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)
Stolen Car
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a little house out on the edge of town
We got married, and swore we'd never part
Then little by little we drifted from each other's heart
At first I thought it was just restlessness
That would fade as time went by and our love grew deep
In the end it was something more I guess
I'm driving a stolen car
Down on Eldridge Avenue
Each night I wait to get caught
But I never do
She asked if I remembered the letters I wrote
When our love was young and bold
She said last night she read those letters
And they made her feel one hundred years old
And I'm driving a stolen car
On a pitch black night
And I'm telling myself
I'm gonna be alright
But I ride by night
And I travel in fear
In this darkness I will disappear
The song "Stolen Car" by Bruce Springsteen tells the story of a man who settled down with a woman but slowly grew apart from each other. He thought at first that it was just restlessness that would fade with time, but it was something deeper that eventually tore them apart. The man is now driving a stolen car on Eldridge Avenue, waiting to get caught but he never does. His ex-wife asked if he remembers the letters he wrote to her when their love was young and bold. She read those letters and they made her feel one hundred years old. The singer is driving on a pitch-black night, telling himself he's going to be alright, but he's filled with fear and disappears into the darkness.
The song appears to be about the singer's inability to let go of his past and move on from his failed relationship. He has resorted to a life of crime, stealing cars to feel alive and escape his past. The stolen car becomes a metaphor for the singer's life, as he has taken something that doesn't belong to him and is trying to escape the consequences of his actions. The darkness that he's disappearing into is symbolic of his own inner darkness, his fear, and his inability to confront his past.
Line by Line Meaning
I met a little girl and I settled down
I fell in love with a young woman and decided to make a life with her
In a little house out on the edge of town
We found a modest home in a quiet neighborhood
We got married, and swore we'd never part
We made a commitment to each other to stay together forever
Then little by little we drifted from each other's heart
Over time our love for each other faded and we grew apart
At first I thought it was just restlessness
Initially, I believed our problems were due to a sense of wanderlust
That would fade as time went by and our love grew deep
I thought our strong and growing love would overcome these issues
In the end it was something more I guess
In the end, however, the issues were more significant than I realized
That tore us apart and made us weep
These issues caused us great emotional pain and led to our separation
I'm driving a stolen car
I am operating a vehicle that I have taken without permission
Down on Eldridge Avenue
I am traversing a specific street or avenue
Each night I wait to get caught
I expect to be caught and punished for my actions
But I never do
I am able to elude detection and avoid the consequences of my crime
She asked if I remembered the letters I wrote
My former partner inquired about letters I had sent her in the past
When our love was young and bold
These letters were written during a time when our love was passionate and unbridled
She said last night she read those letters
She recently revisited these letters
And they made her feel one hundred years old
Reading these letters made her feel aged, tired, and regretful about our lost love
And I'm driving a stolen car
I continue to operate a vehicle I have taken without permission
On a pitch black night
I am driving in darkness, both physically and emotionally
And I'm telling myself
I am trying to convince myself
I'm gonna be alright
That everything will work out in the end
But I ride by night
I travel at night rather than during the day
And I travel in fear
I do so because I am afraid and worried about the future
In this darkness I will disappear
In this emotional darkness and turmoil, I fear that I will eventually lose myself completely
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind