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)
Johnny 99
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh-ooh-ooh
Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month
Ralph went out lookin' for a job but he couldn't find none
He came home too drunk from mixin' Tanqueray and wine
He got a gun, shot a night clerk, now they call him Johnny 99
Johnny's wavin' his gun around and threatenin' to blow his top
When an off-duty cop snuck up on him from behind
Out in front of the Club Tip Top they slapped the cuffs on Johnny 99
Well the city supplied a public defender but the judge was Mean John Brown
He came into the courtroom and stared poor Johnny down
Well the evidence is clear, gonna let the sentence, son, fit the crime
Prison for ninety-eight and a year and we'll call it even Johnny 99
Fistfight broke out in the courtroom, they had to drag Johnny's girl away
His mama stood up and shouted, "Judge don't take my boy this way"
Well, son, you got any statement you'd like to make
Before the bailiff comes to forever take you away?
Now judge, judge I got debts no honest man could pay
The bank was holdin' my mortgage and takin' my house away
Now I ain't sayin' that make me an innocent man
But it was more 'n all this that put that gun in my hand
Well, your honor, I do believe I'd be better off dead
And if you can take a man's life for the thoughts that's in his head
Then won't you sit back in that chair and think it over just one more time
And let 'em shave off my hair and put me on that execution line (woo)
"Johnny 99" is a song by Bruce Springsteen, released on his album Nebraska in 1982. It tells the story of a man named Ralph who, after losing his job at the auto plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, gets drunk and shoots a night clerk. Ralph becomes Johnny 99 and is sentenced to 98 years in prison. The song highlights the desperation and hopelessness that can come from losing one's job and the cyclical nature of poverty and crime. The lyrics also criticize the criminal justice system, with a judge who gives a harsh sentence and seemingly ignores the underlying issues that led to the crime.
The chorus of the song, "Ooo ooo ooo ooo, ooo ooo ooo," adds to the feeling of hopelessness and despair. The melody is haunting and mournful, emphasizing the tragic nature of the story. The song also explores themes of personal responsibility and societal failure. The character of Johnny 99 is not entirely innocent, but he is also a victim of larger social and economic forces that have left him with few options.
Line by Line Meaning
Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month
The auto plant in Mahwah was shut down last month
Ralph went out lookin' for a job but he couldn't find none
Ralph searched for a job but couldn't find any
He came home too drunk from mixin' Tanqueray and wine
Ralph got too drunk after drinking Tanqueray and wine
He got a gun shot a night clerk now they call'm Johnny 99
Ralph shot a night clerk and now he's known as Johnny 99
Down in the part of town where when you hita red light you don't stop
In the part of town below where you don't stop even for a red light
Johnny's wavin' his gun around and threatenin' to blow his top
Johnny is waving his gun around and threatening to lose control
When an off-duty cop snuck up on him from behind
An off-duty cop approached Johnny from behind
Out in front of the Club Tip Top they slapped the cuffs on Johnny 99
They arrested Johnny 99 in front of the Club Tip Top
Well the city supplied a public defender but the judge was Mean John Brown
The city provided a public defender, but the judge was mean John Brown
He came into the courtroom and stared young Johnny down
He walked into the courtroom and stared at young Johnny
Well the evidence is clear gonna let the sentence son fit the crime
The evidence is clear, the sentence will match the crime
Prison for ninety eight and a year and we'll call it even Johnny 99
98 years in prison will be Johnny 99's punishment
A fist fight broke out in the courtroom they had to drag Johnny's girl away
A fight occurred in the courtroom and they had to take Johnny's girl away
His mama stood up and shouted "Judge don't take my boy this way"
Johnny's mother stood up and pleaded with the judge not to punish her son harshly
Well son you got a statement you'd like to make
Would you like to make a statement, son?
Before the bailiff comes to forever take you away
Before the bailiff takes you away forever
Now judge, judge I had debts no honest man could pay
Judge, I had debts that no honest man could ever pay
The bank was holdin' my mortgage and they were gonna take my house away
The bank held my mortgage and was going to repossess my house
Now I ain't sayin' that make me an innocent man
I'm not saying this makes me innocent
But it was more 'n all this that put that gun in my hand
But there were more reasons that led to me holding that gun
Well your honor I do believe I'd be better off dead
I think I would be better off dead, your honor
So if you can take a man's life for the thoughts that's in his head
If you can execute a person for the thoughts they have
Then won't you sit back in that chair and think it over judge one more time
Why don't you sit down and reconsider your decision one more time, judge?
And let 'em shave off my hair and put me on that execution line
Let them shave my head and put me on the execution line
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind