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 things you probably didn’t know about Bruce Springsteen. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He 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: He 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: He 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.