Bruce Springsteen He has never been shy about talking about his influences. The composer remains a music fan at heart, extolling the virtues of his heroes and heroines, although he sometimes incorporates his production into his live shows.
As a lyricist, Bruce Springsteen has always cited Dylan as a formative influence in his life. Writing the introductory speech for Bob Dylan's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, the Boss noted:
Dylan was a revolutionary: in the same way that Elvis freed your body, Bob freed your mind. He showed us that just because music was innately physical didn't mean it was anti-intellectual. He broke the limitations of what an artist could achieve.
But the worship doesn't end there. Participating in the BBC Desert Island Discs back in 2008Bruce Springsteen was forced โ due to the format of the show โ to choose only one Bob Dylan song, and opted for a true classic.
'Like A Rolling Stone' is one of the best moments of the 60s, a single that broke boundaries: long, wild and free, it illuminated the imagination of Bruce Springsteen. โThis might be at the top of the list,โ he said, before reflecting: โThe first time I heard it, it came off the radio. I didn't know anything about Dylan's acoustic music. I was a top 40 creature, so the first time I really heard it with this song, it instantly started to change my life.โ
โ'Like a Rolling Stone' feels like a torrent coming rushing towards you. Flood your soul, flood your mind. It alerts you and awakens you instantly to other worlds, other lives. Other ways of being. โIt is perhaps one of the most powerful records ever made and it still means a lot to me, along with all of Dylan's work.โ
Revisit your conversation on Desert Island Discs in the BBC archive.
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In a separate interview, Bruce Springsteen was challenged to name his favorite Bob Dylan lyric, a difficult task given the enormous catalog Dylan has built over the decades.
Once again, he went for 'Like A Rolling Stone' โ โOnce upon a time you dressed so well / You threw a penny to bums in your prime, didn't you?โ the first lines of the instant classic, saying that he was "instantly hooked and into that song so intensely."
Watch the interview below.
Catch Bruce Springsteen touring the UK this summer.
