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)
The Angel
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Poison oozing from his engine
Wieldin' love as a lethal weapon
On his way to hubcap heaven
Baseball cards poked in his spokes
His boots in oil he's patiently soaked
The roadside attendant nervously jokes
As the angel's tires stroke his precious pavement
Well, the interstate's choked with nomadic hordes
In Volkswagen vans with full running boards
Dragging great anchors
Followin' dead-end signs into the sores
The angel rides by humpin' his hunk metal whore
Madison Avenue's claim to fame
In a trainer bra with eyes like rain
She rubs against the weather-beaten frame
And asks the angel for his name
Off in the distance the marble dome
Reflects across the flatlands
With a naked feel off into parts unknown
The woman strokes his polished chrome
And lies beside the angel's bones
The lyrics to Bruce Springsteen's song The Angel tell a story of a mysterious figure known as the angel, who rides alongside hunchbacked children with poison oozing from his engine. However, his weapon of choice is love, which he uses as a lethal force to spread goodwill in his destination - hubcap heaven. The song tells of the various characters and settings encountered on his journey, including roadside attendants who nervously joke as they witness the angel's passing. The angel's journey is also marked by the presence of nomadic hordes, who travel in Volkswagen vans with full running boards, dragging great anchors behind them. These groups are lost, following dead-end signs into the sores, while the angel rides by, humping his hunk metal whore.
The song also references Madison Avenue's love for a trainer bra with eyes like rain, a reference to the corporate branding of the time. She rubs against the weatherbeaten frame and asks the angel for his name, perhaps a nod to the idea of companies trying to use people's values to make purchases. In the distance, the song mentions the marble dome reflecting across the flatlands, a symbolic phrase that refers to a sense of isolation and lost hope. Though parts are unknown, the “woman” strokes his polished chrome and lies beside the angel's bones at the end of the song.
In conclusion, Bruce Springsteen's song The Angel is a powerful tale of a mysterious figure who travels through various landscapes, meeting different people, and offering love as his weapon against adversity. It is an imaginative piece that is open to interpretation, where listeners can draw their meaning from the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
The angel rides with hunchbacked children, poison oozing from his engine
The angel travels with underprivileged kids, and despite appearing holy and good, he is tainted with a toxic aura.
Wieldin' love as a lethal weapon, on his way to hubcap heaven
The angel utilizes his love as a powerful tool as he journeys towards his heavenly destination of hubcaps.
Baseball cards poked in his spokes, his boots in oil he's patiently soaked
The angel decorates his vehicle with baseball cards while also taking great care in preparing himself for his long journey.
The roadside attendant nervously jokes as the angel's tires stroke his precious pavement
The attendant watches the angel pass by, feeling nervous but trying to maintain humor as the angel's vehicle leaves an impression on the pavement.
The interstate's choked with nomadic hordes
In Volkswagen vans with full running boards
Dragging great anchors, followin' dead-end signs into the sores
The angel rides by humpin' his hunk metal whore
The interstate is congested with aimless wanderers in VW vans lugging heavy baggage, but the angel travels with his trusty vehicle without feeling burdened by the chaos around him.
Madison Avenue's claim to fame in a trainer bra with eyes like rain
She rubs against the weatherbeaten frame and asks the angel for his name
A woman advertising Madison Avenue's glamorous lifestyle in a revealing outfit flirts with the angel, caressing his worn-out vehicle and inquiring about his identity.
Off in the distance the marble dome reflects across the flatlands,
With a naked feel off into parts unknown
The woman strokes his polished chrome and lies beside the angel's bones
In the distance lies a stately and prominent structure that can be seen even in the desolate landscape; the woman feels a deep, raw connection to the angel's vehicle and rests beside it, touching its gleaming surface.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind