Today (February 27) marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Bruce Springsteen’s first-ever best-of compilation, somewhat aptly titled Greatest Hits.
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The 18-track collection featured a mix of hit singles, popular non-charting tunes, and a few brand-new songs. The album included at least one song from every studio album Springsteen had released up to that time, except his first two—Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (both released in 1973).
Among the hits and popular tunes appearing on the compilation were “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” “Badlands,” “Hungry Heart,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “My Hometown,” “Glory Days,” and “Brilliant Disguise.” Greatest Hits also featured “Streets of Philadelphia,” the Boss’ Oscar-winning song from the 1993 film Philadelphia. The tune reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in ’94.
Perhaps most interesting, Greatest Hits included four previously unreleased songs, three of which were recorded in 1995 with a newly reunited E Street Band. This marked the first time Springsteen had worked in the studio with his longtime backing group since the recording of Tunnel of Love in 1987.
The new songs were “Secret Garden,” “Blood Brothers,” and “This Hard Land.” The fourth unreleased tune was “Murder Incorporated,” which Bruce and the E Street Band recorded in 1982.
Greatest Hits’ Chart and Sales Success
Greatest Hits topped the Billboard 200 on March 18, 1995, knocking Boyz II Men’s II album from the No. 1 spot. The compilation spent two weeks at the top of the chart before being replaced by 2Pac’s Me Against the World.
The compilation became Springsteen’s fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 overall. His previous chart-toppers were The River (1980), Born in the U.S.A. (1984), Live/1975–85 (1986), and Tunnel of Love (1987). Bruce has scored six more No. 1 albums since then.
“Murder Incorporated” and “Secret Garden” were released as singles from Greatest Hits, with the latter tune reaching No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Secret Garden” became a bigger hit in 1997, when it peaked at No. 19 on the Hot 100 following its re-release as part of the Jerry Maguire soundtrack.
Greatest Hits has gone on to be certified six-times platinum by the RIAA for equivalent sales of 6 million copies in the U.S.
Springsteen’s 2025 Plans
Springsteen and the E Street Band will be hitting the road in 2025. So far, the Boss and company have 16 confirmed European dates, running from a May 14 concert in Manchester, U.K., though a July 3 show in Milan, Italy. Some of the 2025 concerts are dates that were rescheduled from last year, when Bruce was forced to postpone some performances because of vocal issues.
Meanwhile, a recent press release noted that Springsteen’s breakthrough studio effort, Born to Run, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025, and that his albums The River, The Ghost of Tom Joad, and Devils & Dust also will reach milestone anniversaries.
The same announcement also reported that upcoming Springsteen releases in 2025 “will include a look back at [his] storied recording career, featuring never-before-heard material.”
That news tidbit has sparked speculation that Bruce is planning to put out a sequel to his 1998 rarities box set Tracks.
Greatest Hits Track List:
- “Born to Run”
- “Thunder Road”
- “Badlands”
- “The River”
- “Hungry Heart”
- “Atlantic City”
- “Dancing in the Dark”
- “Born in the U.S.A.”
- “My Hometown” (edit)
- “Glory Days” (edit)
- “Brilliant Disguise”
- “Human Touch” (radio version)
- “Better Days” (edit)
- “Streets of Philadelphia” (single edit)
- “Secret Garden”
- “Murder Incorporated”
- “Blood Brothers”
- “This Hard Land”
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