Bruce Springsteen

---
name: "Bruce Springsteen"
relatedPeople:
  - "tom-waits"
  - "zooey-deschanel"
  - "lea-michele"
  - "chris-cornell"
date: "2012-05-16"
sources:
  - sourceTitle: "Bruce Springsteen – Biography"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0819803/bio"
  - sourceTitle: "First Listen: Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball, Theatre Marigny, Paris – Reviews – Music"
    sourceUrl: "http://youunity.com/computers/14-music/287-first-listen-bruce-springsteen-wrecking-ball-theatre-marigny-paris-reviews-music.html"
  - sourceTitle: "Bruce Springsteen: I enjoy artists who take on the world"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/9087360/Bruce-Springsteen-I-enjoy-artists-who-take-on-the-world.html"
  - sourceTitle: "Album review: Bruce Springsteen, 'Wrecking Ball' (Columbia)"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.wbez.org/blog/jim-derogatis/2012-02-28/album-review-bruce-springsteen-%E2%80%98wrecking-ball%E2%80%99-columbia-96817"
  - sourceTitle: "Bruce Springsteen's Political Voice"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.thenation.com/article/167356/bruce-springsteens-political-voice"
  - sourceTitle: "Rock Stars Lobby Congress Against Nuclear Power."
    sourceUrl: "http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15546014"
  - sourceTitle: "Timeline: Amnesty International and music"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/story/2012-01-22/amnesty-international-timeline-music/52746050/1"
  - sourceTitle: "Bruce Springsteen – Wikimedia Foundation"
    sourceUrl: "http://books.google.com/books?id=lwSLaEe0IfMC&pg=PA286&lpg=PA286&dq=Bruce+Springsteen+Born+in+the+U.S.A.+Chrysler&source=bl&ots=1iEit501-E&sig=AuhJ9LFICr8TmYHOvvzsJcTJm9I&hl=en&sa=X&ei=78-yT5DUIYOciAKt34WsBA&ved=0CGUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=false"
  - sourceTitle: "Bruce Springsteen – No Surrender"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.drumpaper.com/products-page/bruce-springsteen/bruce-springsteen-no-surrender/"
  - sourceTitle: "Springsteen endorses Obama for president"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-16-springsteen_N.htm?csp=34"
  - sourceTitle: "Bruce Springsteen"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1661"
  - sourceTitle: "ruce Springsteen Rocks Gay Marriage Vote"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-5954150-503544.html"
summaries:
  religion: "Springsteen was brought up Catholic, but now calls himself an agnostic."
  politicalViews: "Springsteen is one of America's most outspoken political artists and has almost always had a liberal agenda with both his music and his personal political activism."
---

Bruce Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. To this day, much of Springsteen's music and personal life revolves around New Jersey.

Springsteen was raised Catholic.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Fname%2Fnm0819803%2Fbio" title="Bruce Springsteen – Biography">[1]</a> At this point in Bruce's life, he has long since given up on Catholicism, but he can admit it's influence on his life and music. He said:

>[Much of my music is a result of] being completely brainwashed by Catholicism in my formative years. It's given me a very active spiritual life – and made it very difficult for me sexually!<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fyouunity.com%2Fcomputers%2F14-music%2F287-first-listen-bruce-springsteen-wrecking-ball-theatre-marigny-paris-reviews-music.html" title="First Listen: Bruce Springsteen, Wrecking Ball, Theatre Marigny, Paris – Reviews – Music">[2]</a>

It's hard to know quite what he means by the sex part. He couldn't use condoms? He couldn't cheat on his wife? He did say, however, that despite not being active religiously, that:

>Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fculture%2Fmusic%2Frockandpopmusic%2F9087360%2FBruce-Springsteen-I-enjoy-artists-who-take-on-the-world.html" title="Bruce Springsteen: I enjoy artists who take on the world">[3]</a>

This was in response to a song off of his Wrecking Ball album with a very Irish-Catholic sort of sound to it. Still, Springsteen maintains his agnosticism, despite accusations that he's growing more spiritual with age.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wbez.org%2Fblog%2Fjim-derogatis%2F2012-02-28%2Falbum-review-bruce-springsteen-%25E2%2580%2598wrecking-ball%25E2%2580%2599-columbia-96817" title="Album review: Bruce Springsteen, &apos;Wrecking Ball&apos; (Columbia)">[4]</a>

## The Boss' Politics

Springsteen and politics often go together without a second thought. His music is politically charged and uniquely American. He cites how his father was "emasculated" by unemployment for his becoming aware of the hardships that face working-class Americans. He said of his musical goals:

>My work has always been about judging the distance between American reality and the American Dream.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fculture%2Fmusic%2Frockandpopmusic%2F9087360%2FBruce-Springsteen-I-enjoy-artists-who-take-on-the-world.html" title="Bruce Springsteen: I enjoy artists who take on the world">[5]</a>

Often, Bruce's desire to identify with middle and lower-class America causes critics to paint him a hypocrite, considering he is obviously quite wealthy. But Bruce seems sincere and enthusiastic about his ideals, determined to inject his voice into the American political zeitgeist.

In fact, Springsteen has been an inspiration for new generation of political musicians from Rage Against the Machine to The Roots. Initially, Springsteen didn't know how to approach politics as an artist, saying:

>[In the early years, I was] trying to figure out now where do aesthetic issues that you write about intersect with some sort of concrete action, some direct involvement, in the communities that your audience comes from.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2F167356%2Fbruce-springsteens-political-voice" title="Bruce Springsteen&apos;s Political Voice">[6]</a>

But it didn't take long before The Boss was a major political voice, from campaigning against nuclear power<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Ftemplates%2Fstory%2Fstory.php%3FstoryId%3D15546014" title="Rock Stars Lobby Congress Against Nuclear Power.">[7]</a> to doing a worldwide tour for Amnesty International<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Flife%2Fmusic%2Fnews%2Fstory%2F2012-01-22%2Famnesty-international-timeline-music%2F52746050%2F1" title="Timeline: Amnesty International and music">[8]</a> to turning down millions from corporations wanting to use his songs in their advertisements.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DlwSLaEe0IfMC%26pg%3DPA286%26lpg%3DPA286%26dq%3DBruce%2BSpringsteen%2BBorn%2Bin%2Bthe%2BU.S.A.%2BChrysler%26source%3Dbl%26ots%3D1iEit501-E%26sig%3DAuhJ9LFICr8TmYHOvvzsJcTJm9I%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26ei%3D78-yT5DUIYOciAKt34WsBA%26ved%3D0CGUQ6AEwCA%23v%3Donepage%26q%26f%3Dfalse" title="Bruce Springsteen – Wikimedia Foundation">[9]</a>

Bruce has also attached his name to various Democrat and liberal organizations and events. In 2004, he endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and lent the Kerry campaign his song, "No Surrender."<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drumpaper.com%2Fproducts-page%2Fbruce-springsteen%2Fbruce-springsteen-no-surrender%2F" title="Bruce Springsteen – No Surrender">[10]</a> He supported Obama in 2008 as well, even opening the president's inaugural celebration concert.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Felection2008%2F2008-04-16-springsteen_N.htm%3Fcsp%3D34" title="Springsteen endorses Obama for president">[11]</a>

In social issues, Springsteen has been a longtime supporter of labor unions<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.discoverthenetworks.org%2FindividualProfile.asp%3Findid%3D1661" title="Bruce Springsteen">[12]</a> and is an outspoken supporter of gay rights and gay marriage.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2F8301-503544_162-5954150-503544.html" title="ruce Springsteen Rocks Gay Marriage Vote">[13]</a>

If he's anything, it's a liberal Democrat.

Fact about the Political Affiliations of Bruce Springsteen

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