catalog has been covered; books like Glory Days and Springsteen's own Born to Run tend to focus on the years between Springsteen's origin story and the Brucemania of the 80s. Coverage drops off precipitously after that, despite Springsteen's return to massive popularity with The Rising and beyond. This book rectifies that, giving ample time to Springsteen's well-trod history and shining some light on newer work and recordings that have gotten lost in the shuffle of an epic career.
Hiatt digs deep into what makes the early songs so significant, offering backstory and the occasional technical note. Through an impressive array of interviews with band members, engineers, and more, he's able to shade these stories with information and expertise from all sides ... even if some memories don't always match up to others. Casual fans will be impressed by the full sweep of Bruce Springsteen's career; hardcore aficionados will find so much unearthed history to pore over and discuss, it's like discovering these songs anew.
For someone who came into the Springsteen "thing" later in the game, a book like this is necessary. I love how later work - especially controversial work like Working on a Dream - is covered objectively and with curiosity. One of the best books on Springsteen I've ever read, and one of the best books on music in the ever-growing corpus.
A lot of that back catalog has been covered; books like Glory Days and Springsteen's own Born to Run tend to focus on the years between Springsteen's origin story and the Brucemania of the 80s. Coverage drops off precipitously after that, despite Springsteen's return to massive popularity with The Rising and beyond. This book rectifies that, giving ample time to Springsteen's well-trod history and shining some light on newer work and recordings that have gotten lost in the shuffle of an epic career.
Hiatt digs deep into what makes the early songs so significant, offering backstory and the occasional technical note. Through an impressive array of interviews with band members, engineers, and more, he's able to shade these stories with information and expertise from all sides ... even if some memories don't always match up to others. Casual fans will be impressed by the full sweep of Bruce Springsteen's career; hardcore aficionados will find so much unearthed history to pore over and discuss, it's like discovering these songs anew.
For someone who came into the Springsteen "thing" later in the game, a book like this is necessary. I love how later work - especially controversial work like Working on a Dream - is covered objectively and with curiosity. One of the best books on Springsteen I've ever read, and one of the best books on music in the ever-growing corpus.
November 26, 2019
There's a million-and-one books out there about Bruce Springsteen (including one by Springsteen himself) so on the one hand, there's precious little ground left to break. On the other, most Springsteen scholarship (including the book written by Springsteen himself) effectively ends after the comeback tour and album The Rising, so by default, Hiatt has the floor mainly to himself on the last few Springsteen albums, and treats them with the same consideration as the classic albums. That alone warrants a read, along with new interviews with Springsteen's bandmates and recording compatriots.
As for the early stuff, let's face it, the first third of Springsteen's recording career (up to Born in the USA) has been examined and mythologized every which way, so revelations are hard to come by at this late date. As a one-stop reference tool, however, this'll do the trick. And it's a pleasure to wade through.
Super-minor nit to pick: The only song that seems MIA here is "The Wrestler," which won Bruce a Golden Globe. It appears at the end of Working On a Dream, so I would have thought that qualified it for inclusion.
As for the early stuff, let's face it, the first third of Springsteen's recording career (up to Born in the USA) has been examined and mythologized every which way, so revelations are hard to come by at this late date. As a one-stop reference tool, however, this'll do the trick. And it's a pleasure to wade through.
Super-minor nit to pick: The only song that seems MIA here is "The Wrestler," which won Bruce a Golden Globe. It appears at the end of Working On a Dream, so I would have thought that qualified it for inclusion.
December 17, 2021
The No. 1 way to appreciate an artist is to immerse yourself in every song he or she has ever written. Over the course of a few months in 2021, that’s exactly what I did thanks to "The Stories Behind the Songs," starting with Bruce Springsteen's Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ (1973) and working my way up to High Hopes (2014, the last album Bruce published before this book, written by Rolling Stone reporter Brian Hiatt, was released).
Here were a few fun facts I learned from reading it:
• I share with Bruce an all-time favorite album, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks (“The divine seems to run through the veins of that entire album”—amen, Bruce, AMEN)
• Bruce wrote the stellar (sexy) track “Fire” (you might know it for that “Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah” lyric), for his idol, Elvis, in 1977. After the King’s death, he gave it to the Pointer Sisters. (He gave away SO MUCH MUSIC, most famously “Because the Night,” which became Patti Smith’s biggest hit…oh, and “Hungry Heart”? He originally wrote that for the RAMONES 🤯)
• In ONE session, Bruce recorded nearly all of the acoustic, short stories-in-verse album Nebraska using nothing but his guitar and a (new at the time) 4-track cassette recorder. For millennial Taylor Swift fans, that’s like Nebraska telling Folkore to “Hold my 🍺”)
• Bruce *almost* didn’t include two of my FAVORITE songs of his, "I’m Goin’ Down” and “I’m On Fire” on Born in the USA, the latter because he thought it was “too sexy.” OMG BRUCE THAT IS THE POINT! 🤷♀️
It's easy to cite the same favorite Bruce songs everyone adores (he's the Boss for a reason, and Born to Run is, in its entirety, one of my five desert island albums). Instead, I'm ending this review by sharing a few numbers I'd never heard before reading "Stories"—for that gift alone, this book is a 5-star read for me.
1) "Give a Girl A Kiss" — an outtake released in '98 on the Tracks box set (a collection of songs Bruce cut from previous albums), this song makes me smile. It's upbeat, jangly, and you know in the best way that it's Bruce and the E Street Band in the first 15 seconds.
2) "Out in the Street" —I'm grateful this book introduced me proper to Bruce's album The River. I'm now obsessed with it, this song in particular.
3) "Ain't Good Enough for You" —a track recorded in 1978 that's SUPER catchy...the fact he convincingly rhymes the name of record mogul Jimmy Iovine in the lyrics is [chef's kiss]. (Also, how CUTE is he in that video I linked to? Late 20-something Bruce in a tight-fitting V-neck tee is a FOX!)
4) "Two Faces"—Bruce has written extensively about his struggles with depression, something I greatly admire. This song (from the '87 album Tunnel of Love) contains lyrics you can only fully appreciate if someone you love has battled that same storm cloud of mental illness.
5) "City of Night"—now my all-time favorite Bruce track, because (surprise!) it's actually two songs in one! The first is a late-night cruising number that's Bruce at his sultry best. Then, at the 3:20 mark, it pivots to the hidden/bonus track "The Way," which, the first time I listened to this beautiful love poem as a song, I just wanted to grab my husband and immediately start slow dancing to it. Lyrically, it's Bruce's best kept secret, proving the songs he left on the cutting room floor would be any other artist's masterpiece.
Here were a few fun facts I learned from reading it:
• I share with Bruce an all-time favorite album, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks (“The divine seems to run through the veins of that entire album”—amen, Bruce, AMEN)
• Bruce wrote the stellar (sexy) track “Fire” (you might know it for that “Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah” lyric), for his idol, Elvis, in 1977. After the King’s death, he gave it to the Pointer Sisters. (He gave away SO MUCH MUSIC, most famously “Because the Night,” which became Patti Smith’s biggest hit…oh, and “Hungry Heart”? He originally wrote that for the RAMONES 🤯)
• In ONE session, Bruce recorded nearly all of the acoustic, short stories-in-verse album Nebraska using nothing but his guitar and a (new at the time) 4-track cassette recorder. For millennial Taylor Swift fans, that’s like Nebraska telling Folkore to “Hold my 🍺”)
• Bruce *almost* didn’t include two of my FAVORITE songs of his, "I’m Goin’ Down” and “I’m On Fire” on Born in the USA, the latter because he thought it was “too sexy.” OMG BRUCE THAT IS THE POINT! 🤷♀️
It's easy to cite the same favorite Bruce songs everyone adores (he's the Boss for a reason, and Born to Run is, in its entirety, one of my five desert island albums). Instead, I'm ending this review by sharing a few numbers I'd never heard before reading "Stories"—for that gift alone, this book is a 5-star read for me.
1) "Give a Girl A Kiss" — an outtake released in '98 on the Tracks box set (a collection of songs Bruce cut from previous albums), this song makes me smile. It's upbeat, jangly, and you know in the best way that it's Bruce and the E Street Band in the first 15 seconds.
2) "Out in the Street" —I'm grateful this book introduced me proper to Bruce's album The River. I'm now obsessed with it, this song in particular.
3) "Ain't Good Enough for You" —a track recorded in 1978 that's SUPER catchy...the fact he convincingly rhymes the name of record mogul Jimmy Iovine in the lyrics is [chef's kiss]. (Also, how CUTE is he in that video I linked to? Late 20-something Bruce in a tight-fitting V-neck tee is a FOX!)
4) "Two Faces"—Bruce has written extensively about his struggles with depression, something I greatly admire. This song (from the '87 album Tunnel of Love) contains lyrics you can only fully appreciate if someone you love has battled that same storm cloud of mental illness.
5) "City of Night"—now my all-time favorite Bruce track, because (surprise!) it's actually two songs in one! The first is a late-night cruising number that's Bruce at his sultry best. Then, at the 3:20 mark, it pivots to the hidden/bonus track "The Way," which, the first time I listened to this beautiful love poem as a song, I just wanted to grab my husband and immediately start slow dancing to it. Lyrically, it's Bruce's best kept secret, proving the songs he left on the cutting room floor would be any other artist's masterpiece.
March 17, 2020
I’ve read a ton of Springsteen books so I didn’t have high hopes for this. Springsteen’s own autobiography came out a few years ago. Turns out this book was better than I thought. Hiatt doesn’t just analyze lyrics, he gets into the music. This drum beat was like this. They took the opening of this song from this other song. He took the title from this older song. The melody is just like this song.
This also breaks the band mystique. Before “Born in the USA”, the band jammed and found the sound they wanted, after that album, things were more spliced or mixed in later. Toby Scott confirms a belief I had About the 90s. Springsteen surrounded himself with yes people. Brendan O’Brian finally challenged him and “The Rising” turned out to be one of his best works. When O’Brian started to feel like a yes man, he left.
This book gave me a lot to look up and a new way to listen to some songs. A sign of a well done nonfiction book.
November 12, 2019
"what everybody's looking for. the ever-unattainable but absolutely there part of life that's slightly out of your fingertips, slightly shaded in the dark somewhere. but within, it contains all the essences and raw physical vitality and blood and bone and sweat of living. it's the thing that makes it all worth it at the end of the day, even if you just get the tip of your tongue on it. it's our history. it's that train that's been running since they friggin' landed over here on the boat, and it's roaring with all of us right now, that thing. that's what i like to look for."
August 7, 2019
As a crazy Springsteen fan who has seen 100+ concerts, read all the biographies (and the autography), and even met the man, I didn't think there was anything left to learn. This book proved me wrong, and I am delighted that it did. Love the insights into the process behind the songs that set the soundtrack to so much of my life.
Excellent!
Excellent!
April 18, 2019
For fans, obviously, but I like in-depth looks at how songs are written and recorded and the context of what we hear in the recordings of musicians. This book does all that for the Bruce discography, including outtakes and obscure tracks.
February 13, 2021
To read this book end to end you really have to be a fan. It's full of great insights compiled from decades of material, lovingly put together by a very thoughtful author, but struggles to stay engaging. As a massive Springsteen fan I really enjoyed reading into the 7 albums from 73-84, and enjoyed parts afterwards, but as a concept I think that reading an artist through a painstaking analysis of all of their songs is itself flawed.
Springsteen's autobio Born to Run is a great work, and if you're interested in his life and discography this is the best way to approach it. If you're a diehard fan you will probably enjoy this book too, just don't expect anyone to be able to make a masterpiece out of 'Human Touch' and 'Lucky Town'...
Springsteen's autobio Born to Run is a great work, and if you're interested in his life and discography this is the best way to approach it. If you're a diehard fan you will probably enjoy this book too, just don't expect anyone to be able to make a masterpiece out of 'Human Touch' and 'Lucky Town'...
May 24, 2019
I have always liked Bruce. His first 4 albums are among my all time favorites. But I don’t think he has made a really good consistent album in 30 years. Thus I found this book interesting in the first part, but a little less interesting as it covered the last 30 years.
After reading this and his autobiography I think part of the reason for his descent into relative tedium is that Bruce takes himself way too seriously.
After reading this and his autobiography I think part of the reason for his descent into relative tedium is that Bruce takes himself way too seriously.
August 13, 2021
I absolutely loved this book. I took it slowly, reading about the songs while listening to the albums again... which lead to extended, careful listening - seeking to hear the nuances of each song as described by the author and those he interviewed. It is packed with insights and tidbits from everyone involved in the making of the songs, info which should enlighten even the most dedicated Springsteen aficionados. This helped me hear the work of my favourite artist all over again, with renewed appreciation. A great read, highly recommended for any Boss fan!
January 13, 2023
With his tour through Springsteen's catalog, Hiatt does an excellent job of commenting and noting all studio songs until 2014. It's a shame that the book didn't get to include recent albums such as Western Stars and Letter to You. Hiatt includes an occasional odd idea or analysis of a song, but he's listened to them far more than I. The only lacking thing about this great addition to a bookshelf is that a few biographical moments aren't connected to some songs. It's a beautiful book, though, full of stellar pictures of the Boss.
May 31, 2019
I read this along with Springsteen's book Songs and found the experience fabulous. The book covers all of Bruce's published work and the stories behind them. There's a whole lot of details even the hard core Bruce fans will find new. I only wish there was more books like this. The best Springsteen book there is?
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September 13, 2021Started and stopped September 2021. Not rating as I didn’t finish the book. This is the story behind songs, the decisions made for picking songs, etc. while I love his music, this is really for a hard core fan or maybe wanting a different take on the man and his music. I think I’d enjoy a biography more…or maybe just not in the mood to read this.
July 19, 2019
This book is a must-read for any serious Springsteen fan. Hiatt’s thorough original reporting and fun, lively writing yield endless insights into one of the greatest catalogs in rock. By the end you’ll find you love these songs more than ever.
August 21, 2021
Gotta be a hardcore fan to tackle this: the background on every song recorded by Springsteen from the start of his career through the High Hopes album. Necessarily biographical, it serves as a good supplement to his own autobiography.
May 15, 2022
Easily my favorite Springsteen book (other than Bruce's own "Born to Run").
A deep dive into every song with lots of insights from band members, production staff, and Bruce himself.
Any hardcore fan of Springsteen's should own this book.
A deep dive into every song with lots of insights from band members, production staff, and Bruce himself.
Any hardcore fan of Springsteen's should own this book.
July 7, 2022
A thoughtful and deeply researched book that is a must for any Springsteen fan. There are a few editing errors in the first printing, but nothing that truly impacts the quality of the book. Go read it!
April 20, 2024
It is an excellent and detailed book about Bruce's albums and the songs in them. It may be a little boring for some people, but it is a great way to know more about Bruce's music and lyrics. And a perfect complement to his biography "Born To Run."
July 12, 2019
Extensive
December 24, 2019
A great start-to finish look at the complete catalog of Bruce. A blast to read.
October 7, 2021
Decent enough book. Sheds some light on his work process and later catalog.
August 17, 2022
Very cool and informative; gives some nice context to songs and gets me interested in listening some more
Good book; recommend to Springsteen lovers
Good book; recommend to Springsteen lovers
October 31, 2023
Interesting read especially the early songs.
June 23, 2024
This is an insightful book looking at all of Springsteen’s songs from the beginning through High Hopes.
January 25, 2020
Amazing book that provides depth and personality to the songs the world only thinks it knows by heart. It gave me an even deeper appreciation for the genius of Bruuuuce!
June 3, 2024
I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. I thought it might be a slog to get through, but I did enjoy it. It would likely have been a much better experience had I listened to each album prior to each chapter describing it, in order to make that much more sense of it, but that would have taken 5 times as long. As it was, I did still gain a better insight into the creation process and history of Bruce and his career from a strictly studio album perspective and so it was a worthy endeavour. This book however, could only really be enjoyable for diehard fans like myself.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews