Bruce Springsteen has penned an audacious number of anthems. With a career spanning six decades and twenty-one albums, he’s won twenty Grammys and pioneered the blue-collar heartland rock sound like an all-American dream. With too many hits to choose from, let’s shine a light on some fan favourites. 

Thunder Road

An anthemic ode to escape, this track opens The Boss’ iconic 1975 record Born To Run. Originally named Wings For Wheels, after seeing a poster for Robert Mitchum’s 1958 movie Thunder Road, Bruce was inspired to borrow the title.

Jungleland 

Bruce and the E Street Band performed this epic elegy live for over a year before recording it. Born to Run’s climactic closer, this near ten-minute odyssey paints the poetic tale of New Jersey’s streets, its renegade Magic Rat and the barefoot girl.

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

The Boss’ musical autobiography, he called this song, “a kiss-off to everybody who counted you out, put you down, or decided you weren’t good enough.” A seminal live favourite, “The record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance,” always receives an ecstatic cheer! 

Badlands

A live favourite and the opener to 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town, Badlands tells the story of a man, angry and down on his luck. Bruce borrowed the title from the Martin Sheen movie before having seen it. After watching the film, he wrote Nebraska, the title track of his 1982 record. 

Atlantic City

One of The Boss’ most evocative songs, Atlantic City was inspired by the Second Mafia War which began in 1981. One of several songs to focus on his home state of New Jersey, this was the first ever Bruce Springsteen song to shoot an accompanying music video!