In 1973, Springsteen released his first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, neither of which earned him a large audience. He changed his style and reached worldwide popularity with Born to Run in 1975. It was followed by Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) and The River (1980), which topped the US Billboard 200 chart. After the solo recording, Nebraska (1982), he reunited with the E Street Band for Born in the U.S.A. (1984), his most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Seven of its singles reached the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100, including the title track. Springsteen recorded his next three albums, Tunnel of Love (1987), Human Touch (1992), and Lucky Town (1992) using mostly session musicians. He reassembled the E Street Band for 1995's Greatest Hits, then recorded the sparse acoustic The Ghost of Tom Joad, followed by the EP Blood Brothers (1996), his last release of the decade.
Springsteen dedicated his 2002 album The Rising to the victims of the September 11 attacks. He released two more folk albums, Devils & Dust (2005) and We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006), followed by two more albums with the E Street Band: Magic (2007) and Working on a Dream (2009). The next two, Wrecking Ball (2012) and High Hopes (2014), topped album charts worldwide. His latest releases include the solo Western Stars (2019), the E Street Band-featuring Letter to You (2020) and a solo cover album Only the Strong Survive (2022). When Letter to You went to No.2 in the US, Springsteen became the first artist to score a Top Five hit across six consecutive decades.
Among the album era's prominent acts, Springsteen has sold more than 140 million records worldwide and more than 71 million in the United States, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Special Tony Award (for Springsteen on Broadway). Springsteen was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009, named MusiCares person of the year in 2013, and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2016. He ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone's list of the Greatest Artists of All Time, which described him as being "the embodiment of rock & roll".
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen
Studio albums
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
Born to Run (1975)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
The River (1980)
Nebraska (1982)
Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
Tunnel of Love (1987)
Human Touch (1992)
Lucky Town (1992)
The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)
The Rising (2002)
Devils & Dust (2005)
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)
Magic (2007)
Working on a Dream (2009)
Wrecking Ball (2012)
High Hopes (2014)
Western Stars (2019)
Letter to You (2020)
Only the Strong Survive (2022)
Angel Eyes
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wieldin' love as a lethal weapon, on his way to hubcap heaven
Baseball cards poked in his spokes, his boots in oil he's patiently soaked
The roadside attendant nervously jokes as the angel's tires stroke his precious pavement
The interstate's choked with nomadic hordes
In Volkswagen vans with full running boards
Dragging great anchors, followin' dead-end signs into the sores
Madison Avenue's claim to fame in a trainer bra with eyes like rain
She rubs against the weatherbeaten frame and asks the angel for his name
Off in the distance the marble dome reflects across the flatlands with a naked feel off into parts unknown
The woman strokes his polished chrome and lies beside the angel's bones
The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen’s song Angel Eyes convey a sense of loss and loneliness. The singer is out at a bar, where he tells the people drinking around him to order anything they see and have fun. He tells them that the drink and the laugh is on him. He then admits to himself that love is not around, but it is uncomfortably close. His heart is not gaining any ground because his angel eyes are not with him. These angel eyes are referred to as an old devil sent, and they glow unbearably bright. He implies that his love for this person is misspent because they are not with him tonight.
Towards the end of the song, the singer seems to be in a rush to get out of the bar. He tells the people to continue having fun and drinking, and the drink and the laugh would be on him. He then tells them he has to leave because he has to find out who is now the number one and why his angel eyes are not around. He leaves, saying excuse me while disappearing.
The lyrics of Angel Eyes showcase Springsteen’s ability to evoke emotion. The singer’s desperation and loneliness are easily felt by listeners. The song was first recorded in 1960 by jazz saxophonist, singer, and bandleader Earl Bostic but was later covered by numerous artists, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Willie Nelson.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey drink up all you people
Addressing the audience to enjoy themselves with drinks.
Order anything you see
Inviting the audience to freely choose their drinks.
And have fun you happy people
Encouraging the audience to enjoy themselves.
The laugh and the drinks on me
Offering to pay for the drinks and make the audience happy.
Try to think that love's not around
Suggesting to avoid thinking about love.
Still it's uncomfortably near
Love feels close and hard to avoid.
My poor old heart ain't gaining any ground
The heart is not recovering from the pain of love.
Because my angel eyes ain't here
The absence of the love interest is causing the pain.
Angel eyes, that old devil sent
Describing the love interest as irresistible yet harmful.
They glow unbearably bright
The love interest's presence is overwhelming.
Need I say that my love's mispent
Admitting that the love is not well spent on the wrong person.
Mispent with angel eyes tonight
The love is directed toward the wrong person, the one with 'angel eyes'.
Pardon me but I got to run
Excusing oneself abruptly.
The fact's uncommonly clear
The truth is apparent and needs to be addressed.
I got to find who's now the number one
Searching for a new love interest who might replace the current one.
And why my angel eyes ain't here
Seeking to understand the reason for the absence of the love interest.
Excuse me while I disappear
Leaving suddenly and without notice.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Earl Brent, Matt Dennis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andrew Perkins
I've seen Ella sing this live and I thought no one could sing it as good as her but Bruce Nailed it!
Julian Walker
I love Bruce. This is tone deaf to what makes this song so haunting—the key changes and the distinctive harmonic minor melody notes. Ella kills it. Frank’s version is stellar.
Jesse
@Julian Walker Agreed. Love Bruce and to sing this to Sinatra is unbelievably brave. Good job for what it is, but Ella's take, no, that's another league, another planet, another universe on this tune. As good as it gets.
Julian Walker
@Jesse I agree with all of that!
ojovideo
Beautiful words and tribute from the Boss to the Chairman. Two New Jersey greats.
Enodd_Felix
This cover was just indescribable ...so unexpected but yet so good
Lucy Gentile
Bruce is AMAZING!!! wonderful rendition of that great song - you always give it your all.
Sladjana Ristic
Bravo kralju. Ti si veliki čovek što se svakim videom dokazuje sve više i više. Stvarno si veliki muzičar.
ジギーラテガ
This is the greatest salute speech I ever heard!
Joanne O'Meara
Truly, such an incredible performance, of one of Frank's classics, that must have absolutely moved everyone, right off, as it had me, wow, so nice!!