#14 Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time
- 2025 Album Rank
- 14
- 2011 vAlbum Rank
- 18
- Total Points
- 2305
- Year Released
- 1975
- Billboard 200 Chart Peak
- 3
- Weeks at #1
- N/A
- RIAA Sales Certification
- 7,000,000 (Multi-Platinum)
- Buy Album
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Born to Run Album Details
Released on August 25, 1975, Born to Run was the album that transformed Bruce Springsteen from an underground cult favorite into a national sensation. With its wall-of-sound production, cinematic lyrics, and unrelenting ambition, the album encapsulates youthful yearning, escape, and the hope of redemption.
The album includes iconic tracks like "Thunder Road", "Jungleland", and the title track "Born to Run", each packed with vivid characters and sweeping narratives. It marked a major artistic leap for Springsteen, who meticulously shaped its sound over many months, fusing rock and roll grandeur with streetwise poetry.
After singing Thunder Road at a 2003 acoustic show in Sommerville, MA Bruce said, "It always sounded like morning to me that song, the beginning, the harmonica intro, and that is how come it ended up first on the record, and the record kind of cycled from morning to night ending up with Jungleland."
Interesting Facts about Born to Run
- Born to Run took over 14 months to record, with Springsteen obsessing over every detail, especially the title track, which alone took six months to complete.
- Springsteen described the album's production as an attempt to emulate Phil Spector's "wall of sound" technique, layering multiple instruments into a lush, overwhelming mix.
- Miami Steve Van Zandt (later Little Steven) helped arrange the horns on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", although he was not yet an official member of the E Street Band.
- "Thunder Road" was originally titled "Wings for Wheels", and its lyrics evolved considerably before final recording. Some early versions were performed live with different verses and endings.
- The album's iconic black-and-white cover photo, taken by Eric Meola, features Springsteen leaning on saxophonist Clarence Clemons, symbolizing their musical partnership and brotherhood.
- Springsteen nearly lost his voice from the extended vocal sessions on "Jungleland", which features one of Clarence Clemons' most celebrated saxophone solos.
- To promote the album, Columbia Records launched a massive publicity campaign with ads declaring Springsteen the "future of rock and roll," a move that generated both buzz and backlash.
- On October 27, 1975 Springsteen simultaneously made the cover of both "Time" and "Newsweek" magazine. The first artist to do so.
- Despite its now-legendary status, Born to Run didn't immediately top the charts, it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, but it was a critical breakthrough and steadily gained legendary status.
- The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003 for its cultural and historical significance.
Born to Run Track List
- Thunder Road
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
- Night
- Backstreets
- Born to Run - Reached #23 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- She's the One
- Meeting Across the River
- Jungleland
