TONIGHT IN JUNGLELAND

The roots of a career-making album.

Fifty years on, Bruce Springsteen’s third album, Born To Run, seems as natural, essential, and American as the Mississippi River. But as music biographer Carlin (The Name of This Band Is R.E.M., 2024, etc.) explains, its creation was clouded with uncertainty, as was its creator. Though Springsteen’s first two albums received plenty of critical acclaim, sales were weak, and he was close to being dropped by his label, Columbia Records. His live band was in transition, as was his management—he invited Jon Landau, a well-connected rock critic, into his camp following a review that concluded, “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Carlin’s book generally runs through the album song by song, which is an effective strategy: “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” lets Carlin explore the E Street Band’s evolution, “Jungleland” Springsteen’s meticulous approach to composition and production, the anthemic title track his ruthless self-editing as a lyricist. (Manager Mike Appel was so high on the last song he released a bootleg single of it to radio, risking the ire of Columbia suits.) Unlike his R.E.M. book, which suffered from lack of access to the band members, this book is bolstered by interviews with Springsteen himself, some drawn from his 2012 biography but also more recent ones, as well as footage of Springsteen’s obsessive retakes in the studio. To the last, he remained uncertain of what he’d accomplished—he almost scrapped the album just before its release date—and it’s to Carlin’s credit that he’s more interested in the uncertainty than delivering a hagiography. Born To Run was a triumph, installing Springsteen in rock’s canon, but this book thrives in exploring the hard work that preceded it.

An admirably comprehensive study of a masterpiece and its creation.