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Bruce Springsteen biography

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Bruce Springsteen is an arena rock star and a well-regarded singer-songwriter. His best known songs chronicle Springsteen's working-class roots in New Jersey.


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Later in the decade, Springsteen continued to experiment with different sounds. Devils & Dust (2005) was a bleak, sparse acoustic record in the vein of Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad. We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006) was something completely different, a throwback jamboree of folksy Americana. Magic (2007) was a more traditional rock album incorporating the full E Street Band,

a record viewed by many fans and critics as the true follow-up to The Rising. Springsteen wrote the songs on Magic in something of a blue mood, discouraged by the Iraq War and the long illness, and ultimately death, of E Street guitarist and longtime friend Danny Federici.

Political Message

In 2008, Springsteen's liberal politics became more pronounced as he became a strong backer of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. When Obama won the election, Springsteen's "The Rising" was the first song played at the victory party; Springsteen later opened the show at Obama's inaugural celebration. Honoring Springsteen at the Kennedy Center in 2009, Obama said, "I may be the President, but he is 'The Boss.'"

Recent Years

Springsteen continues to thrive as a performer and songwriter. In 2012, he released his latest album, Wrecking Ball. He has launched a world tour to support new recording. During a concert in London's Hyde Park that July, Springsteen was joined on stage by legendary performer Paul McCartney. This dream rock pairing played two Beatles classics, "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Twist and Shout."

The impressive show, however, ended in controversy after the microphones were shut off by the event organizers as McCartney, Springsteen and Springteen's band were finishing up. The concert had gone past its scheduled curfew when the performers were silenced. The audience was outraged. Springsteen's guitarist Steven Van Zandt tweeted about the incident: "When did England become a police state?" and "English cops may be the only individuals left on earth that wouldn't want to hear one more from Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney!"

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