To anyone with a slightest of taste in the rock and roll music, the name Bruce Springsteen holds a great relevance. ‘The Boss’ of rock and roll has served the music industry for over five decades and is still going strong.
Even at the age of 68, the “Born in the U.S.A.” singer carries an exceptional stage presence and never fails to mesmerize his fans everytime he walks up that stage. Although Springsteen has lived the majority of his life in the limelight, there are still plenty of things most of us don’t know about him.
Today, we are presenting you 10 facts about Bruce Springsteen you never knew.
No no.1 single in the U.K. or the U.S.
Bruce Springsteen may surely be hailed as the god of American rock and roll, but the track record of his singles in the U.K and the U.S. are not as remarkable as we expect it to be. It is quite surprising to know that one of the renowned and biggest-selling artists of all time hasn’t been able to land his single in the No.1 spot in either of the countries.
High-profile fans
The Boss has a pretty huge fan base and that includes some well-known names like Barack Obama and late Clash frontman, Joe Strummer. Obama even said that he ran for the president because he couldn’t be Bruce Springsteen.
There’s a planet called Springsteen
Do you remember one of those amazing moments when a planet is named after you? We don’t either. But apparently, Bruce Springsteen does. Astronomers in Auckland, New Zealand named a minor planet (23990) Springsteen in 1999. Reason? his music had entertained the observers the night the planet was discovered.
“Hungry Hearts” was originally written for The Ramones
In 1979, Springsteen went to see the Ramones concert in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Joey Ramone asked him to write a song for them when Springsteen met him after the show.
He then wrote “Hungry Heart” for them, but he kept it for himself following the advice of his manager.
Trouble at school
Springsteen studied in a Catholic school where he was particularly at odds with the strict rules imposed on him. Once, when in the third grade, he had been stuffed into a garbage can…by a nun. She apparently claimed, “that’s where he belonged”.
E Street really exists
E Street is an actual street name which is situated in Belmar, New Jersey. Apparently, the band used the name cause the original keyboard player of the band David Sancious’ mom lived there and she was generous enough to let the band rehearse in her house.
His first song on guitar
Springsteen was heavily influenced by the Beatles during his early years. When Springsteen first picked up his guitar, he learned “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles. However, at that time, the rockstar hadn’t even imagined he would make thousands of people twist and shout a few years later.
Severance to the E Street
In 1989, Springsteen decided to disband E Street. However, he was kind enough to pay each band member a severance package of a whopping $2 million.
Two wives, single music video
A particularly amazing fact about Springsteen is that his wife at the time, Julianne Phillips and his present wife, Patti Scialfa, both can be seen in his “Glory Days” music video. AWKWARD!
Springsteen’s photography skills
Apart from singing, Springsteen has a keen interest in photography. According to his photographer friend, Frank Stefanko, he is actually quite good at photography and enjoys taking pictures of “weird Jersey billboards [and] funny signs on the sides of diners.”
To anyone with a slightest of taste in the rock and roll music, the name Bruce Springsteen holds a great relevance. ‘The Boss’ of rock and roll has served the music industry for over five decades and is still going strong.
Even at the age of 68, the “Born in the U.S.A.” singer carries an exceptional stage presence and never fails to mesmerize his fans everytime he walks up that stage. Although Springsteen has lived the majority of his life in the limelight, there are still plenty of things most of us don’t know about him.
Today, we are presenting you 10 facts about Bruce Springsteen you never knew.
No no.1 single in the U.K. or the U.S.
Bruce Springsteen may surely be hailed as the god of American rock and roll, but the track record of his singles in the U.K and the U.S. are not as remarkable as we expect it to be. It is quite surprising to know that one of the renowned and biggest-selling artists of all time hasn’t been able to land his single in the No.1 spot in either of the countries.
High-profile fans
The Boss has a pretty huge fan base and that includes some well-known names like Barack Obama and late Clash frontman, Joe Strummer. Obama even said that he ran for the president because he couldn’t be Bruce Springsteen.
There’s a planet called Springsteen
Do you remember one of those amazing moments when a planet is named after you? We don’t either. But apparently, Bruce Springsteen does. Astronomers in Auckland, New Zealand named a minor planet (23990) Springsteen in 1999. Reason? his music had entertained the observers the night the planet was discovered.
“Hungry Hearts” was originally written for The Ramones
In 1979, Springsteen went to see the Ramones concert in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Joey Ramone asked him to write a song for them when Springsteen met him after the show.
He then wrote “Hungry Heart” for them, but he kept it for himself following the advice of his manager.
Trouble at school
Springsteen studied in a Catholic school where he was particularly at odds with the strict rules imposed on him. Once, when in the third grade, he had been stuffed into a garbage can…by a nun. She apparently claimed, “that’s where he belonged”.
E Street really exists
E Street is an actual street name which is situated in Belmar, New Jersey. Apparently, the band used the name cause the original keyboard player of the band David Sancious’ mom lived there and she was generous enough to let the band rehearse in her house.
His first song on guitar
Springsteen was heavily influenced by the Beatles during his early years. When Springsteen first picked up his guitar, he learned “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles. However, at that time, the rockstar hadn’t even imagined he would make thousands of people twist and shout a few years later.
Severance to the E Street
In 1989, Springsteen decided to disband E Street. However, he was kind enough to pay each band member a severance package of a whopping $2 million.
Two wives, single music video
A particularly amazing fact about Springsteen is that his wife at the time, Julianne Phillips and his present wife, Patti Scialfa, both can be seen in his “Glory Days” music video. AWKWARD!
Springsteen’s photography skills
Apart from singing, Springsteen has a keen interest in photography. According to his photographer friend, Frank Stefanko, he is actually quite good at photography and enjoys taking pictures of “weird Jersey billboards [and] funny signs on the sides of diners.”