Never really "got" Nebraska when first came out as someone in my 20's. Now, as a more mature adult, I can clearly see and feel the pain oozing from every note. A masterpiece indeed.
It truly is a different album. Atlantic City being the obvious single for radio play. So much different than any of his other albums. I personally love its slow pacing. Not to say I didn't love Born to Run or Born in the USA. Much better than The River IMO.
One of the most stunning chilling lines of a song ever written."They wanted to know why I did what I did,well sir I guess there's just a meaness in this world"
I was probably 27 years old while i first listened to Nebraska from the tape cassette that my younger brother ‘s friend gave me. It took lots of times for me with english dictionary to find out the meaning of the songs according to my Thai nationality and high school educated. The lonely sound of mouth organ attracted me so much plus the powerful muse voices of Bruce hypnotized me , comfort and supported me from my hard working 7 days a week as office boy. Everyday that i listen to Nebraska ,My father ‘s house, Highway patrolman , Mansion on the hill,Johny 99 , State trooper ,others whenever i have an opportunity to supported myself to kept going fighting for my future and it work well. For me “Nebraska” was a great poem that changed my life.. Thanking you very much Bruce Springsteen.
i discovered this when i was 14. i am 52 now. i still listen to it weekly. and still it touchers me deeply everyy single time i hear nebraska, johnny 99 etc. than you bruce, a true masterpiece
This is a remarkable interview; one of the best I've heard with Bruce ever in the 45 or so years that I've been following Springsteen's career. Much of the credit goes to CBS and the producers for choosing the correspondent (Jim Axelrod) that they did. Insighful, poignant, intellegent questions from someone who clearly understands Springsteen's perspective and his music. Interested to read the book that is referenced here about the making of the album!
Agree. The interviewer made the point that if someone looked to only Springsteen’s arena-type rock songs, that’s only one facet. They’re missing a whole other side of the man with “Nebraska.”
@@marywatkins6798 The end result was a "conversation", not an interview. Only a very few have the skills to do that. Bruce's responses were informed by the great comments/questions from Axelrod, and his fascintating responses were directly related to the questions coming his way. I'll watch this one a number of times. :) The Michael J. Fox interview in this same episode was equally incredible.
When we went on a trip to Colorado we drove through Nebraska. When we only had a couple hours left through the state I asked if we could listen to Nebraska while we were on the road. No one else in the car had ever heard of the album - they still talk to this day how impactful that record was while looking at those wide open plains and how the lyrics resonated with them. A great great record one of my all time favorites.
As a life long Bruce fan at 40 years old he's the best ever...So...1 hour ago I decided up here on a rainy dark day in Farmingdale,Maine my "Hometown" to put on the Nebraska album which I love so much.Then my wife shows me this video on TH-cam and assumes I already saw this today because I was listening to the album...well I did not till now!! So Ironic!!!it gave me chills!!!
He's not the only one who consideres it a masterpiece, it's an album that nobody but Bruce can make , a magical melancholic trip that stands the test of time
I was watching the interviewer in that moment, wondering if he was picking up on some of that magic in the moment haha. So crazy. I would love to see that film!
Had Nebraska on a road trip across the Midwest that I did with a college buddy in 1992. At first we were cracking up over what a downer each and every song was, and then we just fell in love with it. It was all we played. Truly a masterpiece.
@Bruce Springsteen🎶 Probably since 1982 when I went off to college and started hearing other kids' music. Born to Run was my first exposure, and once MTV started we were all in. Downbound Train is a favorite, and Bobby Jean, and I really think of Nebraska as one opus, not separate songs. While I love all your hits, it's the sadder ones, the ones that show how torn up a man can feel inside, that are my favorites. Thank you for giving us all that you have 🙂
@Bruce Springsteen🎶 I have far too many memories of adventures accompanied by your music to go through here. Rock and roll is great unto itself, but literate rock and roll? That's another story. Time in a bottle. Thanks for sharing the vision.
I did the same thing going on a camping trip to the Wisconsin Dells from West Central Illinois, i was in my second marriage and I would play the cassette over & over my wife started to get desponded. Told me to " SHUT THAT THING OFF".
My girlfriend, Stacey L, gifted me this album on cassette. We met in Big Sky, Mt. Two young adults trying to figure life out. She was greatly moved by this album, so she shared her emotions with me. Though we moved apart, the music still lives! Stacey, if you read this, i hope you are well and happy!
For me it was Suzy O in KY. Things worked out differently than we thought but I still have good memories of that time. Blessings to you Suzy if you read this.
Lone Peak! Great share. What a terrific time and place to figure it out. Every man alive should fall in love with a Montana girl once or twice. I did surveying work near Ousel Falls. That summer on that mountain was nearly as great as the powder days!
@@Shackleton71 Ya, Big Sky in the 80’s was great. I spent lots and of time at Ousel Falls. Summers were warm, so Ousel Falls was very refreshing. Stacey was a Minnesota gal, she was in Big Sky for the winter and summer. Lived in Big Sky for 10 years. Bounced around southwest Montana for awhile, till I just settled down in Bozeman. Life is good!
Trying to choose a favorite Bruce song for me is impossible there's favorites for that period in life that somehow seem applicable Racing in the streets The river Growing up Jungle land. There's maybe 3 artist that write something like that and those artist are meant to sing it nobody can cover it better Bruce man simply thank you for making the rhythm that beat that made it possible to walk through the tuff dance to the celebration and hold onto the memories !
Long time Bruce fan, and Nebraska is my favorite of his albums. There’s just something about its starkness, simplicity, and raw emotions in its songs. Sometimes, even with Springsteen, less is more.
@@richardshermanjr1899 Vedder wrote 3 songs for them prior to arriving to Seattle based on some instrumental tapes sent to him. Two of those songs became Once and Alive
Nebraska came out just after I got divorced and then remarried. I was in a bad place. I had just "lost" a daughter even though we stayed in touch and I never really lost her but I didn't know it at the time. I also just had another daughter with my second wife and I was torn for some reason but I didn't know why. I also had just purchased a Tascam 4 track recorder like what Bruce Springsteen used to record this album on. I just wanted to see what you could do with it. I wasn't a great songwriter but I did use it a lot over the years. What I didn't expect when I bought "Nebraska" though was how much it would speak to me and on how many levels. This is an album I've worn out, repurchased on Vinyl and CDs, and given away to my children and friends as gifts. It is dark but it's also real and because of that, a light. Thank you Bruce for taking the risk.
when I started my songwriting journey (not long ago), I was into pop music, then I found The Beatles, The Who, and wanted to write something more and I found Bruce Springsteen. I am not from New Jersey and nowhere can experience what he feels in his songs, but something about the way he writes the characters, the lyrics, the melody, intimate but inexplicably larger than life makes me a big fan of music. Every artists writes from their viewpoint in this world and there's a liking to each of them, maybe it's because somehow I see bits of myself in his songs.
@@JuneH-j8p who doesn't? Four buddies taking on the world, cutting a path of their own with their pen and their guitars. They released 8 concept masterpieces and then split up and continued to release great material on their own. In retrospective they may not be the best anymore but nothing came before them and Elvis, respectively.
Incredible album. I remember buying it for $5.99 at the corner record store. This and Darkness on the Edge of Town. Seminal. Overproduction kills the music.
Excelent segment! Ive loved tons of Springsteen songs through my life but I always steered clear of "NEBRASKA" for some reason...but now that I'm 43 and a bit more weathered in life, I think I'm ready to melt into this album..thanks for the reminder!
While Springsteen was still trying to figure out how to get the band to play the songs the way he wanted, credit Steve Van Zandt as the first guy to hear the tape and say, "That's your album."
It took me a long time to get into Nebraska, but the effort it took was worth it. I was listening to it on vinyl at like 2am pulling an all nighter in college. I had the window open and there was this chill coming in that felt like part of the album. There’s this kinda haunted feeling about it, makes me think of all the characters from his earlier albums with so much hope that they’ll make it out, there spirits are haunting that album. I remember hearing Atlantic City for the first time and being just blown away by it. Everything about it is perfect, bc there is that raw imperfection that is so right. Again it was hard for me to initially get into Bruce but his lyrics always spoke to me. I’ve definitely been rewarded for the time I put in.
I was in my Freshman year of college (1982) when a friend told me to give Springsteen a chance. I had always written him off as an overblown arena act. I listened to the Born to Run album and then his earlier work. I liked it. Then Nebraska came out. From that point he had me. What a perfectly imperfect record it is.
This man is completely astounding. He's told us his whole live--emotions and flaws included. This interview was outstanding (no Howard Stern ridiculous questions intruding....). Now listen to My Letter to You---this is a song direct to his fans.
There has been one thing missing. I don't recall any of his songs telling us all about how it feels to be incredibly wealthy, which he has been for most of his life. He seems to write songs about the lives of others much more than about his own. Maybe a fantasy version of himself.
@@patrickmorgan4006 He did write about being a rich man in a poor man's clothes, and there's another song-title escapes me now--about how he had everything, could go anywhere, yada yada--but felt alone and empty. Ya, he's rich. He grew up dirt poor and earned the big bucks. You may not, but when I listen to his work, I hear and relate to humanity, emotions, compassion, the rigged system--which capitalism surely is. Just a man singing about his own feelings. I don't find any fault in that.
@@Brucie4242 I didn't say that I had a problem with what he has written about, just that he hasn't written about his real life of the past 50 years. He writes mostly about an image that he wants to portray. And I wouldn't say that he grew up "dirt poor". More like lower middle class. I've been to the house that he grew up in. Not a mansion, to be sure, but it wasn't a shack either. As for capitalism, it might be rigged for those at the top, but no other system is better for those who want to work to get to a higher rung of the ladder. Bruce Springsteen benefitted greatly by being in the capitalist system. He makes a heck of a lot more money and lives a lot better than the guy who works at a car wash or depends on government assistance to feed his/her kids. But this whole thing wasn't about politics.
My first Bruce album was Nebraska. It was a gift. I left it barely played for a year or two and then I listened and became a monster fan. What a great interview on this album that has come to mean so much to me.
I get totally emotional watching this program. I am a hugh fan of Bruce Springsteen, seen his concerts 12 times, in five different states in a 39 year span.
From the shimmering highway 80, lit up in moonlight to an endless sea of Midwest prairie lands; my father’s calloused hands and his relentless factory work to that abysmal place in between being a kid to an adult, we all stumbled, sank and felt so utterly alone. But, I had you. I would crank the volume in my ‘72 Nova, hit the gas and shut out the world knowing, I was not alone. Thank you for sharing your pain. You were not alone.
This profile is a gift to every person who looks for authenticity and peace in life. Those two are not automatically paired, so this presents the challenge in a form we can grasp. I will be thinking / meditating about Bruce and his story as a stepping stone to personal enlightenment. (It could happen, if I am patient and open to it.) The artist gives and I am grateful.
I am algerian 🇩🇿people I met Bruce and I recognized him in Germany it was fantastic because l was a fan best nice surprises In my life he's a big musician and rock fall soul blues....singer
Nebraska is one of those albums that doesnt get you the first time but then you sit with it and once you understand the why and the how of the album it all makes sense
As much as I admire this record, and his attitude (and courageousness) in making it, I always had to play something definitively restorative immediately after listening to it -- it summons spirits one does not want hanging around for very long.
I heard Highway Patrolman on the radio in 1982, as a freshman in college. Wasn't that familiar with Bruce. I dove into that album. IMO, the greatest album of all time. It also introduced me to the rest of his catalog and I've been a fan ever since.
I didn’t listen to Nebraska until I was 30, I believe.. maybe 29.. I’m glad I waited, because that album came for me exactly when it needed to, and it was a salve in a number of ways. Without going into detail, I flew the plane into the mountain in my late 20s, and I was for the first time really understanding what working class life in America really meant, after having been somewhat shielded growing up in a stable enough middle class situation.. Though I saw friends families suffer, I didn’t know until I was experiencing being desperate for myself, and Nebraska was one of a couple albums that helped keep me from plunging deeper, and likely not coming back…
Personal story: I was studying English Lit and taking a poetry class at Rutgers when this came out. Raised in central jersey, Bruce was iconic for us. I read the lyrics to Nebraska and listened to it and was floored. I didn't expect to find that he was a true poet. Relax people, i was young and had newly formed ideas about the differences between "real" poetry and pop music. Fortunately, Nebraska forced me to reevaluate those ideas. Not all pop music is poetry, but some is. Anyway, i listened to that album quite a bit and was truly smitten with it. I didn't know he had this legacy view of Nebraska until encountering this video here on 5/6/23.
I have a real softspot for "Nebraska." As I was going through my own challenges and a lot of soul searching at the time of it's release. However, "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town" are Bruce's true masterpieces in my opinion.
Pain is a part of life that we all need to accept, because once you do life becomes easier. I really grew most in my 40’s, and was really sure who I was when in my 50’s. Now I’m in my 60’s- almost 65 and now I feel like I wasted most of my life, when I just should’ve been me. Bruce was a heartthrob when he and I was younger! 😊❤
Nebraska came out at a time when I was a huge fan of his. I still think Darkness on the Edge of Town is among the best rock records ever made. Nebraska was so different from any of his previous work. Not an easy listen. Completely stripped down and so very dark. Makes sense that he made it at a dark time in his life. As I think he said in the interview, he tried to find humanity in some twisted characters. Succeeded brilliantly. As poetic as anything he has written.
This is an excellent interview. The interviewer really gets it. Great insight into how success was really affecting Bruce. Not to mention the focus on an excellent album.
That album is truth. It hit me really hard as a kid, couldn't speak english (not that Im great at it nowadays) and could barely play a chord on the guitar. But the songs, the sound, the rawness...I somehow could feel the loneliness and the desperation of the album characters, and listen to them somewhere between compassion and pity, I don't know.... Decades later, I always come back to these songs.
I don't know the man personally, but I bet he is what you see because he radiates integrity, depth and honesty. It's easy to feel adoration for stars who's output you've enjoyed, but I feel real affection and admiration for Bruce and he's never let me down. Such a great songwriter.
I had only gotten into Bruce a year before (when I was 15) after hearing "Born to Run" on WOSH and buying (and being blown away) by that album. "Nebraska" suddenly appeared in my local record store. I bought one, and had trouble warming up to it, but did eventually and it opened up a whole new world of music for me. It led me to the rest of his back catalog, then Dylan and Van Morrison and dozens of others. "Nebraska" changed my life, and it could change yours--try to tune out how famous he is and give it a go.
I bought "Nebraska" after I was introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen through "Born in the USA" - a mega hit at the time. I was so disappointed when I first listened to it because I was expecting something more like "Born in the USA". A week later I bought "Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ" and I realized this guy is not another cookie cutter 80’s singer. He’s the real deal. His music changes as he grows. You get to know him through the music he allows you to hear. Within a year I had bought and listened to everything Bruce had put out up until 1984. A in the mix was “Nebraska”. I listened to it when I was in the mood for it. It never made me feel good - in fact each time I listened to it (even up today) it would freak me out a little. I felt like I was listening to a cold blooded killer. Nonetheless I knew this was art - this was a once in a lifetime type of album. I’m glad Bruce sees it as the album he would most like to be remembered for. Because it’s not the album the casual fan would pick as his best.
I never was a big Springsteen fan, until Nebraska came out. I grew up in Nebraska, in fact I was living in Lincoln at the time. I bought it because of the name, but loved it for its content. Still own the original vinyl. I’m 67 and stlll listen to it and love it. The only Springsteen album I own.
I am so grateful to Bruce for sharing his experience with Depression and the pain that goes along with it. I first fell in love back in 1978 when I first heard "Born to Run" on a cassette player played by a friend of mine from New Jersey. Those first few notes captured me for life. I quickly ran out to buy the album, and spent all my allowance, on "Greetings", "Darkness", and "Wild & Innocent" after that. I would sit in my bedroom for hours, listening, and reading the lyrics inside the album cover. This man has made an impact on my life that no one will ever understand. Thank you, Bruce, for bringing us your incredible music, lyrics, and candor. And happy Mother's Day to your mom. We all thank her for bringing you into this crazy world.
Saw the Jukebox musical ‘Johnny 99’ of this album. I couldn’t believe when the songs are rearranged, the story the album as a whole tells. It’s a remarkable album from a genius songwriter.
What a great interview! I was first introduced to Bruce Springsteen in the summer of 1984, right after my freshman year in college. Been a fan ever since!
My freshman year in college (2001) we were assigned to do a presentation about a period in time and the way it affected specific music. As soon as I heard the assignment I thought of Nebraska. Coming out of the 70's after Vietnam, Watergate, Carter Years, hostages, gas shortages, recession, etc.; Nebraska was so representative of the time and the pessimism that existed. Granted I was born in 1983, so I'm basing this on what I've been told. I remember playing parts of this album after giving the context, and the people in the class were all blown away. I told the story of Bruce criticizing Ronald Reagan for quoting him during a speech without understanding the true meaning of the song and then he broke into Johnny 99. Anyway, I've always loved this album, and loved how obscure it is. It's a masterpiece for the fans who truly get it.
@boneless That's very cool and interesting, I feel like "Across the Border" and "Sinaloa Cowboys" probably worked well for that. What part of Mexico are you from?
I love this. I had this album on cassette in 1982 living in San Jose. I was living with my dad in an apartment and I was pretty alienated. That album shone darkly for me, as I was learning acoustic guitar I recognized the chords but this was somewhere between Chuck Berry and Dylan. The singing was the magic, as were the stories he drew up. Songs like Open All Night were so riveting. I still marvel at that album, a home recorded acoustic album which was so ahead of its time while it looked back in black and white images. Haunting and so filled with a brooding melancholy, it for sure is the one album of his besides The River that I constantly circle back to. Brilliant in its simplicity, devastatingly prescient of the meanness that can exist in this world.
A teenage boy in East-Germany. In 1992. Got the tape into my walkman. And found a kindred soul. There are Johnny Cashs american recordings. But these are covers only. Nebraska is a "American Recording" before Johnny Cash. And a original work at that. Thank you, Sir
My dad had Nebraska and Breakfast in America by Supertramp in his 79 Nova, played them so much i could not understand why he liked them. Right again Dad.
My three favorite albums by Bruce Springsteen: Tunnel of Love, Nebraska, and The Seger Sessions! I also loved Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The River. I think the title track to The River is biographical to so many Americans.
This album, it was so impactful. I used songs from it to get into character when I was acting a particularly dark character 40 yrs ago… and have loved it ever since
He used to walk through the Jersey shore town where my mother lived, sometimes accompanied by one of his sons. He would stop and talk if we were sitting on the porch. He is the nicest man but I could almost always see sadness in his eyes.
I was introduced to Bruce by my then teenage son, who bought me Born to Run on a cassette. I played it over and over in my car until my my daughter was word perfect on all the songs on our journeys to school and back. My son accompanied me to my first concert in Dublin, I was well and truly hooked by then, we were blown away that night. I have been privileged to attend six other shows, including one of my favourites, his acoustic tour. I unfortunately was unable to get tickets for his current shows in Dublin at the RDS, but reports in the press are fantastic. My grandchildren gave me the latest album for my birthday, but my favourites are Nebraska, The Rising and Asbury Park. Keep on rock in’ Bruce, may you never get old!😊
very insightful comment by Jim... "you can't succeed your way out of pain". spot on. those of us on the outside looking in think these folks have it made... if only we had their fame and fortune, that would make it all better... clearly, it does not.
I never listened to it as The Boss holds no interest for me. I read as much of his book as I could take - it's total fiction. It's full of lies and self-mythologizing. Watching the above is like a visit to the hospital where Gramps talks about the old days. This is not a healthy man.
Nebraska is a magnificent album. There seems to be a lot of Bruce fans who don't really like it because it's the opposite of his big upbeat anthems that go down well in the stadiums he's played for the last 35 years. It's stark, quiet, brooding and introspective. For me, it's still the best record he's ever made.
Rob: I suppose I'm one of the people who didn't like Nebraska at all. Found it very disappointing. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" album was exactly the same. Apart from that he is brilliant!!
@@bigcityjunglecatenvisageth1422no shame or problem with liking what you like.. I tend to think Nebraska is his greatest (but not only) masterpiece, but I absolutely understand why some fans can’t get into it as much. It’s sort of like when Dylan went electric, but the opposite direction. Fitting too, as some critics looked to a young Springsteen to be the next Dylan.
@@nikolademitri731 No, no shame at all. Each to their own.Horses for courses and whatever floats your boat, as I always say. But Bruce was actually going through one of his episodes at that time when he made that particular album - in some hotel-room. Yeah, he put it out though and some people actually like that style. And, with all of the talk/opinion about Bruce being like Dylan in some way - personally I can't see it. I think the only one similarity he may have with Dylan is the poetic/lyrical element. And I happen to be a big fan of poetry.
I absolutely agree that it is indeed his masterpiece. So bleak and real. An amazing album, sure it didnt have any radio hits, but it has aged like fine wine.
I was in college in Lincoln Nebraska when Nebraska came out so of course I bought it. Not a Springsteen fan but this album is classic in its own way. There IS no place like Nebraska.
I did not think I could love this man anymore than I do, yet at @8:29 I fell even harder. After four decades this man still surprises me, inspires me and moves me. Love you, Bossman.
Never really "got" Nebraska when first came out as someone in my 20's. Now, as a more mature adult, I can clearly see and feel the pain oozing from every note. A masterpiece indeed.
It truly is a different album. Atlantic City being the obvious single for radio play. So much different than any of his other albums. I personally love its slow pacing. Not to say I didn't love Born to Run or Born in the USA. Much better than The River IMO.
You should of saved your money. Its a crappy record
I never understood Nebraska until I heard/saw this interview.... I take it Bruce was visiting his Dark Side on this album
I’m getting the Nebraska album for Christmas! 😊
One of the most stunning chilling lines of a song ever written."They wanted to know why I did what I did,well sir I guess there's just a meaness in this world"
,y😅❤
That's a quote from the killer .... Mayweather?
@@loriannalamuse9089 Charles Starkweather.
I was probably 27 years old while i first listened to Nebraska from the tape cassette that my younger brother ‘s friend gave me. It took lots of times for me with english dictionary to find out the meaning of the songs according to my Thai nationality and high school educated. The lonely sound of mouth organ attracted me so much plus the powerful muse voices of Bruce hypnotized me , comfort and supported me from my hard working 7 days a week as office boy. Everyday that i listen to Nebraska ,My father ‘s house, Highway patrolman , Mansion on the hill,Johny 99 , State trooper ,others whenever i have an opportunity to supported myself to kept going fighting for my future and it work well. For me “Nebraska” was a great poem that changed my life.. Thanking you very much Bruce Springsteen.
i discovered this when i was 14. i am 52 now. i still listen to it weekly. and still it touchers me deeply everyy single time i hear nebraska, johnny 99 etc. than you bruce, a true masterpiece
This is a remarkable interview; one of the best I've heard with Bruce ever in the 45 or so years that I've been following Springsteen's career. Much of the credit goes to CBS and the producers for choosing the correspondent (Jim Axelrod) that they did. Insighful, poignant, intellegent questions from someone who clearly understands Springsteen's perspective and his music. Interested to read the book that is referenced here about the making of the album!
Agree. The interviewer made the point that if someone looked to only Springsteen’s arena-type rock songs, that’s only one facet. They’re missing a whole other side of the man with “Nebraska.”
Think you better track down his amazing documentaries on the making of ‘born to run’ and ‘the river’.
@@marywatkins6798 The end result was a "conversation", not an interview. Only a very few have the skills to do that. Bruce's responses were informed by the great comments/questions from Axelrod, and his fascintating responses were directly related to the questions coming his way. I'll watch this one a number of times. :) The Michael J. Fox interview in this same episode was equally incredible.
@Brucespringsteen.. SPAM ALERT!
I will 😀
41 years ago??? OMG, where did my life go to?
When we went on a trip to Colorado we drove through Nebraska. When we only had a couple hours left through the state I asked if we could listen to Nebraska while we were on the road. No one else in the car had ever heard of the album - they still talk to this day how impactful that record was while looking at those wide open plains and how the lyrics resonated with them. A great great record one of my all time favorites.
As a life long Bruce fan at 40 years old he's the best ever...So...1 hour ago I decided up here on a rainy dark day in Farmingdale,Maine my "Hometown" to put on the Nebraska album which I love so much.Then my wife shows me this video on TH-cam and assumes I already saw this today because I was listening to the album...well I did not till now!! So Ironic!!!it gave me chills!!!
I have a Nebraska-era demo of My Hometown somewhere. Here's a close version.
th-cam.com/video/ugB1MEJET6E/w-d-xo.html
He's not the only one who consideres it a masterpiece, it's an album that nobody but Bruce can make , a magical melancholic trip that stands the test of time
Well, nobody else but Hank Williams.
@@IndyDefense nope
I became a Springsteen fan because of Nebraska. It blew me away.
I would love so much to watch a film of Bruce at his age today singing the entire album in that house on his acoustic guitar
That would be an absolute treat
I was watching the interviewer in that moment, wondering if he was picking up on some of that magic in the moment haha. So crazy. I would love to see that film!
It’s out there
I really love his ability to recount his emotions at events in his life - the sign of a healthy mind
Amazing human. Amazing album. He touches a part of humanity rarely explored.
As I age with him, I admire his resilience and honesty.
Had Nebraska on a road trip across the Midwest that I did with a college buddy in 1992. At first we were cracking up over what a downer each and every song was, and then we just fell in love with it. It was all we played. Truly a masterpiece.
@Bruce Springsteen🎶 Probably since 1982 when I went off to college and started hearing other kids' music. Born to Run was my first exposure, and once MTV started we were all in. Downbound Train is a favorite, and Bobby Jean, and I really think of Nebraska as one opus, not separate songs. While I love all your hits, it's the sadder ones, the ones that show how torn up a man can feel inside, that are my favorites. Thank you for giving us all that you have 🙂
Sounds like a great road trip.
@Bruce Springsteen🎶 I have far too many memories of adventures accompanied by your music to go through here. Rock and roll is great unto itself, but literate rock and roll? That's another story. Time in a bottle. Thanks for sharing the vision.
I did the same thing going on a camping trip to the Wisconsin Dells from West Central Illinois, i was in my second marriage and I would play the cassette over & over my wife started to get desponded. Told me to " SHUT THAT THING OFF".
@@linguaphile42, every time I hear Valentines Day I cry my eyes out !
My favourite Springsteen album. Delighted to know he feels the same.
I'm from Nebraska and it is one of my favorite albums of Springsteen.
man this album must hit close to home
My girlfriend, Stacey L, gifted me this album on cassette. We met in Big Sky, Mt. Two young adults trying to figure life out. She was greatly moved by this album, so she shared her emotions with me. Though we moved apart, the music still lives! Stacey, if you read this, i hope you are well and happy!
For me it was Suzy O in KY. Things worked out differently than we thought but I still have good memories of that time. Blessings to you Suzy if you read this.
Lone Peak! Great share. What a terrific time and place to figure it out. Every man alive should fall in love with a Montana girl once or twice. I did surveying work near Ousel Falls. That summer on that mountain was nearly as great as the powder days!
@@Shackleton71 Ya, Big Sky in the 80’s was great. I spent lots and of time at Ousel Falls. Summers were warm, so Ousel Falls was very refreshing. Stacey was a Minnesota gal, she was in Big Sky for the winter and summer. Lived in Big Sky for 10 years. Bounced around southwest Montana for awhile, till I just settled down in Bozeman. Life is good!
Trying to choose a favorite Bruce song for me is impossible there's favorites for that period in life that somehow seem applicable
Racing in the streets
The river
Growing up
Jungle land.
There's maybe 3 artist that write something like that and those artist are meant to sing it nobody can cover it better
Bruce man simply thank you for making the rhythm that beat that made it possible to walk through the tuff dance to the celebration and hold onto the memories !
Nebraska is my favorite album of his, and one of my favourite in general. It's got Elvis, Dylan, and Suicide but also a lot more, Bruce.
Long time Bruce fan, and Nebraska is my favorite of his albums. There’s just something about its starkness, simplicity, and raw emotions in its songs. Sometimes, even with Springsteen, less is more.
I heard Eddie Vedder auditioned for Pearl jam by singing Atlantic City from Nebraska.
@@richardshermanjr1899 Vedder wrote 3 songs for them prior to arriving to Seattle based on some instrumental tapes sent to him. Two of those songs became Once and Alive
@@rikkcampos6 So Eddie got into Pearl jam by sending the instrumental part of Once and Alive to them?
Always been my favorite of his... And I think it was perfect the way it was released, dark bare and barren.
Nebraska came out just after I got divorced and then remarried. I was in a bad place. I had just "lost" a daughter even though we stayed in touch and I never really lost her but I didn't know it at the time. I also just had another daughter with my second wife and I was torn for some reason but I didn't know why. I also had just purchased a Tascam 4 track recorder like what Bruce Springsteen used to record this album on. I just wanted to see what you could do with it. I wasn't a great songwriter but I did use it a lot over the years. What I didn't expect when I bought "Nebraska" though was how much it would speak to me and on how many levels. This is an album I've worn out, repurchased on Vinyl and CDs, and given away to my children and friends as gifts. It is dark but it's also real and because of that, a light. Thank you Bruce for taking the risk.
Nebraska is undoubtedly his best album ever👍🏻👍🏻
when I started my songwriting journey (not long ago), I was into pop music, then I found The Beatles, The Who, and wanted to write something more and I found Bruce Springsteen. I am not from New Jersey and nowhere can experience what he feels in his songs, but something about the way he writes the characters, the lyrics, the melody, intimate but inexplicably larger than life makes me a big fan of music. Every artists writes from their viewpoint in this world and there's a liking to each of them, maybe it's because somehow I see bits of myself in his songs.
Exactly my story. His ability to see through the eyes of the characters and just be so efortlessly cool is a thing to learn for everybody.
Yes. The paradox is that the local leads to the universal.
You wanna be like the Beatles?
@@JuneH-j8p who doesn't? Four buddies taking on the world, cutting a path of their own with their pen and their guitars. They released 8 concept masterpieces and then split up and continued to release great material on their own. In retrospective they may not be the best anymore but nothing came before them and Elvis, respectively.
Incredible album. I remember buying it for $5.99 at the corner record store. This and Darkness on the Edge of Town. Seminal. Overproduction kills the music.
Yes!!!
Excelent segment! Ive loved tons of Springsteen songs through my life but I always steered clear of "NEBRASKA" for some reason...but now that I'm 43 and a bit more weathered in life, I think I'm ready to melt into this album..thanks for the reminder!
While Springsteen was still trying to figure out how to get the band to play the songs the way he wanted, credit Steve Van Zandt as the first guy to hear the tape and say, "That's your album."
It took me a long time to get into Nebraska, but the effort it took was worth it. I was listening to it on vinyl at like 2am pulling an all nighter in college. I had the window open and there was this chill coming in that felt like part of the album. There’s this kinda haunted feeling about it, makes me think of all the characters from his earlier albums with so much hope that they’ll make it out, there spirits are haunting that album. I remember hearing Atlantic City for the first time and being just blown away by it. Everything about it is perfect, bc there is that raw imperfection that is so right. Again it was hard for me to initially get into Bruce but his lyrics always spoke to me. I’ve definitely been rewarded for the time I put in.
I was in my Freshman year of college (1982) when a friend told me to give Springsteen a chance. I had always written him off as an overblown arena act. I listened to the Born to Run album and then his earlier work. I liked it. Then Nebraska came out. From that point he had me. What a perfectly imperfect record it is.
Thank you for this interview of Bruce Springsteen the “Boss” to understand his music.
This man is completely astounding. He's told us his whole live--emotions and flaws included. This interview was outstanding (no Howard Stern ridiculous questions intruding....). Now listen to My Letter to You---this is a song direct to his fans.
There has been one thing missing. I don't recall any of his songs telling us all about how it feels to be incredibly wealthy, which he has been for most of his life. He seems to write songs about the lives of others much more than about his own. Maybe a fantasy version of himself.
@@patrickmorgan4006 He did write about being a rich man in a poor man's clothes, and there's another song-title escapes me now--about how he had everything, could go anywhere, yada yada--but felt alone and empty. Ya, he's rich. He grew up dirt poor and earned the big bucks. You may not, but when I listen to his work, I hear and relate to humanity, emotions, compassion, the rigged system--which capitalism surely is. Just a man singing about his own feelings. I don't find any fault in that.
@@Brucie4242 I didn't say that I had a problem with what he has written about, just that he hasn't written about his real life of the past 50 years. He writes mostly about an image that he wants to portray. And I wouldn't say that he grew up "dirt poor". More like lower middle class. I've been to the house that he grew up in. Not a mansion, to be sure, but it wasn't a shack either. As for capitalism, it might be rigged for those at the top, but no other system is better for those who want to work to get to a higher rung of the ladder. Bruce Springsteen benefitted greatly by being in the capitalist system. He makes a heck of a lot more money and lives a lot better than the guy who works at a car wash or depends on government assistance to feed his/her kids. But this whole thing wasn't about politics.
@@patrickmorgan4006 to DA??
@Patrick Morgan He has written all kinds of songs about his life.
He also writes songs about working class people because that's what he came from.
My first Bruce album was Nebraska. It was a gift. I left it barely played for a year or two and then I listened and became a monster fan. What a great interview on this album that has come to mean so much to me.
Not being funny but I think that's strange.
Great album, tunnel of love and this my two favourite masterpieces of his.
I get totally emotional watching this program. I am a hugh fan of Bruce Springsteen, seen his concerts 12 times, in five different states in a 39 year span.
This album lead me on my road trip through Nebraska in 2022 - thanks, Bruce!
From the shimmering highway 80, lit up in moonlight to an endless sea of Midwest prairie lands; my father’s calloused hands and his relentless factory work to that abysmal place in between being a kid to an adult, we all stumbled, sank and felt so utterly alone. But, I had you. I would crank the volume in my ‘72 Nova, hit the gas and shut out the world knowing, I was not alone. Thank you for sharing your pain. You were not alone.
This profile is a gift to every person who looks for authenticity and peace in life. Those two are not automatically paired, so this presents the challenge in a form we can grasp. I will be thinking / meditating about Bruce and his story as a stepping stone to personal enlightenment. (It could happen, if I am patient and open to it.) The artist gives and I am grateful.
You have put your finger on something special. Thank you.
I am algerian 🇩🇿people I met Bruce and I recognized him in Germany it was fantastic because l was a fan best nice surprises
In my life he's a big musician and rock fall soul blues....singer
Bought when it came out loved it the song writing his best album by far still play it regular-today.
Nebraska is one of those albums that doesnt get you the first time but then you sit with it and once you understand the why and the how of the album it all makes sense
As much as I admire this record, and his attitude (and courageousness) in making it, I always had to play something definitively restorative immediately after listening to it -- it summons spirits one does not want hanging around for very long.
Right u are - This interview has him singin in a 'fake' mid western twang - A bit crass (if u know what I mean)
That’s cool. And thoughtful.
@@peterzangciao Peter! 🙋♀️😍😘💘🌅
It is definitely the underbelly of the country. Hard to wallow in that stream too long.
I heard Highway Patrolman on the radio in 1982, as a freshman in college. Wasn't that familiar with Bruce. I dove into that album. IMO, the greatest album of all time. It also introduced me to the rest of his catalog and I've been a fan ever since.
Fantastic! Love the interview and the fact the place were Nebraska was recorded it is still intact. Snoopy cover just killed me!
Thanks. Bruce is so welcoming and humble but still well aware of his super fame around the world. A true artist.
Love Nebraska. I didn’t discover it till I was older and I’m glad it is that way. I wouldn’t have appreciated it like I do now.
Loved the story behind the songs. I always listen to Nebraska when I’m having a bad or stressful day.
I didn’t listen to Nebraska until I was 30, I believe.. maybe 29.. I’m glad I waited, because that album came for me exactly when it needed to, and it was a salve in a number of ways. Without going into detail, I flew the plane into the mountain in my late 20s, and I was for the first time really understanding what working class life in America really meant, after having been somewhat shielded growing up in a stable enough middle class situation.. Though I saw friends families suffer, I didn’t know until I was experiencing being desperate for myself, and Nebraska was one of a couple albums that helped keep me from plunging deeper, and likely not coming back…
I really love this album!!
What a great story - thanks for all the great music Bruce!
His lyrics on the album resonates with me. I love "Reason to Believe.".
A classic.
Personal story: I was studying English Lit and taking a poetry class at Rutgers when this came out. Raised in central jersey, Bruce was iconic for us. I read the lyrics to Nebraska and listened to it and was floored. I didn't expect to find that he was a true poet. Relax people, i was young and had newly formed ideas about the differences between "real" poetry and pop music. Fortunately, Nebraska forced me to reevaluate those ideas. Not all pop music is poetry, but some is. Anyway, i listened to that album quite a bit and was truly smitten with it. I didn't know he had this legacy view of Nebraska until encountering this video here on 5/6/23.
I have a real softspot for "Nebraska." As I was going through my own challenges and a lot of soul searching at the time of it's release. However, "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town" are Bruce's true masterpieces in my opinion.
I feel much the same. But I'd have to put "The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle" in there, too.
Pain is a part of life that we all need to accept, because once you do life becomes easier. I really grew most in my 40’s, and was really sure who I was when in my 50’s. Now I’m in my 60’s- almost 65 and now I feel like I wasted most of my life, when I just should’ve been me. Bruce was a heartthrob when he and I was younger! 😊❤
Nebraska came out at a time when I was a huge fan of his. I still think Darkness on the Edge of Town is among the best rock records ever made.
Nebraska was so different from any of his previous work. Not an easy listen. Completely stripped down and so very dark. Makes sense that he made it at a dark time in his life.
As I think he said in the interview, he tried to find humanity in some twisted characters. Succeeded brilliantly. As poetic as anything he has written.
This is an excellent interview. The interviewer really gets it. Great insight into how success was really affecting Bruce. Not to mention the focus on an excellent album.
That album is truth. It hit me really hard as a kid, couldn't speak english (not that Im great at it nowadays) and could barely play a chord on the guitar. But the songs, the sound, the rawness...I somehow could feel the loneliness and the desperation of the album characters, and listen to them somewhere between compassion and pity, I don't know.... Decades later, I always come back to these songs.
Lyrical poetry telling a stark tale about us. Thank you Bruce for this masterpiece.
first album I ever bought of his even though I had already been following him....honestly, bought it a lot because of the cover art
I don't know the man personally, but I bet he is what you see because he radiates integrity, depth and honesty. It's easy to feel adoration for stars who's output you've enjoyed, but I feel real affection and admiration for Bruce and he's never let me down. Such a great songwriter.
Give me a fkn break.
@@CraigDebien-ym9dy
Sure, but in what bone? 🤔😜
I had only gotten into Bruce a year before (when I was 15) after hearing "Born to Run" on WOSH and buying (and being blown away) by that album. "Nebraska" suddenly appeared in my local record store. I bought one, and had trouble warming up to it, but did eventually and it opened up a whole new world of music for me. It led me to the rest of his back catalog, then Dylan and Van Morrison and dozens of others. "Nebraska" changed my life, and it could change yours--try to tune out how famous he is and give it a go.
For forty years, "Nebraska" has been my favorite Springsteen album. He never recorded anything like it before or since.
go back and listen to '4th of July (Sandy)' from his earlier album - - it has a lot of the same kind of feel...for me anyway
I bought "Nebraska" after I was introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen through "Born in the USA" - a mega hit at the time. I was so disappointed when I first listened to it because I was expecting something more like "Born in the USA". A week later I bought "Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ" and I realized this guy is not another cookie cutter 80’s singer. He’s the real deal. His music changes as he grows. You get to know him through the music he allows you to hear. Within a year I had bought and listened to everything Bruce had put out up until 1984. A in the mix was “Nebraska”. I listened to it when I was in the mood for it. It never made me feel good - in fact each time I listened to it (even up today) it would freak me out a little. I felt like I was listening to a cold blooded killer. Nonetheless I knew this was art - this was a once in a lifetime type of album. I’m glad Bruce sees it as the album he would most like to be remembered for. Because it’s not the album the casual fan would pick as his best.
The man. I just love him and his work.
My favourite album. Still listen to it several times a year.
I never was a big Springsteen fan, until Nebraska came out. I grew up in Nebraska, in fact I was living in Lincoln at the time. I bought it because of the name, but loved it for its content. Still own the original vinyl. I’m 67 and stlll listen to it and love it. The only Springsteen album I own.
Excellent interview. Well done.
Thank you marywatkins
I am so grateful to Bruce for sharing his experience with Depression and the pain that goes along with it. I first fell in love back in 1978 when I first heard "Born to Run" on a cassette player played by a friend of mine from New Jersey. Those first few notes captured me for life. I quickly ran out to buy the album, and spent all my allowance, on "Greetings", "Darkness", and "Wild & Innocent" after that. I would sit in my bedroom for hours, listening, and reading the lyrics inside the album cover. This man has made an impact on my life that no one will ever understand. Thank you, Bruce, for bringing us your incredible music, lyrics, and candor. And happy Mother's Day to your mom. We all thank her for bringing you into this crazy world.
Saw the Jukebox musical ‘Johnny 99’ of this album. I couldn’t believe when the songs are rearranged, the story the album as a whole tells. It’s a remarkable album from a genius songwriter.
What a great interview! I was first introduced to Bruce Springsteen in the summer of 1984, right after my freshman year in college. Been a fan ever since!
Nebraska made me think and imagine the worlds and characters he created in those songs more than any other record …his best
Bruce is a beautiful person who also has immeasurable talent or vice versa!
Great interview, love “Nebraska” and “The River.”🎧
Beautiful interview . Great singer, storyteller, performer! Bruuuuuuuce…….
My freshman year in college (2001) we were assigned to do a presentation about a period in time and the way it affected specific music. As soon as I heard the assignment I thought of Nebraska. Coming out of the 70's after Vietnam, Watergate, Carter Years, hostages, gas shortages, recession, etc.; Nebraska was so representative of the time and the pessimism that existed. Granted I was born in 1983, so I'm basing this on what I've been told. I remember playing parts of this album after giving the context, and the people in the class were all blown away. I told the story of Bruce criticizing Ronald Reagan for quoting him during a speech without understanding the true meaning of the song and then he broke into Johnny 99. Anyway, I've always loved this album, and loved how obscure it is. It's a masterpiece for the fans who truly get it.
@boneless That's very cool and interesting, I feel like "Across the Border" and "Sinaloa Cowboys" probably worked well for that. What part of Mexico are you from?
I love this. I had this album on cassette in 1982 living in San Jose. I was living with my dad in an apartment and I was pretty alienated. That album shone darkly for me, as I was learning acoustic guitar I recognized the chords but this was somewhere between Chuck Berry and Dylan. The singing was the magic, as were the stories he drew up. Songs like Open All Night were so riveting. I still marvel at that album, a home recorded acoustic album which was so ahead of its time while it looked back in black and white images. Haunting and so filled with a brooding melancholy, it for sure is the one album of his besides The River that I constantly circle back to. Brilliant in its simplicity, devastatingly prescient of the meanness that can exist in this world.
A teenage boy in East-Germany. In 1992. Got the tape into my walkman. And found a kindred soul. There are Johnny Cashs american recordings. But these are covers only. Nebraska is a "American Recording" before Johnny Cash. And a original work at that. Thank you, Sir
My dad had Nebraska and Breakfast in America by Supertramp in his 79 Nova, played them so much i could not understand why he liked them. Right again Dad.
I never bought the album but loved the movie with Bruce Dern and Will Forte. Amazing!
My three favorite albums by Bruce Springsteen: Tunnel of Love, Nebraska, and The Seger Sessions! I also loved Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The River. I think the title track to The River is biographical to so many Americans.
My favourite album of his.
This album, it was so impactful. I used songs from it to get into character when I was acting a particularly dark character 40 yrs ago… and have loved it ever since
Great mutual respect is evident by the interview's end. Anthony Mason-esque. 💙🎶
He used to walk through the Jersey shore town where my mother lived, sometimes accompanied by one of his sons. He would stop and talk if we were sitting on the porch. He is the nicest man but I could almost always see sadness in his eyes.
@Bruce Springsteen🎶 Only when you've dropped into the Wonder Bar.
@Bruce Springsteen🎶 Missed that. It's a wonder you have time to read/reply to comments when you're in the midst of a European tour.
@@mickjr270
Bruce conjuring up all this extra time & effort? 😀😂😂🙃
I was introduced to Bruce by my then teenage son, who bought me Born to Run on a cassette. I played it over and over in my car until my my daughter was word perfect on all the songs on our journeys to school and back. My son accompanied me to my first concert in Dublin, I was well and truly hooked by then, we were blown away that night. I have been privileged to attend six other shows, including one of my favourites, his acoustic tour. I unfortunately was unable to get tickets for his current shows in Dublin at the RDS, but reports in the press are fantastic. My grandchildren gave me the latest album for my birthday, but my favourites are Nebraska, The Rising and Asbury Park. Keep on rock in’ Bruce, may you never get old!😊
Bruce is everything with his music! My all time favorite forever. He is a deep soul.
very insightful comment by Jim... "you can't succeed your way out of pain". spot on. those of us on the outside looking in think these folks have it made... if only we had their fame and fortune, that would make it all better... clearly, it does not.
Mikey: Chances are it would just create even more stress. It might even burn a person out if they are not strong enough.
Not really a Springsteen fan but I love Nebraska. As real as it gets.
I agree with Bruce. His masterwork. Every track is a gem. I almost wore out the vinyl. Had to buy the CD later.
One of the best albums ever made. Period.
I never listened to it as The Boss holds no interest for me. I read as much of his book as I could take - it's total fiction. It's full of lies and self-mythologizing. Watching the above is like a visit to the hospital where Gramps talks about the old days. This is not a healthy man.
@@freddyjisp9420 Thank you for sharing.
@@bradpreston7779 Which is more than the 'El Cheapo', money-mad Boss will ever give you
@@freddyjisp9420 I’m guessing The Boss took your girlfriend backstage 45 years ago and you’ve never gotten over it. Release yourself man.
@@freddyjisp9420ok snowflake. You’re just triggered because he’s not a MAGA simp like you.
Great artist deserves a great production team and writer. Magical 9 minutes. Thank you.
Great harmonica on this record too. You can really picture the lonely, cold, Nebraska landscape.
Nebraska is a magnificent album. There seems to be a lot of Bruce fans who don't really like it because it's the opposite of his big upbeat anthems that go down well in the stadiums he's played for the last 35 years. It's stark, quiet, brooding and introspective. For me, it's still the best record he's ever made.
Those are passive, poseur 'fans'; the ones who know the radio songs, not the deep cuts that so often have a much greater affect on us.
Rob: I suppose I'm one of the people who didn't like Nebraska at all. Found it very disappointing. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" album was exactly the same. Apart from that he is brilliant!!
@@bigcityjunglecatenvisageth1422no shame or problem with liking what you like.. I tend to think Nebraska is his greatest (but not only) masterpiece, but I absolutely understand why some fans can’t get into it as much. It’s sort of like when Dylan went electric, but the opposite direction. Fitting too, as some critics looked to a young Springsteen to be the next Dylan.
@@nikolademitri731
No, no shame at all. Each to their own.Horses for courses and whatever floats your boat, as I always say. But Bruce was actually going through one of his episodes at that time when he made that particular album - in some hotel-room. Yeah, he put it out though and some people actually like that style. And, with all of the talk/opinion about Bruce being like Dylan in some way - personally I can't see it. I think the only one similarity he may have with Dylan is the poetic/lyrical element. And I happen to be a big fan of poetry.
Have always loved this album - My Fathers House - always brings me to tears / powerful / amazing talent
Same here brother...I love the song but avoiding it because it fills me with so much sadness...
I would like to listen to this interview in its entirety ♥️
I absolutely agree that it is indeed his masterpiece. So bleak and real. An amazing album, sure it didnt have any radio hits, but it has aged like fine wine.
Just Bruce, My Hero, My Friend in each life situation.
This is my favorite boss album, i can play it whole way thru and never stop.
I was in college in Lincoln Nebraska when Nebraska came out so of course I bought it. Not a Springsteen fan but this album is classic in its own way. There IS no place like Nebraska.
I did not think I could love this man anymore than I do, yet at @8:29 I fell even harder. After four decades this man still surprises me, inspires me and moves me. Love you, Bossman.
yes, that's Bruce Springsteen as he lives and breathes, that's just how he is human