The Trio of Musicians That Inspired Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run’

Bruce Springsteen is as big a music fan as he is a musician. That being said, the man has often paid credit to the musicians who crafted his understanding of the craft. In other words, Bruce Springsteen has never claimed that he did this all on his own. And that includes his iconic staple album, Born To Run, as it was majorly influenced by three generational talents.

Videos by American Songwriter

Growing up in the 50s and 60s, Springsteen listened to The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Otis Redding, and many, many more. Unsurprisingly, Bruce Springsteen was and still is a student of music. So, it isn’t all that surprising that the three main influences on Born To Run were…

Why Bruce Springsteen Thinks of Himself as an “Alchemist”

Bruce Springsteen might not be as musically talented as Beethoven, Bach, or even Brian Wilson. However, he has good taste. And good taste alone will get you very far, because you know that people want before they even know they want it. That was seemingly the case for Bruce Springsteen’s early music, particularly Born To Run.

In an interview with the BBC, Springsteen stated, “I’d been listening to Duane Eddy, the twangy guitar sound, Roy Orbison, the very unusually and unstructured songs, and, of course, [Bob] Dylan.” “So, those are the three things that kind of found their way — and inspector records — so, those are the three things that really found their way into Born To Run because I was never really much of a revolutionary musician, but I was an alchemist. I put a lot of things together, along with stuff I pulled up out of myself.”

For a bit of context, prior to the creation of this album, Springsteen had signed to a three-album deal. Consequently, if this one didn’t hit, well, he was out of that deal. As he stated, it was his “last shot,” and he “was going to have to give it everything [he] had. Luckily, and with the unconscious help of Duane Eddy, Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan, Springsteen was able to release one of the finest albums of the 20th century. Following its 1975 release, the album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. It became a critically acclaimed album across the world.

Springsteen, who was only about 25 at the time of the release, solidified his status as a major recording artist with Born To Run. After that, well, the rest is history in the making.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic