Working on a Dream debuted at No. 1 on the
Billboard 200 chart, but generated mixed reviews. Review aggregator
Metacritic gave it 72 / 100, the lowest score of Springsteen's six albums released during the 2000s. The release of the initial tracks prompted
The New York Times to welcome a "more hopeful, less bleak" Springsteen who had adopted "the voice of an honest striver redeemed by love and hard work". While
Rolling Stone gave it a five-star rating and compared it to
Born to Run in scale and ambition,
Greg Kot of
The Chicago Tribune said it was at times a "silly" self-parody, but praised "the exuberant "My Lucky Day" and the gently uplifting title track". He identified "The Last Carnival" and "The Wrestler" as highlights, saying that they "represent Springsteen at close to the top of his game, and unintentionally reveal what much of the rest of the album lacks."
Pitchfork shared Van Zandt's assessment of the album being "the final installment of a trilogy [Springsteen] began with
The Rising in 2002 and continued with
Magic in 2007". Writing in
The Guardian, Richard Williams notes that "the musical trademarks of the E Street Band are outnumbered by adventures into areas not previously associated with Springsteen". These include a string orchestra, Beach Boys harmonies, jangling Byrds-like guitars and an "
I Am the Walrus"-style fadeout. Listeners agreed, considering it to be one of Springsteen's most stylistically diverse efforts. Critics noted echoes of
Wall of Sound,
girl group and
British Invasion-era
Top 40.
Working on a Dream sold 224,000 copies in its first week, ending a seven-week continuous chart-topping run by
Taylor Swift's
Fearless.
Working on a Dream also debuted at number 1 on the Billboard
Top Rock Albums chart, Top Digital Albums chart, and
Top Internet Albums chart. It had sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, with over 585,000 in the US, as of September 2010. ==Track listing==