Discovered by legendary CBS A&R man John Hammond (he also discovered Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin & Bob Dylan) and after releasing 2 albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, to limited commercial success, the writing was seemingly on the wall for Bruce Springsteen and the equation was as simple as it was clear. He needed a hit.
Entering the studio, The Record Plant in New York City, with a solid budget, yet enormous pressure, he set to work but it soon lead to frustration mainly fueled by the incredible high standard he had placed on himself. Always the perfectionist the album took 14 months to record with Springsteen spending 6 months alone on the title track. He worked tirelessly on the music that was in his 24 year old head but the problem was that he couldn’t easily explain it to others in the studio. Countless hours later the album was finally done.
When released on August 25, 1975 Born To Run dribbled on to the Billboard album chart at #84 in the 2nd week of September, which was hardly encouraging. But the following week, on the back of a massive publicity campaign which used Jon Landau’s famous, or infamous quote, “I saw rock ‘n’ roll’s future—and it’s name is Bruce Springsteen,” the album made the gigantic leap to #8 before spending two weeks at #4. On October 11, Born to Run reached its peak position of #3 where it stayed for 2 weeks. And on October 27th 1975 when both Time and Newsweek magazines placed Springsteen on its covers simultaneously, the world knew that Bruce Springsteen had indeed arrived and more importantly Springsteen knew he had his hit album.
Containing only 8 songs it is a musical journey that was born from the streets of New Jersey to the boardwalks of Asbury Park to the New Jersey Turnpike with the message - I need to get out. 37 years on it is still acknowledged as one of the greatest albums ever recorded. I received Born To Run by accident at the age of eleven (a gift that was meant for someone else) and it was the album that forever changed and shaped my life. I remember opening it and looking at the cover. Clarence with his sax and a bearded Bruce with his guitar. The look on my face must have looked like serious disappointment (or in 2012 speak WTF?) because my aunty asked if I wanted to get it replaced for, and I quote, “something you might like more”. I instantly declined. I just knew it was something I should keep.
From the opening piano & harmonica notes that intertwine seamlessly with the lines, “The screen door slams, Mary’s dress waves, Like a vision she dances across the porch, As the radio plays Roy Orbison singing for the lonely, Hey that’s me and I want you only,” of the astoundingly beautiful Thunder Road I was taken to a place that I didn’t know. But I did know I couldn’t get to that place fast enough. I wanted to know who Mary was, I wanted to know who Wendy was, I wanted to know what on earth a Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out was (I still don’t), I wanted to know who Roy Orbison was (I do and i’m glad of it), I wanted to see that “opera out on the Turnpike” and I wanted a girlfriend sitting barefoot on the hood of my car drinking beer in the soft summer rain. I played it over and over and after the local regional radio station sent a very nice but somewhat stern letter to my parents asking if “young Christopher would please stop ringing and requesting Born To Run” they probably thought I was fucking crazy but I didn’t care. At the age of eleven I loved my dog, my footy team and I loved Bruce Springsteen. To me it was amazing, it was nothing like i’d ever heard (or ever will) and for that first 39 minutes and 26 seconds it took me to roll through the two sides I was in a place of wonderment & magic. I still remember that day and 37 years later it’s still my go to album.
It was the beginning of a life long love affair that has touched the soul and lifted the spirit and taken me half way around the world to see Bruce and the brilliant E St Band perform. In 1999 when Bruce reformed the E St Band the tour had little chance of arriving down under so as they say - If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain. So a plane ride later via London and Dublin I arrived in Boston for the last 2 of a 5 night sold out stand at the Fleet Centre with tickets arranged by Janet Jackson’s then manager. Nothing, I repeat nothing, can prepare you to see this show a stones throw from NYC and Meadlowlands Arena in New Jersey. When I got back to the hotel after the 1st show I remember calling my good friend Kasey Chambers and telling her in detail every thing I could remember about the show. She humoured me by listening but she understood what it meant to me. To see Bruce live is a experience that you will never forget. Simple as that. And as the people at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium on July 31st this year found out they can be long. He knocked out a show that was four hours and six minutes long. The longest in his career. And at the age of 62.
Masterpiece, Pice de Résistance, Magnum Opus, Tour de Force, Brilliant…call it what you will but make no mistake about it - Born To Run is THE Springsteen album that is essential listening and if you don’t have it in your music collection then your simply pretending.
Thunder Road. Recorded live, Madison Square Garden, NYC, July 1st 2000
-Chris O'Hearn
