Randy Newman’s problem with Bruce Springsteen: “I’m not one of the converted”
Bruce Springsteen has accumulated one of the most devoted fan bases in music. It seems like The Boss is constantly dragging his E Street Band out on the road, but his audience is always willing to pay to see him. Between his everyman persona and presence as an entertainer, he’s forged a connection with millions of fans, some of whom will purchase tickets for multiple shows in the same tour.
If you throw criticism Springsteen’s way, you can expect to face the wrath of these devoted fans, but this hasn’t deterred Randy Newman from doing so. While Springsteen spent decades touring and endearing himself to suburban Americans, Newman forged his own legacy in the world of film composition.
Newman doesn’t quite have the same draw as Springsteen. He doesn’t sell out worldwide tours or have a nickname akin to The Boss, but he has found his way into the ears and hearts of millions through his contributions to some beloved Pixar films. Perhaps his most notable success came in 1995 with Toy Story, to which he contributed the now-beloved song, ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’.
Since then, he has soundtracked the escapades of Sully and Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc. and the engine revs and races in Cars, taking home an impressive number of Academy Awards in the process. Newman may exist in an entirely different realm to the heartland rocker, but that hasn’t stopped him from sharing his opinions on Springsteen.
In an interview with David Sheff, the Toy Story composer suggested that Springsteen was merely “all right,” before clarifying that he wasn’t “one of the converted.” His middling opinion on The Boss is one that would shock his devoted fanbase, but Newman simply isn’t a part of them. The film composer much prefers the songwriting of Prince and Stevie Wonder.
It’s also a fair comment to make, particularly as Newman went on to note the admiration for Springsteen’s on-stage presence. “I hear that as a performer, he’s the best in the world,” Newman acknowledged, “I hear that from people who never liked him that much before they saw him.”
This certainly seems to be the consensus. While Springsteen’s songwriting and singing on record could be considered just “all right,” it’s his well-honed and energetic performance that keeps the “converted” coming back each night. Newman also noted that he loved Nebraska, which comes as no surprise.
Released in 1982, Nebraska is widely considered to be one of Springsteen’s greatest works. Channelling his own struggles with depression into tales of external characters, the album seems to operate on an entirely different level from much of his catalogue. The making of the record is set to inspire an upcoming biopic about The Boss, and even the songwriter himself considers it to be the album that represents him best.
Though his description of Springsteen as just “all right” may offend some more enthusiastic fans, his opinion is quite fair. Springsteen is an excellent performer – it’s what he’s known for. Nebraska, too, was an excellent album, but much of his discography does not match up. As entertaining as he and his songs may be onstage, they don’t always display masterful songwriting talent. They’re also simply not to Newman’s tastes, and that’s fine too.
