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)
E Street Shuffle
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the little girls' souls grow weak
When the man-child gives them a double shot
The schoolboy pops pull out all the stops on a Friday night
The teenage tramps in skin-tight pants
Do the E Street dance and everything's alright
Little kids down there either dancin' or hooked up in a scuffle
Dressed in snakeskin suits packed with Detroit muscle
Now those E street brats in twilight
Dual flashlight phantoms in full star stream
Down fire trails on silver nights with blonde girls pledged sweet sixteen
The newsboys say the heat's been bad
Since power thirteen gave a trooper all he had in a summer scuffle
And Power's girl, little angel, has been on the corner
Keepin' those crazy boys out of trouble
Little angel steps the shuffle like she ain't got no brains
She's deaf in combat down on lover's lane
She drives all them local boys insane
Yes, she does
Little angel says, oh, everybody form a line
Oh (oh), everybody form a line
Well, the sparks fly on E Street
When the boy prophets walk in, handsome and hot
All the little girls' souls grow weak
When the man-child gives them a double shot
Oh little angel hangs out at Easy Joe's
It's a club where all the riot squad goes
When they're cashin' in for a cheap hustle
But them boys are still on the corner
Loose and doin' that lazy E street shuffle
As them sweet summer nights turn into summer dreams
Little angel picks up Power and he slips on his jeans
And they move on out down to the scene
All the kids are dancin' (ah higher)
Bruce Springsteen's "The E Street Shuffle" is a song about the vibrant night scene on E Street, a street in the city of Belmar, New Jersey, where a teenage Springsteen spent many nights with his friends. The song is an ode to the youth culture of New Jersey, where boys and girls gather to dance, drink, and have a good time. The song's main theme is the power and importance of music in bringing people together and creating a sense of community. The lyrics describe the various characters who inhabit E Street, from the stylish boy prophets who make the girls weak in the knees to the teenage tramps who dance the E Street shuffle, to the local boys who go crazy for a little angel who drives them all insane.
The song's opening lines, "Sparks fly on E Street when the boy prophets walk in, handsome and hot, All the little girls' souls grow weak when the man-child gives them a double shot," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The boy prophets are the confident, stylish guys who can charm any girl with their looks and swagger. The man-child is the lead singer of the band, who has the power to electrify the crowd with his voice and music. The E Street shuffle is a dance that everyone knows, and it's a way for the young people of New Jersey to express themselves and let loose.
Line by Line Meaning
Sparks fly on E street when the boy prophets walk in, handsome and hot
The energy on E Street intensifies when the confident young men show up
All the little girls' souls grow weak when the man-child gives them a double shot
The charming, immature men of E Street easily captivate the attention of young women
The schoolboy pops pull out all the stops on a Friday night
The teenage boys from school go all out on Friday evenings
The teenage tramps in skin-tight pants do the E Street dance and everything's alright
The scantily-clad teenage girls do the E Street dance and feel content in the moment
Little kids down there either dancin' or hooked up in a scuffle
Young children are either dancing or getting into fights on E Street
Dressed in snakeskin suits packed with Detroit muscle
The tough guys on E Street wear flashy outfits and have strong physical prowess
They're doin' the E street shuffle
Everyone on E Street is participating in the lively, chaotic environment
Now those E street brats in twilight dual flashlight phantoms in full star stream
The rebellious youth of E Street roam around at night with flashlights, creating an otherworldly atmosphere
Down fire trails on silver nights with blonde girls pledged sweet sixteen
The teenagers of E Street explore the woods at night with young women who have just turned sixteen
The newsboys say the heat's been bad since power thirteen gave a trooper all he had in a summer scuffle
Newsboys report that there has been trouble on E Street since someone named Power thirteen fought a police officer during the summer
And Power's girl, little angel, has been on the corner keepin' those crazy boys out of trouble
Power's girlfriend, nicknamed little angel, tries to prevent the rowdy boys from causing more problems
Little angel steps the shuffle like she ain't got no brains
Little angel dances wildly without any concern for her own safety or wellbeing
She's deaf in combat down on lover's lane
She is oblivious to danger when she's on the quieter street called lover's lane
She drives all them local boys insane
Her wild behavior excites and frustrates the local boys
Yes, she does
This line simply emphasizes the previous statement
Little angel says, oh, everybody form a line
Little angel calls for everyone to line up and dance
Oh (oh), everybody form a line
This line is the same as the previous one
Well, the sparks fly on E Street when the boy prophets walk in, handsome and hot
The atmosphere on E Street becomes charged again when the attractive young men return
All the little girls' souls grow weak when the man-child gives them a double shot
The girls are quickly mesmerized by the immature men's attention once more
Oh little angel hangs out at Easy Joe's, it's a club where all the riot squad goes when they're cashin' in for a cheap hustle
Little angel spends time at a club known to be frequented by the police and other tough characters
But them boys are still on the corner, loose and doin' that lazy E street shuffle
The rowdy boys continue to hang out on E Street, moving and dancing at their own pace
As them sweet summer nights turn into summer dreams
The enjoyable summer nights of E Street begin to feel like a dream
Little angel picks up Power and he slips on his jeans as they move on out down to the scene
Little angel and Power leave together for another adventure
All the kids are dancin' (ah higher)
Everyone on E Street is dancing, creating a lively and exciting atmosphere
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind