Top 20 Bruce Springsteen Hits
Born in Long Branch, New Jersey, in 1949, Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen, spent most of his childhood and school years in the borough of Freehold, New Jersey.
Bruce was inspired to go into music after watching Elvis Presley perform on The Ed Sullivan Show and at the age of thirteen, he got his first guitar. In 1965, he became the lead guitarist and lead singer of the group, The Castilles.
In the late sixties, Bruce was nicknamed “The Boss”, a name he initially disliked, since most of his music was about hard working people and the less fortunate. During the early seventies he experimented with many different sounds, including blues, rock and roll and soul.
Bruce formed several bands before getting the sound he was looking for and eventually created The E Street Band, which included Clarence Clemmons, David Sancious, Danny Federici, Gary Tallent, and Vini Lopez.
Columbia Records signed Bruce in 1972 and his debut album, “Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ” was a critical success, but did not produce any hit singles. Neither did their second album, “The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle.”
In 1975, Sancious and Lopez were replaced by Roy Brittan and Max Weinberg. Miami Steve Van Zandt completed the group and the album “Born To Run” was recorded.
Bruce’s “Blinded by The Light”, from his first album, was made a hit by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. Patti Smith went Top 20 with his “Because the Night” composition and The Pointer Sisters version of “Fire” went to number two on Billboard’s weekly charts.
On the charts, Bruce has been on Billboard’s weekly Top 40 charts nineteen times and has yet to have a number one single, although he has had eleven number one albums, according to Billboard’s album charts. Here’s a look at Bruce Springsteen’s twenty biggest hits, according to the Billboard Top 40 Weekly Charts.
1. Dancing In The Dark – 1984 – Bruce’s biggest hit single went to number two on the weekly charts for four weeks.
2. Hungry Heart – 1980 – originally written for The Ramones, Bruce’s first top 10 single came from his fifth album, “The River.”
3. Glory Days – 1985 – from the “Born In The U.S.A.” album, which produced a record-tying seven top 10 singles.
4. Brilliant Disguise – 1987 – recorded at Bruce’s home studio, Thrill Hill East, only Roy Brittan, Danny Federici and Max Weinberg of the E Street band are featured on this single.
5. I’m On Fire – 1985 – recorded in 1982 when the “Born In The U.S.A.” album began gathering material.
6. My Hometown – 1986 – the seventh single from “Born In The U.S.A”, the flip side, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”, recorded at C.W. Post College on Long Island, in 1975, has become a holiday favorite.
7. Cover Me – 1984 – the second single from “Born In The U.S.A.” was originally written for Donna Summer.
8. War – 1986 – originally written for Barrett Strong and recorded by the Temptations for their “Psychedlic Shack” album and ultimately becoming a top 10 hit for Edwinn Starr, Bruce’s version was recorded in concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
9. Born In The U.S.A. – 1985 – the title track from the hugely successful album, it was originally written in 1981 as a theme for a Paul Shrader film, of the same title, that never got made.
10. Tunnel Of Love – 1988 – from the album of the same title, effects from a roller coaster ride in Point Pleasant, New Jersey were recorded and used on the single.
11. Streets Of Philadelphia – 1994 – from the Tom Hanks/Denzel Washington film, “Philadelphia”, Bruce’s song won four Grammy’s, including Song of the Year and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
12. I’m Goin’ Down – 1985 – another “Born In The U.S.A. single, it almost didn’t make it to the album, as Bruce reported that “it was this or Pink Cadillac.”
13. One Step Up – 1988 – from the “Tunnel Of Love” album, Bruce plays all instruments on this single and backing vocals are done by future wife, Patti Scialfa.
14. Human Touch – 1992 – from the album of the same name, bass guitar on this single is done by “American Idol” judge, Randy Jackson.
15. Better Days – 1992 – from the Lucky Town album.
16. Secret Garden – 1997 – Bruce’s last top 20 single to date, this song was originally released from the “Greatest Hits” album, but also gained popularity by being included on the “Jerry Maguire Soundtrack.
17. Fade Away – 1981 – the second single from “The River” album.
18. Born To Run – 1975 – One of Bruce’s signature songs and from the album of the same title, it only made it to #23 on the singles charts.
19. Prove It All Night – 1978 – the only top 40 single from Bruce’s “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” album.
20. Badlands – although not a commercial success, the song did receive extensive airplay on album oriented stations.
Bruce married actress/model Julianne Phillips in 1985. They divorced in 1989. In 1991, he married E Street Band member, Patti Scialfa and they have three children.
Bruce appeared in the film “Hail, Hail Rock N’ Roll” in 1987. He received an Academy Award, 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, most recently for the 2009 film, “The Wrestler” and he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. He was also the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009.
Although Bruce hasn’t had a top 40 hit since 1997, he continues to record and his concerts are always sold out venues.
Never forgetting his “Jersey Shore” roots, Bruce can be found, occasionally, showing up at one of the small clubs he played in, before gaining fame and success.
SOURCE: Joel Whitburn – The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits – Billboard Publications
SOURCE: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen
