Greetings from Burlington County, NJ. In 2023, Gov. Phil Murphy delighted Springsteen fans everywhere when he declared The Boss’s birthday, September 23, Bruce Springsteen Day in New Jersey. Celebrate one of our state’s greatest exports with these reads.
Read About the Boss
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
Nobody tells Bruce’s story quite like The Boss himself. His memoir acknowledges the mythology and legend of Springsteen without reveling in it, portraying both of the book’s main characters — Springsteen and New Jersey — exactly as they are: raw, honest and imperfect. It’s a revealing and genuine autobiography that feels like a conversation in a Jersey Shore dive bar with an old friend.
Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” by Warren Zanes
This book centers on the reclusive and isolated recording process of 1982’s Nebraska in Colts Neck, as well as the album’s impact on Springsteen’s career and legacy as a lo-fi masterpiece. This is also the source material for the upcoming film Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White and set for release on Oct. 24.
There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” and the End of the Heartland by Steven Hyden
There Was Nothing You Could Do delves into that same era in the context of the explosive Born in the U.S.A., when Springsteen jolted into full-fledged idol status. It also explores the album’s themes of disparity, the working class and disillusionment in the context of a shifting American landscape post-Vietnam War.
Mary Climbs In: The Journeys of Bruce Springsteen’s Women Fans by Lorraine Mangione and Donna Luff
Mangione and Luff collected hundreds of surveys and used them to write this book, giving Springsteen’s women fans the chance to share their experiences in their own words. The results are presented from a psychological but still accessible perspective, and they explore the reasons so many women from different backgrounds connect so strongly with Springsteen and his music. It’s a fascinating read for any fan, regardless of gender.
Born in the U.S.A.: Bruce Springsteen in American Life by Jim Cullen
Jim Cullen, a historian with a Ph.D. in American Studies and a previous presenter at BCLS Book Festival, first published this book in 1997. This third fully revised edition discusses Springsteen’s impact in the 21st century, centering him among American mythology and politics including his responses to 9/11 and other historical events. Whether you’re a serious Springsteen fan or simply an observer of American popular culture, Born in the U.S.A. will give you a new appreciation for The Boss.
Bridge & Tunnel Boys: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century by Jim Cullen
Finally, check out this more recent publication by Jim Cullen that incorporates his friendship with another American icon, Billy Joel. In this book, you’ll see not only their relationship as musicians and friends, but the uncanny parallels throughout both their lives. See these two men from a new angle, as products of their New York metro sound that incorporates American life and its uncertainties and hopes.
Watch Movies That Inspired Springsteen
In a 2019 Washington Post interview, The Boss discusses the various movies that inspired his music. He recalls watching movies as a kid during hot Jersey summers in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Check out these DVDs and then, check out his music in the next section.
The Grapes of Wrath
Springsteen was inspired by this movie to write his 1995 record "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Originally a novel written by John Steinbeck in 1939, the movie, released in 1940, begins a great era of American film. The story follows Tom Joad and his family as they leave the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma and head westward to California in hopes of a better life. Springsteen sees in Tom Joad the American resilience he writes so much about in each album; a man struggling for a better life and striving toward the American Dream.
The Searchers
This 1956 John Wayne classic follows a Civil War veteran on a relentless quest to track a Comanche raiding party that has kidnapped his late brother’s daughters. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Texas–Indian wars, the film offers a layered exploration of post–Civil War tensions and moral ambiguity. Springsteen’s own brand of swagger carries a similar cowboy spirit, and his song characters are often as conflicted and complex as the film’s haunted hero.
The Night of the Hunter
This 1955 noir horror movie following a serial killer who poses as a preacher, inspired the album “Nebraska.” Preacher Harry Powell learns that his cellmate hid $10,000; his cellmate is executed before he can get out of him where the money is hidden. After his release, he finds his cellmate’s family, murders his widow and pursues the children in an effort to find the money. The violence that runs throughout this film interested The Boss the most, and is what helped give “Nebraska” its desolate tone.
Out of the Past
Another noir classic, but this time the leading man is a detective framed for murder featuring an iconic femme fatale. Released in 1947, A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses and duplicitous dames. Another man who struggles against the injustices of society and is forced to confront his problems head on. Much like Bruce Springsteen’s characters, this private eye is complex; even the most moral men are only human after all.
Taxi Driver
Finally, skip ahead to 1976 to an early Martin Scorsese film about a misunderstood taxi driver in New York City. The main character, played by Robert DeNiro, is a lonely, unstable veteran who becomes disillusioned by the world he drives through each day. The more time he spends in NYC nightlife, the more he becomes convinced that the only way to make the world a better place is through an act of violence. The strong emotions and questioning of the American Dream are what inspire Springsteen in this movie!
CDs to Check Out
Interested in some albums? Check out his Greatest Hits to get a great, overarching look at The Boss’s legacy or look at these other options:
