Tonight in Jungleland
The Making of Born to Run
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4.5 • 47 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the making of Bruce Springsteen’s ground-breaking album, Born to Run, one of the most iconic records in rock history • “A lovely book about the making of Born to Run. It goes into great detail and great depth about what the record is, what it means, what it meant to us… The book means a lot to me.”—Bruce Springsteen
“Absorbing. . . A fascinating portrait of a talented, ambitious and stubborn young man with strong creative instincts.”—Los Angeles Times
From the opening piano notes of “Thunder Road,” to the final outro of “Jungleland”—with American anthems like “Born to Run” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” in between—Bruce Springsteen’s seminal album, Born to Run, established Springsteen as a creative force in rock and roll. With his back against the wall, he wrote what has been hailed as a perfect album, a defining moment, and a roadmap for what would become a legendary career.
Peter Ames Carlin, author of the bestselling biography, Bruce, now returns with the full story of the making of this epic album, combining lush music writing with unprecedented inside access to Springsteen and his inner circle. Carlin reveals a treasure trove of untold stories, detailing the writing and recording of every song, as well as the intense and at times tortuous process that mimicked the fault lines in Springsteen’s psyche and career, even as it revealed the depth of his vision. A must-read for any music fan, Tonight in Jungleland takes us inside a hallowed creative process and lets us experience history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the wake of middling sales from his first two albums, and with his record company's faith in him waning, Bruce Springsteen needed a hit, according to this captivating blow-by-blow of the making of Born to Run. Drawing from conversations with the artist, his band members, and his friends, music writer Carlin (Bruce) unravels how the 1975 album came to be, beginning with Springsteen being tasked in 1973 with writing a successful single before Columbia would agree to finance the album. From there, Carlin highlights Springsteen's near-constant battles with the record label, whose ongoing failure to provide financial support hamstrung touring and production; the title track's evolution from a bleak, gloomy portrait of a "diminished society" to a vibrant "highway saga" that contained dark undertones but offered a glimmer of hope; and Springsteen's obsessive self-doubt—upon hearing the finished album, he initially suggested scrapping it and starting from scratch. Carlin takes a fascinating look at the challenges of making an album whose success now seems inevitable, exploring what drives artists to create as well as how their relationship with their work can shift as it becomes part of popular culture. Springsteen fans should snap this up.
Customer Reviews
Amazing!
Some of us, who grew up in the 70’s, may take Born To Run for granted. No more! This piece of writing brings it back into focus clearer, brighter, louder and more incredible than ever.