In 1975, Bruce Springsteen had his first big hit with “Born To Run”. Out in 1975, “Born To Run” is the title track of his third studio album. Springsteen wrote “Born To Run”, and all of the songs on the record by himself.
By the time “Born To Run” came out, Springsteen had already released several songs. Still, none of them were hits like “Born To Run”. It’s an uptempo song that people for decades have loved all over the country and beyond. But Springsteen was just getting started as a songwriter when he wrote what remains one of his most popular songs today.
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“I was 24 years old, sitting in my bedroom in Long Branch, New Jersey,” he recalled during one of his live shows, years later. “When I think back, it surprises me how much I knew about what I wanted. Because the questions I ask myself in this song, it seems I’ve been trying to find the answers to them ever since. When I wrote this song, I was writing about a guy and a girl that wanted to run and keep on running, never come back.
“That was a nice, romantic idea,” he added. “But I realized after I put all those people in all those cars, I was going to have to figure out someplace for them to go. And I realized in the end that individual freedom, when it’s not connected to some sort of community, can be pretty meaningless. “
The Message in “Born To Run” by Bruce Springsteen
“Born To Run” says, “Oh, baby this town rips the bones from your back / It’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap / We gotta get out while we’re young / ‘Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run / Yes, girl, we were.”
Later, Springsteen admits “Born To Run” resonates more with him the older he gets.
“I guess that guy and that girl out there were looking for connection. And I guess that’s what I’m doing here,” he said during his concert. “So, this is a song about two people trying to find their way home. It’s kept me good company on my search, and I hope it keeps you good company on yours.”
In the liner notes for his 1995 Greatest Hits record, Springsteen reveals what he was trying to do as a rising artist in his 20s when writing “Born To Run”.
“My shot at the title. A 24 year old kid aimin’ at ‘The greatest rock ‘n roll record ever,’” he writes.
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns