The song Bruce Springsteen said was the sound of his childhood: ““My parents lives, my sister’s life”
Bruce Springsteen landed himself in hot water earlier in 2025 when he took to the stage frequently during his Land of Hope and Dreams tour and used his platform to criticise Donald Trump.
“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, and has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration,” said Springsteen taking to the stage at a show in Manchester, “All who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.”
His comments stirred up plenty of backlash, which was fair enough considering how controversial Trump is. What didn’t make much sense, though, was folk acting all shocked by Springsteen’s views. Anyone who’s been paying the slightest bit of attention would know he’s always been politically switched on and firmly planted on the left.
Springsteen’s always seen music as a way to make his views loud and clear. When he first heard Bob Dylan as a young lad, he was floored by how powerfully Dylan could get a message across through his lyrics. “I was very influenced by Dylan,” he said, “I always say he’s the father of my country. He initially provided me with a picture of a country that I recognised. One that feels real, feels like the truth.”
Thing is, when you stick on a Bruce Springsteen record – even going all the way back to his debut – there’s always a ring of truth in it. He’s pulling from what’s around him, thinking about the people in his orbit, and weaving in stories from the folks he’s crossed paths with on the road. However, while there was a lot of realness in his music, it took a while before he went overtly political. The first inkling of politics creeped through on his album Darkness on the Edge of Town; however, even this was more a societal commentary rather than one which was obviously politics driven.
When talking about the album, Bruce Springsteen said that he was channelling the sound of his growing up. Every song came from a part of his past, whether he was singing about himself or his family, it was in there. “I just referred to my experiences growing up,” he said, “My parents lives, my sister’s life.”
This was an interesting approach, as his album before, Born To Run, had been a commercial triumph and was one that really championed grandiose themes of hope, success and freedom. There was definitely a shift in tone on Darkness, but it also marked a turning point in Springsteen’s career full stop. He’d had to drag his manager through the courts and wasn’t even allowed to record new music for two years – so what you’re hearing is, in all likelihood, his way of processing all that.
It was hard for Bruce Springsteen to look forward during that period, as he was worried by the success of his last album and the shaky ground that his career stood on. As such, the only thing he could do was look back, and that resulted in a nostalgia driven album that touched upon his upbringing.
