Bruce Springsteen recalls first visit to the UK in 1975: “We thought we had died and gone to heaven”
At the Ivor Novello Awards in London on May 23rd, Bruce Springsteen became the first non-British artist to be recognised as an Academy Fellow. Upon receiving the accolade, Springsteen reflected on his first visit to the UK in 1975.
While he was still in the early stages of his musical career at this stage, his first two albums had enjoyed little to no commercial success, but Born To Run dramatically changed the fortunes of his career and made him a worldwide star.
For many years, performing in London was merely a dream to Springsteen, then, on November 18th 1975, it became a reality when he played to a sold-out crowd at the Hammersmith Odeon and finally got to live out his teenage fantasy.
As an artist who grew up on a diet of bands who were involved in the British Invasion, walking the same streets and breathing the same air as his musical heroes was an accomplishment in itself. Yet, to be welcomed so warmly was an accomplishment that took him by surprise.
Upon landing at Heathrow in 1975, Springsteen admitted it was a “little disconcerting” to not find a cheeseburger insight, but thankfully his fears of the United Kingdom were soon squashed once he made it to his destination.
“Me and my 25-year-old American cousins, who were visiting the land of the musical giants, The Beatles, The Stones, The Animals. They all met us, took us to school, told us their deep appreciation of our own American roots and music,” Springsteen told the crowd in London, via NME.
The singer-songwriter, who was introduced onto the stage by close friend Paul McCartney, continued: “Taught us the right way to dress and wear our hair. For a young New Jersey rocker, you came to Mecca. We thought we had died and gone to heaven. Youth, loud, hipness, girls. And while I was stone-cold born in the USA, at 16, I desperately yearned to be British. I had a pretty good fake British accent – that’s what the checkout girls at the local supermarket thought.”
Springsteen the noted how next year will mark 50 years since he first stepped foot into the United Kingdom, thanking those who’ve been with him for the journey, remarking, “A lot of those fans have been with me since that first night at Hammersmith, all the way to those great gigs we did in Hyde Park last summer.”
He concluded the speech by poignantly saying: “I want to thank you for taking my music into your hearts and into your souls. I want to thank you for including me in the challenging and beautiful cultural life of the UK. Once it was only a dream I had. Today it’s real. I want to thank you for looking after each other… I guess London is finally ready for cheeseburgers.”
‘The Boss’ is currently touring Europe, and will return to London in July for two performances at Wembley Stadium.
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