10 Unbelievable Facts About Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen performing at Roskilde Festival 2012.  Photo By Bill Ebbesen – Wikimedia Commons

10 Unbelievable Facts About Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen also known as the Boss is a famous and successful American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and rock ‘n’ roll icon. The Boss has received many awards and honours among them 20 Grammys.

Twenty albums later, in the 6 decades that this living legend has been singing, he has sold more than 65 million copies of his albums in the U.S. alone. Worldwide, he has sold over 150 million records making him one of the most successful musicians of all time.  

Bruce is an optimistic thinker who sings about the normal day-to-day life of an American. His bestselling album Born in the USA has his greatest hit song and is one of the top albums in the rock and roll sector. Bruce is loved, respected, and admired by a lot of fans.

1. Sweet Smell of Coffee and Chocolate

Bruce Springsteen was born on 23^rd September 1949 to his parents Adele Ann and Douglas Springsteen, in the beachside city of Long Branch, New Jersey. He was the firstborn and had two younger sisters, Virginia and Pamela.

They grew up on South Street in Freehold, New Jersey. Their house was near Nestlé’s factory. When the wind was just right, they could smell chocolate and coffee all day long.

2. School Was Not Cool for Bruce

Springsteen started school at St. Rose of Lima Catholic school in Freehold. He was not a good student and so he had a hard time. One time in third grade, a nun stuffed him in a garbage can under her desk and said that’s where he belonged. Another time during Mass a priest knocked him down. Things were difficult for him.

After the Catholic school, he proceeded to Freehold High School, but he wasn’t comfortable there either. He preferred being alone doing what he loved most, playing his guitar. He graduated in 1967 but could not bring himself to attend the graduation.

Bruce then went to Ocean County College. The situation escalated, and his fellow students petitioned the administration to have him expelled. He dropped out before graduation

3. Bruce Has Played with Different Bands

The Boss and the E Street Band, 1977. Photo By Columbia Records – Wikimedia

He was inspired by the Beatles’ when he saw them on a TV show. He bought his first guitar and started playing with a band called the Rogues. Later he went to Tex and Marion Vinyard’s house for training. He was so good that he became the lead guitarist and lead singer of The Castiles. 

Bruce also played with a trio band called Earth, then steel mill, and many other bands before forming his band E-Street.

4. A Talented Songwriter

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with Kennedy Center Honorees in the Blue Room of the White House, Dec. 6, 2009. From left; First Lady Michelle Obama, Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen, and President Barack Obama.
Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson – Wikimedia Commons

Bruce wrote the song ‘’Blinded by The Light’’, He did not like it so he gave it to Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. They did a cover so great that it went on to become a number-one hit. He also wrote the track “Fire” which was sung by the Point Sisters and it was a great success too. This lyrical poet writes great songs.

5. The Boss Nickname

Bruce Springsteen is mostly referred to as “The Boss”. This nickname that has stuck used to make him feel uncomfortable.  He disliked it due to his disgust for bosses. The nickname started way before he became a superstar.

Those days he was playing in clubs with The Earth Band. His responsibility was to collect the band’s payment from club owners and share it among the band members. That is the history of how the nickname came about.

6. He Campaigned for Obama

Bruce Springsteen at Barack Obama rally in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo by TonyTheTiger – Wikimedia Commons

Bruce Springsteen campaigned for Barack Obama during the 2008 US presidential campaign. In one of his speeches at the time, Obama said “there are a handful of people who enter into your lives through their music and tell the American people’s story. Bruce Springsteen is one of those people.”

Obama also said that he ran for President because he couldn’t be Bruce Springsteen. The Boss also performed at the president’s inauguration.

In 2009, Bruce was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors. At the ceremony, Obama said, “I’m the President…but he’s The Boss.”

Bruce campaigned for Obama’s re-election in Ohio, Iowa, Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin. He has fans in high places.

7.  Two Magazines, One Face

The tremendous success of Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ album had him featured in the Newsweek and Time magazines. He made history by appearing in both publications at the same time. That is how the rock star was introduced into the world.

8. There’s a Planet Named After Him

Bruce Springsteen (with Max Weinberg in the background on drums) in concert
Photo By Craig ONeal – Wikimedia Commons

Bruce claimed his spot in space after a minor planet was spotted by astronomers in Auckland, New Zealand. The astronomers had been listening to Springsteen’s music all night of 4^th September 1999 as they observed the skies. The planet is known as 23990 Springsteen.

9. Love and Family

Bruce met and married actress Julianne Phillips. Their wedding was on 13th May 1985 at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Oswego, Oregon, the bride’s hometown. Sadly, their marriage didn’t last.

Phillips was a small-town girl while Bruce came from a big city. He was over 10 years older than her and always away on tours. They parted ways in early 1989 due to irreconcilable differences. They did not have any children.

Springsteen moved on swiftly. He moved in with Vivienne Patricia Scialfa shortly after. They got their first child, Evan James Springsteen in 1990, their second, Jessica Rae Springsteen in 1991, and Samuel Ryan Springsteen in 1994.

They got married on 8^th June 1991 while Scialfa was expecting their second-born child.

10. Bruce Once Went to a Fan’s House

Springsteen received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House from President Barack Obama in 2016 Photo By Pete Souza, Official White House photographer – Wikimedia

Springsteen was at the movie theatre watching Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories. The movie is about a celebrity and how he avoids relating with his fans.

One of the people present at the movies is a fan of Springsteen’s music. The fan approaches Bruce and challenges the singer to prove that he doesn’t disregard his fans like the actor in the movie.

To prove a point, he agrees to go to his fan’s house. He ends up staying for two hours talking, laughing, and eating with these nice people. They even give him a ride back to his hotel later.