Does anyone else hate Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band? (1 Viewer)

[Pip's Invitation]

Hate is too strong a word, but Springsteen is not my cup of tea. He has a few songs that I like, but I think he's kind of a one-trick pony as a songwriter and as a performer. I don't understand why the music press gushes over him so much.

 

[Sullie]

I don't hate his music but I really dislike his vocals and his singing style. I've seen interviews with him and I equally dislike the words that come of out his mouth therefor I'm not a fan at all of him nor his music but I really do not "hate" him or his music, just not a fan. I respect his opinions even though I disagree with a lot of them and I respect his work ethic from what I've observed from afar.

All of that aside, there are a couple of things about him. I've mentioned this before but for whatever reason I do really like one song of his called Tunnel of Love but each and every time I hear that song I think "man this song would be awesome if someone with vocal talent was singing it." And secondly I just watched that "we are the world" documentary on Netflix and even though I thought his part was awful (again, my opinion, I really dislike his singing voice) but major respect for him for everything he did to make that session, stick with it and put those hours and all that effort into his part especially right after coming off a long tour. I have a ton of respect for what he did there.. . .it sounded horrible to me but I'm sure his fans really appreciated it.

 

[ChiefD]

I put him in the same category of Pink Floyd.


Don't love. Don't hate. Some good. Some bad.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I put him in the same category of Pink Floyd.


Don't love. Don't hate. Some good. Some bad.

Strangely, I have The Wall and DSOTM 100% memorized to the point where I can play each album in my head from start to finish. I have never listened to a single other Floyd album. I've even mentioned to my wife that this has to be my personal most high-variance group in terms of my exposure to their body of work. (This is a "me" thing -- I've just never gotten sufficiently motivated to put on Animals, for example).

 

[PIK95]

One of my favorite people and I always loved the band. Clarence Clemons was my idol as a kid. My mom and sis with downs syndrome met CC and even had lunch with him in the late 90's. I was jealous.

 

[AAABatteries]

I'm neither a big fan nor a hater. I respect what he's accomplished and enjoy several of his songs. I agree with whoever said they don't understand the folks who are diehards and go to his shows all the time but to be fair, I don't understand that for any band.

 

[AAABatteries]

No clue how to vote in the pole. I guess I'd vote for Willie to zip it.

 

[Willie Neslon]

He's no Goldenplane, that's for sure.

I took a lot of heat here for that band name but all these years later people still remember it.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Again, my opinion and that was a major part of the sound track of my HS years so take it for what it's worth.

That's an important part of this for many as well.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Hate is too strong a word, but Springsteen is not my cup of tea.

This is sort of self-identifying. If one describes anything as not their "cup of tea", it's a given that Springsteen is not their "cup of tea".

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I put him in the same category of Pink Floyd.


Don't love. Don't hate. Some good. Some bad.

Strangely, I have The Wall and DSOTM 100% memorized to the point where I can play each album in my head from start to finish. I have never listened to a single other Floyd album. I've even mentioned to my wife that this has to be my personal most high-variance group in terms of my exposure to their body of work. (This is a "me" thing -- I've just never gotten sufficiently motivated to put on Animals, for example).

If you like Dark Side, then you'll like Wish You Were Here.

All their other albums are so different from each other that it's hard to predict whether anyone will like them just based on what other Floyd albums they like.

 

[Keerock]

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Hate? No.

Do I think it's REALLY weird when people see him in concert dozens and dozens of times including multiple nights in a row? YUP.

I'm not a concert guy regardless but seeing basically the same show over and over again (plus or minus a few changes in the set) just makes zero sense to me.

Like Deadheads, Parrotheads (RIP) and whatever they call people who follow a particular artist, the community with other like-minded weirdos is a big part of what brings them in and keeps them coming back.

My 62 year old sister and her husband have probably seen Tool--5-6 times this year. I like Tool, but 5-6 times already this year??

I like Bruce's early stuff, but as time goes on, he has just succumb to the "Look I am Bruce and my opinions are sooo important," thing that happens to older stars and artists.

I know someone who's seen Tool 15+ times. They're on my bucket list for sure. She invited me to go up to Fresno to see them with her a few weeks ago.... but it was on a Monday night and it was in .... Fresno.

Should have went.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

As for Bruce I don’t care for him. I’ll mumble along to Dancing in the Dark if it comes on the radio, anything else is probably a channel change

And yeah that Santa Claus song is terrible

 

[Ghost Rider]

Hate, no, but I can't say I am a big fan. He has some songs I like a lot, but I almost never listen to them. Props to him and his work ethic over the years, as he obviously gives his all with his long shows and whatnot, but his music, outside of a few songs, just doesn't grab me. And it is worth noting that his "working man" act that became a big part of his brand was just that: an act.

 

[MAC_32]

As for Bruce I don’t care for him. I’ll mumble along to Dancing in the Dark if it comes on the radio, anything else is probably a channel change

And yeah that Santa Claus song is terrible

Bruce is one of my favorite artist's. Those are 2 of his worst songs.

 

[Willy]

I remember when I was a kid I felt pretty bad whenever Hungry Heart came on. "I took a wrong turn and I just kept going"
Kept thinking, I hope that never happens to my dad. Why didn't he just ask for directions back?

I guess I'm not fitting the mold here. Bruce is fine. Don't love him, don't hate him. A few songs of his are some of my favorites but I never need to hear the rest of his catalogue ever.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I honestly can't recall if I heard anything from Springsteen's 1st 2 LPs when they were current - probably not. But I do remember hearing "Born To Run" on the radio for the first time and thinking it was a parody. There was nothing on AOR in 1975 that sounded like that.

IMO, he's fine. I like some of his stuff, don't like other stuff he's done. I won't go out of my way to listen to him, but that's 99% of artists for me these days.

 

[Phil Elliott]

Never liked Springsteen and his music.

 

[Atomic Punk]

I did a football/music road trip in 2016 to Philly and Washington, and lined it up with what ended up being Springsteen’s longest US show ever … over 4 hours. I was a casual fan before then but have since come to appreciate much of his music. I think I have picked up at least five albums since then.

As for the concert, the entire audience was on their feet for four straight hours. The concert was easily the highlight of the trip (second would be listening to the Philly fans losing their minds for 15 minutes about a dropped pass on the first play of the game).

 

[Hastur]

Never liked him for many years, but have grown to respect his contribution to music. In the last couple years I have come to like his work. I'm kinda fearful, as I now have 21 albums to collect.

 

[Atomic Punk]

As for those that don’t like the Boss (or any other musician, actor, sports figure, etc.) due to their politics or other personal take on life/society, I suggest avoiding it. I couldn’t tell you a single thing about any musician, actor, etc and their take on things because I avoid X, talk shows and any other medium that informs me about it like the plague. Why? Because I couldn’t care less and just want to enjoy their talent.

 

[simey]

I like Bruce, but I prefer to listen to him in doses. My favorite way to hear his music is to sprinkle in my favorite songs of his throughout a playlist of various artists/bands.

 

[Hastur]

I put him in the same category of Pink Floyd.


Don't love. Don't hate. Some good. Some bad.

Strangely, I have The Wall and DSOTM 100% memorized to the point where I can play each album in my head from start to finish. I have never listened to a single other Floyd album. I've even mentioned to my wife that this has to be my personal most high-variance group in terms of my exposure to their body of work. (This is a "me" thing -- I've just never gotten sufficiently motivated to put on Animals, for example).

If you like Dark Side, then you'll like Wish You Were Here.

All their other albums are so different from each other that it's hard to predict whether anyone will like them just based on what other Floyd albums they like.

Another vote/encouragement to get WYWH and Animals. The four album run of DSOTM, WYWH, Animals, and The Wall is one of the greatest(if not thee greatest) runs of albums of all time.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

i don’t think i hate any musician or music, there are things i hear that i don’t like so i change it to something i do like. i guess maybe if i had someone that forced me to listen to a certain musicians i would maybe hate them but for now i skip the song or go to another room, which is basically what happens for 99% of bruce’s songs

 

[Judge Smails]

I had similar experience on changing mind after seeing him live. I was neutral. Saw him live and walked away a fan. Pours his heart into it.

I can see people who think he's overrated or annoying. And some people hate popular things on principle. But I'd be like the OP's friends and surprised to find many people who like music who hate Springsteen.

Same. Went with a die hard Bruce fan about 6 years ago to see him for the first time. Dude did put on an epic show. Have tix to see him on 4/7 in LA. Unsure if I'm going to actually go to that one. Depends on if I'm feeling it

 

[The Z Machine]

I wouldn't say I hate their music. Some of the songs are OK. But I've never sought it out and I've actively changed the radio station if one of their songs comes on. I do respect the hustle though.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

And it is worth noting that his "working man" act that became a big part of his brand was just that: an act

That's not a quite fair assessment. Bruce has been open from the beginning that his songs are inspired by his environment, and that he sings from the perspective of those who don't have the voice to speak, and not directly from his own life.

In his Netflix special (which was taken from his Broadway show), one of his first anecdotes was how he had never set foot inside of any factory anywhere in America. He was on the road with paying gigs right out of high school. He had a manager and a record deal by his early twenties. Bruce never did a day of manual labor in his life, but his father did, as did all the adult men in his neighborhood. His childhood buddies followed that same dreary path--that's who Bruce is drawing from.

 

[massraider]

That's not a quite fair assessment. Bruce has been open from the beginning that his songs are inspired by his environment, and that he sings from the perspective of those who don't have the voice to speak, and not directly from his own life.

In his Netflix special (which was taken from his Broadway show), one of his first anecdotes was how he had never set foot inside of any factory anywhere in America. He was on the road with paying gigs right out of high school. He had a manager and a record deal by his early twenties. Bruce never did a day of manual labor in his life, but his father did, as did all the adult men in his neighborhood. His childhood buddies followed that same dreary path--that's who Bruce is drawing from.

Yeah, at this point, 40 whatever years later, I am sure he's not as "in touch" with the working man, but I never got any kind of inauthentic sense from Bruce.

Frankly, I don't think one could speak to that many people for so long, so many shows, if it was all a front.

I never really sought his music out, but don't dislike. I always thought of him as the best version of a million bar bands who didnt make it. Not my favorite thing, but pretty great

 

[Juxtatarot]

I’ve always thought the best $1.99 I’ve ever spent was for a cassette of Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. from the bargain bin of a record store in the mall. I must have been 15 at the time.

Before then I mostly just listened to the radio or greatest hits albums although I was gifted and enjoyed Born In the U.S.A. (which was mostly hits!). Asbury Park was the first album I bought without hearing any of the songs first (with the exception of the Manfred Mann cover). Anyway, I absolutely loved it and it opened my eyes to try music that I wasn’t familiar with and that wasn’t popular in the present.

 

[Mitchie]

I’ve always thought the best $1.99 I’ve ever spent was for a cassette of Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. from the bargain bin of a record store in the mall. I must have been 15 at the time.

Before then I mostly just listened to the radio or greatest hits albums although I was gifted and enjoyed Born In the U.S.A. (which was mostly hits!). Asbury Park was the first album I bought without hearing any of the songs first (with the exception of the Manfred Mann cover). Anyway, I absolutely loved it and it opened my eyes to try music that I wasn’t familiar with and that wasn’t popular in the present.

Think this what a lot of people are missing in this thread, I'm no Bruce fanatic but am a fan, and some of his best music (like a lot of artists) are the songs/albums you haven't listened to.

 

[MAC_32]

I’ve always thought the best $1.99 I’ve ever spent was for a cassette of Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. from the bargain bin of a record store in the mall. I must have been 15 at the time.

Before then I mostly just listened to the radio or greatest hits albums although I was gifted and enjoyed Born In the U.S.A. (which was mostly hits!). Asbury Park was the first album I bought without hearing any of the songs first (with the exception of the Manfred Mann cover). Anyway, I absolutely loved it and it opened my eyes to try music that I wasn’t familiar with and that wasn’t popular in the present.

Think this what a lot of people are missing in this thread, I'm no Bruce fanatic but am a fan, and some of his best music (like a lot of artists) are the songs/albums you haven't listened to.

Point Blank
Racing in the Street
Wrecking Ball
Candy's Room
Incident on 57th St
She's The One
Devils & Dust
Ramrod
Backstreets
Johnny 99
We Take Care Of Our Own

I could keep going

 

[The General]

He’ll throw that speedball by you

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I remember when I was a kid I felt pretty bad whenever Hungry Heart came on. "I took a wrong turn and I just kept going"
Kept thinking, I hope that never happens to my dad. Why didn't he just ask for directions back?

Because he's a man, of course.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Springsteen is one of those guys from the 80s who I have a few of his songs on playlists somewhere, like Rod Stewart or The Bangles. He's fine, but nothing special. John Mellencamp fills this same space and is much better IMO.

I can see that. Thing is, at least for me, his best stuff has nor will ever be played on the radio. Yea we've all heard Born To Run ad nauseum but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands, Candy's Room, Racing in the Street, Prove It All Night or even the title track from Darkness on the Edge of Town. That's one album and all these songs were/are fantastic. That's from the album most everyone has never even heard of. Then you go to Born To Run and there are 3 EPIC Springsteen songs most have never heard of, Thunder Road, Backstreets and the penultimate Jungleland. Just such great stuff.

Again, my opinion and that was a major part of the sound track of my HS years so take it for what it's worth.

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

I’ve always thought the best $1.99 I’ve ever spent was for a cassette of Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. from the bargain bin of a record store in the mall. I must have been 15 at the time.

Love Greetings from Asbury Park. The story is that Bruce came up performing garage-rock songs in Asbury Park, but when the label first signed him, the idea was to market him as the next Dylan, so the songs were much more lyrically dense on his first two albums. They were well-reviewed but didn't sell particularly well, and he wasn't happy, so when he sat down to write his third album he decided, with nudging from Jon Landau, to get back to his rock-and-roll sound. The result was Born to Run.

But even if it wasn't his authentic sound, GFAPNJ is a pretty great album!

Before then I mostly just listened to the radio or greatest hits albums although I was gifted and enjoyed Born In the U.S.A. (which was mostly hits!). Asbury Park was the first album I bought without hearing any of the songs first (with the exception of the Manfred Mann cover). Anyway, I absolutely loved it and it opened my eyes to try music that I wasn’t familiar with and that wasn’t popular in the present.

You've got that backward. Remember how I said he was marketed as the next Dylan? Well, Manfred Mann had previously had a bunch of hits with Dylan covers like "Mighty Quinn", so when Bruce came along they decided to cover him. I like both versions, although I think MM's might be more musically interesting

 

[Tecumseh]

Hate. I’ll never forgive him for unleashing Courtney Cox upon the world.

 

[beer 30]

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

"but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands"

Reading is fundamental

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Let me guess. You also hate the Dave Matthews Band.

-Never get the appeal of the DM Band, makes my ears bleed

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

"but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands"

Reading is fundamental

Nitpicking. The notion that either of those songs are remotely obscure is ridiculous. Thunder Road is arguably his second most famous song after Born to Run (I could see an argument for Born in the USA, but it’s close either way). Badlands is probably in the Top 5.

It would be like if we were discussing the Beatles and you said most people had never heard Hey Jude and Strawberry Fields Forever

 

[beer 30]

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

"but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands"

Reading is fundamental

Nitpicking. The notion that either of those songs are remotely obscure is ridiculous. Thunder Road is arguably his second most famous song after Born to Run (I could see an argument for Born in the USA, but it’s close either way). Badlands is probably in the Top 5.

It would be like if we were discussing the Beatles and you said most people had never heard Hey Jude and Strawberry Fields Forever

Whatever dude, feel free to ask all these Springsteen aficionados if they've heard of either.

 

[Wingnut]

Thought @E Street Brat would have chimed in but he hasnt logged in here since last July.

 

[Kiddnets]

Big deadhead/classic rock fan who was a teen in the 80s. Liked Born in the USA and Born to run albums back then but not really a huge fan. Went to see him live for the 1st time in the late 90s and it was just ok. My wife started enjoying his shows more and we started listening to the live shows for a few year. Gave it another shot in early 2000s and really dug it.

Since then have probably been to 15-20 shows - Im not one of the crazy Bruce for lifers - and I usually go grab a beer when he starts lecturing from the pulpit - but the shows are amazing. To see a guy 70+ rock for 3-4 hrs without a break is crazy. Its one of those things you need to experience live - more than once - if you like it enough to give it a try.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

"but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands"

Reading is fundamental

Nitpicking. The notion that either of those songs are remotely obscure is ridiculous. Thunder Road is arguably his second most famous song after Born to Run (I could see an argument for Born in the USA, but it’s close either way). Badlands is probably in the Top 5.

It would be like if we were discussing the Beatles and you said most people had never heard Hey Jude and Strawberry Fields Forever

Whatever dude, feel free to ask all these Springsteen aficionados if they've heard of either.

Or I could, you know, look at this obscure collection of B-sides and random ephemera known as ... his Greatest Hits album. Or maybe this other Greatest Hits album

 

[BoltNlava]

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

"but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands"

Reading is fundamental

To talk about a dream, try to make it real
You wake up in the night
With a fear so real
You spend your life waiting
For a moment that just don't come
Well don't waste your time waiting
Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you've gotta pay
Keep pushin' 'til it's understood
These badlands start treating us good

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

"but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands"

Reading is fundamental

To talk about a dream, try to make it real
You wake up in the night
With a fear so real
You spend your life waiting
For a moment that just don't come
Well don't waste your time waiting
Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you've gotta pay
Keep pushin' 'til it's understood
These badlands start treating us good

Unfortunately, there are some people in this thread who don’t have their facts learned real good right now

 

[bigbottom]

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

"but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands"

Reading is fundamental

Nitpicking. The notion that either of those songs are remotely obscure is ridiculous. Thunder Road is arguably his second most famous song after Born to Run (I could see an argument for Born in the USA, but it’s close either way). Badlands is probably in the Top 5.

It would be like if we were discussing the Beatles and you said most people had never heard Hey Jude and Strawberry Fields Forever

In terms of his Top 20 Hits on the Billboard Charts, Badlands comes in at #20 and Thunder Road doesn’t make the list. (And, yes, charts aren’t everything, but they are certainly a useful data point.)

Edit to add: I’m not suggesting either song is obscure, but I don’t think they are among his five most famous songs, much less number 2.

 

[TennesseeJed]

I am a fan.

But I also think you probably need to be of a certain age to really know any of his songs that came out before Born in the USA - which was mid 80's. SO if you were a teen from say, mid 90's and later - Springsteen is probably not in your wheelhouse. Born to Run, and Thunder Road probably known if you listened to classic rock stations.

Other songs people probably recognize the tune, but couldn't tell you the name of the song off the top of their head - Badlands, Rosalita, 10th Avenue Freezeout, Jungleland, The River, etc.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Um, did you just say that no one's ever heard of Badlands and Thunder Road?

"but I'm willing to bet most have never heard Badlands"

Reading is fundamental

Nitpicking. The notion that either of those songs are remotely obscure is ridiculous. Thunder Road is arguably his second most famous song after Born to Run (I could see an argument for Born in the USA, but it’s close either way). Badlands is probably in the Top 5.

It would be like if we were discussing the Beatles and you said most people had never heard Hey Jude and Strawberry Fields Forever

In terms of his Top 20 Hits on the Billboard Charts, Badlands comes in at #20 and Thunder Road doesn’t make the list. (And, yes, charts aren’t everything, but they are certainly a useful data point.)

That list has Born to Run at #15. Considering that it's indisputably his most famous song, I'm not sure how useful a data point it is for the purpose of this discussion.

I recognize that it's far more subjective, but I would use the "obituary test": When Bruce dies, first sentence of his obituary will say, "Bruce Springsteen, rock star who sang such hits as ____, _____ and _____, passed away today." I would be shocked if those three weren't BtR, BitUSA and TR

Anyway, the original claim was that "most have never heard" Thunder Road and Badlands. I would be very surprised if there are any people out there who consider themselves Springsteen fans who have never heard those songs. And a good chunk of non-fans have also heard of them. Maybe you're right that there are some generational dynamics at play (I'm GenX).

For the record, I'm the furthest thing from a Bruce die-hard. I think I own like two albums (Asbury Park and Greatest Hits) and a handful of MP3s that I downloaded over the years. I've never seen him live. I did grow up in NJ, though, so maybe that biases my perspective

 

[beer 30]

Anyway, the original claim was that "most have never heard" Thunder Road and Badlands. I would be very surprised if there are any people out there who consider themselves Springsteen fans who have never heard those songs. And a good chunk of non-fans have also heard of them. Maybe you're right that there are some generational dynamics at play (I'm GenX).

Maybe this is where the disconnect is happening, I'm talking the general public not Springsteen fans. Meaning a lot of the folks who have responded to this thread that they don't' care one way or the other or just flat out don't care for him. You can continue to rail to the heavens that everyone knows those songs but they simple don't. Springsteen has his fair share of hits but he has a whole other body of work that unless you've listened to at least 3 albums front to back (Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Born to Run), you wouldn't even be aware of. That was point.

But carry on