The Boss has dropped a bombshell.
Bruce Springsteen has been at work for the past seven years on his autobiography, and on Thursday he announced its arrival. Called -- what else? -- Born to Run, the book will see worldwide publication by Simon & Schuster on September 27.
According to the press announcement, Springsteen, 66, started work on the book in 2009. He and his E Street Band had just put out his 16th studio album, Working on a Dream, and capped its release with a halftime set at the Super Bowl.
Included with news of the book’s arrival was a quick synopsis of Born to Run from the publisher:
“In Born to Run, Mr. Springsteen describes growing up in Freehold, New Jersey amid the ‘poetry, danger, and darkness’ that fueled his imagination. He vividly recounts his relentless drive to become a musician, his early days as a bar band king in Asbury Park, and the rise of the E Street Band. With disarming candor, he also tells for the first time the story of the personal struggles that inspired his best work, and shows us why the song Born to Run reveals more than we previously realised.”
Springsteen, of course, is no stranger to the written word. Across his nearly 50-year career as a musician, the lyricist has penned his share of memorable lines. He’s described a New Jersey where “kids flash guitars like switchblades,” getting a gift of “a union card and a wedding coat” and the life-affirming truth that “at the end of every hard-earned day, people find some reason to believe.” He’s also cowritten a children’s book, Outlaw Pete.
The latest memoir from a rock star, Springsteen’s book will share space with recent titles by Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards, Carrie Brownstein and dozens of others.
Granted, if he needs some fresh eyes to scour the rough drafts, Springsteen has a few rock writers in his entourage. His longtime manager, Jon Landau, was an early critic for Rolling Stone, as was another close ally, the writer Dave Marsh.
