The crucial advice that kickstarted Bruce Springsteen’s career
Bruce Springsteen‘s music is the definition of arena-ready sound, but it has not always been that way. It was a different tale when he played clubs in the early days of his career, and it wasn’t until Clive Davis gave him a word of advice that Bruce began to fulfil his potential.
Legendary record producer Davis is the person we have to thank for Springsteen’s talents being discovered, and without him, he might never have become ‘The Boss’. From 1967 until 1973, he was the President of Columbia Records and was in charge when Bruce was signed to the historic label.
Davis saw the raw talent in Bruce, but he didn’t convince him as a live performer. The strength of Springsteen’s songs was why Davis went out of his way to sign an unknown talent to Columbia. However, unless the singer-songwriter improved his stage presence, he wouldn’t become a superstar.
“When I signed Bruce Springsteen, it had zero to do with live performance. He just stood there. When he auditioned for me, he just stood and played the guitar and sang his songs,” Davis told PEOPLE. “I listened, blown away by his imagery and poetry. He’s gone on with [Bob] Dylan and Patti [Smith] to be our poet laureates.”
Following the release of his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., Davis booked Springsteen to play a showcase for industry figures at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles alongside Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show and New Riders of the Purple Sage.
Davis recalled: “I was at rehearsal, Springsteen came out on this huge stage, the size of Radio City Music Hall, and stood there singing his songs. I’m alone in the theater, and I walk up to the stage and I say to him, ‘It’s the first time I’ve seen you on a large stage. It’s usually at small clubs and I never knew if you’d move or not. Would you consider’ — you’ve got to be delicate — ‘would you consider [moving]? Something to consider.'”
He continued: “I said, ‘Don’t do it if it’s not natural for you, but I know that the potential of the songs would lend itself to more physical movement on your part.'”
After being disappointed by Springsteen’s performance at the showcase, Davis went to watch him again shortly afterwards at The Bottom Line in Greenwich Village. To Davis’ surprise, it was like watching a completely different performer, and he was blown away by the spectacle, which proved to be a key moment on Springsteen’s journey to becoming ‘The Boss’.
“I was flabbergasted. He jumped on every table at the Bottom Line! He became a Bruce Springsteen that I had never, ever seen before,” Davis continued. “He was a whirling dervish. It was not just the movement, it was the spirit of it. It was electrifying. It’s one of those cases where an artist becomes even better and bigger than the reason that you signed them for. I’ve got to tell you, it’s a vivid memory. I got to the dressing room. I remember opening the door and him looking up saying, ‘Clive, did I move around enough for you tonight?'”
Following Davis’ word in his ear, Springsteen realised he needed to adapt his live show and come out of his shell on stage. In the years that followed, Bruce established himself as one of the world’s most exciting performers, and while it’s not provable whether this is solely down to Davis’ advice, the record producer likes to think so.
