In the mid-1970s, Bruce Springsteen and his E-street band had one more chance to prove their worth as musicians to Columbia Records. An opportunity they grabbed with both hands. Because in an all-or-nothing environment, they recorded “Born to Run”. The song that brought Springsteen and his companions mainstream success in the United States.
But what’s the story behind “Born to Run”? And what’s the meaning of the song? Let’s find out!
The Origin Behind the Song
Before Bruce Springsteen rose to stardom with his album Born to Run, he was locally known as a cult artist. He was praised for his fiery live performances and profound lyrics.
Record labels saw potential in Springsteen, who consequently signed with Columbia Records in 1972. The contract granted him three studio albums. Springsteen was hailed as the new Bob Dylan, but couldn’t fulfill that promise. The first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, knew little commercial success.
Springsteen knew Columbia Records contractually owed him one more album. And since the first two albums were unsuccessful, Springsteen considered the third album to be a case of all-or-nothing.
“Cult artists don’t last on Columbia Records,” wrote Springsteen in his autobiography Born to Run. “We miss this one, contract’s up and in all probability we’ll be sent back to the minors deep in the South Jersey pines. I had to make a record that was the embodiment of what I’d been slowly promising I could do. It had to be something epic and extraordinary, something that hadn’t quite been heard before.”
Springsteen set the bar high, for he aimed at making the best rock ‘n roll record ever.
The Story Behind The Song
With this mindset, Springsteen began working on his third studio album. The first song he wrote would eventually carry the name of the record: “Born to Run”.
“One day I was playing my guitar on the edge of my bed, working on some song ideas, and the words ‘born to run’ came into my head,” Springsteen wrote in his book Songs. “At first I thought it was the name of a movie or something I’d seen on a car spinning around the Circuit, but I couldn’t be certain. I liked the phrase because it suggested a cinematic drama I thought would work with the music I was hearing in my head.”
The music Springsteen heard in his head was rock ‘n roll music from the 1950s and 1960s. He had a growing interest in music from that era. Inspired by the likes of Roy Orbison, Duane Eddy, Elvis Presley, and Bob Dylan, Springsteen wrote the music for “Born to Run”.
But the seeming ease with which “Born to Run” arose, did not apply to its recording. No, Recording “Born to Run” was a grueling process. In the end, it took over six months, owing it to the fact the song needed an outer-worldly sound and treatment.
“I wanted to craft a record that sounded like the last record on Earth, like the last record you might hear . . . the last one you’d ever NEED to hear,” Springsteen wrote in his book Born to Run.
The entire album would eventually take over 14 months to finish.
The Meaning of Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” tells the story of young lovers seeking freedom. The narrator invites a girl named Wendy to run away with him to discover what life has to offer. He craves to escape the town that ‘rips the bones from his back’ before it’s too late.
The song, filled with references to Springsteen’s birth state New Jersey, reportedly had over 50 pages of lyrics written for it.
Springsteen later admitted “Born to Run” was the song of his youth, and changed meaning for him. He recognized freedom couldn’t be achieved by running away, but by creating a meaningful community.
The Song’s Legacy
Producer Mike Appel gave an early version of “Born to Run” to radio disc jockeys at the end of 1974. The song was received positively and received frequent airplay. It was the perfect hype-builder for the album release the following year.
“Born to Run” was released as the first single of the album on August 25, 1975. It was Springsteen’s first US Billboard top-40 hit and eventually peaked at 23. It knew little success outside of the United States.
Over the years, “Born to Run” grew out to be a Bruce Springsteen essential. It is often hailed as his best song, and as one of the greatest rock anthems ever. The song is especially popular in Springsteen’s birth state New Jersey, where citizens have tried to make it the state’s official anthem.
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