Bruce Springsteen -- Born to Run: Piano/Vocal/Chords

by Bruce Springsteen

Titles Thunder Road * Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out * Night * Backstreets * Born to Run * She's the One * Meeting Across the River * Jungleland. Includes thirteen pages of pictures of The Boss.

Genres: Memoir, Music, History, Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1986

About the author

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is an American songwriter, singer and guitarist. He has frequently recorded and toured with the E Street Band. Springsteen is most widely known for his brand of heartland rock infused with pop hooks, poetic lyrics, and Americana sentiments centered around his native New Jersey. His eloquence in expressing ordinary, everyday problems has earned him numerous awards, including twenty Grammy Awards and an Academy Award, along with an international fan base. His most famous albums, Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A., epitomize his penchant for finding grandeur in the struggles of daily life. He has sold over 64 million albums in the U.S. alone.

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Springsteen's music is the soundtrack of my youth and I wanted to know more about the man behind "Born to Run". A fantastic autobiography and one I recommend. While he does go on a bit here and there about certain areas of his life, it's honest and I appreciate that.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

[Rhodes Lifsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this 3.9 stars. The author isn't someone I liked or knew about but I did listen to some of his music while reading. Hungry Heart was decent, a bunch of other songs I didn't enjoy. The book was still interesting, however it wasn't as interesting as the author thought it was most likely. It was extremely long, too many specific details about contracts, not enough story type material, however the story parts that were included were good, for example he talked about crying with his mental health, death and dying, and a lot of fascinating details about horses and raising children. He didn't go into his romances as much as I would have enjoyed and when he did it wasn't riveting. I can't give 4 stars but it's close.

[Elizabeth Fine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a way to spend the holiday season. This book is written like Bruce's songs. An amazing story with so much emotion and layering. While at first I thought "Jesus this book is going to take me forever- it's so long", by the end I didn't want it to end. We learn so much about Bruce and his stages of life and his people and how he has been affected by them all. If you are a Brucefan this is a must read. I will probably reread as an audiobook. I feel lucky to be a jersey girl because to share this smart and talented man's home state is an honor. Amazing book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had a cursory knowledge about Springsteen since my childhood as a result of my father being a huge fan of his. Bruce's music always seemed to be his music of choice when cleaning the house on Friday afternoons! Having FINALLY listened to this very thorough memoir of how he got to where he is today gave me a newfound respect for him, his music and his life in general. He does not attribute his success to his voice or guitar playing skills; in fact, he talks about how there are so many others out there better than him in both areas. He knew it was going to take hard work and put in the time and effort to get the success he has. He surely earned it and appreciates his fans over and over, as evidenced by his regular 3 hour plus concerts. I hope he goes on tour at least one more time so I can see him and the band with this new perspective.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

[Jennifer Cloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great read! I think even people not as into Bruce would like it. It's long but each chapter is like a little story all by itself. The chapter about watching Elvis on tv was like a rousing church sermon. I really appreciated his openness about his depression and his father's mental illness.

[Margie · Rating 2 out of 5]

That is it. No more autobiography. How can people who tell such interesting stories otherwise tell an uninteresting version of their life? Seriously, did we need to read about the horses?

[Jane]

I'm just not interested enough. Have passed it on to a bigger fan, and we'll see how he does with it.