Youthful Ambition and Perfectionism: Why Bruce Springsteen Thought of Himself as a “Sociopath” in His Early Days

There are a multitude of different qualities, opportunities, and reasons that make a musician a successful musician. However, amidst that myriad of things, and the combination of them, resides an arguably objective notion: the combination of ambition and perfectionism usually gets one closer to their goal. Now, you might have a story that rebuts that idea, but there are certainly a plethora of stories that suggest otherwise, and one of those stories is the story of Bruce Springsteen.

We aren’t saying that raging ambition and overly-diligent perfectionsim are good for the soul, but they certainly can’t hurt when one is trying to achieve a certain goal. When a young man, Springsteen was full of spit, vinegar, ambition, and a perfectionistic eye. Consequently, in retrospect, he viewed himself as a “sociopath” during those youthful years. As with most things, it hards to clearly link Springsteen’s ambition and perfectionism with his success, as we simply don’t have all the evidence needed. However, it certainly didn’t hurt Springsteen’s career, but it did make him perceive his younger self in a certain light.

Bruce Springsteen Saw His Perfectionism As Sociopathy: “I Was Insane About Every Single Detail That Had Anything To Do With Music”

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In an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Springsteen and Fallon were debunking some myths and rumors about his career and work. One of those myths was the highly contested line in “Thunder Road”, “The screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways.” Many people read and hear the line as is, where others believe “sways” is actually “waves”.

Replying, Springsteen stated, “This record is almost 50 years old. 50 years ago, I was a sociopath.” “I was insane about every single detail that had anything to do with music, my album, my album cover, my lyrics. I went over everything with a fine-tooth comb, so everything would be perfect and completely accurate,” added Springsteen.

In case you were wondering, the original lyric was “waves”, not “sways.” Regardless, it seems Springsteen’s youthful years matched the youthful years of many great and troubled artists. As an upcoming artist, is torturous over-analysis and the feeling of a metaphorically empty stomach inevitable? Is it a rite os passage, or is it something that has been deemed “essential” over the years and integrated into the tortured artist stereotype? Who knows, but Springsteen, and many, many others, might say it is, in fact, essential. Although there are certainly some more composed musicians who might argue otherwise. Above all, what matters most is what works for an individual, and this is what worked for Bruce Springsteen.

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage