Nebraska

Worst Springsteen ever!

3 stars. good, important, not gonna listen to often

Haven't heard this specific side of Springsteen before, drifting into that slow emotional folk side which can be pretty enjoyable. Atlantic City sets the tone for the album in terms of places and people changing into something bigger alien and worse over time, pining for a time when things were simpler and more "wholesome" its a relatable enough idea. Very much an intimate album, just you and him, his guitar and harmonica and it works.

Heart achingly beautiful record. This is true Americana. The storytelling here is unmatched. In my view, Springsteen’s finest album.

Fuck, what a bore. As if Springsteen didn't have enough bloat on this list already. Brutal placeholder for what could have been Songs for the Deaf, anything by Primus, .......

Recorded as demos in a garage and sounds like it. Sets the scene, then just goes nowhere. Every song sounds the same, no instruments to deliver energy or flesh out the passages, then each song just fades out because he hadn't worked out how to end them. Probably should've re-recorded with the band, boss.

music to kill yourself too oh my GOD am i glad this man stopped larping being a middle american folk singer and just leaned into being a jersey beefcake like he was meant to be

He's the Boss, man

Not his best but good

Really love the unique atmosphere that this album creates, it’s enough to make up for the songs blending together. A solid listen filled with bold artistic choices.

I liked this album better then darkness on the edge of town, however i did find it got a little boring.

My favourite Springsteen album by a long way !

Having seen the omission of 'The River' in this list, this album is then the most authentic and cohesive of Bruce's album on the list. It reflects on Springsteen at his peak songwriting form, wherein he takes on a darker sound and draws meaningful parallels with Dylan. 8/10 [KEEP]

Imo not many hits but perfect easy listening

I have to admit I am not the biggest Springsteen fan but I am aware he high regarded by many. I also didnt know this album of very acoustic/folky songs existed. Impossible not to hear the Dylan-esque or Cash-esque tracks and messages he is trying to push across in his music... everything seems to be about sadness, failures, broken dreams If I was a big Springsteen fan I think I would feel conflicted with this album because the style and songwriting is so different. Being a neutral, I think I just did not connect with it and much prefer his more rock n roll, "full of dreams" approach.

This really is a banging album. I am not much of a Springstoner, but the atmosphere and vibe he creates here is kind of wild. I just love Atlantic City and State Trooper in particular. The album structure is good as well, second to last song is the heart throbber, then finishing off on a slightly higher note with reason to believe. I think this is the close to the blueprint for a good album, but I dont know that we reach a 5. Maybe after some more listening, but for this review Springsteen gets a SOLID 4.

meh, fine I guess 2.7

4/5

Mejor

Texterna, Texterna, Texterna, Texterna, Texterna!!!! Sårbarheten, denna sårbarhet och allt det vackra. Denna skiva är magisk. Tar man sig tid att riktigt lyssna på texterna blir det än bättre. Vågar man säga att det USA han skriver om inte finns längre? Därför träffar detta album mig än mer på något sätt. Det är så sorgligt hur detta land bara har fallit samman. Det har väl aldrig varit toppen men åtminstone bättre än vad det är nu. Bruce behövs i allt detta och på något konstigt sätt blir lyssnandet en slags tröst i kaoset.

Amazing album. Didnt know much of springsteen but i really liked this one. Dont know much of country but this is really good.

Nebraska taitaa olla Bruce Springsteenin uran synkin levy, ihan kansikuvaa myöten. Albumi on kokonaan Brucen itsensä esittämä ja äänimaailma todella pelkistetty. Monet kappaleet kertovat rikollisista ja murhaajista, eikä Born to Runin aikaisesta optimismista ole tietoakaan.

Wow! Really moving.

I am that guy who finds a windswept solace and pinched-nod understanding in this lowest-fi sepia edition of Boss technicolor. I get why you might not, but if there was a version of this recorded on an even dodgier recorder, I'd be all over it.

Like the sad-sack characters and lonesome landscapes populating his songs, Nebraska has a kind of haunted, ephemeral quality. It plays like an elegy to a dying working class and sounds eerily prescient. Not the easiest listen, but many of the songs are quite moving.

Is there a secret society of fans who love Springsteen for Nebraska and only tolerate the rest of his work? Have these people helped one another find jobs, find love, find purpose? Do they get together on even-numbered years in a Lions club meeting hall in the basement of a church in northeast Lincoln? I can’t speak to that, but this I can say: It's been more than 20 years since I put Nebraska in my old '86 Honda Civic hatchback's 5-disc CD player and I still can feel the chills I got hearing the sign-off line from Open All Night… I remember the particular stretch of New Jersey interstate, driving home to North Carolina, there are some absolute stunner lines on this album but I’m not sure any are more honestly Bruce than when he belts out "hey ho rock 'n' roll deliver me from nowhere." Worth mentioning: The Born in the U.S.A. that Springsteen recorded for this album but that did not make the cut is *absolutely worth finding if you haven’t yet.*

I wish this had been my intro to Bruce and not Born in the USA and Born to run.

There’s a version of me that should love Nebraska a lot more than I actually do. On paper, it hits a lot of things I’m naturally drawn to—stripped-down folk storytelling, bleak American imagery, characters drifting through moral fog. And I can absolutely respect what Bruce Springsteen was doing here: stepping away from the E Street Band machine, recording these songs on a four-track cassette, intentionally making something skeletal and unvarnished. That kind of artistic left turn deserves credit on its own. And lyrically, it’s hard to deny how strong it is. These are not “songs” in the traditional sense so much as short stories set to minimal chords. Criminals, workers, drifters, people making ugly choices in ugly moments—it’s all rendered with a kind of plainspoken fatalism that feels closer to Flannery O’Connor than arena rock. Even as someone who doesn’t really consider himself a Springsteen fan, I can see why people hold this record up as some kind of high watermark for American songwriting. But the problem for me is that admiration doesn’t automatically translate into enjoyment. After a while, the record settles into a very narrow emotional and sonic lane. The minimal acoustic backing starts to feel less like “intentional starkness” and more like repetition without enough tonal variation to keep it compelling across the full runtime. There’s a fine line between “hypnotic” and “monotonous,” and for me this album drifts too often into the latter. And then there’s the voice. I get that the rough, throaty delivery is part of the aesthetic—part worn-out narrator, part ghost storyteller—but it becomes fatiguing over the course of the record. Instead of pulling me deeper into the stories, it sometimes flattens them, like every tale is being told through the same exhausted filter regardless of emotional context. A little more vocal contrast, or even just pacing variation, might have made a big difference in how the album breathes. So I end up in this split position: I respect it more than I enjoy it. It feels like an important document, even a brave one, and I can see why it’s so influential in the acoustic and indie-folk lineage. But as a listening experience, it’s not one I reach for often. It’s less an album I return to and more one I acknowledge from a distance—impressive, influential, but a bit too unrelenting in its mood and delivery to really pull me in.

I feel like multiple listens could benefit here, but I feel safe giving this one a four. Love the vibe.

I have no thoughts on this whatsoever. The only way I will judge this album is if Springsteen personally plays for me in front of a campfire.

Nebraska is a great album, but maybe my life is too easy and comfortable these days that I'm not often in the right mood to listen to it.

This is the only Bruce Springsteen album that I like, love the stories and the way he tells them, pure, acoustic guitar- folky/ country vibe

Yeehaw

Yeehaw

I was bored.

The Boss is sad :-(

It’s just perfect. I don’t know what else I can say.

Booooooring. I quite like some of his 'usual' stuff, not this though.

I gotta thank this list for all the Bruce its exposed me to. To think I've been missing out on so much great songwriting from The Boss. This album really paints a picture how depressing blue collar Nebraski must have been during the early 80's, with at least finding some small joys here and there.

Springsteen at his bleakest and grungiest. A stellar DIY album that is not all that fun to listen to. But his songwriting is so strong that it’s compelling as hell listening to stories of shitty peoples shitty lives

Not terrible. I wish I liked Springsteen's music more.

Shit. Shit. And once again - shit.

boring

Get some drums man

Pleasant and vibey

If you're going for the whole "poetry first, music second" approach to making folk music then you really should make sure your poetry is any good. This was just tedious and dreary.

Bruce with some of his most raw, honest storytelling.

Album #123, Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My third Bruce Springsteen album so far, and my favourite of his by some distance. I think it’s the best album I’ve heard him make. I’m not the biggest Bruce Springsteen fan in general, but this is very much an outlier in his discography. Releasing a solo acoustic album was a brilliant move because it showcases his greatest strength: songwriting. Stripped of the stadium rock bombast of the E Street Band, which can be a bit hit and miss for me, the songs are left to stand on their own. He’s not Bob Dylan, but he’s comfortably in that next tier of great songwriters, and that’s pretty elite company to be keeping. It’s a great collection of stories. Murders, drifters, life on the road, desperation, small-town America. The usual Springsteen subject matter is all here, but the acoustic setting makes everything feel much more intimate and personal. It really allows the lyrics to shine. I also love the production on this record. People always talk about how rough and impromptu it was, how it was essentially built from demos, but there’s a lot of thought in the presentation. The overdubs are fantastic. Little cries and vocal textures creeping into songs, distant harmonica, bright flashes of guitar, subtle mandolin parts. Take Atlantic City for example. The way everything is mixed and balanced creates this haunting atmosphere without ever overwhelming the songs. It’s a great sounding record. A few of his best songs are here. The title track, Atlantic City, which still raises the hairs on the back of my neck no matter how many times I’ve heard it, and State Trooper, which was supposedly influenced by Suicide. The idea of Bruce creating what is essentially an acoustic Suicide song is just really cool to me. The lyrics are full of all-time great lines too. “I guess there’s just a meanness in this world” and “winners and losers, and don’t get caught on the wrong side of that line” are the kinds of lyrics that stay with you. There are nice changes of pace as well. Open All Night feels like a classic 1950s rock and roll tune dropped into the middle of all this darkness. I can understand why some people find the album monotonous in places. Songs like My Father’s House are almost hymn-like in their pacing. But on a different day I could easily find myself loving those tracks too. My only real criticism is a minor one. Having already mentioned Bob Dylan, this album occasionally highlights just how incredible Dylan is as a vocalist and phraser. Bruce’s delivery here is often very Dylan-esque, but sometimes he struggles to fit all the words comfortably into a line, or stretches shorter lines awkwardly. Dylan is the absolute master of making uneven lyrics sound effortless. On songs like My Father’s House and Highway Patrolman, Bruce can sound a little clumsy by comparison. But these are demos at heart, and maybe some of that would have been refined had the songs gone through a more traditional recording process. That’s a very small complaint though. This is a fantastic album and an easy five stars for me. An absolute cracker.

insanely boring, i'd rather listen to the voices in my head

Bruce is a legend for a reason, he’s a beautiful story teller and musician but I found this album to fall a bit flat. The songs are a bit monotonous and there wasn’t one that stood out to me over the rest. Perhaps it’s just not his best work.

Springsteen gets stripped back to basics and the resulting album is easily the best time I've had with The Boss! There are no big instrumental flourishes. Recorded on a 4 track recorder, this is just Bruce armed with his guitar and harmonica, with occasional backing vocals peppered throughout. He's able to create an album with such atmosphere. This record sounds like every lonesome feeling you've ever had when you come home from the bar and you're left all alone to ponder in your thoughts. "Open All Night" is one of the sole upbeat tracks on here, but it sounds like a man trying cheer himself up and stop himself from spiralling into a depression. There's some excellent songwriting to be found on here and this has finally made me appreciate Springsteen after struggling with his more hopeful and commercial works.

I’ve been tolerable of Bruce Springsteen. Tolerable is a good word. This is the 4th of 5 Bruce albums I have rolled, and genuinely none of them have impressed me. I can see why he would have fans, but he just doesn’t bring anything interesting or unique to the table. All of his songs are so bland, by the books, and forgettable. Even after the previous 3 albums, I have all of them comfortably ranked as a 3, since I was able to find a few Rock songs on those albums that were more or less acceptable. Some of them were even really good. On this album however, I can’t find much of anything that I would consider redeeming or good. Every single song, with 0 exceptions on Nebraska is either a slow, boring affair, or even worse, a Country sounding diddy that also manages to be slow and boring. If he didn’t have such a unique voice with good production value and good enough guitar playing, I would rate this a 1. There really just isn’t anything here that I would consider good. There’s a reason no one asks him to play these songs. They’re just not good. This is the second lowest of the Bruce Springsteen albums on the site, just above the very reactionary post 9/11 album The Rising. Even that album had some songs that truly rocked though. It had enough where I wasn’t complaining about the slow and boring pacing. This however, I almost want to give a 1. I didn’t manage to spend the whole day listening to it, which is also rare. It was also hard picking a favorite, which was the only reason I didn’t turn it off sooner. Even then, I still kind of haphazardly picked a favorite, more so out of necessity for the playlist of my favorite song from each album rather than one I truly enjoyed. Since I didn’t really enjoy any of them, the one that bothered me the least was “State Trooper”. It had a slightly different tone to it, and it was bearable. I know these are all sad tunes, and are mostly deep and tragic stories about the State, however, I just can not be bothered enough to care. They’re just not for me this time. Sorry Bruce. Maybe the last album will impress me. After all, it’s the one with all the hits, and it came out 2 years later, Born In The U.S.A. This one gets a 2 though. Really was not feeling it at all whatsoever.

Never got Bruce Springsteen, this album doesnt really change that opinion

This feels like sitting around at camp while the counselor sings and plays guitar. Thats not a negative.

Probably my second favourite Springsteen album. True lo-fi self recording with hiss intact. Good stories, harmonica sounds like an athsmatic cat. Pleasant enough.

lovelyyyyyy!!!

12/06/2026 Another Springsteen album and another low rating. This guy just clearly ain't cutting the mustard for me. Spotify listeners: 22.2 million

Very country style, bit boring.

3.25. surely there are better Springsteen albums on this is list.

Saw Springsteen live in 2003 with my parents at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. We were in a club box, possibly the furthest I have ever been away from the stage at a concert. A drunk lady hit on my dad while my mom and I were sitting right there. Ate a hotdog as big as my forearm. Good show. Listened to this album for the first time a few months ago. Solid. 4.5

I know this is supposed to be one of his landmark albums and they recently made a movie about it but I found it to be very sleepy and every song sounded the same.

3 - I think that like this more than I normally would because I recently watched the Deliver Me From Nowhere film that is set during the writing and release of this album.

atlantic city what a good song

I'm not a Bruce Springsteen afficionado, but this album is one of my two favourites, along with Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

didn’t like the first song, but glad i listened to the rest. lots of classics on here. tails off at the end imo. “My Father’s House” doesn’t do it for me.

Not many albums on this list have made a film made about them, but this one has thanks to the excellent Deliver Me from Nowhere. That film certainly helped my enjoyment of this album, which really gave a strong sense of the emotion and pensive feeling behind these songs. They produce one of Springsteen’s best in Atlantic City, and some powerful storytelling on songs like Highway Patrolman. I appreciate that Springsteen took the brave step of going out of his normal style, making this strong evidence of his credentials as a multifaceted musician and songwriter. Ultimately though, I think I do prefer the classic style, leaving this just short of 5.

This is a starkly beautiful album, with incredibly sparse and unadorned arrangements, unlike pretty much anything else in Springsteen’s discography. It’s not at all surprising that it started life as demos. The words fit the music’s melancholic mood; lyrically it draws both on stories of unemployment, poverty and crime, and Springsteen’s own childhood reminiscences, with themes of class quite prominent. There are no bad tracks here, and some absolutely brilliant ones, but that is true of so many Springsteen albums, and there are several I prefer to this one. It’s just a hair’s breadth away from 5 stars for me.

My favorite Bruce album. Relaxing and sweet.

Oh wow this is a true folk album. The lo-fi story is cool but I'm just not a folk guy. Can't believe it took a year and a half to get a Bruce Springsteen album and then I got 3 in two weeks, including two days in a row.

Not really my thing but it's ok

Great story behind the album, love namesake Nebraska and Atlantic City.

Like acoustic springsteen. Favorite track: Atlantic City other picks: nebraska, state trooper, highway patrolman

Meh, I wish he did go back an re-record these tracks instead of leaving them as is because there's some nice songwriting here. Especially on tracks like Johnny 99 or State Trooper. The stripped down feel isn't something Springsteen really did well here, just felt very derivative of Bob Dylan. However I did give some of the "Electric Nebraska" versions off of Nebraska '82 a listen and I did enjoy them a lot more. Downbound Train is nice and the alternative version of Born in the U.S.A. is soooo much better than the one that got popular. 1.5/5

bruce can do no wrong in my eyes. this wasn’t an album my parents played much growing up so i listened for the first time last year. i loved seeing a different side of an artist i had loved all my life. i saw the biopic with jeremy allen white at the same time and that made me appreciate this album in a new way.

I grew up in the suburbs of the east coast where Springsteen is part of the fabric of white society. But I never really explored his music. This album is deep and dark. His songwriting, production, and range are superb. A 4.

Remains not an easy listen (frankly, a lot of the songs are pretty much indistinguishable, imo), but there is some great stuff and the sheer guts it took to release something like this when he did is so admirable.

2.5

Joni Mitchell’s Blue, but gray

It’s so dark, moody, atmospheric. He really is the boss isn’t he? He can do it all! 4.0/5.0 Best Song: Atlantic Coty

Might be his all time masterpiece, it is such a good album, it is so different to anything else he was known for at this point. Really established himself as one of the all time American songwriters with this one. Best track: Atlantic City or Highway Patrolman

Of the four Bruce Springsteen albums i have heard, Nebraska is his weakest one and by quite a decent margin. This album goes for a different approach than his others, Instead of having all those instruments and having a generally upbeat tone, This one just has a guitar, a harmonica and Bruce's voice and seems to rely mostly on his songwriting. Although i can't really tell if its that good here because Springsteen's vocals are so quiet and mumbly that i can't tell what he is saying at points. The other albums had this too but could be forgiven because the music did the talking there, this one tries to rely on his songwriting but the vocals just get in the way. Its not a horrible listen but it is an album that doesn't do it's job very well. Best Song: State Trooper Worst Song: My Father's House

Rating:★★★

Masterpiece

Maybe it's my general exhaustion with the world, maybe it's my tiredness that won't go away with my morning coffee, maybe it's my jaded perspective on humanity. Whatever it is, this album directly appealed to it and really brought down my mood this morning. It somehow manages to capture what it's like to live in small town midwestern America. Every song has that melancholy feeling that hasn't left since the Dust Bowl, and lingered through the shutdown of major Auto in the Rust Belt. Having lived a significant part of my life just an hour south of the Nebraskan border, the emotions evoked by this album, the subject matter of the songs, and the instruments used are all so beautifully accurate to what it's like to live in that part of the country. Even the album cover, which shows what appears to be a muddy rural road through the great plains with last week's remaining snow on the hood of the dash. Just a windshield and some metal between you and the grass, dirt, and cold-ass wind blowing 25mph constantly. It's the land of the 3-month snow piles gray & black from the road grime, salt, and dust scraped up by the snow-plows. I don't like Bruce's music, generally, but this one is so uniquely site specific to the album's namesake. 8/10 I'm glad I moved away but I do miss the harvest season in that area.

An iconic album. Dark and brooding any evoking so much emotion.

No me gusta,pero es bueno

While I generally prefer Bruce with the W Street Band, this is the best of his albums without them. The Boss is in full working class troubadour mode on this one with scant instrumentation and lyrics that tell stories of despair and desperation in such tracks as "Atlantic City," "Johnny 99," and "Highway Patrolman."

Painfully beautiful. Feels like driving down backroads just to get away from everything going on. The music is raw and the lyrics are depressing but together it's a masterpiece of minimalism. Bruce Springsteen is a man of many crafts but this may just be his greatest work. The story behind this album is that Bruce recorded this whole album in his bedroom all by himself. Everything from the singing to the guitar and even the harmonica and chimes. I love that this album breaks a mold for most rock albums that it doesn't need drums to stand on its own and I think for the time and genre it makes it even more impressive. It is a shame this album wasn't as big before but I am so glad it has gotten the recognition it deserves in recent years thanks to all the modern day Bruce Springsteen fans still carrying the flame.

Cozy. I wish I had time to give this a more focused listen. Seems intense and beautiful. Full of the core essentials of that boss style.

One of the more minimalist records from the Boss, as his E Street band was not present here. Pretty harrowing and somber stuff too. The stories that are told here; whether they are through the lens of a criminal, Springsteen's own experiences, or the falsehoods of the American Dream, certainly stick with you. These aren't the radio-friendly jams that you're probably used to hearing from Bruce Springsteen. I will say that this all gets to be a bit monotonous after a certain point, though. You kinda have to be in the right mindset to appropriately consume "Nebraska", but I don't think the overall album is as dreadful as many seem to think here.

Featuring Bruce Springsteen as: the annoying ass white guy with an acoustic guitar around a campfire who won’t shut up about his self important nonsense bowel movement he’s minted as “art” Zero stars unlistenably bad.

Good narrative songs

“Atlantic City” is a perfect song, and other than that this has a good mix of hainted midwesty guitar strumming and Springsteen hooHOOs

Tabueno

He’s not my guy, but man this is a beautiful album

Love the toned down nature of this record It's a belter

chaaaaato

Ich mag die Texte, sehr homogen. Manche Songs waren mir zu "einfach"

saathviks beautiful notesss- #1- I SEE THE TUMBLEWEED IN A DRY DESERT WUTH THAT INTRO, really slow song ish but countryyy #2- this is really sad this i can like feel the guy getting evicted from his home it’s very moving #3-another slow kinda sad song this is like the melancholy country i don’t like this as much as the other country #4- this album makes me feel so isolated and alone i don’t like this😭 #5-no can we please stop doing slow songs this is making me feel a typa way, this is like prime loneliness #6- this is another sad song duddeeeee #7- i mean another sad song it feels thrutful and i like the use of the car horn in the song intsrlf #8-YAYAYAYAYAYA A FIRE BEAT AND ITS MORE ROCK N ROLL I LIKE THIS #9- I know this guy loves his dad so much it makes me so sad i love my dad to death #10- yayayayayayayyaa optimistic songggggggg

maya’s correct takes 😼 #1 like the harmonica??? yes i would listen to this around a campfire if a grandpa was singing it with his guitar from ‘64 very slow good story though very interesting like okay why are we killing ten people #2 more killing people and jail wow why????? oh wait gambling heck yeah i mean at least its catchy!! #3 aw i liked this one its sweet like yay no murderers i think this is really sweetttt again with the harmonica bruce again this is a grandpa campfire song #4 we back to murdering nice vocals at the start though i like the storytelling in his songs though this is depressing… #5 hi joe roberts oh franky is a badd kid wait no poor franky NOOO WHAT THE HECK WHAT DID HE DO man people are horrible on this album #6 dude this is so depressing theres probably a time and place i have no words honestly probably need to listen a third time to really understand like what did he do lowkey reminding me of edgar allen poe OH WE YELLING #7 aw this is sweeeetttttt wait i don’t get the end… #8 oh its bouncy okay WAIT I NOTICED THIS YESTERDAY ITS LIKE THE OTHER SONG BUT HAPPIER idk this is one of my faves i think its fun #9 his dad diedddd awwwww poor guyyy this is making me sad he didnt get to say goodbye noooo #10 there is SO much death in this my gosh nooooo poor mary lou and poor doggg oh hi kyle WHY DID THE GUY DIE noooo the bride didn’t show up good lesson i guess OVERALL second listen did give me more insight so i can in fact confirm that this album was well written but also very depressing lyricism was fantastic all of the songs did kinda blend together though not my kind of music but i respect and appreciate the effort put into it especially for a demo album i think it was pretty good but not quite there for me at least it would get like a 3.5 so i’ll just give it a 3

The first album that I have heard from The Boss and I am enthralled so far. The rawness of this album is insane, though I know its unique in this respect. The imagery is so surreal and yet still so familiar. Its heartbreaking and melancholy, but there is still some hope hidden behind all of the horror on display. The instrumentation is very stripped down, as a result of being a collection of demos, but I think that it only serves to elevate the stories being told. Standout Tracks: Nebraska, Atlantic City, Highway Patrolman, My Father's House Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️

What has puzzled me about Springsteen’s transcontinental appeal, even after it caught me, is how little trad pop stickiness his music has, more rock ‘n’ roll Broadway than hooks and chorus, the notable hits aside. The big band sound and the rocketing climaxes with his megastadium voice may be an answer, but what happens if you take that all away? Cars, music on radio, life’s limits, death. Lots of death, in the face or at the margins. Hardship, the token struggle of suffocation. Even with chord changes, this record has a drone-like quality. I hear it as ambient Americana. I’ve been listening to a lot of Souled American recently and this is a neighbour.

I'm immune to the Boss's charms, it seems. This is fine, samey, hackneyed, a long way from the "stark, haunting" impression it leaves on others. His toolbox (both lyrical and musical) is just too limited to keep me interested. Some things hurt more, much more than cars and girls.

I picked a cassette of this up a couple of years ago in the charity shop. Id never heard of it, even though I knew The Boss's back catalogue pretty well. I quickly fell in love with this stripped back acoustic album. I love the intimacy of these tunes. It's gritty rockabilly rather than gentle folk. It hits harder like this than there was a full band behind it in my opinion. Definitely included by those early Sun Records singles, with the slap back reverb on everything. I probably listen to this more than Born to Run or the bigger E Street Band records that made him a mega star.

Dear me. They call this guy the boss. Let's sing some pessimistic dreary songs about a guy without a job. His girlfriend is miles away and he's got to find a way to get to her . Oh and he's drunk again and the police are after him. Throw in a harmonica and a guitar and a rough gravelly voice to add to the effect. Absolutely miserable and depressing. New world folk music. Ugh

This album, like the actual state of Nebraska, is flat, boring, and dreary. The songs all sound almost identical with the occasional whine of a harmonica or a yell thrown in. Some of the songs have a discordant sound which doesn’t make for pleasant listening. And despite the album title Nebraska, he mentions Jersey way more. I’m not sure what the plan was for this album, but it didn’t work.

No.

Zum chillen gut, mehr auch nicht

It’s fine but it’s not his best work

Yyyyyeeeeesssss!

Beautiful! But made me very depressed

The greatest acoustic album ever?

Fuck Off.

Have this a closer listen and liked it more than I have before - still wish it connected a little more but the minimalism really brings out the dark subject matter. It honestly reminded me of Suicide at times

one of my albums of all time... just the freakest best music ever

Favorite Track: Open All Night

Pretty obvious that this list was gonna have albums from ‘The Boss’ on it. Haven’t been looking forward to it, cos I just don’t get it. This album of homemade demos I think (without hearing the others in full yet) might be the most interesting to me - just the man and his songs without a big band. Still, not scoring higher than a 3 for now. Not boring, but not compelled to listen to it particularly.

RATING: 8/10 HIGHLIGHT: Atlantic City LOWLIGHT: Nebraska

Very mellow and I like the tone, but it isn't the most exciting Springsteen album. Now really anything I want to listen to again. 3/5

This is the kind of Bruce I like. Americana without the loud sax and anthems. Very stripped back to basics and clearly Dylan influenced. A very authentic look at Bruce's thoughts about his country, life in 1982 and the American dream.

Springsteen? Instant 1 of 5. He's just dull and boring.

Feels like I should be giving this a four, but I feel like giving it a three.

Really like how stripped down this album is. I'm not the biggest Springsteen fan but he seems authentic in a way that a lot of musicians are not. Breaking this down to guitar, voice, and harmonica really makes it seem more spontaneous.

It's nice sounding, but a bit dull and repetitive for me. I prefer some of Bruce's later work with a bit more instrumentation

Like kinda shit tbh, not sure why this guy is one of the greats. Songs are far too repetitive.

Jeg må nok erkende at jeg husker det bedre end jeg oplever det i dag. Stadig ganske fint album, men jeg synes at det musikalsk bliver for ensformigt til at blive en 4'er.

*67 Der er god story telling - som nok må siges at være det bærende element. Musikken er som sådan ikke noget særligt. Jeg synes at det er gjort bedre, og derfor bliver jeg i 3’er territoriet. Det vil nok godt kunne klatre hvis man fik sangerne ind under huden lidt yderligere.

Generelt ret vild med lyden, men blev en anelse kedeligt. 3 store.

Meh, fint nok 2.6

Kan egentlig godt følge ideen med, at det ikke så meget er de enkelte sange, men tonen og atmosfæren igennem hele albummet, der gør det specielt. Lidt interessant at han både prøvede at indspille sangene med E street bandet og faktisk også selv, men aldrig kunne genskabe lyden og stemningen fra hans egen optagelse. Og selvom stilen måske nok er et tilfælde, kan man høre spor af dette album flere steder, så det har i hvert fald haft en vis indflydelse. Det sagt, så synes jeg albummet er vigtigere for Springsteen mytologien end for musikhistorien.

7/10 It's sparse, which, if it means less saxophone (aka The Devil Horn), that can only be a good thing. I definitely enjoyed it, although I may not rush to listen again.

This does not sound like the guy who did the infamous superbowl crotch slide.

I know a handful of Springsteen song but I’m starting to understand why he is the boss. Enjoyed this!

All but one song sound pretty similar. I usually don’t enjoy slow or acoustic music but this was good for what it is

I loveeeeee love love Bruce Springsteen that's goat. I watched his biopic earlier this year or maybe last year where he recorded all the Nebraska tapes and that's so insane he did everything himself in his room. Tony stark literally built this in a cave with a box of scraps. Great album, very intimate and lowkey which makes sense but it's so amazing to listen to. This album especially is just so haunting like you can tell it’s just Springsteen stripped away from everything else it’s very striking. It’s almost eerie. Great album no notes. Favourite: Reason to Believe Least favourite: State Tropper

Love Bruce, but not my favourite album. Listening again it's better than I remembered and an interesting entry in his catalogue. Still, a couple of weaker tracks and lacking in variety

Melancholic until they very last song which caught me off guard. Enjoyed parts of the album. Enjoyed the harmonica.

ALSO suck and bruce will not stop saying the same shit over n over

Not bruce’s finest imo

Sucks ass

Amazing

So, he must have been going through his Dylan or Johnny Cash phase… but frankly, he should have skipped it. I thought it was pretty dull.

We were on a good streak with good metal album then we take a hit in the dad rock.

Not my favorite (probably Born To Run), BUT his best.

own

Very different tonal shift from my last Springsteen record. A much more depressing take on folk rock compared to the more anthemic yet critical take on America take of Born In the USA. And in saying that, I have to say I enjoyed this record a bit less. Still listenable, but not my personal taste. A bit disappointed especially as Born In the USA gave me a new appreciation for Springsteen as someone only familiar with the titular track. Bruce still brings great performances here fitting of the background instrumentals.

Déjà écouté. En dépouillant à l'extrême sa musique, enregistrant seul dans sa chambre une folk acoustique crépusculaire bien loin des ornements fastueux du E-Street Band, Bruce Springsteen produit sans presque s'en rendre compte la bande-son d'une Amérique profonde dont les illusions de grandeur se fracassent sur le mur des années Reagan. Dix chansons d'une noirceur étouffante (disons neuf, le rockabilly d'Open All Night constituant une anomalie) où se croisent blue collars paumés et criminels endurcis dans des textes tout aussi austères que la musique qui les accompagne. En s'émancipant des recettes qui ont fait son succès jusque là pour en extraire le cœur meurtri, Bruce Springsteen signe un geste artistique génial, un album d'une tristesse infinie et d'une beauté éblouissante. Indispensable. Top : Johnny 99 Flop : Open All Night

Beautiful country

I love this album so much. Stripped down. Simple. Bombastic Bruce is great, but this hits the sweet spot for me.

I liked it, very melancholic, but not something I will keep listening probably

Second of five Springsteen albums in this collection. I wasn't a Springsteen fan before doing this experience and if Born in the USA didn't convert me I didn't expect a melancholic, largely acoustic, album to do it. Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace to listen to it and maybe I'll return it, but probably not. 2/5

haunting and beautiful

Lovely

Influence of the not very good Springsteen biopic not withstanding, this has always been a polarizing album. I am personally a little ambivalent about it. I like a lot of what’s going on here but find that I can never tell the difference between tracks. Ultimately it is not a favorite album from a favorite artist.

pewnie obnize mu opinie ale tylko mnie zdenwrwowal tbh nudne to i ta harmonijka mnie powitala jeszcze sie przewija co chwile nie bede sie oszukiwac nigdy bym sobie tego dobrowolnje nie wlaczyla

Not my vibe

I reckon Bruce’s got a new harmonica :-D I’m not really a fan of ‘The Boss’, mind you, but I don’t think this album’s all that bad, so I’ll give it two stars...

163. ok

That really made me feel and think about my past relationships

Honestly amazing

I thought I liked all Bruce Springsteen - but I did not vibe with this album.

Generic 80s slop. Not a fan at all.

Nebraska, state trooper, open all night, reason to believe

Amazingggg my favourite album yet I’ve never listened to any of his music but it has so much soul in it.

Don’t worry. Nebraska is still great.

Why did they blow up his house too? Was that necessary?

Sweet, this was the one praised springsteen album i’ve been putting off, so good to have gotten to this. Its a very somber and personal piece from bruces past and it can really strike if you’re in a vulnerable mind and let it sit with you. doesn’t have bangers (like at all), but that’s a good thing in a way cause its consistently emotive throughout. Standout would be reason to believe.

Probably my favourite Springsteen

Slow and darker Bruce Springsteen

This album is quite slow. It's classified as soft-rock but it's also very country. I wasn't a fan of a lot of the melodies. I really liked Atlantic City, though. The songwriting is definitely beautiful and each song has a story that fits well with the last. The story behind why he wrote the album also makes it clear that the lyrics are more important than the instrumentals, contrary to some of his other work.

Mellow but ultimately forgettable offering from The Boss

This is pretty far away from Born in the USA sonically for those expecting that. This is the more folksy side of Bruce. I enjoyed it for the storytelling more than anything. Got off to a good start and then kinda dragged through the second half.

too american

Bruce Springsteen: depression edition. Some good songs. Don't think I'd come back

A dark and sparse album that really works sonically considering the subject matter. Atlantic City is still a masterpiece. Would say I find the first half of this album a lot stronger

I enjoyed parts of this for the storytelling but his voice is tough after a while

Not a fan of this; kinda just slow and twangy.

hate springsteen didnt listen

Muy íntimo, muy introspectivo. Más un álbum para entrar en un mood muy relajado, muy en la onda de Springsteen pero sin contar con ritmos up o exitazos como en otros álbumes. Está bueno, pero hay que entrarle esperando algo mucho más relax que lo habitual.

I can practically see the tumbleweed in front of me when listening to this album. I prefer the other more rock-y albums from springsteen.

I wasn’t too blown away at first (too much harmonica! Quit it with that!!) but damn Highway Patrolman is one of the best and saddest songs I’ve ever heard- caught my ear and I just had to look at the lyrics and it almost made me cry

Me moló

really good album but the harmonica have driven me insane 4/5

I love his voice. I'm glad to have listened to this album.

I don’t see myself listening to this album often but I enjoyed it. I like the narrative lyrics, even if they are a bit gloomy.

Chill, need to be in the right mood for it

I love Bruce. I love Nebraska. I love the coffee I'm sipping out of the Beatles mug I love. I don't think any belong on this list.

Very Bruce but doesn’t make me want to watch the film. Not my fave.

I like Bruce. I can't quite understand why this album is held in such high regard. I am probably really at a 2, but that ain't right.

I'm definitely not a Bruce fan, though I get why people are. Still, this one's different. Haunting and stark, punk and powerful. Makes a nice bookend with that first Suicide album (which heavily inspired this). I'm glad he released it like this, rather than with the band. This one's a gem.

This is the Springsteen album that stopped me in my tracks and reassess my thoughts about The Boss. I think it's a perfect album

I'm not much of a Springsteen fan, but Nebraska is a hell of a record.

Nope.

Well I didn’t hate and theoretically I can see why he was such a big star back then but, ugh. Bruce with his guitar and his harmonica is just way too american for my eastern european mind and heart, I think.

Sitting on the porch sipping some scotch and watching the sunset while pondering.

Boring. I should like bruce. It's up my alley, I just don't.

bzzzzzzz snore yawn

atlantic city was the only somewhat okay song. i think i hate harmonicas

It was alright. But a lot of the songs are quite the same. After the album, Apple Music started playing 'related music' and it felt like a breath of fresh air. Still not a bad album, but acoustic guitar + harmonica only for 10 songs in a row becomes a bit too much.

Em seu álbum Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen, mais uma vez, dá um show de composição. Foi muito interessante para mim escutar esse álbum logo depois de Darkness On the Edge of Town, no auge do meu interesse pelo artista, pois pude conhecer uma faceta diferente de seu trabalho, e eu posso afirmar que gostei muito. As temáticas do álbum são muito interessantes e a escrita de Springsteen é crua, criativa, descritiva. Nesse disco, o que mais me impressiona é a habilidade do cantor de criar paisagens perfeitas e uma atmosfera compatível com todas as suas letras. Todavia, o fato de ser um álbum não muito melódico e de ambientação pesada, eu não consegui escutá-lo durante o meu dia a dia e tenho quase certeza de que não escutarei essas canções recorrentemente, o que me faz dar uma nota menor do que ele realmente merece.

I have a hard time getting into Bruce Springfield. But Mansion on the Hill is really pretty song. I like the sadness in it. It was alright. 3 stars.

A lot of better than I expected, I really liked the stripped down nature of this album considering how much a lot of Bruce’s other music has going on.

I'm not slow country at all. Same with his other stuff. Not for me.

The song feels like a Neil Young album

Okay but a bit boring. I like Atlantic City but prefer the cover by the Band.

Damn Atlantic City is a great song!! I always loved the idea of this album more than the album itself. That being said...sitting down, struggling with it and trying to get into the mood - it is a brooding, dark, poetic treasure. Will i go back to it, not much...does it have it faults and overblown...yes. But the more you take a beat and listen the more you appreciate.

Fuck bruce springsteen, fuck him in his stupid ass. Also, and this really goes without saying, but Fuck nebraska too.

You're home for the holidays and it's a slow day between two get-together days. With your head slightly aching, you go to your local bar and meet the buddy you haven't seen in ages. The two of you try to have a conversation but the bar is too loud so he recommends having a couple of beers at his place. The beers flow slower than usual and you get him to play the guitar like he did when you had a long time before. You sing along to songs you forgot you knew. It feels like magic. This is how this album sounds to me.

Bit too quiet for me.

A bit too mellow of an album for me, especially considering that it’s Springsteen. There are a few good ones in here though

Springsteen is an artist I knew and quite liked before this project, but who I have come to appreciate more. I really enjoyed hearing this side of him, and as much as I appreciate his usual backing band, I wish he had made more music like this.

I had never heard this album—or even Bruce Springsteen—before, but it really surprised me. It has a very cinematic, expressive, folky sound that creates a strong sense of nostalgia throughout. The lyrics feel desperate and grounded in real-life struggles, touching on the madness of people and offering some pretty profound reflections on everyday lives. Despite that heaviness, it’s a very chill and immersive listening experience. My favorite tracks are “Johnny 99” and “Used Cars,” which stand out for their storytelling and emotional weight.

Completely horrid. Delete this from the internet.

Musically ‘good’ but too sweaty, racist, violent, deep-south feeling. Not my cuppa T.

Favorite track(s): Nebraska, Atlantic City, Johnny 99, Highway Patrolman, State Trooper

First time listening to this since my Springsteen conversion. It was always the one I had a bit of a soft spot for because of the Suicide influnced yelps on State Trooper. I really like it but I think I now prefer overblown full fat Bruce with the E Street Band blasting behind him.

"Atlantic City" is one of my favourite Springsteen songs of all time. This isn't really the big, rock-forward Bruce of Born to Run; instead, "Nebraska" captures the folky essence behind it all, and it feel true to Springsteen's lyrical content and the messages behind his music.

I honestly did not like this album. I found it hella monotonous

I miss the Bruce who was born to Run. Nebraska Bruce has slowed to a trot, and just isn't doing as much for me. Ill be honest, I wasnt paying super close attention to the lyrics, maybe hes onto some deep shit within the weeds here thats going right over my head. But the music itself on this one i think was the weakest from Bruce yet. Guitar followed by harmonica, then some more guitar and harmonica. Ill have to give it another listen to be sure.. but I cant see this one going above a 3 for me. I just prefer his other albums tbh, just a personal preference.

Flyover state, flyover album. There’s nothing you’re missing by skipping this one. It’s a bunch of mournful songs about people Bruce tries to frame as Midwest Folk heroes, when in reality they all come off as whiny children who act as victims of circumstance. And of course, the song that treats the cop like martyr for not forcing his brother to obey the law. Just a drag of an album. All bummer albums just don’t work. They’re never worth the time to listen to.

Gros potentiel pour un super album mais le côté une guitare au coin du feu ça a ses limites.

5/10 Reading that Bruce Springsteen recorded this on a four track in 1981-82 intrigued me somewhat, especially as he tried to get it re-recorded with the E-Street Band, but could never get it right, so released it as is. While I can’t admit to being the biggest Springsteen fan, the idea of hearing something with that stripped back, raw DIY aesthetic appealed and there were places on here that it really hooked me in. The Springsteen that I’m turned off by is the shout-singing brash rocker stuff and when he brought a more restrained, subtle control to his delivery, there were times when it became bleak and haunting in a really effective way. Nebraska, Highway Patrolman and Used Cars were highlights in that regard and really benefitted from that slightly grungy DIY sound. Unfortunately, there was also a decent chunk of stuff on here that sounded quite like what it was, demos for songs that were intended to be built out with a full band, developed and further refined down the line, most likely into the kind of typical Bruce Springsteen sound that doesn’t really appeal to my ear. Musically, it’s a fairly generic blend of blues and rock with a folksy twist, and there were a lot of times when I couldn’t really pick out why this stood out from the vast pack of musicians who have been performing this kind of music since the 60s and 70s. Admittedly, Springsteen is known as a storyteller and lyrics typically take a backseat for me, so much of the musical content here felt quite repetitive and samey, so that likely had an impact on my enjoyment of the music. It’s also worth noting that, while the DIY aesthetic worked for the stripped back stuff, there were times when this just sounded really bad. Not in a cool, grungy way, but in a poorly recorded, poorly mixed way, where things were clipping, levels were all over the place and things were bizarrely faded out. All in all, a real mixed bag, that has, despite my variable reaction to the album as a whole, actually pointed out a few Springsteen tracks that I wouldn’t mind revisiting in future, and might even make me seek out any work of his that might be similar in style. Nebraska - New Jersey’s most famous singer, singing in a cod Nebraskan accent. Bit weird. This is pretty good though. Slow and considered, if a touch repetitive, it’s got a cool vibe and the DIY aesthetic to the sound works really well. I definitely prefer Bruce singing in this subtler way and the bleak nature of this song connected with me really well. Atlantic City - This is less interesting and sounds much more like an unfinished demo than the previous track. It’s pretty repetitive, which also leans it more towards that demo sound. There are some nice aspects to it, but the mix is quite confusing, with some elements hard to pick out and others too prominent. It really sounds like a work in progress for. song that could become decent, but isn’t yet. Mansion On The Hill - The vibe of this is quite nice, but musically it feels very generic, with the chord structure and vocal melody following incredibly predictable movements. It’s just a bit bland, really, although the vocal performance is pretty decent. Johnny 99 - Now it’s quite a bluesy folk number. Again, it’s very repetitive. I guess it’s more about the story in the lyrics, but that’s always secondary in what I look for in a song. The demo nature of this one sticks out a bit too. There are some decent touches of guitar playing in there, but it’s just a bit bland for me. Highway Patrolman - The vibe calls back more to the opener here. It’s sparse and quite pretty and, despite having a similar musically predictable nature to the last couple of tracks, the performance and vibe elevate this. I think the combination of DIY recording tone and the bleak, stripped back vibe of this work incredibly well and the withdrawn subtlety of the vocal delivery make it quite captivating, despite it being fairly basic. The quick fade out kills that vibe in a really weird way though. State Trooper - A slow burn of a blues number now. Is it building to something? It feels like it, but half way through it hasn’t actually delivered on that promise yet. The vocal performance is good up until he starts whooping, which the song just doesn’t feel like it’s earned. I was quite getting into the gritty vibe of this until then, but he ruined it. And another super weird quick fade out again. Used Cars - These stripped back ones have great vibe and lean into the gritty DIY sound so well. The sound is sparse and pretty, but that aforementioned bleakness and subtle sense of grief that permeates the song work incredibly well at sucking the listener in. It’s a shame that this album is a bit of a mixed bag, because some parts of it work really well. Open All Night - Now we’re back to something more generically blues-rock, and the subtlety of the albums strongest songs is completely absent. It’s incredibly generic, sounds too much like an unfinished demo and the vocal leans more towards that forced, almost shout singing that I hate from Springsteen. This could be by one of any number of bands playing at the real ale festivals across the UK every weekend and, short of the low murmur of boozy punters, sounds like it could have been recorded at one too. My Father's House - This lacks the subtlety in the vocal performance that I’d enjoyed on other tracks, so I’m not getting as drawn in. It’s very repetitive and the mix puts the vocal so forward that the guitar work gets lost. When the extra instrumentation comes in, it adds a slightly haunting feel to things, but the vocal dominance doesn’t let it do its work particularly effectively. I think there’s something in this, but this recording hasn’t managed to capture it. Reason To Believe - Shouty Bruce is back. It’s got a fairly decent, pulsing groove from the guitar, but it’s pretty repetitive and doesn’t really do much to stand out as anything musically special. The quieter moments are quite nice, but as a whole, it’s just a bit dull.

tentou puxar pro bob dylan mas ficou interior dos estados unidos, acampamento e música em volta da fogueira de uma forma muito horrenda e grotesca.

I’m normally much more of a thunder Road Boss fan than his more folksy stuff. That persists in this album; which while excellent is not quite what I was hoping for. Some good tracks an his vocal remain as strong as ever, but it’s not why I listen to Bruce

Ta bueno, me dieron ganas de caer en cana y cantar Jhonny 99 con los pibes. No es el estilo que más escucho pero banco, la mejor es Highway Patrolman. Medio depresivo el Bruce. Sape

Probably my favourite Bruce Springsteen record. The films actually pretty decent too.

i went into this secure in my age old belief that it's impossible to enjoy bruce springsteen whole heartedly unless you are american, but also expecting to hear some good tunes. my expectations were met.

Didn’t enjoy this. Boring American folky songs. Atlantic City was alright. Yes, there’s storytelling, but it’s not that relatable and I don’t like the vocals.

I’ll definitely listen again

A bit bleak but very descriptive of time and place

Has grown on me, really builds a mood, cohesive

어우 듣기좋아

30-Apr-2026 4/5 Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska (1982) I like Bruce Springsteen, but a lot of these songs sounded very similar to each other (to me). Melancholy. Perhaps that's because its a themed album. Definite themes of unemployment and hard times, cars and trucks, guns, faith, and despair. After listening to the album, I read through some of the Wikipedia article that was linked: Springsteen recorded the songs unaccompanied on a four-track recorder in the bedroom of his home in Colts Neck, New Jersey. It is recognized as one of the first do it yourself (DIY) home recordings by a major artist and has had a significant influence on the indie rock and underground music scenes. This is an album I would listen to again and may add it to my playlist rotation.

The spare, almost haunting aspect of this album makes some of the songs absolutely chilling. Atlantic City and Johnny 99 are probably my favorites. These are songs about good people who do bad things and the sparse acoustic style sets the mood perfectly.

Stripped back Boss, excellent

80s rock, singer-songwriter. Great, dark story telling. Sad Americana.

i believe this is young bruce, still iconic

I liked it not usually the biggest fan of bruce but i like this album. More of a neil young vibe (who i really like) than some of his other music i'm familliar with. Would Nabraska again.

A nearly perfect album. What a ride, emotionally. Absolutely love the songs "Nebraska", "My Father's House", "Johnny 99", and "Used Cars".

I’m going to kill myself

I love a story that's not morally black & white. The gray area is always so much more interesting

The story telling

All the songs hit the same tones, and you can really feel the unpolished nature of the songs, in a bad way.

Meh..

Please don't make me rate more Springsteen music. I can't mentally bare it anymore.

Boring

I try to go into any of these albums with an open mind. I can’t deny that I sighed a deep old sigh when I saw the Boss back on my list. I just can’t get into anything about his music. I’ve tried, it just doesn’t sink in.

Meh

Not typically my taste but it’s a nice stripped down album.

I do not like Bruce at all but I acknowledge decent work

Good to know that Bruce Springsteen is not for me.

would be a 2 but I was actually driving through nebraska listening to this so it was kinda a vibe

This seems like a a record that he improved upon later with Devils and Dust, but still enjoyable.

nan mais en vrai on me fera JAMAIS croire que les musiques les plus culturally significant c'était AUTANT de country c'est juste super biaisé

Has to be pretty uncommon for such a prolific act to put out a stripped down imperfect album when he is known for being uplifting and energetic. I love that you can hear the flubs in recording. The lyrics are dark and evoke a bit of Gothic Americana.

another easy one that i listen to roughly once a month, so yeah, easy 5-star record for me. p.s. the long-awaited extended edition released in 2025 is a marvelous artifact, clarifying why the acoustic versions were the right versions to release. it's great to hear those electric and live versions finally, but they pale in comparison to the original release

cool

I've always respected Bruce, but hadn't listened closely to his music until recently. Then I had the chance to see him on his tour (April, 2026) in Portland, Oregon. I knew he was a national treasure, but this show cemented the fact in my mind. Soon after, this album showed up in my 1001 Albums feed and I listened to it anew. What a gem that man is. Long live Bruce.

No no no no no no no ! No !!!!

I often feel that to be a great singer is to be a great actor, and Bruce really sells this idea with these songs. On the surface, it might appear as an album of Springsteeny impressions of country songs, but it's so much more. He doesn't just describe these characters, he conveys them, he even *becomes* them for just 3 minutes, and I believe and feel every last bit of sorrow in their blue-collar hearts. And that's not to mention the mesmerising, Suicice-inspired sparseness of the music. If Bruce's voice didn't convince you yet, the sound itself will.

sorry to everybody who loves the boss but this was heinous to me. Like i actually struggled to listen to this album. No shade if you like this but i would rather deepthroat a dildo covered in broken glass than to listen to this again

2026.04.21.

3.5/5

A influential raw album from Bruce. Really good soundscapes and storytelling. 4.6/5 rounds up to 5

Very depressing album. I dont understand americans that want to make amerikkka great again when clearly by the songwriting you can see its always been shit. Bon Jovi'a gina and tommy were not doing ok Billy Joel's allentown was fucked and there was eeffinitively a lot of pressure they went to cool off at the pianoman bar. Bruce is no exception, atlantic city, nebraska, born in the usa all about the end of industrialisim and the failed capitalistic system that forgot them. Great songwriting but songs maybe too slow to really get a feel and make it a bit less horrible.

I really like this, especially Atlantic City.

Have never listened to a Bruce album before… have never wanted to either and this is an odd one to start with perhaps. This made me feel almost unbearably sad? Or it was just amplifying an already unbearable sadness that I’m unable to articulate? About death and aging and my parents and my friends’ parents and also vaguely about never having driven cross country. I don’t want to give it too much credit since evoking despair shouldn’t be too hard when opening with a mass murderer’s death sentence, and the next is “everything dies,” poverty, and gambling Listened while driving home from the city; good weather, minimal traffic

slow and boring, I can take a song or two. But the only time I could listen to this in full is driving back from the jersey shore during a sunset, where me and my friends/family members in the car are quiet. 2.5

not mine

This is not for me. It feels like getting bailed up in the bathroom with a miserable dude with a harmonica addiction.

Forgettable

Probs won't be coming back to this one.

A let down. Just a man and his harmonica, just doesn't work for me.

It’s fine but nothing stood out

A mix of really pretty and kind of grating. Too much random yelps and harmonica. A shame. Could have been so good.

Not for me, too sad for sad’s sake.

Never heard any of these Springsteen songs before. I appreciate the sentiment of working class struggles but I struggle with the mumbling Bruce!! Sounds like he's singing through gritted teeth to appear more sincere!

Fantastic album, and often overlooked by casual fans is the boss. I can do this one any time.

This album is best summed up as Bruce trying to do his best Johnny Cash or Neil Young impression. Unfortunately, it's not as good as what they can bring. Not that Bruce is a bad storyteller, he has so many great songs with amazing writing and subject matter. This just didn't hit for me, in part because it felt reasonably homogenous throughout. Beyond this, Bruce is at his best when he is belting out, with his rasp and emotion. He has so much character to his voice, and all of that was muted here. It was like someone neutered him. This isn't awful and there are some cool songs on here. I loved Open All Night, while Atlantic City was good. But there was just not enough for me to think this was a great album. Far from his best.

Not a massive fan but I really like the whole stripped down feel of this one. Its very atmospheric and has a real sitting round the campfire vibe, nice,

Bruce's strength is more his lyricism than musicality. He paints pictures with his words and tells stories of working-class people living in the state of Nebraska. To me his message is is getting by and surviving, in spite of the grind of everyday life. Musically, however, there is certain hypnotic quality to this album. His vocals are drenched in reverb as if singing in the middle of an abandoned hall. His melodies are simple, repeating from verse to verse, lulling the listener into a state of meditation. The overall effect of almost hymnal and makes me recognize that there is something here that requires another listen, perhaps accompanied by a cup of coffee on a grey, rainy day.

Old man howling in the wind...

So boring that it would have put me to sleep - if it hadn't annoyed me so much. 😤 Too American? Too much reverb on the damn voice? I don't know but I don't like it.

More like Bruce Harmonica-steen

Country ekke helt min greie

There’s definitely some real quality songwriting here. He’s a famous storyteller. And these songs are solid, classic, sincere and really kinda pretty. I never really connected to Springsteen’s style. But I have to admit that there’s something genuinely good here. Unfortunately, I am going to have to smash that damned harmonica. It absolutely ruins everything for me. Omg I hate this fucking harmonica.

Heavy, but I really liked this album. The storytelling was very good.

Very emotional album, I hadn't listened to much Springsteen before this, but this was quite nice, even though it was not always my cup of tea. I really liked My Father's House.

not too shabby

Not great

Not for me, just kinda bored with it

okay

Jimmy Hendrix purple haze May this be Love The wind cries mary These were my favorite songs Easy listening / mostly played while I did chores. Don’t know if I’d listen to the whole thing through again but I would listen to those two songs Bruce Springsteen Nebraska atlantic city was my favorite song on this album. i enjoyed the story telling, depresso but good.

I think this album hit me at the wrong time. I really can see the appeal of Bruce Springsteen but this album just didn’t sell him for me.

Best song: My Father's Mansion

I'm on my 3rd listen and I think more than any this is the album that feels like Springsteen. I don't know his music super well, but have become a fan in the last ~5 years or so and I love this with every listen. So intimate.

An all-time great. I love the wholesale tonal shift from his early records. The Boss does Bob Dylan with more focus.

Me aburrió bastante

Bien.

I liked this. I felt the beginning was stronger than the end. I really liked Atlantic City.