by Steve Van Zandt loves Eric Clapton. That’s a statement that the E Street Band guitarist would happily sign off on.
“Eric Clapton is the most important and influential guitar player that has ever lived, is still living or ever will live,” said Van Zandt, “Do yourself a favour, and don’t debate me on this.” He went on to explain the guitar playing styles that Clapton embodies and how he managed to merge different genres in a bid to create what we now know as the modern rock guitarist.
As well as being a fan, Van Zandt also explained why he believes Clapton has managed to stay relevant for so many decades, as he said that he stopped trying to make his music perfect and instead let it be a simple reflection of himself. Van Zandt even recalls the last time that he thought Clapton consciously produced something perfect.
“’Layla’ was, for me, the last time everything – the singing, songwriting and guitar playing – were all at the same high-intensity level,” he said, “It’s Clapton’s most original interpretation of the blues because the hellhounds on his trail had a face: unrequited love.”
Why am I talking about this so much? About how Van Zandt was a big fan of Clapton but then also believes Clapton stopped trying to be perfect after a certain point in his career? Well, it’s because I believe Van Zandt is extremely close with a musician who has done something similar. Bruce Springsteen has been the quintessential rock star for decades now, but what is the secret to such longevity?
We can sit here and debate what the perfect combination is for a long career all day long, but the truth is, it varies a great deal. Some people just continue writing great hits, other people know how to brand themselves so that their image also remains in the spotlight, and then you have artists like Springsteen, who seem to understand, either on a conscious or subconscious level, that the best way to continue to appeal to listeners is to give them every single aspect of you.
Springsteen was initially signed because of his similarities to Bob Dylan. This isn’t because he was an absolute clone of Bob Dylan, but the way he wrote and attempted to reflect society, personal issues and politics within his music wasn’t unlike him. Springsteen himself admitted he would write music with Bob Dylan in mind, hoping people would respond to his records the same way he responded to some of Dylan’s work.
“I want people to get the same experience from listening to one of my records as I had when I listened to Highway 61 Revisited,” he said, ”The idea that something was revealed to them that was fundamentally true and essential, and gave you a view of your world, your country, your town, your neighbours, your family.”
Springsteen’s first couple of albums did fine; both fans and critics liked his approach to rock music and songwriting. He had a style that was somewhat familiar and that also opened the door to something new. However, despite the relative success of these records, he was yet to have a commercial hit. When gearing up to make his third record, Born To Run, Springsteen decided that it was time for him to make something perfect. This album was going to be an accurate reflection of Springsteen but also a commercial success, a true piece of his own imagination, as Dylan’s influence was transported from heart to sleeve.
“With Born to Run I was shooting for the moon”.
Bruce Springsteen
Springsteen continued, “I said, ‘I don’t wanna make a good record, I wanna make the greatest record somebody’s ever heard’. I was filled with arrogance and thought, I can do that, y’know?”
He certainly did do that. Born To Run is still considered a classic by all those who listen to it, as the title track, along with other classics such as ‘Thunder Road’, ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’ and ‘Backstreets’ invoke a reaction that other artists could only dream their songs did.
So, what does Springsteen do after releasing an album like Born To Run? Do you just keep trying to do the same thing over and over again? Or do you try something different?
Springsteen has always been looking for innovation within the music he makes, which most of the time meant that he wanted to try something different. It resulted in some great pieces of work after Born To Run; however, one of his biggest moments of brilliance, of inspiration that secured his longevity as a rock legend, was with the album Nebraska.
This album is the focal point of the new Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere. The reason this record was chosen to be at the centre of the story was because it was more than an album, it was Springsteen’s attempt to resolve some personal issues by writing stories about the dark truths which encompass the country he lives in. This is his most personal album ever made, and the raw nature of it, the range of imperfections that lie on its surface, are what make it such a great listen.
When you listen to Nebraska, you feel as though you’re in the room with Springsteen, and he’s playing these songs to you live. It sounds beautiful, personal, and as though the songs are physically painful to perform. The scratchy vocals, the stripped back nature of the songs, they all combine to create wonderful imperfections which somehow make the record even more of a triumph.
If you make your way through Springsteen’s discography, there’s no doubt that you’re going to stumble across plenty of great records. That being said, if you want to isolate two, which I think showcase why we often refer to him as timeless, you should isolate Nebraska and Born To Run. Rock stars aren’t perfect. They might be capable of producing something which sounds perfect, but like every human being, they remain fundamentally flawed. These two albums showcase both the perfect and imperfect sides of Springsteen. By wholeheartedly embracing both extremes of himself, Springsteen cemented himself as a rock star for the ages.
To paraphrase the guitarist that Springsteen so frequently shares a stage with: Bruce Springsteen is the most important and influential rock star that has ever lived, is still living or ever will live. Do yourself a favour and don’t debate me on this.
