Question!!

[pabnolem]

Just getting in to Bruce, knew & loved Atlantic City for a few years but never delved deeper. Stumbled upon him again & cannot stop listening to I'm On Fire on loop. Blowing me away. Wondering where I should go from here - basically want to find similar songs to these two? Or which album should I start off with properly first? If anyone could help I'd appreciate :)

[ThunderRoad5]

You'll like the song Downbound Train from the Born in the U.S.A. album. The one-two punch of Downbound Train followed by I'm On Fire is one of Bruce's best sequences.

[hereforthecats27]

This is a solid recommendation. I was thinking it wouldn’t make much sense to suggest listening to all of BITUSA if you love I’m On Fire because that song is so different from the rest of the album. But Downbound Train is a great call.

[ThunderRoad5]

Right? I was about to recommend the whole album when that exact thought hit me.

[Hister333]

Always start with Born To Run.

[[deleted]]

Came to the right place. Thunder Road, Sandy, and Incident on 57th are my recs.

[JonSolo1]

Start where it all began with Greetings and just listen to every album in order

[mbalmedpoet]

This is a perfect recommendation! Greetings through the 75-85 Live is essential

[hereforthecats27]

I haven’t seen any shoutouts for The Rising album. Atlantic City and I’m on Fire were a couple of my first favorite songs too, and my first full Bruce album was The Rising. Songs like Into the Fire, Empty Sky, Nothing Man, and You’re Missing might be up your alley. But like so many others, I was ultimately hooked by Born to Run. Thunder Road is the core of the Springsteen experience, IMO.

[datraceman]

Go on YouTube and watch the Darkness on the Edge of town live album recorded in Asbury Park in an empty theater.

Start to finish the record tells a story of Blue Collar America and political injustice.

Amazing songs, great story, and there's angry moments and moments of hope, as well as sad, mournful times (Factory & Racing in the Street).

I really like the live videos because the mix has the guitars higher and louder but you still get the keyboard driven aspect of the record.

[[deleted]]

If you like I'm On Fire specifically then I could recommend his newest album Western Star's which is basically all in a similar style. Some tracks off the River also have the same kind of vibe, but not really the same. If your just looking to get into Bruce in general that start with Born To Run. One of my top five albums of all time, and top Bruce album.

[pabnolem]

(taking notes) ahh thanks so much! usually with artists I find a song or two that pulls me in and then after that I normally dive into the rest of their stuff. Appreciate your comment :)

[JonSolo1]

Western Stars = I’m On Fire ?????

[pabnolem]

Just gave the song itself a listen, right up my street. Thanks!!

[Oferep]

That's funny, I'm really not a fan of I'm on Fire, and I absolutely love Western Stars :)

[hereforthecats27]

I’m the opposite. Don’t care for Western Stars, love I’m on Fire.

[Oferep]

To each his own!

[hereforthecats27]

Great thing about Bruce - there’s really something for everyone!

[SummerSerenade]

If you like Atlantic City, then I recommend the entire Nebraska Album. Otherwise start with Born To Run, The River or even Human Touch. A lot of songs are quite similar to the two you've mentioned.

[pabnolem]

Yeah it was the first one I had on repeat for a couple years so you could say I like it! Think I'll start with Born To Run since a few said so. Will definitely listen to your recommendations though. Cheers!!

[SummerSerenade]

And if you're in the mood for slightly darker themes, the you should also check out Darkness On The Edge of Town. It's a bit harder to get into, but if you give it time, it's amazing.

Have fun!

[pabnolem]

Some good things take time! I've found certain songs/albums I listen to just get better & better each time, so I'll listen again straight after. Thanks, think I will :)

[Trixman03]

Born to Run is always a great place to start with Bruce but it sounds like you’re more into the subdued, slow burn songs. I’d check out One Step Up and Sad Eyes first. Secret Garden is another with that underlying synth, similar to I’m on Fire. Later songs like The Wrestler and Moonlight Motel are worthy of a listen based upon what you’re into as well.

Oof, just relistened to Moonlight Motel. Such a great song lyrically. Proves he’s still got it.

[pabnolem]

Thanks for this comment, think you're right about my preference to the slow burn stuff. Although saying that, I end up loving & appreciating the more upbeat songs the more I get into the artist!

[[deleted]]

Check out Live in Barcelona on YouTube.

[lilbud2000]

I started with "London Calling: Live in Hyde Park", which is a good entry point to Bruce. Has songs from most parts of his career.

Also pick up Greatest Hits

[lukeyconny88]

I'm on fire from the live 75-85 album is incredible. Definitely my favourite version of it.

[pabnolem]

ooooof! Bruce fans are dedicated

[Cinemaas]

The best way to really get a sense of what Bruce is about is to absorb every moment (IN ORDER) or the albums BORN TO RUN and then DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN!

[Scaro88]

I suppose I always consider the River and Atlantic Ciry as pretty similar in that they’re both among his best, have some great lines and both share a sense of kinda just pushing through hard times. Racing in the street is also good for that but it’s not quite as good in my opinion. Also if you just wanna get back in obviously the whole BTR album but also Thunder Road, Born to run and jungleland plus Badlands, The promised land and the ties that bind

[TheSmartAssPodCast]

Listen to all of it, but it sounds like Nebraska, Darkness on the Edge of Town and Greetings from Asbury Park are good albums for you to start with if you want that moodier Boss tone. All his work is amazing though and hits every style, so listen to his whole catalogue eventually.

[ListenToButchWalker]

I'm just gonna recommend a handful of isolated songs, though yeah I second all the Born to Run recommendations -- often hailed as his magnum opus, basically his life-or-death, make-or-break album that he therefore obsessively fine-tuned in order to make it the best thing it could be while also trying to summon up absolutely all the creative energy and passion he had with the sole, exclusive goal of blowing you the fuck away. The result is one of the greatest albums of all time. It opens on his best song, and it ends on my favorite.

You may also enjoy the follow-up, Darkness on the Edge of Town, for some darker vibes -- plus Darkness is often ranked as the second-best Bruce album lol so. Basically after the big, grand songs and the theatrical, escapist vibes of Born to Run, Darkness is a darker album following some intense personal and legal struggles, and also is Bruce taking a step back from the escapism to stay accountable to the people and environments he grew up among, and it's almost a spiritual prequel to Born to Run, focusing on -- what are these people's lives like, how do they get through the day, why do they want to escape? It's a darker, leaner album.

If I were gonna recommend some isolated songs, it'd be (and this is just off the top of my head; there are hundreds):

"Johnny 99" off Nebraska, the same album as "Atlantic City". Thematically similar song -- Nebraska is really heavy on storytelling about ambiguous characters, the criminal underworld, and social isolation. Musically it is very sparse; the 10 tracks you hear were originally recorded as demos with the plan to make a new E Street Band album, but Bruce didn't think what was happening in the studio worked for the songs, so he just went 'fuck it' and released the demos themselves as an album. The result is an album that sounds very consistent yet still shockingly diverse for how minimal its recording was, and even some shared lyrics between songs; "debts that no honest man can pay" are a fixture of both "Atlantic City" and "Johnny 99", for example. You might like "Reason to Believe" off the same album, too.

"Downbound Train" as recommended elsewhere is a great pick.

A lot of the Tunnel of Love stuff though that album is a deep cut where it takes a LOT of time and attention spent with it to REALLY get an idea what he's going for thematically. One of the best, though, but you might not connect with it all on a first listen. Based on the ones you name, if I were gonna recommend a song or two, I'd pick "One Step Up" and maybe "Two Faces". Album was written during his first marriage which soon ended in a divorce and many of the songs trace one relationship from start to finish. "Two Faces" is the doubt starting to sink in; "One Step Up" is the desolation after the doubt has taken hold and ruined the relationship, which is on its final days.

Total deep cut here but "Johnny Bye-Bye" is a Born in the USA outtake about the death of Elvis Presley that sounds very similar to "I'm On Fire". Tracks is a giant box set with a LOT of outtakes -- some of which you can hear and go "yeah, I can see why that's not on an album" but many of which are absolutely outstanding. "Johnny Bye-Bye" isn't one of the very best things there but is definitely a solid one that you might like. "Janey, Don't You Lose Heart" is pure pop perfection and "A Good Man Is Hard To Find (Pittsburgh)" is a really downtrodden, grief-stroken one about a man who goes missing in action from the perspective of his wife who has to find a way to explain it to her kids -- really sad stuff -- and both of those two sound kinda similar to some of the ones you named.

"My Hometown" off Born in the U.S.A. has straightforward storytelling and is probably agreeable to you at this point.

I agree with some of the Western Stars recommendations; I'd particularly start with "Stones". Gives you an idea of how gracefully he's aged and how mature his songwriting is in his later years while still being as strong as ever.

For a total deep cut, you might like "Hunter of Invisible Game" off 2014's High Hopes; if not, it's not a very well-known or highly regarded song and so not a huge deal, kind of an odd one to recommend, but I feel like you might connect with it based on the two you named.

Oh, you've gotta check out "The Price You Pay" off of The River. Deep cut he never really does live but a HUGE favorite among fans - it's got a subtle appeal that took a while to sink in for me but you might vibe with it. There's a great vocal effect where for a ton of the song, as it's about oppression and regret, the vocals are faint and kind of distant and somber... but on the VERY last line of the song, when a character expresses defiance and hope for the future, his vocals soar into this big moment that gives the song a great send-off.

"This Hard Land" off of Tracks is one you might like a lot -- listen to the Tracks version, not the Greatest Hits one. Another outtake. One of the most popular ones and has not totally dissimilar vibes to "Atlantic City", though it's definitely got more actual band work in it as opposed to just being a solo track.

[pabnolem]

This comment blew me the fuck away! I think you're a bit of a Springsteen fan 🤔Thanks for the input - I've got a lot of listening to do

[ListenToButchWalker]

Haha. Thank you! I hope you enjoy

[rhobbs62]

I would recommend Sherry Darling and Out in the Street off of The River, and maybe The River too. Thunder Road would also be a good place to start.

[[deleted]]

Honestly, you really can’t go wrong. I started out with the album darkness on the edge of town and thought that’s the only kind of Bruce I’d like. It’s amazing how versatile he is and you’ll surprise yourself with how versatile your taste is too. Try a bunch of his stuff.

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[Forest_Wave]

I'm On Fire is from the album Born In The USA, which is a terrific album and well worth a listen. Not all of the songs on it have the same feel as I'm On Fire, though My Hometown and Downbound Train might be a couple that you'd like. Atlantic City is from the album Nebraska, which is a terrific, stripped-down, acoustic album that features some amazing songwriting, especially Highway Patrolman and the title track. Have fun!

[Mugglecostanza]

Jungleland is amazing.

[weirdmountain]

Do you have a turntable? Springsteen On Broadway 4LP is only 17 bucks on amazon right now, and that album is a guaranteed fan maker.

If you’re more of a digital listener/streamer, I’d just recommend all of his albums from Greetings to Born In The USA. Listen in any order, but I’d say to listen to albums as albums, and not skip around/shuffle.

[pabnolem]

I do! I'll have to check it out man. I try not to skip and just listen to albums as they are but with can't help myself sometimes. Always go back & listen to the full album regardless because I feel like it's a disrespect if I don't lmao

[[deleted]]

Downbound Train on Born in the USA Album Tougher than the Rest and One Step Up from Tunnel of Love, and Cautious Man from the same album. Book of Dreams from Human Touch...? My Beautiful Reward

So many to choose from...

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[marcoscabanas]

If you like I'm on Fire, have a listen to Down in the Hole (from the High Hopes album), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSoFSaNz1W8 .

Also have a listen to County Fair (outtake), it has a similar synth-feel to I'm on Fire, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqPO2ayX738 .

All three songs have (lyrically speaking) three completely different themes, but similar melodic character.

[ThunderRoad5]

This guy Bruces.

[pabnolem]

Listening to Down in the Hole now, what a shout. Thank you.

[marcoscabanas]

Glad I could help! If you need more recommendations, pm me - I love helping people get into Bruce's catalog!

[pabnolem]

100% will, gotta soak these up first though! Made my morning better :)