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)
This Life
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A billion years for just this night
In a way it will be alright
A blackness then the light of a million stars
As you slip into in my car
The evening sky strikes sparks
With you I have been blessed
What more can you expect
At night at my telescope alone
This emptiness I've roamed
Searching for a home
The stars, a brief string of shining charms
Rushing in right out of our arms
Into the drifting dark
This life, this life and then the next
With you I have been blessed
What more can you expect
This life, this life and then the next
I finger the hem of your dress
My universe at rest
We reach for starlight all night long
But gravity is too strong
Chained to this earth we go on and on and on and on and on
Then a million sighs cresting were you stood
A beauty in the neighborhood
This lonely planet never looked so good
This life, this life and then the next
With you I have been blessed
What more can you expect
This life, this life and then the next
I finger the hem of your dress
My universe at rest
The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen's song "This Life" paint a romantic picture of a couple on a night out under the stars. The song is about the beauty of life, especially when shared with a loved one. The opening lines of the song, "A bang then stardust in your eyes, a billion years for just this night, in a way it will be alright," paint a picture of how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe, but how much we can appreciate the present moment. The song continues with the couple slipping into the car, and the evening sky igniting sparks. The beauty of the stars and the universe is something that we can appreciate on our own with a telescope, but it's even more special when shared with someone else.
The chorus of the song, "This life, this life and then the next, with you I have been blessed, what more can you expect," reminds us that life is not about the material things we accumulate or the things we achieve, it's about the relationships we cultivate and the memories we make with the people we love. The song then continues to speak about how we reach for starlight all night long, but gravity is too strong, reminding the listener that we are all chained to this earth and that life is fleeting.
The final verse of the song, "Then a million sighs cresting were you stood, a beauty in the neighborhood, this lonely planet never looked so good," speaks about the beauty of finding love and how it can make the world seem so much better. The song ends with the same chorus, emphasizing the importance of appreciating the present moment and being grateful for the people we have in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
A bang then stardust in your eyes
You experienced a powerful moment that left you awestruck and full of wonder
A billion years for just this night
It took an unfathomable amount of time for this moment to happen, but it was worth the wait
In a way it will be alright
Despite any challenges or difficulties, everything will turn out okay in the end
A blackness then the light of a million stars
You went from feeling lost and alone to suddenly being surrounded by beauty and wonder
As you slip into in my car
This moment was made even more special by sharing it with someone you care about
The evening sky strikes sparks
The beauty of the night sky was so dazzling it felt like fireworks going off
This life, this life and then the next
There is more to come after this life, but for now, you are here experiencing everything life has to offer
With you I have been blessed
Having this person in your life is a gift and you feel grateful for their presence
What more can you expect
There is nothing else you could ask for in this moment because it is already perfect
At night at my telescope alone
There are times when you feel lonely and disconnected and search for meaning in the universe
This emptiness I've roamed
You have wandered through moments of feeling empty and unfulfilled
Searching for a home
You long to find a sense of belonging and purpose in the world
The stars, a brief string of shining charms
The stars are a beautiful, fleeting sight that make life feel more magical and special
Rushing in right out of our arms
The beauty of the stars is always just out of reach and difficult to hold onto
Into the drifting dark
The stars disappear into the darkness, reminding you that life is full of fleeting moments
I finger the hem of your dress
You take a moment to appreciate the small details and physical sensations of being with the person you love
My universe at rest
When you are with this person, everything else fades away and all that matters is being in the moment with them
We reach for starlight all night long
We spend our lives striving for things that seem just out of reach, like trying to grasp a star
But gravity is too strong
Despite our efforts, we are always pulled back down to earth by the realities of life
Chained to this earth we go on and on and on and on and on
No matter how much we dream and wish for something more, we are bound to our earthly existence and must keep living our lives
Then a million sighs cresting were you stood
You were overwhelmed with emotion in the presence of this person, feeling like a million deep breaths all at once
A beauty in the neighborhood
This person's beauty shines bright and brings more happiness to your life
This lonely planet never looked so good
Despite the feeling of loneliness, the existence of this person makes the world feel like a better place
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind