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)
Book of Dreams
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Listening to the party Inside
Tonight I'm drinkin' in the forgiveness
This life provides
The scars we carry remain but the pain slips away it seems
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
I'm watchin' you through the window
You're showin' off your dress
There's laughter and a toast
From your daddy to the prettiest bride he's ever seen
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
In the darkness my fingers slip across your skin
I feel your sweet reply
The room fades away and suddenly I'm way up high
Just holdin' you to me
As through the window the moonlight streams
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
Now the ritual begins
'Neath the wedding garland we meet as strangers
The dance floor is alive with beauty
Mystery and danger
We dance out 'neath the stars' ancient light into the darkening trees
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
The song "Book of Dreams" by Bruce Springsteen is an emotional depiction of a man who is standing outside witnessing a happy event occurring inside a house, but he cannot be a part of it. He is listening to the party and drinking his sorrows away while realizing that life provides forgiveness, but scars remain. He longs for a woman to be by his side and share in his dream world. He wants her to be someone he can rely on to hold him when he is down, and to help him realize his dreams. As the night goes on, he watches the woman he loves through the window with her girlfriends. He sees her in her finery, laughing and enjoying the evening with her loved ones. He appreciates how beautiful she is, and he wishes that she could be a part of his life.
The man in the song is no longer content with merely dreaming, so he asks his lover to join him in his dreams. He wants her to be with him so that he can drift away and escape reality. The song takes a new turn as the lyrics shift to a ritual that is taking place. The dance floor becomes alive with the beauty of the night and its mysteries. The man and his lover dance together under the ancient stars' light, creating a magical moment that will remain with him forever. The song concludes with the man asking once again, "Won't you baby be in my book of dreams?" The singer's dreams, hopes and desires are what unite him with his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm standing in the backyard
I am standing outside
Listening to the party Inside
I am hearing the sounds of the party happening inside the house
Tonight I'm drinkin' in the forgiveness
This life provides
Tonight I am enjoying and appreciating the forgiving aspects of life
The scars we carry remain but the pain slips away it seems
Even though we still have emotional wounds, the pain of those wounds eventually fades away
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
I want you to play a significant role in my dreams and aspirations for the future
I'm watchin' you through the window
I am observing you from outside the window
With your girlfriends from back home
You are spending time with your old friends
You're showin' off your dress
You are displaying your new dress
There's laughter and a toast
People are celebrating with laughter and toasts
From your daddy to the prettiest bride he's ever seen
Your father thinks you are the most beautiful bride he has ever seen
In the darkness my fingers slip across your skin
We are touching each other during the night
I feel your sweet reply
I sense your response to my touch
The room fades away and suddenly I'm way up high
The surroundings fade away and I feel a rush of euphoria
Just holdin' you to me
I am embracing you
As through the window the moonlight streams
Moonlight is coming through the window
Now the ritual begins
'Neath the wedding garland we meet as strangers
The wedding ceremony starts and we both feel like we are meeting each other for the first time
The dance floor is alive with beauty
Mystery and danger
The dance floor is vibrant, alluring and contains a certain level of uncertainty
We dance out 'neath the stars' ancient light into the darkening trees
We dance into the darkness of the night, bathed in the light of the stars and surrounded by trees
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
I want you to exist forever in my imagination and aspirations for the future
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind