Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

3.41
Rating
24046
Votes
1
4%
2
14%
3
36%
4
29%
5
17%
Distribution

Album Summary

Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album marked the end of a three-year gap between albums brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel.Reviews for Darkness on the Edge of Town were overwhelmingly positive. Critics praised the maturity of the album's themes and lyrics. It remains one of Springsteen's most highly regarded records by both fans and critics and several of its songs have become staples of Springsteen's live performances. In 2020, it ranked at No. 91 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Wikipedia Read more on Wikipedia

Rating Over Time

Per Year Cumulative

Reviews

Sort by: Popular Date Random
Rating: All 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1★
Length: All Short Long
Jan 01 2023 Author
5
Save 4 years of college in Upstate New York, I’ve lived my entire life in New Jersey. Despite what the internet and television will have you believe, it’s an amazing place to live. Here in Central Jersey, I can be in New York City in an hour, Philadelphia in just a little over an hour. I can take a day trip to the beach on short notice or spend the afternoon hiking the Appalachian trail. The food here is amazing and diverse. Within a half hour, I can eat great food from just about every continent on earth. Our pizzerias, delis and diners are easily among the best in the entire country, don’t listen to what New Yorkers say. I’ve travelled all over the country over the last decade for work: California, Chicago, Washington state, Texas, Colorado, the South, the Midwest, the Southwest…all over. I’ve yet to find a place that offers as much as New Jersey does, or, at least, one that offers as much within such a close proximity. Yes, it’s expensive to live in and the traffic sucks, but it’s home. Like a pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll (with salt, pepper, ketchup) or Zeppole’s on the boardwalk, Bruce Springsteen is ingrained in my cultural DNA. I remember being a small child, not more than 4 or 5, Born in the USA playing on the radio, singing it out on the back porch while my parents and their friends grilled up burgers and dogs for the 4th of July. This is life in NJ. Even if you don’t listen to Bruce, you fucking know Bruce. It’s inescapable. You go to Asbury Park for shows at the Stony Pony, you travel up and down routes 1 & 9…the places he performed at, the places and people he sings about: they are places and people you are all too familiar with. Honestly, I’ve never considered myself a Springsteen fan at all. In my 41 years, I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and put on a Springsteen record and I definitely don’t own any. Darkness on the Edge of Town, until today, was no exception. Sometimes we take our backgrounds for granted. Traditions have a way of becoming mechanical: you celebrate holidays a certain way because that’s just what your family has always done. You don’t dig into the reasons why you have a certain meal for Christmas Eve, because it’s second nature, it’s just what you do. That’s my relationship with Bruce Springsteen. He looms so large in the place I am from that he’s almost an omnipresence, so I never really looked into the “why”, I just accepted it and honestly didn’t think about it too much…The sky is blue, grass is green, New Jersey is Springsteen Country. (I had no intention in penning a love letter to my state when I put this record on today, but that’s where we’re at. Just roll with me on this one, thanks.) Digging into Darkness on the Edge of Town, I’m instantly comforted. This is like home cooking; comfort food for my disaffected working class soul. Believe me, typing that out is just as corny to me as it is to you, dear reader. I can’t help that it’s the truth. Springsteen is on a tear on this record: aggressive, urgent, introspective, blunt and often flat-out beautiful. I could listen to “Badlands”, “Something in the Night” or “Prove It All Night” a hundred more times today and probably not be sick of them. This record rocks hard. That Bruce is, in many ways, the face of New Jersey makes total sense to me. He is a fitting encapsulation of this state’s underdog spirit. I may not have wanted to admit that for many years, but Darkness on the Edge of Town is resonating with me on such a guttural level that I’m not sure I can accurately describe it in any other way. It just feels so right. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s me finally embracing my place as a fully fledged New Jerseyan….I don’t know, but it’s a fucking great record and I should have become familiar with it a long time ago. My bad, Boss.
Feb 09 2021 Author
2
A mediocre selection of working-class mumbles periodically broken up by unimpressive guitar solos and unnecessary saxophone solos.
Mar 18 2022 Author
2
Whenever I get asked what is something most people love and you don’t I say Bruce Springsteen. I’m tired of having to say this, please randomly give us something else
Oct 08 2021 Author
5
They don’t call him the boss for nothing
Oct 27 2021 Author
5
Controversial opinion. This is his best work. His best, angriest and most solid batch of songs put together in the perfect order. I don't think hes ever topped this. It’s darker than what came before it and a reminder that life will beat the shit out of you and leave you broken. A story as old as time and no one tells it better than Bruce. 5/5
Sep 17 2021 Author
2
If the music was accompanied by someone who can sing, the album would actually be really good.
May 21 2021 Author
3
Good music but I can really only handle Bruce's voice in small doses.
Apr 09 2021 Author
5
Excellent, epic and emotional. Better than Born to Run for me and my first 5* review. There's just something about The Boss that just taps into the working man mindset. Melancholy at times, hopeful and uplifting at others, he just gets what it is to be alive.
May 04 2021 Author
5
Where's the option for 7 stars?
Mar 11 2024 Author
4
A haiku: Have you heard this one Characters love cars and girls Always hate their town
Jan 18 2024 Author
1
Like a drunk uncle singing karaoke. Would not choose to listen to this again
Feb 13 2021 Author
4
How many times have the Killers listened to this album weeping enviously
Jan 15 2024 Author
3
It’s alright. Probably the most Springsteeny album to ever have Sprungsteen.
Sep 16 2023 Author
1
Snorefest. I really don't get Springsteen.
Jan 20 2025 Author
2
I work, and work, and trucks, and work. My daddy worked and worked, and I'm tired, baby, trucks.
Jun 28 2025 Author
5
Now some guys they just give up living And start dying little by little, piece by piece Some guys come home from work and wash up And go racing in the street
Nov 03 2024 Author
5
Masculinity at its finest.
Jan 07 2022 Author
5
Raw and gritty. This album produced Bruce's best work, because he was locked in a legal battle for ownership of his work and he couldn't put out any new music until it was settled. This meant he worked. And worked…and worked. This album has my favorite Bruce song - Something in the Night, it's such a beautiful song. Add to it Candy's Room and Racing in the Street as some of the lesser known songs to the biggies like Badlands, The Promised Land, Prove it All Night and Darkness make this a full five-star album.
Aug 04 2021 Author
5
I had some familiarity with this album already, but gave it a thorough listen (ok several) and really liked it. Darker than his previous albums, but so good. Adam Raised a Cain and Racing in the Streets are two that I hadn’t paid attention to that I especially liked in addition to the already known singles such as Prove it all Night, Badlands and Darkness. 5
Jun 08 2021 Author
4
70s Springsteen is best Springsteen
Apr 26 2025 Author
5
Blind album, know the artist. Holy crap some songs blew my absolute freaking mind on this album, especially the Promised Land. This album, had so many hits that had so much emotion behind it. I love the instrumentals, I love the harmonies, the chord progressions, the lead ins. It's rudimentary and standard but it hits so hard and packs a punch I never hear anymore.
Apr 09 2021 Author
5
The album picks up from where Born to Run left off with the rousing 'Badlands', but listen closer and you will notice that Bruce's lyrics crackle with biblical imagery and religious fervour, this is repeated throughout on the likes of 'Adam raised a Cain' , 'Promised Land' and 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' . Has the Boss found God? Where Dylan was just entering his Fire and Brimstone phase with Slow Train Coming, which acts as a rallying cry for pious action in the material world (and turned off a large proportion of his Liberal base), Springsteen's spiritual focus is an introspective and personal crusade for self actualisation; the song becomes the sacrament, and what magnificent songs. It was also around this time when Van Morrison accused Springsteen (amongst others) of ripping him off and you can certainly hear his influence in the slower piano led numbers like 'Racing in the Street' and 'Something in the Night' which are meditative, hypnotic and transcendent. I told you he had found God.
Sep 27 2025 Author
5
GET IN MY EARS YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD
Jan 10 2022 Author
5
Sometimes when I hear an album for the first time, I'll absolutely love it. Sometimes I'll absolutely hate it. But it's really rare that I'll feel "comfortable" with it from the word go. I think by about halfway into the first song here, it felt like I was catching up with an old mate. I've never heard this album before, I don't even think I've heard any of the songs from it. But it legit felt like I've heard it countless times. There's something really cool about that. Can't give it any less than full marks. 5/5.
Jan 15 2024 Author
3
Funny that as I get older I appreciate Bruce more. While the power of his passion cascades from song to song, his music just never seems to capture my imagination. It's good, but just not great to my ears.
May 13 2025 Author
5
Take all the lovely romanticism, hope and freedom of Born to Run, punch it in the gut with a fist of sad reality, then slather it in some of the most anthemic choruses ever recorded, as well as some of the most searing guitar solos shredded, and you end up with this album. This is my favourite album of his, and Badlands is my personal favourite Bruce song so it was never going to get anything less than the full 5 stars, but there's truly not a bad song here in my opinion.
Mar 25 2023 Author
5
Classic and perfect.
Mar 19 2023 Author
5
Fucking hell this is awesome
Jun 17 2021 Author
5
15th June 2021 Have this on vinyl so cracked it out in the morning while working on civil service live. Nothing to say. 10 out of 5.
Sep 23 2025 Author
4
I like Bruce Springsteen. And this is pretty classic Bruce Springsteen. He springsteens all over the place on this album. My man locked into a springstheme of the challenges of being young in a small town and he just went hard with it. I like the variety of instruments: hell yeah, give me more glockenspiel.
Sep 06 2024 Author
2
Am I done with him yet? Am I done? What is this now, like 5 albums...? They're all shit. All of them. I do understand why people like him. I'm sure they can tune into his dad-rock, gentle fist-pump slice of Americana. For me, it makes my whole body slump in boredom. I seriously don't like his voice. It sounds like he's smoked way, waaaay too much weed and he's trying to drag himself off the floor and sing at the same time. The music, everything, it's just mediocre across the board. The most consistently 2/5 artist of all time.
Sep 03 2024 Author
2
I don’t get why Bruce is so celebrated. Mostly sounds like mush mouth drunk karaoke.
Jul 14 2022 Author
2
"Candy's Room" is fast-paced and fun, not super into the power ballads, but liked "Streets of Fire". Not the most exciting album.
Jun 26 2025 Author
5
As great as Born to Run is, this is just as good.
Jun 14 2025 Author
5
One of the best…..especially the title track
Jun 11 2025 Author
5
Is it possible for a Springsteen album to be underrated? Especially an early one? This album doesn't have any of his biggest early hits (e.g. Born to Run, Thunder Road, etc.) but is a masterful example of storytelling, catchy songs and great production. I'll admit I haven't given this album a lot of listens, but that may have to change.
Apr 12 2025 Author
5
I don't think we talk about how hard Adam Raised A Cain goes. Goddamn.
Apr 25 2023 Author
5
Excellent album. Probably more of a 4.5 for me but I’ll round up in honor of all the Bruce heads in this group.
Sep 03 2024 Author
2
His voice does nothing for me, just don’t enjoy his works. They feel like a slog to get through.
Dec 09 2025 Author
5
I hadn't really liked the stuff I'd previously heard from Springsteen, so this album was a pleasant surprise for me. I found it to contain well-written lyrics about love, loss, and American life. Springsteen's vocals aren't as grating as I remembered(the main reason I disliked him), and the E Street Band is very solid musically. The saxophone is mostly gone from the album(another thing I disliked about Springsteen), which is always a boon. The songwriting here is excellent, with great lyrics and musical quality.
Nov 13 2025 Author
5
I was 13 when this came out and I checked it out repeatedly from the library. I don't think I've listened to it since then... what a masterpiece--flawed, a little overwrought--but still each song a variation on a theme while being, for the most part, a great song.
Oct 28 2025 Author
5
One of Bruce’s best and part of his prolific run of albums. Some beautifully raw songs on this record with ‘Racing In The Street’ being personal highlight, along with ‘Darkness…’. Epic!
Oct 20 2025 Author
5
Young Bruce still plays most of these songs live. What a beautiful album again.
Oct 19 2025 Author
5
my NJ icon favorite song from the album: Streets of Fire
Oct 18 2025 Author
5
Smiling right now. A 5 star album. One of his best.
Oct 18 2025 Author
5
I don't like Darkness on the Edge of Town as much as Born to Run, but man it's close. The production always seemed a little harder to me, a bit more in your face, perhaps not surprising given that Springsteen had been stalled for three years due to contractual rows about production and producers. It opens with "Badlands", intense and angry, straight into "Adam Raised A Cain" and the intensity continues. The wall of sound, Spector inspired arrangements from BTR are gone, replaced by a simplified, driving urgency, a heavier, rockier E-Street Band. "Candy's Room" is stunning as is "Racing In the Street", a contender for Springsteen's best song, incredibly moving, the emotions complex, the narrator's possibly self-delusion that he can escape the quiet desperation of his, and particularly, his 'Baby's' lives, she hating herself 'for just being born' - I never tire of listening to it. The underlying anguish, tempered by a stubborn refusal to give up, continues through side two, through "The Promised Land", "Factory", "Streets of Fire" and "Prove It All Night" and the theme of the album is summed up in the closing, title track. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" seems to be a further chapter in the story of the couple from "Racing in the Street" (and perhaps from "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run"). The record has lost none of its power in the forty plus years since its release. It cemented Bruce Springsteen's position as the champion of the blue-collar worker and, looking on from the outside, perhaps those very people should be listening to The Boss rather that to the lies of the would be King...
Oct 13 2025 Author
5
The BOSS is the best. Full stop. Him, Bob Dylan, and Jason Isbell are the greatest lyricists I think ever existed. No one call tell a story like those three.
Oct 07 2025 Author
5
I was reading one of the reviews on here and there was a person talking about Jersey. I live a state across in Philly and was reading about how much the state has to offer. I never really thought about it but Jersey is not bad at all. Listening to people like Springsteen make Jersey seem amazing compared to other states that are hyped up around the USA. He always spoke for us Northeastern USA folk and an album like this really shows that as well. It's weird saying that because a lot of the album sounds like it should've been made by an artist from the Midwest but honestly, Jersey is a weird but underrated state that crosses so much when it comes to culture. With it being a stones throw away from NYC, Philly, the shore, the mountains, farmlands, etc, it sort of represents it all. Great album and a classic from the Boss! Favorite Tracks: Badlands, Adam Raised a Cain, Something in the Night, The Promised Land, Prove It All Night, Darkness On the Edge of Town Rating: 5/5
Oct 07 2025 Author
5
Bruce! 😃 I quote this as one of my favourite albums but there are a few tracks that do the heavy lifting so im gonna try and be objective. Had it playing in my car all day as God intended. Haven't been that far though so im listening in full now. Badlands is THE opening track for when you change cds at the start of your 3.5 minute commute through the boring fucking town you grew up in to a job that you intend not to be doing in 6 months. Okay listening properly and not just skipping to promised land so I can scream it in my car on the way home from work.... all these songs are good. I sometimes think I dont like adam raised a cain very much but like. It's good and its a perfectly placed heavier track and I do actually like it. Candy's Room is so good. Love that driving rhythm. I don't need to tell you about racing in the street. Actually listening to promised land without Yelling along... its so. It's quintessential springsteen actually right. Im a working guy I've gotta get out of this town im driving my car Clarence Clemons Sax Solo harmonica breakdown. Banger. Fundamental. I'm not a guitar solo guy so when I say: the mf guitar solo on Prove It All Night aughsgsgsgs. I love this song. Ahhhh the title track pulls it all together so nicely at the end i love this album I love bruce springsteen. Trying to critique it just made me appreciate the sum of its parts even more.
Oct 04 2025 Author
5
My all time favourite album
Oct 03 2025 Author
5
One of the greatest albums of all time! Emphasis on the “Darkness” 😊
Oct 02 2025 Author
5
One of his top 3 best albums
Sep 23 2025 Author
5
this rocked
Sep 19 2025 Author
5
5/5. Dang, Bruce kills it again. Every time I listen to this album, it grows on me more and more and although it is not as good as Born To Run, it is still Bruce at his best. A concept album about the underdogs that don't win, similar to BtR but somehow more depressing. The lyrics are more grounded yet still exist within the fantastical world of his own creation, riding that line perfectly. I didn't think I'd give this a 5 when I first started the album but I can't think of a bad song on here. Another banger from The Boss. Best Song: Adam Raised A Cain, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Badlands, Racing In The Street
Sep 19 2025 Author
5
Early Boss is just perfect.
Sep 16 2025 Author
5
I love this album. Its terrific.
Sep 12 2025 Author
5
****** BRUCE!!! One of my all time favourites, I like every second of it
Sep 11 2025 Author
5
Love it, have loved it for a loooong time.
Sep 10 2025 Author
5
LOVE
Sep 08 2025 Author
5
Absoluter Banger!
Sep 01 2025 Author
5
This was wonderful. I listened to it twice. Five stars.
Sep 01 2025 Author
5
Probably the best BS album
Aug 27 2025 Author
5
My fav Springsteen album, I revisit it often. Born to Run was about growing up and breaking free. Darkness is about coming face to face with your decisions when your life didn't turn out the way you thought it would and finding peace there or fighting to change it. Adam has extra meaning for me now that I have a son. May his sins be his own. Racing in the street is possibly Bruce's greatest song(besides Thunder Road). "She stares off alone into the night with the eyes of one who hates for just being born" Badlands and darkness always resonate. There isn't a weak track on this album. "And when the promise was broken, I cashed in a few of my dreams"
Aug 19 2025 Author
5
Fantastic. I have always loved every cut on this album
Aug 17 2025 Author
5
I'm a big fan of this album, and I think it occupies a unique space in Springsteen's discography. It's notably more stripped down than it's predecessors and Bruce gets a little grittier and rocking here. He was reportedly enamored with the punk scene around this time, and while you're never going to confuse him for the Ramones, some of that angst-fueled energy finds it's way into this set of songs. "The Promised Land", "Badlands", "Racing in the Street", "Adam Raised a Cain", "Streets of Fire", and the title track are all standouts. Heartland rock at it's finest. 5 stars.
Jan 30 2026 Author
4
Darkness on the Edge of Town I generally prefer either sombre, dusty Bruce a la Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad or bombastic 80s Bruce to his mid 70s period, even though of course there are great songs in that period, including a few on this album. Badlands is up there for me as one of his best songs for me, a great rollicking tune and an excellent opener. Adam Raised a Cain has a nice moody feel, a slight Station to Station feel to the guitar. The Promised Land is great as well, and the final run of Streets of Fire, Prove it All Night and Darkness On the Edge of Town is excellent, hitting that signature strain of strained, anthemic, gritty passion combined with the stories of hardship and perseverance, culminating in the excellent Title Track. Despite the singalong and ebullient nature of some of the music, the themes of the album tend to the small and the sad, everyday people up against the vicitudes of life, with not much chance at escape or happiness. But there are also a couple of songs that I’m not as keen on and, to use an appropriate car metaphor, stall things a little. Something in the Night and Racing in the Street as slowed down piano ballads have a dirge-like quality, the melody being a bit hard work. I like Candy’s Room and Factory, but they probably sit at the level between those two songs and the others. It’s not my favourite of his, and I had been erring between 3 and 4. But there are some great songs on here, and although the air of despondency isn’t initially that appealing it is a very good album, so I’ll go 4. 🌆🌆🌆🌆 Playlist submission: Badlands
May 26 2021 Author
4
30 seconds in and I already loooove it!
Jun 23 2021 Author
4
This was better than I expected. Varied melodies and tempos plus good lyrics make it easy to listen. Some nice songs I hadn't heard before.
Mar 22 2022 Author
3
Il est absolument IMPOSSIBLE d'écouter cet album sans avoir un minimum de contexte en main. On est en 1978, soit quatre ans avant l'épisode de la guitare qui va bouleverser la vie de Springsteen. Il enregistre à cette époque Darkness on the Edge of Town dans le but d'expliquer comment il va s'y prendre pour construire son prochain album, Nebraska, qu'il compte sortir en 1982. La stratégie qu'il développe en chanson est la suivante : se faire pousser une coupe mulet pendant quatre ans pour être fin prêt lors des séances studio. Il ne sait pas encore que cette décision sera le point de départ d'un immense traumatisme. Une fois Darkness enregistré, il décide d'organiser une séance photo et fait venir un professionnel. Ce dernier lui demande de s'adosser au mur et d'ouvrir son blouson noir. Bruce est très aimable et courtois, mais vous allez voir que ça ne va pas durer bien longtemps. Le photographe lui annonce qu'il va bientôt appuyer sur le bouton de son appareil quand soudain, au moment de prendre le cliché, un « zwip » se fait entendre. « Qu'est-ce que c'est ? » demande alors le photographe avant d'apercevoir le sexe de Springsteen sortir de sa braguette. « Tu reconnais pas le petit Jésus, ma couillasse ? » répond le chanteur en agitant son bazar. Horrifié, son interlocuteur quittera la séance sans attendre. Bruce Springsteen sélectionnera tout de même la photo en question pour en faire la couverture de l'album mais son équipe et lui-même prendront soin de rendre invisible la partie de l'image située en dessous de la ceinture.
Mar 22 2022 Author
3
Je vais vous raconter dans ce review l'histoire saugrenue derrière la couverture de cet album. Tout d'abord, il est bon de replacer le contexte, et de rappeler que cet album a été enregistré AVANT l'épisode de la guitare. A cette époque, Bruce n'avait donc pas encore engagé sa tentative de reconversion, et jouissait d'une beaufitude des plus totales. Nous sommes le 12 mars 1978, quand Bruce a rendez-vous avec un photographe réputé, professionnel de la couverture d'album. Ce dernier demande à Bruce de poser devant une fenêtre, volets fermés, afin d'accentuer le noir de la veste portée par Bruce. Il conseille également à Bruce de prendre un regard sérieux, presque séducteur, afin d'ajouter à la gravitude du cliché. Au moment où le doigt du photographe rentre en contact avec la détente de l'appareil photo, l'impensable se produit: Bruce dégrafe son pentalon, laissant apparaître son appareil génital. "Mais qu'est ce que tu fais Bruce ?!" s'exclama le photographe, stupéfait. "Bah c'est mes boules, mes grosses couillasses" rétorqua Bruce, avant de partir dans un rire gras. Le photographe étant choqué, et le cliché malgré tout plutôt réussi, il fut décider de rogner la photo, afin de ne laisser apercevoir que le haut du corps de Bruce en guise de couverture d'album.
Jan 15 2026 Author
2
This is my second Springsteen in the project, and while this one is better, it's still one Springsteen too much. This one is better because it's earlier, and Springsteen didn't yet fully tune his "working man hit machine" system so you can hear him trying different things out which keeps it from being completely boring. However, it's still the same musician and the same voice that does absolutely nothing for me and I sincerely hope I don't have to listen to another album by him again.
May 23 2025 Author
2
Not a fan of the vocals
May 22 2025 Author
2
I’m not sure if Bruce Springsteen is for me. This is my second Bruce album and I just wasn’t feeling it but I can see why people dig him and his music. I didn’t finish this album because there is something about his vocal quality and pitch that really bothers me. But I would give this album another chance and recommend it to others!
May 14 2024 Author
2
The only boss i really listen to. What a record. Still have no idea what he's singing about. But maybe that's the point?
Mar 16 2026 Author
5
A masterpiece. Probably my favourite album by one of my favourite artists (I've seen him live more than 10 times). I love most of the songs in this album: Badlands, Promised Land, Candy's Room, Darkness..., Racing in the street, Streets of Fire...As far as I'm concerned, this is better than Born to run, the River (which should be in this list by the way), or Born in the USA.
Mar 10 2026 Author
5
la lletra xicoteta del somni americà
Mar 09 2026 Author
5
five stars...great song writing, great band,
Mar 09 2026 Author
5
I think this warrants a relisten, but even the first listen was great. It’s a nice hybrid of Nebraska, Born in the USA, and Born to Run.
Mar 08 2026 Author
5
I have a slight preference for the production on Born to Run, but when it comes to songwriting this one's Bruce's best to me. I guess that on the one hand it's a bit more typical classic rock, but on the other hand it's more anthemic? Like, this album still sounds really good, but it's not quite as interesting as the Spector-style thing he was going for with Born to Run. But then, while you certainly can shout along to "Thunder Road" or "Born to Run", they're not as good for that purpose as something like "Badlands" or "Promised Land". That being said, I think the way "Candy's Room" builds in intensity might be my favorite thing he's ever done in any of his songs? I think this one falls just short of being his best album because I've never really cared for "Racing in the Street", but it's still easily one of the best albums of the 70s, and an all-time driving album for me.
Mar 07 2026 Author
5
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Otroligt start på albumet när det kickar igång med Badlands. Det är så ett album ska börja, med ett brak och sen ska man bara vilja ha mer. Sen tycker jag Adam raised a cain tar ner känslan lite, tycker inte den passar in riktigt och sämsta spåret. Hämtar sig en aning med Something in the night och sen ytterligare med Candy's room. För en sen vara på top igen med Racing in the street och The promised land. Håller sen bra nivå med Factory och Streets of Fire. För att sen avsluta starkt med Prove it all nigth och Darkness on the edge of town. Bäst är Badlands, Racing in the street, The promised land.
Mar 05 2026 Author
5
I was a wee sprat when Bruce Springsteen was driving the empty highways in the 70s. I was forced to endure Born in the USA at our big junior high dance, where it was the anthem for all the serious pre-fascist assholes at our high school. So I don't come to Bruce with a whole lot of love. But listening to Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska, I was moved. His characters are doing the best they can in a period when when "blue collar" spoke of a class divide as big as the Nebraska plains, and carried real struggle, real pride, and real despair as the landscape of regular jobs was deflating like a whoopee cushion, slow and loud and flabby. The masculinity I inherited from my time and place was toxic as fuck, no doubt about it. But the masculinity of Bruce's characters isn't just that of drunken louts--it was also a manhood of people who love their irredeemable brothers, who try to make intimate relationships work, despite endless problems; who do in fact know love, and uncertainty, and endurance. And in a man, those qualities run alongside the toxicity of the time, strong.
Mar 04 2026 Author
5
best bruce
Feb 28 2026 Author
5
Insane lyrics, vocals and guitars. In fact, Bruce Springsteen is a true artist. No average-mid person would create something like this album. Fav songs: Adam Raised a Caim Something in The Night Candy's Room Factory
Feb 26 2026 Author
5
Great album
Feb 23 2026 Author
5
Upbeat! I didn't know Bruce was this cool. Melodic. Romantic. Great voice and amazing lyrics. I need to listen to more of his work; his storytelling is incredible. 4.5/5
Feb 18 2026 Author
5
Хороший блюз рок
Feb 18 2026 Author
5
Though a bit dry musically compared to Bruce's first 3 albums, it is this starkness that manages to provide a consistency of vision (as if the record were the aftermath of a James Dean movie) and, through anthems like "Badlands" and "Promised Land", a cornerstone of American culture. Worth listening for the arrangement of "Racing in the Street" alone. Check out double-album "The Promise" for all the quality songs he had to leave out in order for the album to become what it is.
Feb 18 2026 Author
5
Classic
Feb 17 2026 Author
5
I liked a few Bruce Springsteen songs here and there but never had really given him much of a listen. At some point in my late 20's when a bunch of things were going downhill I watched the movie Copland that featured the titular track from this album and that was the moment I understood The Boss. I have nits with this album and not every track is my favorite but the fact that this has Streets of Fire, Racing in The Street, and Darkness On The Edge of Town. I have to go with five stars here. I don't know how to recommend it to other people, there may just be a time where they hear Darkness On The Edge of Town and they're at a time in their life that it helps.
Feb 17 2026 Author
5
Always a pleasure to listen to bruce boy and it was a treat to listen to one of his albums all the way through.
Feb 16 2026 Author
5
I didn’t know music could turn me on and shake me to my very core at the same time. Bruce is a once in a generation songwriter and this album, while an easy five stars, isn’t even his best. Candy’s room is a standout, but truly each song is great in its own right. Thank you, Mr. Springsteen <33333
Feb 14 2026 Author
5
This is my favorite Springsteen album. Not one skip from start to finish, a album in the full meaning of the word.
Feb 12 2026 Author
5
I mean its Bruce Springsteen, they call him «the boss» for a reason. He is one of the best songwriters that have ever been.
Feb 11 2026 Author
5
I've never listened to his albums, he's actually really good.
Feb 11 2026 Author
5
Classic Springsteen. One of my favorite albums of his.
Feb 10 2026 Author
5
A solid cold classic.
Feb 10 2026 Author
5
Didn't know Springsteen was so hype
Feb 10 2026 Author
5
Noniin. Itsehän olen kovan luokan Pomo-fani, käynyt jopa ihan ULKOMAILLA katsomassa keikkaakin. Tämä taitaa olla aikalailla kriitikoiden mielestä se Pomon kovin levy, ja onhan tässä ihan saatanan kovia biisejä. Racing in the Streets, Badlands, Promised Land, Darkness ja Prove it All Night. Mutta itselleni ei ole koskaan ihan samalla lailla toimineet nuo kakkoskorin biisit, kun vaikkapa Born to Runilla tai oikeastaan jopa parilla ekalla levyllä. Kaikki nuo, sekä myös Born in the USA ovat kyllä useammin lautasella itselläni kuin tämä. Jos tätä edeltänyt Born to Run oli nousuhumala, niin onko tämä sitten krapula. Periaatteessa meininki on paikkapaikoin niin raakaa, että saattaa olla mennyt jo morkkiksenkin puolelle. Tässähän oli taustalla se, että Pomo joutui pitämään kolmen vuoden levytystauon Born to Runin jälkeen kun oikeusprosessi entistä manageria vastaan venyi, ja siinä alkoi tulla jo vähän synkkiä ajatuksia mieleen. Niistä ajatuksista tämä levy ammensi aika paljon. Heittämällä 5 tähteä vaikka ei omissa papereissani Pomon parhaimmistoon ylläkään.
Feb 09 2026 Author
5
Yeah cool 😎
Feb 06 2026 Author
5
I loved this album, I love all the songs on here. It was such a fun and enjoyable listen, I’ll definitely listen to this again. My favorite song was Badlands and Something in the Night