Picking my five favorite Springsteen songs for the back of my novel was a painful exercise. But picking my five favorite albums is relatively easy. After all, there are fewer to chose from!
So here are my favorite Springsteen albums. At least, they're my favorites today. If you're a Springsteen fan, feel free to disagree and make your own list. And if you're new to Springsteen -- you lucky dog! You get to discover all these albums for the first time!
1) Born to Run -- It's a classic. It's timeless. It's the definition of rock music. It's the best album ever. What can I say?
2) Darkness on the Edge of Town -- This is a grittier, meaner album but one that is, ultimately optimistic. "It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive," after all.
3) Nebraska -- It's not the most obvious Springsteen album to play on a road trip, but check it out on a long drive -- especially a long drive at night. It captures the essence of bleary-eyed driving -- not to mention serial killers, dead dogs, used cars and faith.
4) Tunnel of Love -- This would be one of more controversial choices, certainly. But Tunnel of Love has a jaunty, happy feeling to it -- even when it is painting less than ideal portraits of American marriage and family life. I like that.
5) The Ghost of Tom Joad -- It's like the Grapes of Wrath set to music! Seriously, it stands out to me because it was the first signal, to me at least, that Springsteen -- always gifted when writing about people and ways of life that he knew well -- could also write in a compelling and emotional way about the problems of people he did not know. Be they dust bowl victims or illegal aliens working in meth labs.
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