In his new book , Steven Hyden writes about Bruce Springsteen’s monumental 1984 record as a watershed moment—for American culture, for Springsteen, and for the author himself. Hyden, a cultural critic (and a former staff member), mixes memoir, sociological observation, and good old-fashioned journalism to explore how this blockbuster album defined a decade and created—and in some ways ended—the Bruce Springsteen persona. Hyden spoke to about these subjects, as well as “the long hangover” that the record left behind.
is definitely among the first albums I was aware of as a kid. I’ve been aware of Bruce Springsteen for most of my life, since I was six years old. I’m 46 now.
Obviously when I was six I wasn’t reading about Bruce Springsteen, and I didn’t really know about any of his other records. That happened when I was a teenager. One of the things that attracted me to this subject matter is that Bruce has been a presence in my life for as long as I’ve been alive, pretty much.
It was something that was really interesting to me, and I felt like I could write a book about this. I should say that it’s not my favorite Bruce Springsteen album. My favorite is probably , which is a popular choice among Springsteen fans.
But to me is the most interesting album to write about. In my view, is the pivotal record in Bruce Springsteen’s career. If you look at the albums that precede it, they really feel like they’re building up to a moment like Bruce had in the .
