Bruce Springsteen picks the two best punk singers of all time
Punk music probably isn’t the first thing to spring to mind when you hear the name Bruce Springsteen. Throughout his career, which spans an impressive six decades, The Boss has earned his nickname firmly within the rock realm. He’s never strayed too far from his comfort zone, from guitar solos and tales of life in the USA, but that doesn’t stop him from admiring those who do.
While Springsteen spent the 1970s putting out somewhat cheesy rock hits like ‘Born to Run’ and ‘Prove It All Night’, a new, harsher genre was booming on the other side of the Atlantic. Rejecting commercialism in favour of DIY scenes, swapping out clean-cut denim for studded jackets and spiked hair, punk and the subculture it spawned were a far cry from Springsteen’s stylings.
Although Springsteen would never venture into the genre in his own music, he was more than willing to share praise for his punk peers. When he shared his picks for the greatest singers of all time with Rolling Stone, there were two punk rockers who made the list.
Amidst classic choices like soul singer Aretha Franklin and Beatles songwriter John Lennon, Springsteen also included the Clash’s Joe Strummer, an essential figure in the British punk scene. Strummer only just made it onto Springsteen’s top 20 list, taking the number 20 spot just behind Howlin’ Wolf.
As the frontman of The Clash, Strummer was responsible for some of the most iconic entries into the world of punk. Lending his vocals to enduring tracks like ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ and ‘London Calling’, he honed a distinctive Cockney delivery that afforded his lyrics a playful tone as well as their deserved punk force.
Ranking slightly higher on Springsteen’s list was fellow punk and post-punk icon John Lydon, who fronted both the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. Lydon came in at number 11, ranking just above Hank Williams but behind Roy Orbison. His vocals flitted between talking and wailing on all-time great tracks like ‘Anarchy In the UK’. Though some of his recent actions seem to undermine his punk ethos, he was once a staple in the classic iteration of the genre.
The singing and stylings of both Strummer and Lydon were a stark contrast to Springsteen’s sonic leanings, but it’s easy to see why he admired them. Beneath the radio-friendly nature and mass appeal of his rock soundscapes, Springsteen was looking to broach similar themes to his punk peers.
While punk rockers took their discussions of politics a little further, singing of anarchy and anti-establishmentism over sparse and spiky instrumentation, Springsteen shrouded his protests and musings on war and unemployment in clean rock. Though they may sound like straightforward rock songs, ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ discusses the effects of the Vietnam War on those who fought in it, while ‘Death to My Hometown’ compares financial hardship to war and theft.
Though the two scenes may have differed in their sonic preferences, there was a similar lyrical ethos between them. While Springsteen wrote about working-class life in the USA, the Clash wrote about working-class life in London. Sometimes, Springsteen’s words were just as angry as Lydon’s, sharing their grievances with the state. It’s easy to see why The Boss harboured a love for punk.
