Album Deep Focus: "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen

After “The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle” saw little commercial success, Bruce Springsteen made a last ditch effort for stardom. A meticulously crafted, eight track album, Springsteen put every ounce of his musical ability in this project - and it paid off.

“Born To Run” kickstarts Springsteen’s rapid ascension to the peaks of pop rock in the late 70s and throughout the 1980s.

The idea of escapism permeates throughout the record, with Springsteen’s innermost desires to be freed from the monotonous reality of being a struggling musician on the Jersey Shore being palpable in the opening track, “Thunder Road.”

A harmonica sets the scene: a summer evening with Roy Bittan’s piano fluttering like fireflies in the night.

One of Springsteen’s calling cards is lyrical imagery, and the opening lines of “Thunder Road” may be his best example of it.

“The screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways / Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays,” plants a vivid image in the listener's head.

Following the anthemic “Thunder Road” is a classic example of the E Street sound - horns, a sing-along chorus, and the story of the formation of the band - climaxing with the entrance of “The Big Man” Clarence Clemons.

Many of Springsteen’s songs followed in the footsteps of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” a dancing tune in the style of a Jersey Shore bar band.

“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” has become a staple in Springsteen concerts, with some renditions reaching over 15 minutes long.

“Night” begins similar to a car’s engine - a loud, powerful sputter that crescendos into Clemons’ roaring saxophone.

The protagonist works a nine to five, is unhappy with his life - until he gets in his car, goes for a drive and escapes into the freedom of the night.

Rounding out side one of “Born To Run” is a song of a friendship and the pursuit of happiness while growing out of stereotypes and constraints placed on youth by society.

“Backstreets'' is one of Springsteen’s most powerful numbers, using a quiet, emotional piano introduction only to explode while belting “Hiding on the backstreets.”

The titular track is one of the most iconic rock anthems of the 20th century.

Instantly recognizable, the single from this album has become synonymous with Springsteen, the E Street Band and rock and roll from the 1970s.

No track on this record exemplifies Springsteen’s desire to find love and escape his mundane and lonely life quite like this one does.

The music both feeds into his desires and masks his fears, with the loud, pounding beat and guitars seemingly overshadowing his loneliness and sorrow.

At the end of the song, the fears subside to hope, with the final lyrics reading “Come on Wendy, tramps like us / Baby we were born to run.”

With multiple extremely deep, powerful and spiritual songs on this record, “She’s The One” is a fun, youthful tale about the jubilation after finding love.

The backbeat of this song also takes heavy inspiration from Bo Diddley (so much so, Springsteen mentions him in live performances.)

The final two songs on this album go hand in hand. “Meeting Across the River” may be the most underappreciated number in Springsteen’s catalog.

This story focuses on a desperate criminal looking to score big. The stakes are set through lyrics such as “And if we blow this one / They ain’t gonna be looking for just me this time.”

During an interview on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Billy Joel mentioned “Meeting Across the River” as one of his top five Springsteen tracks.

The trumpet plays an integral part on this song, and is the only track on “Born To Run” that primarily features this instrument.

The album finishes with “Jungleland,” a track that many believe is Springsteen’s magnum opus.

At over 9 minutes, the song tells the story of an Army ranger’s journey finding love and readjusting to life after returning home from Vietnam.

Featuring a classical-esque intro with Bittan’s piano and the violin playing of Suki Lahav, the song truly feels different from the other tracks on this album.

Midway through the song, Clemons delivers an over two minute saxophone solo, driving raw power and emotion into listeners’ hearts: an initial anger-induced release to pure bliss.

The impact “Born To Run” had on Springsteen’s career and the influence on future generations of musicians may be the album’s most prominent feature.

Not only is it a perfect representation of why fans love Springsteen, the E Street Band and its sound, but the lyrics tell a story that so many relate to: finding freedom through love, music and hope.

Rating: 10/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “Jungleland,” “Thunder Road,” “Backstreets”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: N/A

Matt Zwiercan is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mzz5317@psu.edu.