Happy Birthday

America’s “Boss” Bruce Springsteen turns 75

Who doesn't like him? Bruce Springsteen is one of those handful of artists that everyone can agree on.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/MediaPunch / Action Press / picturedesk.com)

In 1974, music critic Jon Landau attended a concert by singer Bonnie Raitt in a small hall in Boston. But he was particularly impressed by the largely unknown 24-year-old singer in the opening act. "I've seen the future of rock'n'roll - and it's Bruce Springsteen," wrote the Rolling Stone critic after the concert. Shortly afterwards, Landau became the young musician's manager - and Springsteen, who turns 75 today, September 23, soon became a global star.

Around half a century later, the list of his hits and awards is long, many of his songs - for example "Born To Run" or "Born In The U.S.A." - have long since become classics and Springsteen still fills major stadiums around the world. He has just completed a European tour with his E Street Band, concerts in the USA and Canada are already planned until the end of the year and he is already scheduled to perform in Europe again in 2025. Springsteen's health hasn't always been great in recent months, with recurring problems with his voice and stomach ulcers. Some concerts had to be postponed - but when he was on stage, the musician with the nickname "The Boss" (which originated from a joke among the musicians of the E Street Band and stuck) didn't show it.

Refuge in music
Springsteen was born in 1949 in the coastal town of Long Branch in the US state of New Jersey into humble circumstances. Springsteen later described his childhood in his extended family of Irish-Italian descent in many of his songs - his father often choleric, drunk or depressed, his mother constantly trying to keep the family together. Springsteen was given his first guitar as a child - and found refuge and escape in music. To this day, the musician is regarded as the voice of the working class and a chronicler of America.

However, his first two albums after signing a record deal sold only moderately - it was "Born To Run" that made him a global star in 1975. Around ten years later came "Born In The U.S.A.", which sold more than 30 million copies. Many politicians, including Republican President Ronald Reagan, liked to interpret the title song as a patriotic hymn to the USA, although it was and still is a bitter reckoning with the Vietnam War.

Always political
Springsteen, who is married for the second time and has three children and a grandchild, has always been political. He has regularly campaigned for the Democrats for decades. "I'm the president, but he's the boss," Barack Obama once said during his time in office. The two remain close friends to this day and have published books and podcasts together.

But above all, Springsteen continues to rock - even after dozens of albums, hits and awards. Most recently, he released the album "Only The Strong Survive" in 2022, having previously published his autobiography and been celebrated hundreds of times in New York with his show "Springsteen On Broadway". He also works a lot with younger music stars. In a recent interview with the magazine "New Yorker", Springsteen openly admitted that the large workload had always been a means of fighting depression, which he had battled many times. "I was fed up with myself some time ago and wanted to lose myself. So I went on stage every night to do just that."