At 35 years old, Bruce Springsteen was already a rock n’ roll legend. He and his E Street Band had already made some great music, toured around the world, and made their fans go wild.

However, the Boss was unsatisfied.

He wanted to use his music to express peoples’ stories. This desire to narrate the lives of blue collar America led to nearly 100 songs.

Eight of these songs would end up on his best selling album, and one continues to be misunderstood to this day.

References

Beviglia, J. (2024, January 6). It was written for a disco diva before the boss kept it for himself: The meaning behind “Cover me” by Bruce Springsteen. American Songwriter. https://americansongwriter.com/it-w as-written-for-a-disco-diva-before-the-boss-kept-it-for-himself-the-meaning-behind-cover-me-by-bruce-springsteen/

Birch. (Host). (2023). Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. (No. 546) [Audio Podcast Episode]. In 1001 Album Club. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EMHEwhUT0onVxwAhCWIzP?si=8WpXfXFU UaqsoyDMmdFGQ

Dimery, R. (2021). 1001 albums you must hear before you die. Cassell Illustrated.

Ken. (2018, January 11). Roll of the dice: Working on the highway. E Street Shuffle. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://estreetshuffle.com/index.php/2018/01/11/roll-of-the-dice-working-on-the-highway/

Ken. (2019, January 22). Roll of the dice: Downbound train. E Street Shuffle. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://estreetshuffle.com/index.php/2019/01/22/roll-of-the-dice-downbound-train/

Ken. (2020, September 10). Roll of the dice: Darlington County. E Street Shuffle. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://estreetshuffle.com/index.php/2020/09/10/roll-of-the-dice-darlington-county/

Ken. (2021, September 11). Roll of the dice: I’m on fire. E Street Shuffle. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://estreetshuffle.com/index.php/2021/09/11/roll-of-the-dice-im-on-fire/

Ken. (2021, November 18). Roll of the dice: No surrender. E Street Shuffle. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://estreetshuffle.com/index.php/2021/11/18/roll-of-the-dice-no-surrender/

Lynch, J. (2023, August 7). The 100 best album covers of all time. Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.billboard.com/photos/best-album-covers-of-all-time-6715351/1-aretha-franklin-young-gifted-black-1972-billboard-1240/

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (n.d.). Bruce Springsteen. https://rockhall.com/inductees/bruce-springsteen/

Rolling Stone. (2023, December 31). The 500 greatest albums of all time. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time

Rolling Stone. (2024, February 20). The 500 greatest songs of all time. Retrieved May 17, 2024 from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time

Sabol, S., & HQ, W. (2016). Who is Bruce Springsteen? Penguin.

Santelli, R. (1999). Bruce Springsteen [Essay]. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. https://rockhall.com/wp-content /uploads/2024/03/Bruce_Springsteen_1999.pdf

Sodomsky, S. (2021, August 8). Born in the USA. Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/bruce-spring steen-born-in-the-usa/

Williams, J. (2023, June 17). Paul Schrader influenced this classic Bruce Springsteen song. Far Out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-paul-schrader-influenced-a-classic-bruce-springsteen-song/