Bruce Springsteen

Released: November 10, 1998

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Bruce Springsteen Jon Landau Chuck Plotkin

Dirty old street all slushed up in the rain and snow
Little boy and his ma shivering outside a rundown music store window
That night on top of a Christmas tree shines one beautiful star
And lying underneath, a brand-new Japanese guitar

I remember in the morning, Ma, hearing your alarm clock ring
I'd lie in bed and listen to you gettin' ready for work
The sound of your makeup case on the sink
And the ladies at the office, all lipstick, perfume, and rustlin' skirts
And how proud and happy you always looked walking home from work

If Pa's eyes were windows into a world so deadly and true
You couldn't stop me from looking, but you kept me from crawlin' through
And if it's a funny old world, Ma, where a little boy's wishes come true
Well, I got a few in my pocket and a special one just for you

It ain't no phone call on Sunday, flowers, or a Mother's Day card
It ain't no house on a hill with a garden and a nice little yard
I got my hot rod down on Bond Street, I'm older, but you'll know me in a glance
We'll find us a little rock 'n roll bar and, baby, we'll go out and dance

Well it was me in my Beatle boots, you in pink curlers and matador pants
Pullin' me up off the couch to do The Twist for my uncles and aunts
Well I found a girl of my own now, Ma, I popped the question on your birthday
She stood waiting on the front porch while you were telling me to get out there
And say what it was that I had to say

Last night we all sat around laughing at the things that guitar bought us
And I layed awake thinking about the other things it's brought us
Well tonight I'm taking requests here in the kitchen
This one's for you, Ma, let me come right out and say it
It's overdue, but baby, if you're looking for a sad song, well I ain't gonna play it

Bruce Springsteen is a rock ‘n’ roll icon from the great state of New Jersey. Nicknamed “The Boss,” he’s known for spirited sax-powered anthems about working-class people making their way in the world. Backed by the trusty E Street Band, he’s sold more than 120 million records, won numerous awards (including 20 Grammys and an Oscar), sold out stadiums around the globe, and earned a place alongside his teenage heroes in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Although he’s a living legend who ranks among the most important artists in rock history, Springsteen wasn’t an overnight success. Around the time of his first album, 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., he was dismissed as just another “new Dylan"—some scruffy folk singer with a decent vocabulary looking to follow in Bob’s footsteps. In the decade that followed, Springsteen proved himself to be much more.

His breakthrough came with his third album, 1975’s Born to Run. The record hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and landed the singer-songwriter on the cover of both Time and Newsweek. Bruce nabbed his first chart-topping album five years later with The River, and in 1984, he went global with Born in the U.S.A., a critical and commercial smash that produced seven Top 10 singles.

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