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Home , Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, David Sancious, Elton John, Ernest Carter (drummer)

ISSUE #43 MMUSICMAG.COM BEHIND THE CLASSICS WRITTEN BY: RECORDED: 914 SOUND STUDIOS, NEW YORK, 1974 PRODUCED BY: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, , BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: VOCALS, : GUITAR : BASS : DRUMS : ORGAN, GLOCK : : KEYS FROM THE ALBUM: , 1975

Bruce Springsteen

“Born to Run” BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Bruce Springsteen once said, “When did of a movie or something I’d seen on a car supposed to like it. You think Born to Run, I thought, ‘I’m going to make spinning around the circuit. I liked the phrase sits around listening to ‘Maybelline’?” the greatest rock ’n’ roll record ever made.’” because it suggested a cinematic drama I After it was finished, Springsteen If it sounds like he was setting the bar high, thought would work with the music that I’d recalled: “I hated it! I couldn’t stand to Springsteen knew—as he entered the studio been hearing in my head.” listen to it. I thought it was the worst piece in early 1974 to begin his third album—that Though the music came fairly quickly, of garbage I’d ever heard.” his career was at stake. Springsteen fussed over the lyrics for He was wrong. Like a souped-up ’57 Though he’d built a loyal following months. Working through its themes of Thunderbird, radio blasting, speeding along around and New York, his fi rst alienation and escape, early live versions the Ocean Highway on a hot August night, two records had sold poorly and failed to yield were much darker, with such couplets as the tune was sleek, muscular and bursting a hit. His ragtag soul poetry was increasingly “At night we stop and tremble in the heat / with the pent-up wildness of youth. It had out of step with a chart dominated by the With murder in our dreams.” captured rock lightning in a four-and-a-half polished likes of and Stevie By the time he entered the studio, it minute bottle. Wonder. And it was looking like he might was nearly there. Typically, the As it climbed the charts in late never deliver on being “the next Dylan”—a would run through a few passes of a song 1975, the song changed everything for tag given to him by John Hammond, the before nailing a take—not this time. Over the Springsteen. Suddenly he was more than exec who signed him. course of six months, Bruce put the group the new Dylan, he was the future of rock E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt through fi ve versions and 40 different takes ’n’ roll. It was a career-maker, and the one said, “If this album didn’t make it, it seemed of “Born to Run.” The alternate mixes that song that he’s played at every concert over obvious that it was going to be the end of have surfaced on bootlegs reveal how he the past 40 years. Bruce’s recording career.” experimented, adding everything from female “I wanted ‘Born to Run’ to be a hit,” What he later called “the song of backing vocals to symphonic strings to drag- Springsteen said. “Not for the bucks, but my youth,” “Born to Run” was written in racing sound effects. Nights in the studio because I really believed in the song and Springsteen’s apartment in Long Branch, were long, the atmosphere often tense. wanted to hear it on the radio. It’s always N.J. “I was playing my guitar on Springsteen kept pushing, to the point that been my favorite—just because it was of the bed working on some song ideas, he was uncertain if the song was even good. something I executed the way I sort of and the words ‘born to run’ came to ,” Finally, co-producer Jon Landau persuaded wanted to.” he said. “At fi rst I thought it was the name him to let go, saying, “Look, you’re not –Bill DeMain

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