One of rock and roll’s iconic figures, Bruce Springsteen produced his most influential, and many would argue his greatest, body of work from 1973 to 1987. During that time, he released eight studio albums, along with the mammoth live album Live/1975-1985. Among these records are five that are included on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Born to Run, Nebraska, and Born in the U.S.A., all of which came out during the period covered by this book.
American critic and musician David Starkey takes a deep dive into Springsteen’s early catalogue, highlighting the brilliance of Springsteen’s writing and composing and his flair for the dramatic, along with his profound commitment to the gruelling lives of working-class people. However, he also occasionally points out moments when ‘the Boss’ isn’t quite up to his own high standards. Starkey shares stories from Springsteen and those around him about the songs’ creation, and looks closely at the musicians and musicianship that brought Springsteen’s vision to life.
Finally, Starkey’s writing—concise yet wide-ranging, analytic yet witty—brings it all together, telling the familiar story of Bruce Springsteen in an entirely new way.

Bio
David Starkey is the author of SonicBond’s Talking Heads (On Track), as well as thirteen books of poetry and two novels—Poor Ghost (2024) and The Fairley Brothers in Japan (2025)—both focusing on the trials and tribulations of musicians. A former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate and co-editor, with Brian Tanguay, of the California Review of Books, Starkey plays with various bands and, with drummer Eric Prothero, records and performs as Falstaff Riley. A lifelong Springsteen fan, Starkey still owns the copy of Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. that he bought the year it came out, when he was eleven years old.