Bruce Springsteen is somewhat of a god of American rock and roll. The “Born in the U.S.A.” singer may be 66 years old, but he’s nowhere near losing his relevance to anyone who knows anything about rock. Despite the fact that Springsteen has lived a lot of his life in the spotlight and on the stage, there are still some things that many people don’t know about him. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 facts you probably didn’t know about Bruce Springsteen.
Number Fifteen: Bruce Springsteen Was Praised by Dr. Ruth
Yes, The Dr. Ruth who gives sex advice. The two reportedly met backstage at a show, and while she told him she likes what he sings about love and sex, she apparently wished he would sing more about contraception.
Number Fourteen: He Struggled in School
When Springsteen was in third grade, he was stuffed into a trash can under his desk…by a nun. Yes, a nun. She apparently told him that that’s where he belonged.
Number Thirteen: Bruce Springsteen Lived With Chocolate in the Air
When Springsteen was living with his family in Freehold, New Jersey, their house was near a Nestle factory. Springsteen says that on some days he could smell chocolate throughout the entire day.
Number Twelve: His First Song Was by The Beatles
The very first song Springsteen learned to play on the guitar was The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout.” Little did he know that he’d be making thousands of people twist and shout in just a few short years.
Number Eleven: There Really Is an E Street
It’s true! E Street is located in Belmar, New Jersey. The band reportedly used the name because David Sancious’ (the original keyboard player) mother lived there, and she was nice enough to let them rehearse in her house.
Number Ten: He Wrote “Hungry Heart” for The Ramones
Springsteen saw the Ramones perform in 1979, and Joey Ramone ended up asking him to write a song for them. He wrote “Hungry Heart” for them, but he ended up keeping it for himself.
Number Nine: Bruce Springsteen First Encountered his First Wife in a Music Video
Springsteen’s first wife was Julianne Phillips, and rather than meet her in a bar, the first place he saw her was in a music video for .38 Special.
Number Eight: He Is Good to His Fans
One infamous story says that Springsteen went to see Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories in the theater, which centers around the relationship between an artist and his fans. One fan allegedly challenged him to prove that he didn’t hold his fans in contempt, so he had dinner with the fan and his mother.
Number Seven: His Fans Can Be Extremely Dedicated
So dedicated, in fact, that there are several complex bootleg sites where fans can access almost everything Springsteen has done. The most notable of these resources are Jungleland and The Bruce Springsteen mp3 Bootleg Index.
Number Six: He Got Drunk and Went After Elvis
After a 1976 concert located in Memphis, Tennessee, Springsteen was reportedly drunk and decided to try and break into Graceland at three a.m. He got to the front door before security got ahold of him.
Number Five: He Is a Talented Photographer
According to photographer and friend of Springsteen Frank Stefanko, Springsteen is actually a quite skilled photographer and enjoys taking pictures of “weird Jersey billboards [and] funny signs on the sides of diners.”
Number Four: He Paid Severance When E Street Broke Up
When Springsteen decided to end the E Street Band in 1989, he was kind enough to pay each member a severance package of $2 million.
Number Three: He Has Fans in Space
The crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery was awoken by Springsteen’s “Rendezvous” in December of 1999 when they were slated to rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope.
Number Two: He Put Two Wives in the Same Music Video
Springsteen’s wife at the time, Julianne Phillips, and future wife, Patti Scialfa, can both be seen in his video for “Glory Days.” Phillips did not know at the time that Scialfa would be his future wife.
Number One: Bruce Springsteen Played a Freehold-Only Concert
In 1996, Springsteen played a benefit in his former grade school, and only Freehold, NJ residents were allowed to buy tickets.