The British musicians that inspired Bruce Springsteen
When tracing America’s musical landscape, it is impossible not to mention Bruce Springsteen. Rising to prominence in the early 1970s, the musician came to embody the loveable everyman, pioneering a genre known as heartland rock.
Springsteen released his first album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., in 1973, establishing himself as a promising new figure in the industry. The singer demonstrated his lyrical ability, something that has allowed him to be considered an all-time great. He found widespread acclaim with Born to Run in 1975, which hit number three on the Billboard 200.
Since then, Springsteen has only achieved further legendary status, hitting the highest point of his career in the 1980s with albums such as Born in the U.S.A. Despite Springsteen’s quintessentially American essence, he has taken significant inspiration from certain British musicians.
Unsurprisingly, one of Springsteen’s biggest influences has always been The Beatles, who he discovered when he was a teenager while sitting in the car with his mother. Discussing ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ on Desert Island Discs, Springsteen said, “This was another song that changed the course of my life. It was a very raucous-sounding record when it came out of the radio. It really was the song that inspired me to play rock and roll music — to get a small band and start doing some small gigs around town. It was life-changing. It’s still a beautiful record.”
Springsteen has also cited The Animals as having a significant impact on him. The blues rock outfit were an important part of the ‘60s British canon, becoming well-known for their version of ‘House of the Rising Sun’. The singer explained at South By Southwest, “The Animals were a revelation. The first records with full-blown class consciousness that I had ever heard.”
Springsteen’s love for ‘60s British bands doesn’t end there – he was a big fan of The Rolling Stones growing up, practically idolising Mick Jagger. He once explained that as a kid, he had a fantasy of replacing Jagger on stage with the Stones. “And all of the crowd, of course, goes insane and they’re not so anxious to have Mick back. So I was dreaming about that when I was 15.” Since then, Springsteen has been lucky enough to perform with his rock and roll idol, certainly fulfilling his childhood dream.
Another significant influence on Springsteen was Joe Strummer, who didn’t rise to prominence until the former had already gained popularity in America. Still, that didn’t stop Springsteen from taking inspiration from the singer, who fronted one of the most vital punk bands, The Clash. Strummer imbued many political sentiments in his lyrics, which Springsteen has always greatly admired. In 2022, Springsteen posted online, “Joe Strummer, my great, great departed friend and brother that I never had. You have been my inspiration for the past 40 years.”
British musicians who inspired Bruce Springsteen:
- The Beatles
- The Animals
- The Rolling Stones
- Joe Strummer
