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)
You Can Look
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking for something pretty I could hang on my wall
I knocked over a lamp before it hit the floor I caught it
A salesman turned around said, boy, you break that thing you bought it
You can look but you better not touch boy
You can look but you better not touch
Mess around and you'll end up in dutch boy
Well I came home from work and I switched on channel five
There was a pretty little girly lookin' straight into my eyes
Well I watched as she wiggled back and forth across the screen
She didn't get me excited she just made me feel mean
You can look but you better not touch boy
You can look but you better not touch
Mess around and you'll end up in dutch boy
You can look but you better not, no you better not, no you better not touch
Well I called up Dirty Annie on the telephone
I took her out to the drive-in just to get her alone
I found a lover's rendezvous, the music low, set to park
I heard a tappin' on the window and a voice in the dark
You can look but you better not touch boy
You can look but you better not touch
Mess around and you'll end up in dutch boy
You can look but you better not, no you better not, no you better not touch
You can look but you better not touch boy
You can look but you better not touch
Mess around and you'll end up in dutch boy
You can look but you better not, no you better not, no you better not
No you better not, no you better not
I said you better not, so you better not, woah
The lyrics to Bruce Springsteen's song "You Can Look" are about the temptation and consequences of lusting after something that one cannot have. The singer starts by describing a trip to the mall, where he was looking for something pretty to hang on his wall. He accidentally knocks over a lamp, but catches it before it hits the floor. A salesman warns him that if he breaks something, he will have to buy it. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer is constantly reminded that he can look but not touch.
The second verse describes the singer watching a woman on TV, but instead of being attracted to her, he feels only anger and frustration. The third verse tells the story of the singer going on a date with "Dirty Annie", but even in the privacy of their car, they are interrupted by a tapping on the window and a voice in the dark. Throughout the song, the refrain reminds the listener of the consequences of giving in to temptation: "Mess around and you'll end up in Dutch."
The song can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving in to our desires without considering the consequences. It also speaks to the idea that sometimes the things we want the most are the ones that we cannot have.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday I went shopping buddy down to the mall
The singer went to the mall to shop.
Looking for something pretty I could hang on my wall
The singer was looking for artwork to decorate their home.
I knocked over a lamp before it hit the floor I caught it
The singer accidentally knocked over a lamp but managed to catch it before it broke.
A salesman turned around said, boy, you break that thing you bought it
The salesman warned the artist that they would have to pay for the lamp if they dropped and broke it.
You can look but you better not touch boy
The artist is warning someone that they can look at something but should not touch it.
Mess around and you'll end up in dutch boy
If someone disobeys the warning and touches the object, they will be in trouble.
Well I came home from work and I switched on channel five
The singer came home from work and turned on the TV.
There was a pretty little girly lookin' straight into my eyes
A woman on the TV caught the artist's attention.
Well I watched as she wiggled back and forth across the screen
The artist watched as the woman moved seductively on the TV.
She didn't get me excited she just made me feel mean
The woman on the TV did not arouse the artist, but instead made them feel angry or frustrated.
Well I called up Dirty Annie on the telephone
The singer called someone named Dirty Annie.
I took her out to the drive-in just to get her alone
The artist went on a date with Dirty Annie to be alone with her.
I found a lover's rendezvous, the music low, set to park
The singer found a secluded spot to park and be intimate.
I heard a tappin' on the window and a voice in the dark
Someone tapped on the car window and spoke in a whisper, possibly interrupting the singer's romantic moment.
You can look but you better not touch boy
The singer is warning someone that they can look but should not touch something.
Mess around and you'll end up in dutch boy
If someone touches the object after being warned not to, they will face consequences.
No you better not, no you better not
The warning not to touch something is repeated for emphasis.
I said you better not, so you better not, woah
The singer emphasizes the warning again, adding urgency.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mervyn Dendy
Alongside The Who in 1970/71, Bruce at this stage of his career put on the best and most exciting live shows in the entire history of rock. Incredible! 🥰🥰
Lennon K
No artist has as much enthusiasm and energy as The Boss. I love the way he brings light and is very energetic, he jumps, hops, squeals and runs across the stage. 😍😍 You can see how much fun he is having and enjoying himself, he lives on the stage!
Györgyi Toth
😍
Oliver Whitby
One of the best vocal performances of all time you save me time after time thank you my god
Györgyi Toth
Nincr
Valquiria Bueno
Bruce é incrivelmente incrível 🎤🎸👏👏👏💘
Györgyi Toth
Noce
Rece Markou
Is it weird this is my favorite song by Bruce?
Robert Shea
no, all his songs are great, this one has great energy
Teodoro Medeiros
A bit 😃