10 Best Bruce Springsteen Albums
7. Born In The U.S.A. (1984)
If you’ve only heard one Springsteen album, chances are it’s Born In The U.S.A. No surprise then that the most pop-oriented album of Springsteen’s career was also his biggest seller. In fact, it remains one of the biggest sellers of all time. Born In The U.S.A. sent The Boss stratospheric and launched him straight into the heart of the mid-1980s American zeitgeist. It’s not hard to see why.
After all, the track listing reads like a greatest hits compilation: Born In The U.S.A. (the title track, and one of the most misunderstood songs ever released), Dancing In The Dark, Glory Days, I’m On Fire, and Cover Me to name just a few. Incredibly, seven of the album’s 12 tracks were released as singles and all seven cracked the Top Ten of the US Singles Chart. It was also his first album to reach number one in the UK, while Dancing In The Dark was his first major success on the UK Singles Chart.
Over 35 years later, it occupies an odd place in the Springsteen canon. Not as good as the casual observer might think – it is good, just nowhere near his best work – but better than diehards Boss fans would usually like to admit.