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)
Reason To Believe
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's lookin' down kinda puzzled pokin' that dog with a stick
Got his car door flung open he's standin' out on Highway 31
Like if he stood there long enough that dog'd get up and run
Struck me kinda funny seem kinda funny sir to me
Still at the end of every hard day people find some reason to believe
Now Mary Lou loved Johnny with a love mean and true
One day he up and left her and ever since that
She waits down at the end of that dirt road for young Johnny to come back
Struck me kinda funny, funny yeah to me
How at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe
Take a baby to the river, Kyle William they called him
Wash the baby in the water, take away little Kyle's sin
In a whitewash shotgun shack an old man passes away
Take his body to the graveyard and over him they pray
Lord won't you tell us, tell us what does it mean
At the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe
Congregation gathers down by the riverside
Preacher stands with a Bible, groom stands waitin' for his bride
Congregation gone, the sun sets behind a weepin' willow tree
Groom stands alone and watches the river rush on, so effortlessly
Wonderin' where can his baby be
Still at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe
Bruce Springsteen's song "Reason to Believe" tells four different stories of people facing struggles and hardships, but still finding hope and perseverance at the end of the day. The first story involves a man standing by a dead dog on the side of the highway, seemingly waiting for it to come back to life. This image symbolizes the human need for optimism and hope even in the face of death and despair. The second story focuses on a woman named Mary Lou, who waits for her lover Johnny to return, despite his abandonment of her. This story represents the hope and loyalty that even the most broken and lost individuals can hold onto. The third story tells of a baby being washed in a river to cleanse him of his sins, and an old man being buried with hopes of an afterlife or spiritual meaning. This story explores the role of religion, tradition, and faith in finding solace and purpose. The fourth story centers on a groom waiting for his bride by a river, hoping for a new beginning and a promising future.
Line by Line Meaning
Seen a man standin' over a dead dog lyin' by the highway in a ditch
I saw a man standing over a dead dog lying in a ditch by the highway. He looked down, puzzled, poking the dog with a stick. He had his car door open and was standing on Highway 31, hoping that the dog would get up and run. This scene struck me as funny or strange, but it's interesting how people still find reasons to believe at the end of a hard day.
Now Mary Lou loved Johnny with a love mean and true
Mary Lou loved Johnny with a deep, genuine love. She promised to work for him every day and bring her money home to him. One day, however, Johnny left her, and since then, Mary Lou has waited for him to come back down at the end of a dirt road. It's strange how, even after every hard-earned day, people still find reasons to believe.
Take a baby to the river, Kyle William they called him
Kyle William, a baby, was taken to the river to wash away his sins. In an old, rundown shack, an old man passes away, and they take his body to the graveyard and pray over him. People wonder what it all means, but at the end of every hard-earned day, they still find reasons to believe.
Congregation gathers down by the riverside
A congregation gathers by the riverside, with the preacher holding a Bible and the groom waiting for his bride. After the congregation leaves, the groom stands alone watching the sun setting behind a weeping willow tree with the river rushing effortlessly by. He wonders where his bride can be, but at the end of every hard-earned day, people still find reasons to believe.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind