1964–1974: Early career , a live music club and bar in
Asbury Park, New Jersey, where Springsteen and other
E Street Band members played regularly in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, Springsteen met his future wife,
Patti Scialfa, at the Stone Pony. In 1964, Springsteen saw
the Beatles' televised appearances on
The Ed Sullivan Show. Inspired, he bought his first guitar for $18.95 at the
Western Auto appliance store. In the late 1960s, Springsteen performed briefly in a
power trio known as Earth, who played in various clubs in New Jersey and at a major show at the Hotel Diplomat in
New York City. From 1969 through early 1971, Springsteen performed with the band Child, which later changed its name to
Steel Mill and included
Danny Federici,
Vini Lopez,
Vinnie Roslin, and later
Steven Van Zandt and
Robbin Thompson. Steel Mill performed at various
Jersey Shore venues and also outside of New Jersey, in
Richmond, Virginia;
Nashville, Tennessee; and
California, and gathered a cult following. In his January 1970 review of Steel Mill's show at
The Matrix, music critic Philip Elwood wrote in the
San Francisco Examiner that he had "never been so overwhelmed by a totally unknown talent" and called Steel Mill "the first big thing that's happened to
Asbury Park since the good ship
Morro Castle burned to the waterline of that Jersey beach in '34". Elwood praised the band's "cohesive musicality" and called Springsteen "a most impressive composer". In San Mateo, Steel Mill recorded three original Springsteen songs at Pacific Recording. As Springsteen sought to shape a unique and genuine musical and lyrical style, he performed with the bands Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom from early-to-mid-1971, the Sundance Blues Band in mid-1971, and the Bruce Springsteen Band from mid-1971 to mid-1972. His songwriting ability included, as his future record label described it in early publicity campaigns, "more words in some individual songs than other artists had in whole albums". He brought his skills to the attention of several people who went on to prove influential to his career development, including managers
Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos, who in turn brought him to the attention of
John Hammond, a talent scout at
Columbia Records. In May 1972, Springsteen auditioned for Hammond. In October 1972, Springsteen formed a new band for the recording of his debut album,
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. The band eventually became known as the
E Street Band, although the name was not used until September 1974. Springsteen acquired the nickname "the Boss" during this period, since he took on the task of collecting his band's nightly pay and distributing it among his bandmates. The nickname also reportedly sprang from games of
Monopoly, which Springsteen played with other Jersey Shore musicians. Springsteen was signed to Columbia Records in 1972 by John Hammond, who had signed
Bob Dylan to the same label a decade earlier. His debut album,
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., was released in January 1973, establishing him as a critical favorite. Because of Springsteen's lyrical poeticism and
folk rock-rooted music exemplified on tracks like "
Blinded by the Light" and "
For You", and his connection with Hammond and Columbia Records, critics initially compared Springsteen to Bob Dylan. "He sings with a freshness and urgency I haven't heard since I was rocked by '
Like a Rolling Stone'",
Crawdaddy magazine editor
Peter Knobler wrote in a March 1973 profile of Springsteen's that included photographs taken by
Ed Gallucci. Knobler is the journalist who discovered Springsteen in the rock press.
Crawdaddy was an early champion of Springsteen; Knobler profiled him in the magazine three times, in 1973, 1975, and 1978. In June 1976, Springsteen and the E Street Band acknowledged the magazine's support by giving a private performance at the magazine's 10th Anniversary Party in New York City. Springsteen's second album,
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, was released in November 1973, eleven months after
Greetings from Asbury Park. Like Springsteen's inaugural album,
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle was met with critical acclaim but limited commercial success. Springsteen's songs became grander in form and scope with the E Street Band providing a less folksy, more
rhythm and blues vibe, and lyrics that romanticized teenage street life. "
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and "Incident on 57th Street" became fan favorites, while "
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" continues to rank among Springsteen's most beloved concert numbers; as of June 2020, he had played it live 809 times. In February 1974,
the Stone Pony, a music venue and bar, opened on Ocean Avenue in Asbury Park, and Springsteen played there regularly. Several years later, in the early 1980s, prior to the start of the
Born in the U.S.A. Tour in June 1984, Springsteen also met his second and current wife
Patti Scialfa at the Stone Pony during her performance there. A regular venue for Springsteen,
Jon Bon Jovi,
Southside Johnny, and other acts from the area, the Stone Pony has since been described as "an integral part of music history for decades." After seeing Springsteen's performance at the Harvard Square Theater in 1974, music critic
Jon Landau wrote that he "saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen." Springsteen met Landau in Boston a month prior and the two became close friends; Landau subsequently became the co-producer of Springsteen's next album,
Born to Run, in February 1975. As Springsteen's last-ditch effort at a commercially viable record, Springsteen became bogged down in the recording process while striving for a "
Wall of Sound" production. When his manager, Mike Appel, orchestrated the release of an early mix of "
Born to Run" to nearly a dozen radio stations, anticipation built toward the album's release. The album took over 14 months to record, with six months spent recording "Born to Run" alone. E Street Band members David Sancious and Ernest Carter departed after "Born to Run" was completed, and were replaced by
Roy Bittan and
Max Weinberg on piano and drums, respectively. Springsteen battled with anger and frustration throughout the sessions, saying he heard "sounds in [his] head" that he could not explain to the others in the studio. He also dealt with two producers who had opposing views. During the recording of "
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", Steven Van Zandt conceived the horn parts for the horn players on the spot in the studio after Springsteen and Bittan had failed to write proper ones by the time the players arrived to record. He joined the E Street Band shortly thereafter. Mixing for
Born to Run lasted until July 20, 1975, just before a concert tour began.
Born to Run was mastered while the band was on the road. Springsteen was furious at the initial acetate, throwing it into the swimming pool of the hotel he was staying at. He contemplated scrapping the entire project and re-recording it live before he was stopped from doing so by Landau. Springsteen was sent multiple mixes while he was on the road and rejected each of them until August, when he approved the final mix.
1975–1983: Born to Run and breakthrough success Born to Run was released in August 1975. It proved to be a breakthrough album that catapulted Springsteen to worldwide fame. The album peaked at No. 3 on the
Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, eventually going seven times platinum in the US. The album's two singles, "Born to Run" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" reached No. 23 and 83, respectively, on the
Billboard Hot 100. According to author Louis Masur, the album's success was tied to the fears of growing old held by a generation of late teenagers. In October 1975, Springsteen appeared on the covers of both
Newsweek and
Time in the same week, becoming the first artist to do so. The magazines' cover stories resulted in a media backlash, as critics began wondering if Springsteen was for real or the product of record company promotion. Springsteen was hurt by the backlash and disliked his newfound attention. When the E Street Band arrived in London for their first concerts outside North America, Springsteen personally tore down promotional posters in the lobby of the
Hammersmith Odeon. A legal battle with Appel kept Springsteen out of the studio for nearly a year, during which time he kept the E Street Band together through
extensive touring across the U.S. and continued writing new material. Reaching a settlement with Appel in May 1977, Springsteen returned to the studio, and the subsequent nine-month recording sessions with the E Street Band produced
Darkness on the Edge of Town. The record stripped the "Wall of Sound" production of
Born to Run for a rawer
hard rock sound. Its lyrics focus on ill-fortuned people who fight back against overwhelming odds. Released in June 1978,
Darkness on the Edge of Town sold fewer copies than its predecessor, but remained on the
Billboard chart for 167 weeks, selling three million copies in the U.S. Its three singles—"
Prove It All Night", "
Badlands", and "
The Promised Land"—performed modestly. The supporting
Darkness Tour was Springsteen's largest up to that point and featured shows that lasted upwards of three hours in length. The staff of
Ultimate Classic Rock said the tour solidified Springsteen and the E Street Band as "one of the most exciting live acts in rock 'n' roll". , By the late 1970s, Springsteen earned a reputation as a songwriter whose material could provide hits for other bands.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band had achieved a U.S. No. 1 pop hit with a heavily rearranged version of
Greetings "Blinded by the Light" in early 1977.
Patti Smith reached No. 13 with her version of Springsteen's unreleased "
Because the Night" with revised lyrics by Smith in 1978.
The Pointer Sisters hit No. 2 in 1979 with Springsteen's then unreleased "
Fire". Between 1976 and 1978, Springsteen provided four compositions to
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, including "
The Fever" and "Hearts of Stone", and collaborated on four more with Steven Van Zandt, producer of their first three albums. In September 1979, Springsteen and the E Street Band joined the
Musicians United for Safe Energy anti-nuclear power collective at
Madison Square Garden for two nights, playing an abbreviated set while premiering two songs from his upcoming album. The subsequent
No Nukes live album, as well as the following summer's
No Nukes documentary film, represented the first official recordings and footage of Springsteen's fabled live act and Springsteen's first tentative dip into political involvement. The recording sessions for Springsteen's fifth album,
The River, lasted 18 months. The 20-track
double album was an attempt at capturing the energy and feel of the E Street Band playing live on stage and featured a mix of party songs and introspective ballads. Released in October 1980,
The River became Springsteen's biggest and fastest-selling album yet, topping the U.S.
Billboard chart. The single "
Hungry Heart" became his first top ten single as a performer, reaching number five, while "
Fade Away" reached No. 20. Several songs on
The River foreshadowed the direction of Springsteen's next record, the
minimalist, folk-inspired solo effort
Nebraska, released in September 1982. Springsteen recorded the songs on the album as
demo recordings at his home in
Colts Neck, New Jersey, intending to re-record them with the E Street Band, but after poor test sessions he decided to release the recordings as is. The album chronicled dark hardships felt by everyday blue-collar workers, as well as bleak tales of criminals, cops, and gang wars.
Nebraska sold minimally compared to Springsteen's three previous albums, but reached No. 3 on the
Billboard chart. Nevertheless, it surprised critics, who praised it as a brave artistic statement.
1984–1986: Born in the U.S.A. and cultural phenomenon in 1985 In 1984, Springsteen released
Born in the U.S.A., which sold 30 million worldwide, and became one of the
best-selling albums of all time, with seven singles hitting the top ten. The
title track was a bitter commentary on the treatment of
Vietnam veterans, some of whom were Springsteen's friends. The lyrics in the verses were entirely unambiguous when listened to, but the anthemic music and the title of the song made it hard for many, from politicians to the common person, to get the lyrics—except those in the chorus, which could be read many ways. The song made a huge political impact, as he was advocating for the rights of the common working-class man. The song was widely misinterpreted as
patriotic, and in connection with the
1984 presidential campaign became the
subject of considerable folklore. In 1984, conservative columnist
George Will attended a Springsteen concert and then wrote a column praising Springsteen's work ethic, writing: "In an age of lackadaisical effort and slipshod products, anyone who does anything—anything legal—conspicuously well and with zest is a national asset. Springsteen's tour is hard, honest work and evidence of the astonishing vitality of America's regions and generations. They produce distinctive tones of voice that other regions and generations embrace. There still is nothing quite like being born in the U.S.A." Six days after the column's publication, then President
Ronald Reagan, in a campaign rally in
Hammonton, New Jersey, made brief mention of the song, saying, "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts. It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire—New Jersey's own, Bruce Springsteen." Two nights later, at a concert in
Pittsburgh, Springsteen told the crowd, "Well, the president was mentioning my name in his speech the other day and I kind of got to wondering what his favorite album of mine must've been, you know? I don't think it was the
Nebraska album. I don't think he's been listening to this one." He then began playing "Johnny 99", with its allusions to closing factories and criminals. member
Clarence Clemons performing in
Madison, Wisconsin "
Dancing in the Dark" was the biggest of seven hit singles from
Born in the U.S.A., peaking at No. 2 on the
Billboard singles chart. The video for the song showed a young
Courteney Cox dancing on stage with Springsteen, which helped start the actress's career. The song "
Cover Me" was written by Springsteen for
Donna Summer, but his record company persuaded him to keep it for the new album. A big fan of Summer's work, Springsteen wrote another song for her, "
Protection". Videos for
Born in the U.S.A. were directed by
Brian De Palma and
John Sayles. Springsteen played on the "
We Are the World" song and
album in 1985. His live cover of the
Jimmy Cliff song "Trapped" from that album received moderate airplay on U.S. Top 40 stations as well as reaching No. 1 on the
Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. The
Born in the U.S.A. period represented the height of Springsteen's visibility in popular culture and the broadest audience he would ever reach (aided by the release of
Arthur Baker's
dance mixes of three of the singles). From June 15 to August 10, 1985, all seven of his albums appeared on the
UK Albums Chart: the first time an artist had charted their entire back catalogue simultaneously.
Live/1975–85, a five-record box set (also on three cassettes or three CDs), was released near the end of 1986 and became the first box set to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. It is one of the most commercially successful live albums of all time, ultimately selling 13 million units in the U.S. During the 1980s, several Springsteen
fanzines were launched, including
Backstreets magazine.
1987–1999: Tunnel of Love, Academy Award and Hall of Fame at the
Radrennbahn Weissensee in
East Berlin in July 1988 Springsteen released the much more sedate and contemplative
Tunnel of Love in October 1987. The album is a mature reflection on the many faces of love found, lost and squandered, and the full sound of the E Street Band is included only selectively. Although it sold less than
Born in the U.S.A., it was a commercial success, reaching No. 1 on the
Billboard 200. In June 1988, he played at
Villa Park where unusual atmospheric conditions meant the concert could be heard 20 miles away. On July 19, Springsteen's
concert in East Germany attracted 300,000 spectators. Journalist Erik Kirschbaum called the concert "the most important rock concert ever, anywhere" in his 2013 book
Rocking the Wall. Bruce Springsteen: The Berlin Concert That Changed the World. The concert had been conceived by the
Socialist Unity Party's
youth wing in an attempt to placate the youth of
East Germany, who were hungry for more freedom and the popular music of the West. However, it is Kirschbaum's opinion that the success of the concert catalyzed opposition to the regime in East Germany, and helped contribute to the
fall of the Berlin Wall the following year. Later in 1988, Springsteen headlined the worldwide
Human Rights Now! tour for
Amnesty International. In October 1989, he dissolved the E Street Band. In 1992, after risking fan accusations of "going Hollywood" by moving to Los Angeles and working with
session musicians, Springsteen released two albums at once:
Human Touch and
Lucky Town. An electric band appearance on the acoustic
MTV Unplugged television program (later released as
In Concert/MTV Plugged) was poorly received and cemented fan dissatisfaction. with Springsteen in December 1997 Springsteen won an
Academy Award in 1994 for his song "
Streets of Philadelphia", which appeared on the soundtrack to the film
Philadelphia. The video for the song shows Springsteen's actual vocal performance, recorded using a hidden microphone, to a prerecorded instrumental track. This technique was developed on the "
Brilliant Disguise" video. In 1995, after temporarily re-organizing the E Street Band for a few new songs recorded for his first
Greatest Hits album (a recording session that was chronicled in the documentary
Blood Brothers), and also one show at Tramps in New York City, he released his second folk album,
The Ghost of Tom Joad. The album was inspired by
John Steinbeck's
The Grapes of Wrath and by
Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass, a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Dale Maharidge and photographer
Michael Williamson.
Rolling Stone characterized the album as Springsteen's first overtly social statement since
Born in the U.S.A., drawing a strong parallel to
Nebraska, due to its acoustic nature and Depression-era storytelling sensibility reminiscent of Woody Guthrie. The album is noted for its bleak, unrelenting atmosphere, focusing on characters who are broken by life's hardships, with few escapes and little musical relief from the dark, desolate scenarios portrayed. Springsteen supported the album on the lengthy, worldwide, small-venue solo acoustic
Ghost of Tom Joad Tour. The tour presented many of his older songs in drastically reshaped acoustic form. Springsteen explicitly reminded his audiences to "shut the fuck up" and not to clap during the performances. Following the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour, Springsteen moved from California back to New Jersey with his family. In 1998, he released the sprawling, four-disc
box set of
outtakes,
Tracks. Later, he would acknowledge that the 1990s were musically a "lost period" for him: "I didn't do a lot of work. Some people would say I didn't do my best work." Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 by
Bono (the lead singer of U2), a favor he returned in 2005. In 1999, Springsteen and the E Street Band reunited and began their extensive
Reunion Tour, which lasted over a year. Highlights included a record sold-out, 15-show run at
Continental Airlines Arena in
East Rutherford, New Jersey and a ten-night, sold-out engagement at New York City's Madison Square Garden. A new song played at these shows, "
American Skin (41 Shots)" (about the police shooting of
Amadou Diallo), proved controversial.
2002–2007: The Rising, Devils & Dust, and other releases In 2002, Springsteen released his first studio effort with the full band in 18 years,
The Rising, produced by
Brendan O'Brien. The album, mostly a reflection on the
September 11 attacks, was a critical and popular success.
The title track gained airplay in several radio formats, and the record became Springsteen's best-selling album of new material in 15 years. Kicked off by an early-morning Asbury Park appearance on
The Today Show,
The Rising Tour commenced; the band barnstormed through a series of single-night arena stands in the U.S. and Europe. Springsteen played an unprecedented 10 nights at
Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
The Rising won the Grammy for
Best Rock Album and was nominated for
Album of the Year at the
45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003. In addition, "The Rising" won the Grammy for
Best Rock Song and for
Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, and nominated for
Song of the Year. At the ceremony, Springsteen performed
the Clash's "
London Calling" with
Elvis Costello,
Dave Grohl, and E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt and
No Doubt's bassist,
Tony Kanal, in tribute to
Joe Strummer. In 2004, Springsteen and the E Street Band participated in the
Vote for Change tour, with
John Mellencamp,
John Fogerty, the
Dixie Chicks,
Pearl Jam,
R.E.M.,
Bright Eyes, the
Dave Matthews Band,
Jackson Browne, and other musicians. The solo record
Devils & Dust was released in April 2005. It is a low-key, mostly acoustic album, in the same vein as
Nebraska and
The Ghost of Tom Joad. Some of the material was written almost 10 years earlier, during or shortly after the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour; a few of the songs had been performed at that time but unreleased. The
title track concerns an ordinary soldier's feelings and fears during the
Iraq War. The album topped the charts in ten countries. Springsteen began the solo
Devils & Dust Tour at the same time as the album's release, playing both small and large venues. Attendance was disappointing in a few regions, and except in Europe tickets were easier to get than in the past. In April 2006, Springsteen released
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, an American roots music project focused around a big folk sound treatment of 15 songs popularized by the radical musical activism of
Pete Seeger. A
tour began the same month, with the 18-strong ensemble of musicians dubbed the Seeger Sessions Band (and later shortened to the Sessions Band). The tour proved very popular in Europe, selling out everywhere and receiving some excellent reviews, including its opening act in New Orleans, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, but newspapers reported that a number of U.S. shows suffered from sparse attendance. Springsteen's next album,
Magic, was released in October 2007. Recorded with the E Street Band, it had 10 new Springsteen songs plus "
Long Walk Home", performed once with the Sessions band, and a hidden track (the first included on a Springsteen studio release), "
Terry's Song", a tribute to Springsteen's long-time assistant Terry Magovern, who died in July 2007.
Magic debuted at No. 1 in the U.S., Ireland and the UK. Springsteen supported the album on the
Magic Tour, his first tour with the E Street Band since 2003. It was the final tour for longtime E Street member Danny Federici, who died in 2008.
2008–2011: Political involvement, Super Bowl XLIII, and Kennedy Center Honors Springsteen supported
Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. He gave solo acoustic performances in support of Obama's campaign throughout 2008, culminating with a November 2 rally at which he debuted the song "
Working on a Dream" in a duet with Scialfa. Following Obama's electoral victory on November 4, Springsteen's song "The Rising" was the first song played over the loudspeakers after Obama's victory speech in Chicago's
Grant Park. Springsteen was the musical opener for the
Obama Inaugural Celebration on January 18, 2009, which was attended by over 400,000 people. He performed "The Rising" with an all-female choir. Later he performed
Woody Guthrie's "
This Land Is Your Land" with Pete Seeger. On January 11, 2009, Springsteen won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Song for "
The Wrestler", from the
Darren Aronofsky film by the same name. After receiving a heartfelt letter from lead actor
Mickey Rourke, Springsteen supplied the song for the film for free. Springsteen performed at the
halftime show at
Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009, agreeing to perform after having declined on prior occasions. A few days before the game, Springsteen gave a rare press conference at which he promised a "twelve-minute party". It has been reported that this press conference was Springsteen's first press conference in more than 25 years. His 12-minute 45-second set, with the E Street Band and the Miami Horns, included abbreviated renditions of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", "Born to Run", "Working on a Dream", and "Glory Days", the latter complete with football references in place of the original baseball-themed lyrics. The set of appearances and promotional activities led Springsteen to say, "This has probably been the busiest month of my life."
Working on a Dream, dedicated to Federici, was released in late January 2009. The supporting
Working on a Dream Tour ran from April to November 2009. The band performed five final shows at Giants Stadium, opening with a new song highlighting the historic stadium, and Springsteen's Jersey roots, named "Wrecking Ball". Springsteen received the
Kennedy Center Honors on December 6, 2009. President Obama gave a speech in which he asserted that Springsteen had incorporated the lives of regular Americans into his expansive palette of songs. Obama added that Springsteen's concerts were not just rock-and-roll concerts, but "communions". The event included musical tributes from
Melissa Etheridge,
Ben Harper, John Mellencamp,
Jennifer Nettles,
Sting, and
Eddie Vedder. The 2000s ended with Springsteen named one of eight Artists of the Decade by
Rolling Stone magazine and with Springsteen's tours ranking him fourth among artists in total concert grosses for the decade.
Clarence Clemons, the E Street Band's saxophonist and founding member, died on June 18, 2011, of complications from a stroke.
2012–2018: Autobiography and Broadway show performing at the
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2012 Springsteen's 17th studio album,
Wrecking Ball, was released in March 2012. The album consists of eleven tracks plus two bonus tracks.
Wrecking Ball became Springsteen's tenth No. 1 album in the U.S., tying him with Elvis Presley for third most No. 1 albums of all time, behind the Beatles (19) and
Jay Z (12) as of 2009. The supporting
Wrecking Ball Tour began shortly after the album's release. On July 31, 2012, in
Helsinki, Finland, Springsteen performed his longest concert at four hours and six minutes with 33 songs. In 2012, Springsteen campaigned for President Barack Obama's re-election in the
2012 presidential election, appearing and performing at Obama rallies in
Ohio, Pittsburgh,
Iowa,
Virginia, and
Wisconsin. At the rallies, he briefly spoke to the audience and performed a short acoustic set that included a newly written song titled "Forward". At year's end, the Wrecking Ball Tour was named
Top Draw by the
Billboard Touring Awards for having the highest attendance of any tour that year. Financially, the tour grossed second to the one by
Roger Waters. Springsteen finished second only to
Madonna as the top money maker of 2012, with $33.44 million. The
Wrecking Ball album, along with the single "We Take Care of Our Own", was nominated for three
Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "We Take Care of Our Own" and Best Rock Album.
Rolling Stone named
Wrecking Ball the number one album of 2012 on its Top 50 list. In late July 2013, the documentary
Springsteen & I, directed by
Baillie Walsh and produced by
Ridley Scott, was released simultaneously via a worldwide cinema broadcast in over 50 countries and in movie theaters. Springsteen released his eighteenth studio album,
High Hopes, in January 2014. The first single and video were of a newly recorded version of the song "
High Hopes", which Springsteen had previously recorded in 1995. The album was the first by Springsteen in which all songs are either cover songs, newly recorded outtakes from previous records, or newly recorded versions of songs previously released. The 2014 E Street Band touring lineup appeared on the album, including material recorded with Clemons and Federici before their deaths.
High Hopes became Springsteen's eleventh No. 1 album in the US. It was his
tenth No. 1 in the UK, tying him for fifth all-time with
the Rolling Stones and U2.
Rolling Stone named
High Hopes the second best album of the year (behind U2's
Songs of Innocence) on its Top 50 Albums of 2014 list. Springsteen made his acting debut in the final episode of season three of Van Zandt's show
Lilyhammer, which was named "Loose Ends" after a Springsteen song on the
Tracks album. On August 6, 2015, Springsteen performed on the final episode of
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Stewart's final 'Moment of Zen'. On October 16, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of
The River, Springsteen announced
The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set. Released on December 4, it contains four CDs (including many previously unreleased songs) and three DVDs (or Blu-ray) along with a 148-page coffee table book. In November 2015, "American Skin (41 Shots)" was performed with
John Legend at
Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America. Springsteen made his first appearance on
Saturday Night Live since 2002 on December 19, 2015. in June 2016
The River Tour 2016 began in January 2016 in support of
The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set. All first-leg shows in North America included an in-sequence performance of the entire
The River album along with other songs from Springsteen's catalog. In April 2016, Springsteen was one of the first artists to boycott North Carolina's anti-transgender bathroom bill.
Chapter and Verse, a compilation from throughout Springsteen's career dating back to 1966, was released in September 2016. The same month,
Simon & Schuster published his 500-page autobiography,
Born to Run. The book topped
The New York Times bestsellers list. On September 7, 2016, at
Citizens Bank Park in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, Springsteen performed for four hours and four minutes, his longest-ever show in the United States. The River Tour 2016 was the top-grossing worldwide tour of 2016; it pulled in $268.3 million globally and was the highest-grossing tour since 2014 for any artist. Springsteen supported
Hillary Clinton's
2016 presidential campaign by performing at a rally in Philadelphia on November 7, 2016. On November 22, Springsteen was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom award by
Barack Obama. On January 12, 2017, Springsteen and Scialfa performed a special 15-song acoustic set for Barack and Michelle Obama at the
White House's East Room two days before the president gave his farewell address to the nation. '' in 2017
Springsteen on Broadway, an eight-week run at the
Walter Kerr Theatre on
Broadway in New York City in fall 2017, was announced in June 2017. The show included Springsteen reading excerpts from his 2016 autobiography
Born to Run and performing other spoken reminiscences. Originally scheduled to run from October 12 through November 26, the show was extended three times; the last performance occurred on December 15, 2018. For Springsteen's production of
Springsteen on Broadway, he was honored with a
Special Tony Award at the
72nd Tony Awards in 2018. The live album
Springsteen on Broadway was released in December 2018. It reached the top 10 in more than 10 countries and No. 11 in the United States.
2019–2021: Western Stars and Letter to You Springsteen's nineteenth studio album,
Western Stars, was released in June 2019. It was announced on July 23, 2019, that Springsteen would premiere his film,
Western Stars, at the
Toronto Film Festival in September 2019. He co-directed the film along with longtime collaborator
Thom Zimny. The film features Springsteen and his backing band performing the music from
Western Stars to a live audience. The film was released in theaters in October 2019, and the film's soundtrack,
Western Stars – Songs from the Film, was also released that day. On May 29, 2020, Springsteen appeared remotely during a livestream, no-audience concert by the
Dropkick Murphys at
Fenway Park in
Boston, sharing co-vocals with
Ken Casey on two songs. The event marked the first music performance without an in-person audience at a major U.S. arena, stadium, or ballpark during the
COVID-19 pandemic. The livestream attracted over 9 million viewers and raised over $700,000 through charitable donations. Springsteen's twentieth studio album,
Letter to You, was released in October 2020. The documentary was shot in black and white and was directed by Thom Zimny.
Letter to You reached No. 2 in the US, making Springsteen the first artist to release a top-five album in six consecutive decades. In November, Springsteen was featured as a guest singer for
Bleachers' single, "
Chinatown". Springsteen and the E Street Band were musical guests on the December 12, 2020, episode of
Saturday Night Live, the band's first performance since 2017.
Garry Tallent and
Soozie Tyrell opted to remain at home due to
COVID-19 concerns; this was the first time Tallent had missed a performance with the band. In February 2021, it was announced that Springsteen was releasing an eight-part
podcast on
Spotify titled
Renegades: Born in the USA that would feature himself in conversation with Barack Obama discussing a wide range of topics including family, race, marriage, fatherhood, and the state of the U.S. On June 7, 2021, Springsteen announced that his
Springsteen on Broadway shows would return for a limited run at Jujamcyn's
St. James Theatre beginning on June 26, 2021. In an interview with E Street Radio's Jim Rotolo on June 10, 2021, Springsteen said that he did not plan on playing any shows in 2021 but was talked into the Broadway shows by a "friend". During the same interview, Springsteen also announced an upcoming collaboration with
the Killers. On September 11, 2021, Springsteen performed "I'll See You in My Dreams" in tribute to the
victims of the September 11 attacks. He also performed co-lead vocals and guitar on John Mellencamp's song "Wasted Days", which was released in September 2021. On December 13, 2021, Springsteen gave a surprise four-song performance at the John Henry's Friends benefit concert for children diagnosed with
Autism, where he was joined by
Steve Earle and the Dukes as his backing band. On December 16, 2021, Springsteen sold the masters of his entire catalog and the coinciding music publishing rights to
Sony Music for $500 million. This sale, along with his Broadway shows and projects with Obama, helped him top the
Rolling Stone list of the highest-paid musicians of 2021.
Since 2022: Only the Strong Survive, collaborations, touring, and The Lost Albums On May 24, 2022, it was announced that he would be launching an international tour with the E Street Band in 2023, the first such since 2017. In November, Springsteen released his twenty-first studio album,
Only the Strong Survive, a covers album of classic
soul music songs from the 1960s and 1970s. To promote the album, Springsteen performed on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in mid-November, along with a special
Thanksgiving episode on November 24. In a November 2022 interview, Springsteen confirmed that he planned a Volume 2 of the album; at the time, he said it was "probably three-quarters recorded". On February 1, 2023, Springsteen and the E Street band launched
their first tour in six years, due to conclude in July 2025. Springsteen provided vocals on the song "History Books" by
the Gaslight Anthem, the title track on the band's October 2023 album. The same month, he collaborated with
Bryce Dessner on "Addicted to Romance", an original song for the
She Came to Me soundtrack album. In September, Springsteen announced the postponement of eight shows scheduled for September. Springsteen was undergoing treatment for
peptic ulcer disease and doctors recommended he not perform live. A few days later, the remaining twelve shows scheduled for November through December 2023 were also postponed to dates in March and April, and between August and November 2024. In total, twenty-nine shows on the tour were postponed due to Springsteen's illness along with Springsteen and other members of the band having
COVID-19. and Springsteen during a performance in Cardiff in May 2024 In April 2024,
20th Century Studios announced a
biographical film,
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, based on the 2023 book by
Warren Zanes about the making of
Nebraska. It is written and directed by
Scott Cooper;
Jeremy Allen White will play Springsteen and perform his own singing. That year, Springsteen contributed guitar to a re-release of
Mark Knopfler's "
Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero" in aid of the
Teenage Cancer Trust. His eighth compilation album,
Best of Bruce Springsteen, was released on April 19. In October,
Disney+ and
Hulu released a documentary about Springsteen's 2023–2024 tour,
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The documentary made its debut at the
Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024. In July 2024,
Forbes reported that Springsteen had a net worth of more than $1.1 billion, thanks to his tours and the sale of his back catalogue in 2021, making him one of the
richest celebrities and
musicians. During his August 23, 2024, show in Philadelphia, Springsteen denounced rumors of a farewell tour. In April 2025, Springsteen announced the
Tracks II: The Lost Albums collection, which was released on June 27, 2025. It features seven full-length albums of unreleased material dating from 1983 to 2018. The collection includes 83 songs, 74 of which were previously unreleased. A twenty-song companion album,
Lost and Found: Selections from The Lost Albums, was also released on June 27. On May 21, 2025, Springsteen released the
Land of Hope & Dreams EP. The four-song EP features songs from the tour opener in
Manchester on May 14, 2025. A 17-minute documentary entitled
Inside Tracks II: The Lost Albums was released on June 20, 2025; it gives viewers an in-depth look at each
Lost Album. In a June 2025 interview with Rolling Stone, Springsteen confirmed that a new solo album is completed and will be released in 2026,
Only the Strong Survive, Volume 2 is also completed, and a
Tracks III box set will be released in the next three years. Springsteen also at first denied the existence of the long-rumored
Electric Nebraska album, but a month after the interview corrected himself and confirmed that songs from those sessions existed. Springsteen discussed the future of the E Street Band, saying he wants to "play more often with less dates" and that "it's very exciting to play with the E Street Band now, and I'm looking forward to doing a good deal of it in the future. But that future is finite." He said he would also like to do another solo tour similar to his Broadway shows. Springsteen said there will never be a farewell tour and that he hopes to still be onstage in his nineties. Springsteen and the E Street Band's 2023–2025 Tour was the highest-grossing tour of their career grossing close to $730 million worldwide and placing it as one of the top ten highest-grossing tours ever. It more than doubled their previous all-time gross from their 2012–2013 Wrecking Ball Tour. It also made Springsteen one of just five artists ever to have grossed over $2.3 billion touring in his career. On August 22, 2025, Springsteen released the song "Lonely Night in the Park" to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the
Born to Run album. A low quality version of the song appeared on various fan released bootlegs over the years and in 2005 was briefly played on SiriusXM's E Street Radio channel. at a
Minneapolis benefit concert In January 2026, Springsteen released the protest song "
Streets of Minneapolis", written and recorded in response to the fatal shootings of protesters
Renée Good and
Alex Pretti by U.S.
federal immigration agents during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The song, which Springsteen debuted live the week of its release at a benefit concert in Minneapolis alongside
Tom Morello and others, condemns federal immigration enforcement actions and criticizes president
Donald Trump's policies, framing the events in the city as a broader call for justice and solidarity with immigrant communities. "Streets of Minneapolis" received widespread attention as part of Springsteen's longstanding tradition of socially engaged songwriting and was highlighted in coverage by major outlets, including
Rolling Stone. On February 17, 2026, Springsteen and the E Street Band announced plans for a twenty–date North American 2026 tour. Titled the
Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour, began on March 31 in
Minneapolis and will wrap up on May 27 in
Washington, D.C. The tour is in response to Trump. Tom Morello is set to appear as a special guest on selected songs at every date on the tour. On March 12, 2026, Springsteen released a cover version of
the Pogues song "
A Rainy Night in Soho". The song will be featured on the tribute album to
Shane MacGowan,
20th Century Paddy - The Songs of Shane MacGowan, which will be released on November 13, 2026. On March 31, 2026, Springsteen kicked off his
Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour at the
Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and also received a star at
First Avenue. ==Artistry and legacy==