The Mind and Soul of Bruce Springsteen

I'll admit, I'm not a psychoanalyst. The closest I've gotten to studying psychoanalysis was in in my college Psych 201 class almost 50 years ago, from which I have the most threadbare recall of the concepts of ego, superego, and id. But I do know a lot about the mind of Bruce Springsteen. How do I know? Because he told me—for over the past 50 years of my fandom, through his music, his lyrics, his concerts, his storytelling, his interviews, and his autobiography. Thanks to his near photographic memory, I can probably convey more about his early childhood than I can of my own. Whereas I can vividly conjure up Bruce's detailed and colorful early childhood memories, from the cracks in his neighborhood sidewalks to his beloved climbing tree, my early childhood memories are considerably vaguer and more piecemeal.

The music and messaging of Bruce Springsteen have been shaped by his life experiences, starting with his dysfunctional early childhood, his rebellious Catholic school years, and the troubled relationship with his father. It has continued through his career as a brilliant, even genius, musician and entertainer. Along the way, he has championed social justice causes, given a voice to the undertrodden, and touched on themes of love, hope, faith, salvation, and redemption, all while dealing with his own bouts of depression.

Springsteen's body of work can even be characterized as quasiautobiographical. His early songs highlight the images and characters from his musical beginnings in Asbury Park, from the amusement park to the girls and fortune teller populating the boardwalk. It then evolves to escaping his small town as he searches for something greater, being “born to run,” and “pulling out of here to win.” He proceeds to reconcile with his complicated personal family dynamics and confronts the responsibilities of adulthood. Later, he becomes an ardent social justice warrior, speaking up for the neglected margins of society, from immigrants to the struggling working