- 3 months ago
Born to run through the best of The Boss! Join us as we count down our picks for the greatest Bruce Springsteen songs of all time. Our list includes classics from across his legendary career that defined American rock music and captured the struggles and triumphs of working-class life. Which Springsteen anthem gets you pumping your fist in the air?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best songs by the boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.
00:20Number 20. Hungry Heart.
00:22Got a wife and kids and both and more jacked. I went out for a ride and I never went back.
00:29While The River boasts some of Bruce Springsteen's most powerful ballads, the lead single is the quintessential pop rock anthem.
00:36Hungry Heart resonates enough in its exploration of yearning and a devoted family man.
00:40Lay down your money and you'll break your heart.
00:45But Roy Bitten's unshakable piano riff and Clarence Clemens' baritone sax get that bittersweet stride jumping.
00:52This endlessly listenable dynamic launched the single as Springsteen's first top 5 hit on the billboards.
00:57It's so catchy that the audience is invited to sing the first verse during live performances.
01:02But with a more convincing passion than most pop hooks, Hungry Heart breaks out the wanderlust in all of us.
01:12Number 19. The Ghost of Tom Joad.
01:15Men walking along the railroad tracks.
01:18The album The Ghost of Tom Joad finds Springsteen returning to stripped-down folk traditions.
01:24The title track particularly displays a master lyricist.
01:27But it's not too traditionalist.
01:29Got a one-way ticket to the promised land.
01:33A full band's catchy rhythm and ghostly ambiance enrich the devastating ballad of a displaced family.
01:38Inspired by John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie,
01:41His historical drama and modern musicianship cleverly set up the rest of the album's more minimalist observations of 1990s social issues.
01:53Tom Joad is still uniquely open to interpretation, as well as experimentation.
01:58Springsteen's collaboration with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine really stands out.
02:03No matter the composition,
02:04The Ghost of Tom Joad sustains the spirit of folk's greatest storytellers.
02:08With the Ghost of Old Time Joad.
02:12Number 18. Nebraska.
02:14I saw her standing on her front lawn.
02:21The eponymous track of Nebraska perfectly opens one of Springsteen's most subversive albums.
02:26The usually upbeat rocker sits unaccompanied with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica,
02:30to croon about the darkest side of the American heartland.
02:33From the town of Lincoln, Nebraska.
02:40This particular ballad imagines the final thoughts of Nebraska spree killer Charles Starkweather before his execution.
02:46It's an audacious feat of empathetic storytelling, in the tradition of classic folk tragedies.
02:51Now the jewelry brought in guilty verdict.
02:57The lo-fi recording adds to that old-fashioned sound and the gritty atmosphere of the lyrics.
03:03Nebraska is a true masterpiece of Americana that has been covered by a diverse array of artists.
03:08While that can be said of the namesake album as a whole, its hook is especially haunting.
03:14Sir, I guess we're just meanest in this world.
03:19Hey little girl, is your daddy home? Did he go away and leave you all alone?
03:31An interesting break in the more hyper-energy of Born in the USA,
03:35I'm on Fire is a hauntingly vivid expression of a man's bad desire for a lonesome lady.
03:40Tell me now, baby, is he good to you? Can he do to you the things that I do?
03:45The stimulating rhythm was influenced by Johnny Cash and Rockabilly,
03:51with Max Weinberg laying down a more 1980s beat.
03:54The melody, however, is led by Roy Bitten's ambient synthesizer.
03:58It's a pretty sophisticated composition for such a steamy ditty.
04:01Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby, edgy and dull,
04:05and cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skull.
04:09But it poignantly captures the spirit of sentimental passion behind the sexual tension.
04:13I'm on Fire exploded on the charts, especially in Europe.
04:17Even with the scintillating content,
04:19the melody may be considered one of the most romantic in Springsteen's popular catalog.
04:32As solemn as the courtroom in AIDS drama Philadelphia is,
04:40director Jonathan Demme approached Springsteen for a song that could be played in malls.
04:50Streets of Philadelphia proved a soft rock anthem to satisfy the 1990s pop appeal
04:55with a smooth rhythm and keyboards.
04:57In confronting disenfranchisement in the city of brotherly love,
05:00Springsteen also lives up to the film's timely humanity.
05:02Ain't no angel gonna greet me
05:05It's just you and I, my friend
05:10The song landed an Oscar alongside Tom Hanks' historic dramatic performance.
05:15Independently, it topped the Billboard charts and won four Grammys,
05:19including Song of the Year.
05:21Surely one of the best movie songs of the 90s,
05:24Streets of Philadelphia is also one of Springsteen's most powerful urban anthems.
05:28Number 15. Glory Days
05:34Who says that bittersweet nostalgia has to mostly be bitter?
05:44Glory Days opens with the true story of Springsteen's run-in
05:47with an old Little League teammate, Joe Depew.
05:50This sets off a skip-down memory lane
05:52that both mourns and celebrates the awkward teenage years.
05:55Oh, there's a girl that lives up the block
05:58Back at school, she can turn all the boys' heads
06:02The impossibly catchy keyboard riff still keeps a spry energy.
06:06Glory Days was an instant hit that would stay a radio staple for years to come.
06:10Glory Days
06:11Yeah, pass it by Glory Days
06:15A rock star may have more Glory Days than most of his contemporaries,
06:20but the story in and behind this tribute to Depew,
06:23whom Springsteen stayed in touch with,
06:25shows how the boss can relate to anyone.
06:27Glory Days
06:31Number 14. Back Streets
06:34The first minute of this six-and-a-half-minute number off Born to Run
06:43is made up of an instrumental piano and organ section.
06:46In the deep part of the night
06:47It's the perfect introduction to the song of Love So Hard and Filled With Defeat,
06:54which Springsteen makes all the more poignant
06:56with his passionate vocals and storytelling prowess.
06:59Bright nights on tiles are singing
07:01But in that old dance that it's coming
07:03But nothing makes Back Streets truly come alive more
07:07than experiencing it in concert with the extra piano and vocal solo
07:10called the Sad Eyes Interlude.
07:12Little home, one of the Back Streets tonight
07:16Number 13. Rosalita, Come Out Tonight
07:22Spread out now, rosy doctor
07:24Come cut loose her mama's reign
07:27Bruce Springsteen's second album confirmed him as a critical darling.
07:31To this day, Rosalita, Come Out Tonight stands out as a fan favorite.
07:35The epic love story between a young rocker and a good girl
07:38never slows down in seven minutes.
07:40It has all the youthful passion and heartbreak that the subject demands.
07:49And as a prime display of the boss's musical trademarks,
07:52it would be his go-to concert finisher for years.
07:55Rosalita, come a little lighter
07:58Singorita, come sit by my fire
08:01Even now, he considers the semi-autobiographical lyrics
08:04to be one of the best he's ever written.
08:06Though Rosalita has unfortunately grown more obscure
08:09after years of bigger and bigger hits,
08:11it's still widely considered one of his true masterpieces.
08:14I just wanna be in love, ain't no lie
08:17Oh, singin' our song design
08:20Number 12. The Promised Land
08:22The album Darkness on the Edge of Town
08:29is mostly about the fight in The Downtrodden.
08:32The Promised Land declares something to fight for.
08:34Working all day in my daddy's garage
08:38Driving all night chasing some garage
08:42Springsteen's signature triumphant tone
08:44backs the unexpectedly profound tale of a small-town runaway.
08:47It's tragically honest about the futility
08:49in pursuing some far-off salvation.
08:51It still celebrates the pursuit itself,
08:54while acknowledging the dignity of where one comes from.
08:57I've left my bags and I'm heading straight into the store
09:01This complex storytelling against catchy musicianship
09:04is quintessentially Springsteen.
09:06All the same, it's distinguished by philosophy,
09:09inspired by a young man's travels and grief
09:11over the death of Elvis Presley.
09:13The Promised Land may have been the right song at the right time,
09:16but it is a timelessly important tribute to the will to carry on.
09:21And I believe in a promised land
09:24Number 11. Tenth Avenue frees out
09:27Though the jury's still out on the meaning of this song's title,
09:35what is known is that the second track off Born to Run
09:38is the musical equivalent to a biography of the E Street Band.
09:42I was stranded in the jungle
09:44trying to take in all the heat they was giving
09:47Led by Clemens on the sax,
09:49Tenth Avenue frees out combines horns and a piano-driven rhythm
09:53to tell us the tale of Springsteen as Big Scooter searching for his groove.
10:03The rocking number is also often played live.
10:18While it might be the track that's least representative of his extremely varied work,
10:22Dancing in the Dark is still the Boss's biggest hit.
10:25Messages keep getting bleary
10:29Radio's on and I'm moving round the place
10:32With its lively synthesizer riffs and offbeat rhythm,
10:35this power pop and rock number hit the Billboard Hot 100's second spot
10:38and helped its parent album become his best-selling record ever.
10:48Who can forget his smooth dance moves in the accompanying music video?
10:52Even if we're just dancing in the dark
10:56Number 9. Darkness on the Edge of Town
11:04As an album, Darkness on the Edge of Town is an emotionally layered journey through the
11:08Heartland Losers. It all comes into focus with the titular closing track.
11:12Well everybody's got a secret song
11:17The tragic ballad details a man who knows no freedom beyond the glory of street races.
11:22This is felt in the interplay between solemn verses and the heroic chorus, but the lyric carries
11:27a more poignant confession. Darkness beautifully epitomizes all previous tracks' mixed emotions about
11:33the hardships and resilience of the common man.
11:41With the album as a whole being considered one of the great poetic rock albums of the 70s,
11:46it goes out on one of Springsteen's great ballads.
11:49If the darkness on the Edge of Town
11:52If the darkness on the Edge of Town
11:54Number 8. Jungle Land
11:56The rangers had a homecoming
11:58In Harlem late last night
12:02Opening with a memorable violin and piano intro
12:05This fan and critic favorite is a nine and a half minute closer to Bruce Springsteen's third effort
12:10On Midnight Gangs Assembled
12:13And Victor RondƩ grew for the night
12:17Featuring an unforgettable Clarence Clemens sax solo
12:20and one of the finest examples of the singer-songwriter's narrative technique
12:23Beneath the city
12:27Two hearts meet
12:29Jungle Land takes us on a musical and emotional journey that's truly epic
12:33Number 7. Racing in the street
12:49The title of racing in the street promises another triumphant anthem of youth
12:53Instead, it's a slow, thoughtful portrait of street racing culture and the freedom it represents
12:58Tonight, tonight, the strip's just right
13:04This keeps up the masculine muscle car fantasy that led some of Springsteen's earliest hits
13:09With the third verse, however
13:10He breaks a crescendo with one of his first sobering doses of reality from a female perspective
13:16She sits on the porch of her daddy's house
13:20Romantic, harrowing and heartbreaking
13:23Racing in the street gradually revs up as one of the boss's most vivid epics
13:28It's hardly the Springsteen song you'd most expect to blast over the radio
13:31But for fans, it's one of the smoothest rides in his catalogue
13:35We're going racing in the street
13:40Number 6. Born in the USA
13:50Thanks to its rousing chorus, the title track to Born in the USA was Springsteen's third
13:55Top 10 American single from his seventh studio album
14:06With its memorable synthesizer riff and blasting drums
14:09It's also one of the artist's most well-known tracks
14:16But it's born in the USA's heartland rock style and sociopolitical lyrics that deal with the
14:21Downside of the Vietnam War that really make it a Springsteen classic
14:34Number 5. Atlantic City
14:35Well, they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night
14:39Now they blew up his house too
14:43This folk rock track off Nebraska follows the same dark vein as the rest of the album
14:47Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away
14:51In just four short minutes, Springsteen brings us into the world of a young couple
14:56Tackling issues of human mortality and organized crime in the New Jersey City
15:08The honest and thought-provoking tune is another live stunner
15:12And has been covered by multiple artists
15:14Number 4. The River
15:29Inspired by his sister and her husband's economic difficulties as a young couple
15:33Springsteen crafted the sad but powerful song that appeared on the album of the same name
15:38While it wasn't released as a single in the US, The River quickly found a home on rock radio
15:58With its folk rock flavors and Springsteen's harmonica playing
16:01This moving tune about dreams versus reality is often modified or extended while played live
16:08So down to the river we'd ride
16:13Number 3. Badlands
16:21With its unforgettable drum intro and anthemic nature
16:24Badlands is a hard-rocking tune that's simply meant to be played in concert
16:35Featuring a piano and electric guitar riff
16:37Borrowed from the animals
16:39Max Weinberg's energetic drumming and so much more
16:42The track showcases Springsteen and the E Street Band at their finest
16:53Despite only charting within the Billboard Top 50
16:55It continues to be a fan and band favorite
16:58They couldn't have chosen a better track to be the opener of the Boss's breakthrough record
17:15Mixing folk and rock with blue collar themes, Thunder Road slowly brings you in with piano and harmonica
17:27But it's Springsteen's vocals, the song's mounting pace, and masterful blending of multiple instruments that make it one of his most performed tunes
17:35To top things off, it's also often considered one of the greatest rock songs ever
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18:09This first person love letter and title cut to Springsteen's third record epitomized Heartland Rock to a T
18:25Its big sound, layered guitars, and inspiring message helped it reach the Billboard Top 40
18:36Which in turn helped launch the singer to mainstream success
18:39Today, the beloved underdog anthem is a Springsteen's signature tune and a live staple
18:45Just take a listen for yourself to see why
18:54What are your favorite Bruce Springsteen masterpieces?
19:02Come on up to the comments
19:06Come on up to the comments
19:09I have found a lot of the mentorship
19:11What are your favorite Bruce Springsteen in 2015 this year?
19:14I'm sure you've got Weight podcast
19:17I have something to remember
19:18I'm sure you want to entonces
19:20I have ćć up to the bottom
19:20I'm sure you have ainho Those fans
19:21and then I have something to remember
19:22I'm sure you've got something to remember
19:24And whether you have something to In my life
19:25because I've got something to remember
19:27So that's a song
19:30It doesn't have a song
19:31jakby
19:32I heard
19:33Remember
19:34What are my favorite Bruce Springsteen's
19:34are a song
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