Bruce Springsteen On Turning Points And Making Nebraska

If Bruce had to pick one album to represent him 50 years from now, he’d pick Nebraska. 

It’s a vibe. And it’s really cool how CBS took him back to the bedroom he wrote much of the album in all those years ago. 

Nebraska came when he hit a personal “wall” of depression. Springsteen says he couldn’t succeed his way out of pain. He tried, but he couldn’t. He had to work out of it. 

Before writing the album he was, by all definitions, a successful rock star. That’s 1% of 1% of 1% level stuff. But he felt like crap. 

He was surrounded by people. Adoring people. And he felt alienated. He told himself:

This is all inside of me. You can either take it and create something positive or it can destroy you. 

He found a muse in a serial killer. He found humanity in whatever corner he could shine a light. He sat down with a guitar, a tape recorder, and captured what started to come out. 

Oh, and he also kept notes and lyrics in a binder with Snoopy on it. I’m pretty sure that’s the immortal album hack. 

Good can come from darkness. Strength can come from struggles. Maybe everything that dies, can come back (wink wink, nudge nudge). 

Check the interview out: