Search Results

September 22, 2025 Anne Abel truly felt that she was at the end of her rope. She was in her sixties, and had been struggling with depression since she was a teenager. In her adulthood, she had attempted to battle depression by trying over twenty different antidepressants over two decades. "I’d been an inpatient at a psychiatric hospital twice," she writes in her book High Hopes: A Memoir , which will be published tomorrow, on Bruce Springsteen's 76th birthday. "I’d undergone three regimens of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). I’d also tried transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a treatment that sends magnetic currents through the skull. None of these modalities had ever given me any significant relief from my depression." Eventually Anne decided on a radical "treatment plan" completely of her own devising. Having already discovered just a few years earlier how good, energized, and inspired a Bruce Springsteen concert could make her feel, she decided to travel alone to Australia for eight of the Springsteen shows performed there back in 2014. It wasn't just about feeling good and inspired, however. Anne also was trying to force herself to step out of all of her normal comfort and dis comfort zones, establish a new sense of structure, and refocus on the writing career that she had long wanted to pursue. Unbeknownst to Anne at the time, the hotels that her travel agent had booked for her time in Australia were also where Bruce Springsteen, his band, and his crew would be staying while on tour. As a result, Anne's book ends up offering, in addition to her own moving and empowering tale of battling depression with the power of music, some interesting behind-the-scenes glimpses of Springsteen's touring organization in action. The sections of her memoir that detail her unforeseen encounters with former Springsteen co-manager Barbara Carr, and Carr's husband, now-retired music-writer, E Street Radio personality, and Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh, are particularly heartwarming and humorous. If you're a Springsteen fan who's ever struggled with depression and/or love(d) someone who has, we at Letters To You think this book will touch you deeply. You might sometimes find yourself quibbling, as we did, with small details like how long it took for one of Springsteen's 2012 Philly concerts (Abel's first Bruce show) to begin, but Abel is always right on the money whenever it comes to what's most important: the immense impact that music, especially Bruce Springsteen's music, can have in helping those of us who are experiencing mental-health crises. Letters To You editor/publisher Shawn Poole recently recorded an extensive and enjoyable conversation with Anne Abel about her book and her experiences. Click below to listen on either or both of our SoundCloud and YouTube platforms: Click this link for Anne Abel's website, to learn more about High Hopes: A Memoir , and how you can purchase your copy. Click here for Anne Abel's Linktree page, and to connect with her via email, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

September 21, 2025 photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Here at last is our extensive wrap-up coverage of the full week of The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music 's special events celebrating and commemorating Born to Run @50 on the campus of Monmouth University, along the Jersey Shore (including a rain-soaked side-journey to The Stone Pony for some "Jukebox" music.) Lisa Iannucci and Shawn Poole reporting, accompanied by plenty of Mark Krajnak 's beautiful photos for the Archives... SIDE 1, by Lisa Iannucci photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Wednesday, September 3 - Born to Run tribute concert at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theatre, featuring Jersey Shore musicians The concert included performances of all eight songs on the album, and each artist also performed an additional song of their choosing. Most opted to present their own material, and most were backed by - of course - a bar band, in this case, the stalwart Pat Roddy Band , who were more than up to the task, having hosted the Fourth Annual Brucefest just down the road in Lake Como a few weeks prior (during which they had performed the record in its entirety as the centerpiece of an epic two-hour set.) Participants in the concert included former E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez and percussionist Richard Blackwell (both of whom had performed with Springsteen on the albums preceding Born to Run ,) along with country/pop due Williams Honor , singer-songwriters Jake Thistle  and James Maddock , and self-described folk troubadour Pat Guadagno , whose support on acoustic guitar throughout gave the quieter material some depth and complexity.The material was not performed sequentially, and each artist was given some room to interpret the songs as they saw fit. Amongst the highlights: “She’s the One” performed by Reagan Richards and Gordon Brown of Williams Honor backed by the Pat Roddy Band. Richards is fully capable of belting out a lead vocal, but this performance brought an intense yet understated sensuality that only a female vocalist could muster, and it was quite effective. A bare-bones, forceful Vini Lopez performance of “Meeting Across the River,” with Pat Guadagno on acoustic guitar, followed by Lopez’ heartfelt and poignant cover of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart.” (As many fans of Jersey Shore music know already, Lopez has continued to perform in the area over the years, leading various assemblages of local musicians. The latest iteration is an outfit he’s calling The Wonderful Winos.) The Zevon tune was introduced as a tribute to deceased friends and fellow E Streeters Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici. As some fans are no doubt aware, Bruce himself had honored his old friend Warren by contributing background vocals and guitar on a couple of tracks for Zevon’s final release, The Wind,  back in 2003. “Keep Me in Your Heart” is the closing track on the album. A driving “Jungleland” performed by Roddy and band, who gave the war horse a fiery intensity, with Roddy on lead vocals and guitar. At the Jersey Shore, it’s practically a requirement that cover bands have a sax player, and Roddy’s band has a good one in multi-instrumentalist Dan Hutchinson , who plays everything from all  the saxophones to clarinet, flute, trumpet, keys, harmonica, guitar, and mandolin. Given the bar band treatment, the song felt every bit as vital as it had in 1975. “Rosalita,” which brought everyone to the stage to close out the night in truly shambolic E Street fashion. Garry Tallent, who had taken in the proceedings from a couple rows back, joined them to receive some well-deserved applause. The evening ended with a brief statement from Archives Executive Director Robert Santelli, who explained that Born to Run  is now on the LIbrary of Congress National Recording Registry . The registry, which preserves recorded audio material of artistic and cultural significance to America, was created by an act of Congress in 2000. The album was nominated for the honor by Santelli, who sits on the National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), which advises the Library of Congress on the collection and preservation of these recorded materials. The National Recording Registry is meant to showcase “the range and diversity of American recorded sound heritage in order to increase preservation awareness.” photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Thursday, September 4 - opening reception for the Born to Run at 50: Photographs by Eric Meola exhibit at the Rechnitz Hall DiMattio Gallery on Monmouth University’s campus photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission The exhibit's official opening was hosted by Archives Curator Melissa Ziobro, who set the stage by providing some historical context for the album’s 1975 release and subsequent impact. Ziobro then introduced photographer Eric Meola, who provided some little-known background on the legendary Born to Run photo sessions. The soft-spoken photographer told the story of how he had been selected for the sessions, which had taken place after a run of shows that, per Meola, had left Bruce and Clarence a bit worse for the wear. (Bruce was yawning between photos.) photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Meola said he didn’t want to speak for too long, but he did hint at a wealth of stories not only about the photo sessions, but about the E Street Band shows he’d attended prior to and during the album’s conception and recording, and the relationship that had developed between him and Bruce over that period of time. Meola briefly related the story of how he’d originally caught the band’s 1973 show at Max’s Kansas City in Manhattan, and had instantly been hooked. Most photographers are not also memoirists, but one can hope that Meola just might be. (l-r) photographers Nicki Germaine, Danny Clinch, Eric Meola, Pam Springsteen, and Rob DeMartin - photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission The exhibit includes the best of the photos from Meola’s 2006 publication Born to Run: The Unseen Photos , and it’s fascinating to see them blown up to mega-size; gallery visitors are able to see the depth, shading and granular detail within each image that only black-and-white photography at its best can provide. The actual wear and tear evident on Bruce’s Jack Purcell sneakers, prominent in a number of the images, is concrete, physical proof of the shoestring budget E Streeters had to survive on in those formative years. The sneakers were part of Bruce’s stage and street attire in those days, but ironically they don't actually appear in the iconic album cover photograph, although they were later included in some promotional posters. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Make time for a visit to the gallery if you can; admission is free, and the exhibit runs through December 18. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission SIDE 2, by Shawn Poole Friday, September 5 - An Evening with Thom Zimny at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theatre Not surprisingly, Thom Zimny delivered the goods yet again. To mark the Springsteen Archives' celebration of the 50th anniversary of Born to Run , Zimny has created a unique and very special film entitled Jungleland '75 , masterfully editing Barry Rebo's fly-on-the-wall footage of Springsteen and the '74-'75 version of the E Street Band (before Stevie Van Zandt officially joined for The Born to Run Tour,) hard at work shaping and recording the song at Blauvelt, NY's long-gone 914 Sound Recording Studios, prior to Jon Landau's wise - if not low-budget-friendly - advice to move the Born to Run sessions to New York City's also-long-gone Record Plant studio. Here's hoping that eventually all fans will be able to see the important history documented in Zimny's latest work, but of course experiencing its official premiere was something very special indeed. The film opens with a brief snippet of Jon Landau speaking to Rebo and his camera while sitting behind a mixing console at The Record Plant - not during the recording of Born to Run , but instead during the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions. We quickly see why Zimny chose to open his film with this snippet of footage, for in it Landau is discussing with Rebo the difficulties of capturing moments of musical creation on film. Landau, who is just as knowledgeable about films as he is about music, argues to Rebo and his camera that Jean-Luc Godard's 1968 short film Sympathy for the Devil (aka 1 + 1 ) actually failed to capture the true moments of creation for The Rolling Stones' classic song. Fade to black, and then Zimny begins utilizing the "time machine" (a term that Zimny frequently uses to describe Springsteen's film/video vault) of Rebo's 914 Studios footage to succeed with "Jungleland" where Landau feels Godard failed with "Sympathy..." Incidentally, I reached out to Barry Rebo shortly after seeing Jungleland '75 to ask him why there's 914 Studios footage of the Born to Run sessions and Record Plant footage of the Darkness... sessions, but there's no Record Plant footage of the Born to Run sessions. Rebo explained to me that right around the time that the Born to Run sessions moved to The Record Plant, he got his first big professional break by landing a gig with Time-Life Television, and thus no longer had the time needed in each day for documenting the Record Plant Born to Run sessions. Nevertheless, the 914 Studios footage, and Zimny's editing of it, convey so well the stress and strain involved in creating "Jungleland," especially under less than ideal recording conditions. There also are lighter moments to be found here, where Bruce, the band (including the rarely filmed violinist Suki Lahav,) Mike Appel, recording engineer Louis Lahav, and the crew find some time to share a meal, some laughs, and some small talk together. You truly feel as if you've gotten to be a special guest in the studio with Springsteen and his comrades while one of his greatest songs is taking shape. Then fade to black again, and suddenly when we fade back in, we're onstage at The Bottom Line in August of '75. Not only has "Jungleland" finally been perfected in the studio for the album version that the world will soon get to hear at last, but Bruce and his band are now able to deliver a killer live version of it in concert, as well. Transitioning Wizard of Oz -style from Barry Rebo's black-and-white studio footage to his color (but still single-camera) footage of "Jungleland" performed at The Bottom Line is yet another of Thom Zimny's editing masterstrokes. And what a performance that Rebo managed to capture! It ends stunningly with Springsteen dropping to his knees, dramatically conveying Magic Rat's death to a stunned audience's rapt attention. Whatever the various technical limitations with which Rebo had to cope at the time, he still managed to capture one of the finest live versions of "Jungleland" ever performed, and his footage provides the perfect ending to Jungleland '75 . After the film, Zimny came onstage to a well-deserved standing ovation, and sat down for a post-screening discussion with Springsteen archivist Erik Flannigan. Before that conversation began, however, Max Weinberg - who had been sitting with Garry Tallent in Row E, of course - was brought up to join them. As usual, Max had some great stories and insights to share, humorously recalling that his main goal back in '74/'75 was to not get fired. Fortunately, Max still has a steady gig, five decades on and counting. To celebrate that fact, and to close out the evening, we got yet another special cinematic treat from Thom Zimny: a modern-day live version of "Born to Run," consisting mainly of a single-camera shot of Max intensely drumming and (as always) focused on Bruce onstage, but interspersed beautifully and movingly with various clips of Max musically interacting onstage, in rehearsal, and in the studio with Bruce through the decades. Again, here's hoping that the Springsteen Archives and/or "Bruce, Inc." eventually will find a way to share both Jungleland '75 and the short "Born to Run"/Max Weinberg tribute film with all fans who want to see them. They each offer another fantastic "time machine" experience, courtesy of Barry Rebo, Thom Zimny, and, of course, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Saturday, September 6 - The Born to Run 50th Anniversary Symposium at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theatre This day, of course, was "The Main Event" for the Archives' weeklong celebration of Born to Run @50. It not only featured the extensive participation of Bruce Springsteen himself, but also reunited him with every living E Street Band member, as well as all key members of Born to Run 's production team, involved in the making of Springsteen's breakthrough album. They didn't just sit around talkin' about it, either. Bruce, with all living E Streeters - past and present members included - who played on the album, closed out the day with live performances of "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run," accompanied by Eddie "Kingfish" Manion ably filling in on sax for the late, great "Big Man," Clarence Clemons. Before that happened, however, there were plenty of other great moments preceding it. I'm sure you've read about at least some of them elsewhere already, and I also am presuming (as well as hoping fervently) that since everything was filmed professionally by the Archives, eventually a way will be found to share all of the day's highlights, if not footage of the entire day from start to finish, with all interested fans. Bearing all of that in mind, I'll just share here some of my personal favorite highlights from a day filled with them... photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission It certainly was an appropriate idea to open the day with longtime 105.7 The Hawk Bruce Brunch host Tom Cunningham sitting down with Ernest "Boom" Carter, David Sancious, and Garry Tallent to discuss the relatively brief 1974 E Street Band formation that included Carter (the version of the band that recorded Born to Run 's title track at 914 Studios and first performed the song live.) Cunningham was well-prepared, asked great questions, and, although he often had to pull some teeth for recollections and reflections, still managed to nab a few important historical notes from the trio about the formation's impact on the band's sound (especially its rhythm section) and, of course, the significance of a mid-1970s rock band having an equal number of white and Black members, even if only for a brief time. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Another beloved radio figure, Rich Russo , moderated the session entitled "At the Crossroads: Bruce Springsteen & Columbia Records," with panelists Mike Appel (Springsteen's former manager, of course,) and Columbia Records publicity veterans Peter Philbin, Michael Pillot, and Paul Rappaport . It offered many insights into the record-company politics of the mid-1970s and how the young disciple-like Columbia supporters of Springsteen's music and performers were pitted against other Columbia staffers and execs who... er, were not big fans, to put it mildly. I'm very glad that Appel's perspectives, which often can be self-aggrandizing to say the least, were balanced by the other three panelists' perspectives. It's a shame that Appel got to talk over Rappaport's attempt to share some of his knowledge about those famous dual 1975 Time and Newsweek covers, but we at Letters To You are planning to do something about that ourselves sometime relatively soon. Stay tuned... photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission What a treat this was! Kudos to whomever decided to have Pam Springsteen, who could speak from both the perspective of a great photographer in her own right as well as that of Bruce Springsteen's sister, interview Eric Meola about his brilliantly beautiful Born to Run album-cover photography. Springsteen asked Meola some great, smart questions, and Meola offered detailed, moving, and insightful answers in response. It was especially important, if not exactly surprising, to learn just how involved that Bruce himself was in selecting the "props" for the shoot, and that he specifically wanted Clarence - and only Clarence - to be photographed with him. Eric also spoke about how he purposefully shot all of his photos very quickly that day, in order to keep the momentum going, continue capturing action, etc., and Pam explained knowledgeably to all of us non-photographers in the audience just how difficult it was for Meola to achieve his gorgeous, striking black-and-white images. The late, great John Berg, who designed Born to Run 's gatefold LP cover, also got his due recognition. This session definitely is one that should be made available for all fans to view in its entirety at some point. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission After lunch came "The Historical Significance of Born to Run ," with a panel moderated by the Archives' curator (and Monmouth University Director/Adjunct Professor of Public History) Melissa Ziobro, and consisting of music writer/critic Anthony DeCurtis, Sony/Springsteen archivist Erik Flannigan, music writer/critic Alan Light, and longtime Columbia/Legacy executive Greg Linn. I think it's best to begin addressing the major problem with this panel by quoting this trio of sentences from Dave Marsh's book Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story , which includes the still-authoritative-more-than-forty-five-years-after-its-publication account of the making of Born to Run (Peter Ames Carlin's Tonight in Jungleland notwithstanding,) as well as the album's enduring significance: "In a medium that has been noted for its unyielding dominance by males, and for its callous attitude toward women, 'Backstreets' is a landmark. Terry is neither Bob Dylan’s goddess/angel 'Isis,' nor the 'Stupid Girl' of Mick Jagger’s and Neil Young’s fantasies. If she seems a dream, that’s only because she is an equal - something people rarely are in life." Yes, I understand how Terry also could be a man just as easily as Terry could be a woman, but that's beside the point here. If and when Terry is a woman, she's an equal. And I'll add that the same could be said of Mary in "Thunder Road," the unnamed women of "Night" and "She's the One," Wendy in "Born to Run," Cherry in "Meeting Across the River," or the barefoot girl of "Jungleland." How Born to Run treats its female characters is one of the essential elements of its greatness. So why were there no women on this panel? Sure, like the Eric Meola session, it was moderated (and well-moderated, at that) by a woman, but was it that difficult to find one or more female music writers, critics, and/or educators to comment on the historical significance of Born to Run ? Hell, I personally know of a few who already were sitting right there in the audience that day, including one who is the former Vice-President of Education and Public Programming at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And yes, I know that Suki Lahav, the lone woman who could've spoken with first-hand knowledge and authority about the Born to Run recording sessions, hasn't felt safe enough to travel from and back to Israel for any personal appearances at any of the Archives' events over recent years. While that's unfortunate as well as understandable, that sad fact also made this one of the Archives' few Born to Run 50th-anniversary symposium panels that could've featured at least one knowledgeable woman on the panel. Nevertheless, this still was yet another all-male panel, and it's hard to imagine any good reason why. Not surprisingly, the result was a discussion that offered very little in the way of unique, interesting, or challenging insights. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission A woman was a panelist for the next session, entitled "Behind The Scenes: The Born to Run Tour," the only session of the day to feature a female panelist. Barbara Pyle, who photographed the band extensively during the Born to Run period and later published many of her photos in Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band 1975 , joined the tour's Front of House (FOH) sound engineer Chas Gerber, Mike Appel, and his brother Stephen Appel, the tour's road manager. Unfortunately, this session devolved rather quickly into pretty much a trainwreck. While Pyle managed to deliver a few funny one-liners about everyone's general working conditions and emotional states during the period in question, overall there just wasn't much of interest or insight to be found here. Bruce Springsteen's initial onstage appearance at the symposium immediately followed this panel. "Whoa!," he said with a laugh to Bob Santelli before they began discussing the writing of "Born to Run," "I saw that last panel... I'm glad I missed the others before it!" 'Nuff said. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Not surprisingly, once Bruce began his participation in several sequential discussion sessions, the quality of discussion was raised considerably. In the first session, it also helped greatly that it was Santelli, who's conducted very good interviews with Springsteen in the past, sitting and talking one-to-one with Bruce about the writing and recording of "Born to Run," his first Top-40 hit single as well as the title track of his first Top-10 album, which began in late 1973 and took more than half a year to complete. Some key highlights of this discussion for me... Although he's acknowledged it previously, personally I can never hear Bruce talk enough about how the opening of "Born to Run" was lifted from Little Eva's "The Locomotion." The fact that it took him to mention it, however, and that once more the powerful influence of all those great 1960s female (and mostly Black) singers' recordings on both "Born to Run" the single and Born to Run the album barely got mentioned, let alone explored in depth, by anyone else onstage during this day-long 50th-anniversary focus on Born to Run , speaks volumes. Which of course brings us back directly to that women-panelists question raised above. It also was great to hear Springsteen fully confirm that long-suspected link between the naming of the character Wendy in "Born to Run" and the Peter Pan poster that used to hang on the wall of his bedroom in West Long Branch, NJ. Special shout-out of congratulations to Monmouth University graduate student Carlee Migliorisi , whose recent research inspired Santelli to ask Springsteen about it onstage. Finally, I'll always treasure getting to hear Springsteen's hilarious impersonation of Mike Appel, upon discovering that his client actually knew how to lead a band. Please don't let that presumably recorded moment sit in the vault for too long, Springsteen Archives! photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Next up was author Peter Ames Carlin discussing the writing of the entire Born to Run album with both Bruce Springsteen and Jon Landau, who of course played a key role in helping Springsteen edit and sharpen some of his lyrical and musical ideas. Full disclosure: I am not a fan of Carlin's Tonight in Jungleland book at all. I think if you're going to write a book-length exploration of the making of Born to Run , yet barely address, say, the girl-groups sound's influence (and never write the words "Little Eva" at all,) making brief references to Phil Spector's records on just five non-sequential pages or so of a book that's over two hundred pages long, your book has at least one major problem. And placing far more emphasis on a sentiment like "Appel was a good man whose dedication to and sacrifice for his client's music matched Bruce's own level of commitment" extremely oversimplifies a much more complex relationship in which Mike Appel consciously and repeatedly chose to deny complete control of "his client's music" to that very same client, forcing said client to engage in an infamous, existential legal battle with his own manager over not just money, but artistic control. Bruce's liberating legal victories in that period were nowhere near as tinged with tragedy as Tonight in Jungleland portrays them. Yet again, I find myself asking myself where Dave Marsh's Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story is when you need it. That noted, Carlin managed to draw some interesting, insightful, and sometimes downright moving comments from both Springsteen and Landau about their longtime friendship that also quickly became a professional relationship, as well as its enduring importance to each of them. And all of that's nice, of course, but now this whole Born - to - Run -begins-with-a-nativity-and-ends-with-a-crucifixion thing (first proffered by Jon Landau in Carlin's book and dredged up yet again during this session; I use the term "thing" because it certainly doesn't qualify as a theory, and it's barely an observation...) Can we just let that go already?! Yes, it's well-known that Bruce Springsteen was raised as a Roman Catholic and that religion's imagery and culture had some impact on his art, but by no means does Born to Run offer any kind of significant analogy to the story of Christ. And if it ever was intended to do so, which has yet to be proven in any substantial way, it certainly has nothing of note to do with why this album remains important and beloved for so many folks five decades on. While Bruce himself has tersely acknowledged the idea of a New Testament analogy as being at least somewhat valid, both in Carlin's book and during this session, he certainly hasn't come across as being very comfortable doing so. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Of course we all knew what the next session would be simply by its title, "Roundtable Discussion: The Making of Born to Run ," but I strongly doubt that anyone in the general audience expected everyone who ended up onstage for this one: Mike Appel, Roy Bittan, Jimmy Iovine, Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt, and Max Weinberg! Moderator Bob Santelli got everyone involved and talking in yet another session that absolutely begs to be shared with Springsteen fans and scholars, in its entirety. Just a few personal highlights for me, for now, again with the hope that everyone reading this eventually will get to see and hear it all for yourselves: Jimmy Iovine's hilarious physical demonstration of how he learned to grab some badly needed sleep during overlong sessions while continuing to bob his head as if he were still awake and listening, followed by Jon Landau's confession that he sometimes asked Iovine to pretend he was falling asleep to help convince Bruce that it was time to call it a night. And, oh yeah, Stevie Van Zandt's equally hilarious guitar-accompanied demonstration - "just one more time, for the Archives" - of how he singlehandedly saved "Born to Run" from being released with an off-key guitar part. Great stuff, for sure. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission The final panel-discussion of the day, "Meanwhile, Down at the Jersey Shore," certainly had a tough act to follow, but it was more than up to the task. Erik Flannigan returned to the stage to moderate a very interesting discussion between Eddie Manion, Bob Santelli, and Stevie Van Zandt, all veterans of the Jersey Shore music scene that had been developing prior to and then flourished in the wake of Born to Run . Of course much of the discussion centered around Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Van Zandt's deservedly recognized leadership of that band, and its central role in delivering Jersey Shore rock and soul at its finest. The presence of Southside Johnny himself - currently enjoying a well-deserved retirement from touring - was missed, but even in his absence Manion, Santelli, and Van Zandt certainly provided the history in which they and Southside played such important roles. Manion told a particularly offbeat personal story of having joined the U.S. Navy, and being stationed away from his New Jersey home. One fine Autumn 1975 day at mealtime, he happened to spot those dual Time and Newsweek magazines with Bruce Springsteen on the covers. Shocked and amazed, he decided then and there that it was time to get back home ASAP, and rejoin the burgeoning Jersey Shore music scene. ---------- With the day's onstage conversations over, it was now time to get to the music... And what music indeed! "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run," performed back-to-back by Bruce Springsteen (playing the same legendary guitar featured on the cover of Born to Run , natch,) and a very unique, possibly once-in-a-lifetime version of the legendary... E... Street... Band! Max Weinberg AND Ernest "Boom" Carter on drums... Roy Bittan AND David Sancious on keys... with a special shout-out to Eddie "Kingfish" Manion for ably taking on the always-difficult task of filling in for the immortal Clarence "Big Man" Clemons. There was so much emotion and history powerfully packed into this two-song sequence. Not many more words are needed from me about it right now, I think, so until the video/audio gets released somehow for all of us to enjoy/re-enjoy (I hope,) Mark Krajnak's beautiful photos below will more than suffice: photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Of course there were more than a few tears shed by the time that those performances, and the symposium as a whole, came to a close. Little did most of us know before we started heading outside The Pollak Theatre that the sky itself also had begun crying sheets of heavy rain, accompanied by plenty of thunder and lightning. The post-symposium concert in nearby Asbury Park, NJ by Max Weinberg's Jukebox, originally scheduled for The Stone Pony but then rescheduled to take place outside at The Stone Pony Summer Stage due to demand, now would have to be moved back inside The Pony. Special well-deserved shout-outs to Max and his band, which included special guest Garry Tallent, for playing not one, not two, but THREE shows that night in an effort to accommodate all ticket-holders who still wanted to attend. photo by Jeff Crespi - courtesy of Max Weinberg - used with permission photo by John Cavanaugh - courtesy of Max Weinberg - used with permission photo by Jeff Crespi - courtesy of Max Weinberg - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission Sunday, September 7 - The Born to Run   @50 Academic Conference at Monmouth University’s Pozycki Hall and Bey Hall One of the best things about this conference was that it was very much where women's voices and perspectives about Born to Run finally got to shine. Many women from multiple generations served as presenters, panelists, and/or moderators. Click here to view and/or download a complete listing of the conference's sessions, presenters, panelists, and moderators. photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission It was especially great to see so many Letters To You contributors, friends, and supporters involved with this conference. Familiar faces who spoke and/or moderated included Donna Luff and Lorraine Mangione on Born to Run 's "igniting and enduring appeal for women fans," Caroline Madden on how the multiple meanings of "Backstreets" have evolved and shifted for Springsteen and his audience through the decades, and Lauren Onkey on how Born to Run  "reframes rock history." And our pal Jesse Jackson, creator/host of the Set Lusting Bruce  podcast, was a co-panelist in the "Springsteen Podcasters' Roundtable," along with my former Backstreets  colleague Flynn McLean of the None But The Brave  podcast. It was equally great to meet some new friends and colleagues, as well, such as Jersey-based high-school social-studies teacher Daniel Willever. Dan delivered an excellent presentation entitled "'In good faith:' Bruce Springsteen's Labor Politics in Practice," which included some material that we shared with him from our Labor Day 2024 feature . photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission The day ended with well-received performances of songs from Born to Run by students in Monmouth University's Music & Theatre Arts Department. Under the leadership of Department Chairman Joe Rapolla, the university's student-run record label, Blue Hawk Records , recently released Runaway American Dream: Innovative Interpretations of Springsteen 50 Years Later , featuring many of the students pictured below. I can't think of a more fitting way to close out a very special week and weekend of Born to Run @50 events than helping to place those epically romantic, evocative, and hope-filled songs, dreams, struggles, and visions of Bruce Springsteen's breakthrough album within the grasp of yet another generation of listeners. Long may you run, Born to Run . photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission photo by Mark Krajnak  for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music  - used with permission

photo by Mark Krajnak for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music - used with permission September 8, 2025 Okay, as you might have heard already, the hands-down (or is that hands raised by all those little pretties?) biggest highlight of The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music 's series of events celebrating Born to Run @50 occurred on Saturday, with onstage insights and performances from Springsteen himself, reunited with ALL of the living members of the E Street Band - past AND present members - involved in the creation of the album: Roy Bittan, Ernest "Boom" Carter, David Sancious, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt, and Max Weinberg. They were accompanied in their performances by Eddie "Kingfish" Manion, ably filling in for the late, great Clarence "Big Man" Clemons, of course, and Springsteen played his now-legendary, now rarely played Fender Esquire/Telecaster hybrid guitar, the very same one featured in Eric Meola's brilliantly beautiful cover-photo for Born to Run . Other highlights of this weekend, as well as the week leading up to it, weren't too shabby, either. Letters To You folks were there for it, of course, and someday soon - we don't (exactly) know when - we'll walk in the sun and have MUCH more to share about all of it, along with more photos, once all of our contributors get finished catching our breaths and collecting our thoughts. Stay tuned!

August 30, 2025 With Labor Day Weekend unofficially bringing a close to Summer 2025 here in the Northern Hemisphere, we've prepared something special for our readers... an online scrapbook of "The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour," which began when summer was still about a month away - though also when Memorial Day Weekend, which unofficially marks the beginning of summertime fun here in the U.S., was only about a week away - and ended on the eve of Independence Day Weekend's arrival. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band spent a significant chunk of their Spring/Summer 2025 performing in Europe, but this entire tour was very much about the United States, its ongoing leadership crisis, and its effect on not just U.S. citizens, but all citizens around the globe. (And speaking of Labor Day Weekend 2025, it also was about "the richest men... taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers.") More important, it served as a sorely needed beacon of hope, resistance and inspiration in times that are both dangerous and depressing. And so, as Bruce said onstage before performing "Chimes of Freedom" at the end of the tour's first show, "Take this home with you." We've compiled a great set of tour-photos from the large portfolios of Gert Dewaelheyns and René van Diemen . (Thanks, guys!) The photos can be viewed in both scroll-down mode and - by simply clicking on any photo at any time - slideshow mode. In scroll-down mode only, the photos are also accompanied by a selection of Bruce Springsteen's own words - onstage and off - related to one of the most important tours that he and the E Street Band have ever undertaken. While the tour is now over, the inspiration and the challenge that it offered - for all of us - remains, as do the struggles and tasks we must endure and accomplish together, if we as a nation and planet are to survive and overcome this severe, worldwide threat to democracy. So crank up one (or more) of those official nugs.net tour recordings, or maybe the Land of Hope & Dreams EP , begin scrolling down, and let freedom ring. All rise and enjoy, brothers and sisters! (And Happy Labor Day Weekend 2025 to all who are celebrating it.) ---------- “One of the artist's jobs is to make sense of existence and to make sense of the current times that you live in, and to contextualize those times. Every artist does it in a different way. So I’ve got that on my mind, and I’m sure it’ll be reflected in our next leg of the tour.” ( Variety interview published on April 18, 2025 ) photo by Gert Dewaelheyns - used with permission "Good evening!...Welcome to 'The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour!' The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n’ roll in dangerous times. "In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. "Tonight, we ask 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!" photo by René van Diemen - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission "The last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. At the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other." photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission photo by Gert Dewaelheyns  - used with permission photo by René van Diemen  - used with permission "[O]bviously we’re living through an American tragedy, and I believe we will come out intact. The country is not like other countries that have had authoritarian histories. We have a democratic history, and I believe that will rear its head again. That is not a tradition that I believe is going to disappear overnight regardless of how hard somebody tries to subvert it. "(interviewer:) You’re not losing hope? "No, no, no. Got to have hope, man. I got to have hope." ( Rolling Stone interview published on June 19, 2025 )

August 29, 2025 This autumn, Bon Jovi will re-release its 2024 album Forever in a new edition entitled Forever (Legendary Edition . ) The Legendary Edition version adds to the original album's tracks recorded and released by the band (which now includes former E Street percussionist and E Street Choir member Everett Bradley) some additional vocal and instrumental contributions from a group of well-known collaborators, including Bruce Springsteen. The Springsteen collaboration, an overdubs-generated duet on the slow country-tinged ballad "Hollow Man," officially dropped today as one of two preview tracks for Forever (Legendary Edition,) which will be released in full on October 24. You can hear this new version of "Hollow Man" in the official YouTube video embedded below: It ain't exactly uplifting to hear Bruce Springsteen sing, "Here I am, a hollow man, telling stories 'bout the promise of a promised land," followed a bit later in the song by him singing, "And what do you dream now that you've sold your dreams? What do you sing when the song's been sung?" Here's hoping that Springsteen didn't choose to sing on this particularly depressing ditty because he saw any current autobiographical aspects to the song. Step away from the ledge, Bruce (and Jon Bon Jovi!)

August 27, 2025 Two years ago, shortly after this website had launched, we were honored to be introduced to our friend Sarah Gregory and her moving, powerful, and challenging story. Sarah wrote about her experiences for Letters To You, and her essay remains one of the best, most important ones we've ever published. Click here to read Sarah's 2023 essay for Letters To You, "'Grabbed my pen and bowed my head...' - How 'Letter to You' inspired healing and forgiveness." We also are pleased, though certainly not surprised, to learn that Sarah remains very active around death-penalty issues. It's great to know that she continues to share her story and speak out on behalf of forgiveness, justice, and sanity. With that in mind, we are very glad to help spread the word about Sarah's upcoming "Be The Boss" episode on E Street Radio . She'll be playing some of her favorite Springsteen tracks and, of course, sharing some of the story of how Bruce's song "Letter To You" inspired her to write a life-changing letter of her own. SiriusXM subscribers can catch Sarah's E Street Radio "Be The Boss" episode on these dates/times: Saturday, August 30, beginning at 11:00 am ET Sunday, August 31, beginning at 6:00 pm ET Sarah also will be among the featured participants at The Atlantic Festival 2025 in New York City. On Thursday, September 18, she will be one of the panelists for "Redefining American Justice," which will feature The Atlantic staff writer Elizabeth Bruenig, Equal Justice Initiative founder and Executive Director Bryan Stevenson, along with Jenisha Watts and Clint Smith of The Atlantic , as well. Bruenig has written two Atlantic articles featuring insights from Sarah Gregory. (Click here to read "Inside America's Death Chambers" from the July 2025 issue , and click here to read "What It Means to Forgive the Unforgivable" from May 2023 .) If you're interested in attending The Atlantic Festival 2025 to see Sarah Gregory and other scheduled participants, click here for information on how to purchase Festival passes . (Prices will increase today, Wednesday August 27, at 11:59 p.m. ET, so get your passes before then for the best rate.)

August 25, 2025 “ Born to Run  was an instant classic. Anyone who loves rock and roll must respond to its catalog of styles, the rough and tough music, the lyrics that sum up the brightest hopes—and some of the darkest aspects—of the rock and roll dream... “ Born to Run  makes no stylistic breakthroughs, as the fundamental Elvis Presley and Beatles recordings had done. But it does represent the culmination of twenty years of rock and roll, and when it was released in 1975 it was the strongest possible testimony to the continued vitality of that tradition... “Left without an American rock star, the underclass rebels who formed rock and roll’s natural constituency drifted away from music, toward motorcycles and petty crime. The few who stuck with the music listened more often to Black music than to white sounds, which left an enormous vacuum. Bruce Springsteen was the first American rock performer in nearly a decade—since [Jimi Hendrix]’s death—to attempt to fill that space. And his emergence would create, in surprising ways, a flood of followers and would reopen issues many had thought closed. If the meaning of ‘punk’ has changed drastically since 1975, Born To Run must be counted as the record that set the stage for its reemergence at all. It was a record that took the music’s possibilities from the hands of craftsmen and profiteers and gave them back to the sort of people who loved rock because they lived it.” - Dave Marsh, Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story , 1979   “At record’s end, our lovers from ‘Thunder Road’ have had their early hard-won optimism severely tested by the streets of my noir city. They’re left in fate’s hands, in a land where ambivalence reigns and tomorrow is unknown. In these songs were the beginnings of the characters whose lives I would trace in my work (along with the questions I’d be writing about—'I want to know if love is real’) for the next four decades. This was the album where I left behind my adolescent definitions of love and freedom; from here on in, it was going to be a lot more complicated. Born to Run  was the dividing line.” - Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run  (his autobiography,) 2016

August 24, 2025 "The Vault" consisting of Bruce Springsteen's unreleased recordings has taken on a mythical status, with fans long speculating about the treasure trove hidden inside. Tracks II: The Lost Albums  confirms that not every Bruce Springsteen song yet to see the light of day shines as brightly as hoped. While much of the seven-albums set includes some gems, there aren’t as many "shoulda-been-released" songs as there were on the original Tracks . Many tunes feel decidedly middle-of-the-road—especially those on the collection's final album (which also is the final album to be reviewed in Letters To You's Summer 2025 Tracks II deep-dive,) Perfect World . Perfect World  is different from the rest of the albums in the box-set, which were either conceived as full bodies of work or intertwined with other projects. This patchwork of songs was written between 1994 and 2011. In his introduction to the hardcover Bruce Springsteen: The Lost Albums  book included with the physical Tracks II  box-set , Springsteen describes Perfect World  as "a record I pieced together from work I had held for this project... I wanted just a little fun, noise, and rock 'n' roll to finish the package." The only thread tying the generally buoyant songs together is a cast of restless characters who remain idealistic, even as the world gives them no reason to be. The first three songs are collaborations with Joe Grushecky from the mid-1990s, which have all been performed live in the past. “Another Thin Line” rocked the E Street Band’s Reunion Tour at Madison Square Garden in June 2000, and then during the final shows of The Rising  Tour at Shea Stadium in 2003. The more scathing “Idiot’s Delight” occasionally appeared during the Devils & Dust  tour in 2005. “I’m Not Sleeping” was frequently played alongside Grushecky at the Light of Day and Soldiers and Sailors benefit concerts between 2010 and 2014 as an exuberant duet. Roy Bittan’s lilting piano chords and the steady guitar in “I’m Not Sleeping” belie the frustration and isolation the narrator endures. “Turn off the TV, because it bothers me / I’ve seen all that, all that I wanna see,” he sings. The narrator has chosen to close his eyes to the dangerous and unfair world around him, one that is broadcast nonstop on the 24/7 news cycle. It’s a predicament many of us can relate to amid our current political chaos. “Feed the rich, eat the poor / Stack their bodies outside my door,” he spits, with the latter line being one that would reappear in slightly altered form nearly a decade later in "Last to Die" on Magic . One of the joys of Tracks II  is spotting how lines have been repurposed; the album offers insight into Bruce’s creative process, showing how he continually tinkers with particular turns of phrase. "Idiot's Delight" has a lot more bite than Grushecky's honky-tonk version with The Houserockers on the 1998 album, Coming Home . Bruce Springsteen frequently presented a stripped-down version with vocals warped through a bullet mic on the Devils & Dust tour that sounded as if the song was coming from the bowels of Hell. It was fitting for a narrative about Saint Peter looking down on the self-destructive and foolish humans who had been given a beautiful world and so royally fucked it up. Springsteen’s gravelly voice has a devilish snarl, matched by the whining harmonica and sprawling organ that sounds like the narrator’s blood boiling with anger. This hard-blues rocker is yet another song that feels dangerously relevant to our volatile political times. “Another Thin Line” rounds out the Grushecky collaborations. It captures the working-class struggle of just getting by, with lyrics like: “More layoffs, up go the stock / Busted out below, sittin’ pretty on top” and “Money's all gone, nothin' in the bank / Somebody gets sick, family closes rank.” Despite the narrator’s despairing situation, the song has a propulsive energy, especially with Tom Morello’s searing guitar break. The cowbell ticks like a doomsday clock, signaling that there’s no crawling out from the economic grind. If not for the gnarly sound, it could’ve come straight off Wrecking Ball . “Another Thin Line” is a driving anthem for those living paycheck to paycheck—an unfortunate predicament for many today. The Grushecky trio of songs is the strongest and most cohesive on the album. The next crop of songs, in which Springsteen returned to writing on his own, are interchangeable in their appeal and memorability. “The Great Depression” is a cheerful, folksy tune that calls to mind “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Working on a Dream . But instead of being reminded not to waste the time you’ve been granted with your loved ones, the narrator in “The Great Depression” has already lost everything that was once in his possession. The airy piano and plaintive banjo create a compelling tension between the narrator’s despair over playing cheap and easy games with his lover’s heart and destroying the romantic relationship he worked so hard to build. “Blind Man” gently pulls the listener along with its sleepy rhythm and Springsteen’s quiet, flat voice, much like the smooth current of the river the narrator travels on in search of a lost love. Even as life moves forward and the tides are still coming in and out, he is on a journey that feels endless. As a result, the quietly plainspoken tune doesn’t feel like it goes much of anywhere, save for some gliding organ passages from Charlie Giordano. The greatest sin of the majority of tracks on Perfect World  is that they are merely serviceable. The single release “Rain in the River,” however, has a more impressive sound. The main character’s anger and despair pour into the hard-driving drums and shredding guitars. Springsteen’s voice is guttural, sounding like he has a throat full of gravel, which adds to the song’s grittiness. The title is a simile about how Marie's love for the narrator is now untraceable—like the rain that blends into a river. There’s a titillating mystery as to what exactly has occurred in the song when the narrator stands on shallow ground and Marie's long black hair, then leaves town with his Colt by his side. Has he killed her? He comes across like some unscrupulous gunslinger in a Western movie. “Rain in the River" is simple and short, but its forcefulness is welcome compared to the string of rather flighty tunes on Perfect World . “If I Could Only Be Your Lover” was a Wrecking Ball  demo that did not have enough political punch, even though its narrators face foreclosures and dried-up work during an economic downturn. It’s got some passionate guitar solos punctuating the chorus, but the overall melody languishes and does not flow well. The most interesting aspect of the track is its outro of sparkling chimes that resemble a music box; it seems better suited to many other songs in Bruce’s catalog that are far more romantic and tender. Bruce Springsteen’s use of falsetto is an unexpected treat in songs, carrying an ethereal vulnerability absent from the gruff vocal style he’s known for. He employs it in “Cutting Knife,” whose lyrics evoke a kind of medieval ballad: “I have a fair love to whom I’m not true / For this I’ve no reason that’d satisfy you / I thought myself a gentleman and kind / Yet to her good soul and beauty / I’ve willed myself blind.”  It’s an unusual song, built around the striking metaphor of a cutting knife as a woman whose sharp, unflinching qualities call the narrator out in his worst moments. The chorus is elevated by Patti Scialfa’s glowing background vocals. The closing songs of Perfect World  are also notable. “You Lifted Me Up” has repetitive and simple lyrics, but its cheerfulness is infectious. Lines like “All of my faith’s in you,” “You lifted me up,” and “All of my praise to you” aren’t Springsteen’s typically rich poetics, but there’s a zesty energy in the uplifting piano lines and Steve Van Zandt and Patti Scialfa’s vocals that would thrive in a live setting. T he Bruce Springsteen: The Lost Albums  book describes “You Lifted Me Up” as "a spiritual companion" to “Land of Hope and Dreams.” You can especially hear this connection in the jubilant guitar riffs of the Live in New York City  version from 2000, and how the lyrics portray interpersonal relationships as the handiwork of a higher power. “Perfect World” is a lovely closer. It begins with very vivid yet simple imagery of what the world is really like and what we imagine it to be: “Every lover would get a rose on Valentine’s Day / And every stray dog would find its way / I’d be in your arms tonight 'neath the eves / Instead of at your doorstep down on my knees.” This contrasts sharply with the more twangy, raspy cover by John Mellencamp released on his album Orpheus Descending  in 2023. We feel that longing for a “perfect world” far more deeply in Springsteen’s resonant and fragile vocals. In the chorus, Bruce lowers and elongates his voice, as if his throat is tight with sadness, making the gap between hope and reality palpable. Tracks II should be regarded as more of a window into an artistic process rather than fully-formed songs admired for their masterful craftsmanship. Perfect World  exemplifies that most clearly as a grab bag of unassuming compositions without a home, hardly masterpieces but still solid and intriguing listens. -- Film critic, scholar, and writer Caroline Madden  is also the managing editor of the academic journal BOSS: The Bi-Annual Online Journal of Springsteen Studies , and the author of the book Springsteen as Soundtrack: The Sound of the Boss in Film and Television . To connect with Caroline and learn more about her work, please click here to visit her website .

August 23, 2025 Yesterday, Bruce Springsteen/Sony Music digitally released "Lonely Night in the Park," an outtake from the Born to Run sessions, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Born to Run (which officially will hit the big 5-0 on Monday, August 25, having been released on that date back in 1975.) You can hear/download "Lonely Night in the Park" via your preferred online music service by clicking here , or just click the embedded YouTube link below: As released-to-date Born to Run outtakes go... Well, at least this one isn't quite as bad as "Linda Let Me Be The One" from Tracks . Unfortunately, it's also nowhere near as good as "So Young And In Love" from Tracks . My pal (and Letters To You contributing writer) Lisa Iannucci astutely and hilariously described "Lonely Night in the Park" to me as sounding far too much like John "Johnny Cougar" Mellencamp's "I Need a Lover" for comfort. And while it clearly has been beefed up and cleaned up with modern-day contributions from Ron Aniello, Bob Clearmountain, Rob Lebret, Stevie Van Zandt, and Springsteen himself, it's still essentially the same track that's been available in bootleg form widely for decades, played frequently on E Street Radio over the years, etc. Finally, despite the beautiful Eric Meola image accompanying the release of "Lonely Night in the Park," there are absolutely no Clarence Clemons saxophone contributions to be found on this track. All in all, releasing this rather unimpressive outtake, which greatly pales in comparison to every single track that actually made the cut for Born to Run , comes across as a very weak way to celebrate such a major anniversary for such an important album in Bruce Springsteen's oeuvre. How 'bout a long-awaited official release of, say, the best-possible audio available/obtainable from that legendary August '75 Bottom Line stand instead, hmm? Just sayin'. Of course, your mileage may vary on this formerly officially-closed alternate route to Thunder Road, Duke Street, Highway 9, Flamingo Lane, and the Turnpike. To each...

August 21, 2025 The City of Long Branch, NJ , where Bruce Springsteen lived during the creation of his career-defining Born to Run  album, is revisiting Springsteen’s formative years with a brand new exhibit at The Long Branch Arts & Cultural Center entitled Born to Run: Springsteen in Long Branch . The exhibit, produced in collaboration with Monmouth University and The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music (BSACAM,) showcases memorabilia and artifacts from the Archives. With Born to Run officially turning fifty years old next week, the Springsteen in Long Branch exhibit is part of the Archives' and the Garden State's extensive celebration of Born to Run @50. The exhibit had its opening-reception this past Tuesday, August 19. photo by Lisa Iannucci - used with permission photo courtesy of The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music - used with permission photo by Lisa Iannucci - used with permission Marilyn Rocky, who was Bruce Springsteen's "landlordess" while he lived in his rented Long Branch, NJ home during the creation of Born to Run , walking by a replica of Springsteen's now-iconic guitar featured on the cover of Born to Run - photo courtesy of The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music - used with permission Those who may have seen Springsteen: His Hometown , the 2019-2020 Archives/Monmouth County Historical Association co-sponsored exhibit centered on his in his hometown of Freehold, may recognize some of the materials included in this new exhibit. Nevertheless, there are still many rarely seen items, including a drum kit from Bruce’s early band Earth, and a replica Fender Esquire that echoes the instrument made famous on the iconic Born to Run  album cover. photo by Lisa Iannucci - used with permission photo courtesy of The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music - used with permission photo by Lisa Iannucci - used with permission The presentation, like many such exhibits, is chronological, and features blowups of newspaper clips and rare, historical photos of Bruce at some of the Long Branch venues where he's played, as well as some of his local hangouts, including The Inkwell, Max’s Hot Dogs, and The Windmill. Highlights of the exhibit include selected quotes painted in red or black cursive and mounted near the individual installations, as well as a particularly eye-catching blowup of the famous Eric Meola Born to Run  album-cover photo of Springsteen and Clarence Clemons. The opening was crowded with a wide assortment of folks, many of whom hung around to mingle and reminisce, including journalists, musicians Joe Bonanno, Vini Lopez, and trombonist Tommy Meares, and local pols Mayor John Pallone and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., who took the time to post some great photos of the exhibit on his Facebook page . In a "Mad-Dog"-museum kinda moment, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and former E Street Band drummer Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez gets caught enjoying Tuesday night's exhibit-opening-reception - photo courtesy of The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music - used with permission The exhibit is open weekdays from 8:30-4:30, and runs through November 15. The Cultural Center will host some related events, including a presentation on Bruce’s years in Long Branch, and a storytelling event. Call 732-222-7000 x 2050 or follow one of The City of Long Branch's social-media accounts - here , here , or here - for further information. Admission is free, and parking is available on the street or in the municipal lot behind the building. __________ A related but more somber note - On the same day as Springsteen in Long Branch 's opening reception, we received word of the passing of an old, beloved friend of the Jersey Shore music scene: the great Michael “Tunes” Antunes, longtime saxophonist with John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band . Antunes, who appeared as band member “Wendell Newton” in Eddie and The Cruisers  (1984) (the soundtrack of which featured the hit single “On the Dark Side,”) played in a number of New England-based bands before joining forces with Cafferty in the 1970s. Softspoken and generous with his time, Antunes was a strong presence onstage and became a fan favorite with showstopping solos on songs like “Tender Years,” long one of Bruce’s favorites. Having been invited down from their native Rhode Island by Springsteen’s loyal number-one fan and occasional employee, Obie Dziedzic, Cafferty and his band soon became fixtures on the Jersey Shore music scene, and have played several local venues over the years, including The Fast Lane and The Stone Pony. In the early days, they would crash at Obie’s Asbury Park apartment, and she took them under her wing, introducing them to the local music scene and its vibrant community including Bruce, who jammed with them several times in the 1980s. They continue to gig up and down the northeast coast, and played The Wonder Bar earlier this summer. Antunes, whose health had been a concern for a couple years, did not make the trip. Rest in peace, Tunes; you were one of a kind.

August 19, 2025 EDITOR'S NOTE: In 1973, a young rock critic by the name of Jon Landau - who at the time also happened to be married to a young music/film critic named Janet Maslin - reviewed Bob Dylan's soundtrack album for Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid , the '73 Sam Peckinpah film in which Dylan also acted, alongside James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. "True to its soundtrack genre," wrote Landau in Rolling Stone , "much of the record is made up of instrumental music never intended to stand on its own and useless on an album." Ouch, the irony! What exactly would young Mr. Landau think of Bruce Springsteen's Faithless , a "lost album" of soundtrack music (including instrumental music) for another western film - a "spiritual western," at that - but a film that, to date, doesn't even exist? The world can never know, of course, but that's okay with us here at Letters To You. In any case, we're much more interested in knowing what our friend and occasional contributing writer Joe Amodei - the veteran filmmaker, astute movie buff, and longtime Springsteen fan - thinks of Faithless . Take it away, Joe... When I was asked to pen a review of one of the seven albums in Bruce Springsteen’s epic  Tracks II: The Lost Albums   release, I was hesitant. The album that was offered to me was Faithless . I knew going in that this album was not a typical well-written, epic Springsteen record release. This was a totally different path the rock star had taken, a path that as a fan, I always had wondered why it hadn’t been traveled previously. This was a score, a soundtrack to what was to be a major feature film. Of course, Bruce has written and contributed original songs to several films over the years, most famously with his Oscar-winning "Streets of Philadelphia" for Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia , and he's even done a bit of interstitial and prelude scoring for both his "Hunter of Invisible Game" and Western Stars films that he co-directed with Thom Zimny. Nevertheless, he's never taken on the task of scoring an entire film before, and therefore I've never before written about a soundtrack album containing - presumably - the full Springsteen-composed score for a feature film. I would not be diving into many songs, lyrics, and music that tell their own stories, as Bruce so poetically gives us in almost all of his albums. That would be done by the folks who inherited the jobs of reviewing the other six Tracks II albums. Lucky them. This would be the opposite thing, entirely. This time the music and the songs would go hand in hand with a story already written by someone else. The source material would not be Bruce. And the music I would be listening to would be written to take us deeper into that story, and to dig deep into that emotion that would be on the big (or little) screen on which we'd be watching the film. Pretty heavy stuff, and quite a different adventure for this longtime Springsteen fan. Oh, and I forgot the most important thing... The unknown mystery. The MacGuffin that I could not use because... well, it didn’t exist. There is no movie I can watch with this music in it. There isn’t even a script I can read as I listen to the music. As most if not all readers of this review will know, the score was written and then recorded before a frame of film ever was shot. And then the movie was never made. And we are not 100% positive what that movie is. And of course, no one is talking. (Well, as I would come to find out there actually was one person "talking," but more on that later.) So, I did some digging anyway, and here is what I found. Throwing just a bit of caution to the wind, I’ll go slightly out on a limb here and write that Faithless definitely would have been the score for a film based on a Tom Eidson western novel entitled St. Agnes' Stand . This is the book that some folks have spoken about online as the one that might have been the film's source material. (Springsteen only has gone on record so far as to tell Rolling Stone 's Andy Greene that he composed and recorded the music on Faithless using both "a book" and "a screenplay.") Having now read St. Agnes' Stand myself, I have no doubt at this point. And I have another pretty good source, to boot; Bruce Springsteen himself told me. Actually, he told all of us; he just didn’t say it out loud. I’ll explain below. But first, some more on St. Agnes' Stand . Published in April 1994, this western saga tells the story of a shot-up, weary cowboy with a bullet in his leg, who goes by the name of Nat Swanson. Nat's on the run, being pursued across the desert towards California by a group of men intent on killing him. He comes across a wagon train that has been attacked by an Apache tribe out for blood in the worse fashion. Upon approach, he finds an elderly nun named Sister St. Agnes, still alive, who takes him to a hidden cave where two other nuns, along with seven young children, are sheltering in place. Sister St. Agnes believes that Swanson has been sent by God to save them. Swanson is not the believer Sister St. Agnes wants him to be, but he knows he is their only hope as the marauding Apache are getting closer and closer to discovering and infiltrating their hiding place. The book was a somewhat hot property, and optioned by Dreamworks to be made into a feature film that was to be directed by Martin Scorsese. There are also reports that at one point Sydney Pollack was in the mix to direct, as well. But as we know, none of this ever happened; the film was never made. Eidson’s novel has a spiritual bent to it, as the elder Sister St. Agnes truly believes that the Almighty has reached down and sent this man to save them, a la Homer Smith in the wonderful Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field ("gonna build me a chapel") or the long-running hit show Highway to Heaven , starring Michael Landon. But that’s as far as the spirituality goes in St. Agnes' Stand . The book contains nightmarish pages of brutality committed by the Apache that would most likely have been toned down at least somewhat for the film adaptation. The novel's depiction of the Apache is not the fair and accurate portrayal one would hope we'd see today. So the question remains: Is Faithless the unused score that was written for a cinematic adaptation of St. Agnes' Stand ? At this point it’s still left completely up to you, but there are some big clues that Springsteen himself gives us via the liner-notes and the book The Lost Albums included with vinyl-LP/CD versions of Tracks II . Along with Bruce referring to the film as “a spiritual western," there are lines in the lyrics of “Where You Goin', Where You From” that refer to a crossbow and a Hawken gun. These are the weapons of choice used by Nat Swenson in St. Agnes' Stand . In the same song, we find the lyric “I’ve got me a home on the other side of this storm." St. Agnes' Stand contains a sequence with a torrential life-threatening storm and flood that the characters fight to survive. Also, Swanson carries with him a deed to a home in California, and that is where he is headed if he can survive. And there is more. Let’s look at each track on the album... Track 1 - “ The Desert” (Instrumental) - As Bruce says in the book The Lost Albums , this is basically “interstitial music” that speaks to the images on the screen. It sets a tone and in this case, it could be the opening of the film, following Swanson as he heads into the sprawling desert, evading capture. Track 2 - “Where You Goin’, Where You From” - Swanson is on the road now, and has eluded capture. Not sure where the road is heading but, as the lyrics say, it’s “on the road to kingdom come” and “I've got a round in my Hawken gun,” which, as stated above, happens to be the gun that Swanson carries throughout St. Agnes' Stand . Further evidence is the line  “Black powder on my thumb.” As we learn in the novel, Swanson has fired the gun before the story begins, which would have blackened his thumb. Also appearing in this song's lyrics is the line “I've got a quarrel in my crossbow.” Again, this is Swanson's main go-to when fighting the Apache, presumably the "devil" Bruce refers to in the song. For me, this is one of the highlights of the album. Backed on vocals by his sons Evan and Sam, along with Patti Scialfa, it sounds like a nice little almost-folksy song, but the lyrics are deadly serious and talk of danger behind and ahead. The song ends with a moody instrumental piece that is as haunting as it is beautiful. Track 3 - “Faithless” - This is the story of Nat Swanson. A lone cowboy with no faith but the barrel of his gun who, as the song says, “walked 'neath the eves of the garden” and “in the valley 'neath an endless sky,” beaten and alone, but for the desert in front of him and the stars above. And then in a moment of acceptance comes the line “Then I found you.” God? Maybe. More likely it's Sister St. Agnes, but it clearly spells out that this lost man has found something meaningful. As a stand-alone song, this character could be anyone, and that is what makes this song one of the main reasons why the album has been called a spiritual journey. Track 4 - “All God’s Children” - With an obvious nod to the children being sheltered and hidden away from the Apache, this gospel-church-clapping, knee-slapping song is the most raucous one on the album. As loud as it is lively, and with the “Glory Hallelujah” chorus, this could be one song to make it on stage at a Springsteen concert. (Coincidentally, Eidson also wrote and published a 1996 novel entitled All God's Children .) Track 5 - “A Prayer By The River” (Instrumental) - This is where the score begins to soar. As background music, this would work just about anywhere, but I believe this would have been used throughout the film during its most serious and spiritual moments. With the Morricone-style angels providing the choral backdrop, this passage perfectly fits into what the movie would be saying. Track 6 - “God Sent You” - Wow! Another title or subtitle could be “Sister St. Agnes' Theme," as it personifies all that she is wishing for and is asking for help from God. This is one of the most beautifully written and sacred songs Bruce has ever given us. More hymnlike than anything else he has written, it is one that grabs your heart and reaches into your soul. This one actually brought tears to my eyes with its beauty and soulfulness. It could stand away from the score and have different meanings to different folks but in particular for those who believe in the word of God. It is my favorite piece from the album. (Interesting point of speculation... Why the apparent "last-minute" lyric change - and clearly modern overdubbed vocal by a much older-sounding Springsteen - from the line "His inner light is my patience" as printed on the album's lyric-sheet, to “Through His inner light, forsake temptation?”) Track 7 - “Goin to California” - Almost like a companion to “Where You Goin’, Where You From” in its wistful rendering by Bruce. This could be in the beginning or the end of the film. Not a whole lot to it, but in the frame of the score it would work well, and it does have some rip-roaring banjo. Track 8 - “The Western Sea” (Instrumental) - Moody, atmospheric and once again leaning towards the spiritual side of things. Purely written for the score. Track 9 - “My Master's Hand” - Another song that could take the stage at any Springsteen show, and one that possibly brings some of Bruce’s own spirituality into the film. This could be played over end credits or leading up to the exciting climax. Nat Swanson, at this point in the story, is all in and will do anything, including dying, if it means saving the nuns and the children. This is where he becomes what Sister St. Agnes has prayed for. He is the miracle she asked God for, and in these lyrics he surrenders to Him. This is more like a Springsteen song than any other on the album. One wonders if this is a description of Swanson, or of Bruce himself, as he sings “I’ll live in the love of my master's hand.”  Or is it a combination of both? It is interesting to think about this, especially given the continued ambiguity and ambivalence around how Springsteen publicly discusses his perspectives on religion and spirituality.   Track 10 - “Let Me Ride” - This could have been featured on a few of Bruce’s previous albums, and while the lyrics could fit somewhat into the story of St. Agnes' Stand , I’m not sure how well it works both as a piece of the score and as a one-off. I like the vocals, and in particular the chorus, but feel this is one song that didn’t belong on this album. Track 11 - “My Master's Hand (Theme)" - This instrumental version of "My Master's Hand" is, again, a piece that could also be played throughout the film, broken up to compliment the action taking place, as well as over the closing credits.   Faithless would be the perfect score to any film adaptation of Eidson's novel. Each piece carries with it the feel of the spiritual journey the characters undertake. This journey takes them along the desert and mountainous terrains that can be found in classic John Ford westerns. It's interesting that Bruce composed a score without ever seeing any images of a completed film. We all have seen pictures of famous composers in front of a full orchestra in a recording studio, looking up at a screen while the action is right in front of them. Bruce did not have that advantage. Bruce loves the music of composer Ennio Morricone. I wonder if he knew that for the films that Ennio made with his frequent collaborator Sergio Leone, this is how the great Maestro often worked. He wrote much of the score for films like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in America before the film was shot. Master meets master. Many critics and fans have placed Faithless at the bottom of the seven-albums set we now know as Tracks II: The Lost Albums .  But for what it is, and, more important, what it was recorded to be , I think it belongs up there with the best. Someone out there should make this film. You already have a score.

August 8, 2025 I was drawn to Inyo , first, because of the apparent ways it speaks to The Ghost of Tom Joad and especially its tour. Tom Joad was a startling break from what Springsteen had released before, even Nebraska , because much of the music seemed little more than ambient orchestration for the words. I remember struggling to hang on as I played it over and over again in my living room. But less than two weeks after its release, I was lucky enough to see one of the early shows on the Joad  tour in the Rosemont Theater outside Chicago, and I could not have imagined one person with a guitar conjuring up a more moving performance. The musical heart of the songs became apparent, and when Springsteen dipped into the back catalog, new dimensions appeared. Using his guitar as percussion for an acapella “Promised Land” close, I could swear that a twister rolled around the darkness of the theater. Regarding this newly released collection recorded around the time of that tour, Joad ’s live “Across the Border” offered a glimpse of what we hear on Inyo . At the place in “Border” where the “hope in our hearts” takes the migrant’s imagination, a place he can only dream of because it hasn’t yet been reached, Springsteen kept singing wordlessly after the lyrics, a high keening sound in a register I certainly didn’t know he had. It was a falsetto in a sense common in regional Mexican music, a leap that reached beyond what seems possible in search of something the heart feels sure is true. It was a haunted and haunting sound, as if the singer were actively trying to find and hold onto that place in the song where “pain and memory will be stilled.” We hear Springsteen using that kind of vocal again here, almost serving the same purpose on the album’s most beautiful song, “El Jardinero (Upon the Death of Ramona).” Every note on the guitar is a tender struggle like the daily details of the gardener’s work as he tries to find his lost daughter in the beauty that surrounds him. Each step is a deeply convicted effort. The character worries that his grief may itself be a sin of indulgence, and he trims branches to allow the breezes he associates with Ramona’s spirit to blow freely. He works for his living son, and he works for his wife, yet he finds himself asking, “how will my heart ever mend?” At the end, he’s left crying wordlessly again, layer upon layer of those vocals over deliberate steps of guitar, that high head voice blending with shimmering keys as if the father’s and daughter’s ghosts have aligned. On one level, Springsteen is at his most Woody Guthrie on this record—as with “Tom Joad,”  “1913 Massacre,” and “Deportee,” telling stories that have been told before in his own way, telling stories heard along the beloved Mother Road, Route 66, the bulk of it in the desert Southwest, and telling stories he read in the newspaper. The title track uses the Owens Valley water wars to lay a deep foundation for the ongoing California water crisis and the region’s ongoing fires, not to mention water wars and fires that rage nationwide. In that song, the Paiute who were pushed off the land are only mentioned briefly, but it’s not long before the album’s hard focus becomes the lives of the Indigenous peoples of that Southwest that take up most of the record—those here before the Spanish and here before northern Europeans gave the whole thing a Southern European name while attempting to drive the Spanish-speaking peoples across the Southern border. In fact, while the actual protagonists of “Indian Town,” “Our Lady of Monroe,” “One False Move,” and “When I Build My Beautiful House,” may not explicitly be Indigenous or Mexican American characters, they just as easily could be. It’s hard to miss the parallel between “Monroe’s” “little brown-eyed girl shootin’ cans in the river” and the revolutionary warrior “Adelita,” who “stood above us firing her rifle till the gunpowder turned her hand black.” As with much of the best of Springsteen’s work, this is a story about who we are as Americans and intentionally blurs the lines between that question and who we once were in hopes of connecting us around who we might be. For such reasons, I’m not only thankful for the great musical leaps provided by mariachi bands on “Adelita” and “The Lost Charro,” but I find these songs career triumphs. The trumpet and harp on both songs are thrilling, and the great vocal percussive notes on “Adelita” call to mind Ennio Morricone’s beautiful western orchestrations. Surprisingly, Springsteen’s creative use of synth (that sounds a lot like ethereal vocals) and Curt Ramm’s trumpet create a similar cinematic effect on “Ciudad Juarez.” Regarding the falsetto mentioned earlier, “The Lost Charro” uses such vocal leaps in repeated refrains as a now-migrant worker remembers his lariat. It’s a kind of playful grace note that manages to evoke the painful yearning in the memory. Not incidentally, it also calls to mind Roy Orbison and his own ranchera influences. In some ways, this music is, in fact, also about all those lonely dreams Orbison sang about, where they came from and how they bind us together. Though not numerous, among the more prominent and welcome nods to Guthrie and the folk tradition are the singable choruses here. “Inyo” itself may have pretty-much-unsingable verses, but the “ain’t you feeling dry” chorus invites Soozie Tyrell to chime in vocally as does the chorus of “When I Build My Beautiful House.” The “Godmother when I die” refrain of “The Lost Charro” takes on rowdy choral backing as it builds. “When I Build My Beautiful House,” as a folkie closer, calls to mind “My Best Was Never Good Enough” in its simplicity, but its tone is very different: an earnest dream of something beyond the ephemera, in that sense more like “Across the Border.” In fact, “When I Build My Beautiful House” actually was written and recorded before “Across The Border,” as was “Blue Highway” from Somewhere North of Nashville , both of which contain variations of the same house-on-a-hill-where-pain-and-memory-have-been-stilled phrasing/imagery that ended up in “Across The Border.” The origins of another album closer also glimpsed here is a twinkle of “We Are Alive” in “The Aztec Dance.” A deceptively slight-sounding piece, “The Aztec Dance” relies on sustained synth and whispery guitar arpeggios for accompaniment, eventually accented by a smattering of bright notes on piano. In this case, Springsteen seems most concerned that the music does not get in the way of the words at all. If anything, the sounds are there to add a slight patina to this portrait of young boys with machetes and young girls in satin dresses doing traditional folkloric dances. The song is after the universal in the specific. By the end of the first stanza, it’s focused on one dancer in particular, Teresa, and her mother who is fixing her hair, helping her get ready. She complains to her mother about the ways strangers talk about her people, and her mother tells her about the Edenic world before the Europeans arrived and enslaved her ancestors. “City gone and left in ruins, they cry bitter tears in another world,” the mother explains just before the tenderest and most powerful of affirmations, “But here in this world, my daughter, they have you." With that line, a mother hands her daughter a sense of connection, dignity, and purpose, perhaps what all of us need most in today’s climate so hostile to such beauty. -- Danny Alexander is a Kansas-based writer, teacher, and activist. He is also the author of Real Love, No Drama: The Music of Mary J. Blige (available for purchase here and here ,) and the co-editor (with Daniel Wolff) of Kick Out the Jams: Jibes, Barbs, Tributes, and Rallying Cries from 35 Years of Music Writing by Dave Marsh . Click here to connect further with Danny and his work at his Substack platform.