The Life And Themes Of Bruce Springsteen's Life

Many musical critics have referred to Bruce Springsteen as one of the greatest and most influential American musicians of all time, and he has been able to sustain his status as a musical legend for decades. Some of the most consistent themes of his works include failed relationships, the working class American, and the cycle of poverty, and these have all greatly contributed to his success over the years he has been on the musical scene. Many of his works are inspired by his own experiences and the experiences of those close to him, allowing him to give the audience a realistic and accurate portrayal of his life and the reason behind his songwriting. Springsteen has several works that detail the failure of some of his romantic marriages and

Pieces such as “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run” focus on the concept of a town in which the cycle of poverty is rampant and there is little to no hope for the people to escape this cycle and make a better life for themselves. Springsteen often uses the images of running away from his hometown to create a better life for himself and his female partner, giving him a sense of freedom from the vicious cycle of poverty that seems imminent for anyone in his position. In “Thunder Road”, Springsteen states “... So Mary climb in/ It’s a town full of losers/ And I’m pulling out of here to win” (“Thunder Road”) to show that he is unwilling to accept living in a town that produces nothing but disappointment and shattered dreams. He would rather take a chance by leaving on a journey with no known destination than remain in his town and lead a life of failure and regret. No matter what the result of his leaving is, he will win because he has left his town full of losers and escaped from his former life as another future loser. Similarly, Springsteen continues with this theme of the cycle of poverty in “Born to Run”, as he depicts a world where he works his monotonous job and is unhappy with his mediocre lifestyle. As a result, he chooses to leave his town in an attempt to escape the cycle of poverty and create a better life for himself and his girlfriend. By stating, “Baby this town rips the bones from your back/ It’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap/ We gotta get out while we’re young/ ‘Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run” (“Born To Run”), Springsteen is showing that he has no intentions of remaining in the cycle of poverty and knows that the only way to avoid this is by running away from the source and creating a new life for