Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock

by Steven Hyden

Springsteen was uniquely qualified to soothe bereaved rock fans. He has always leaned into the neediness of his audience for a hero, playing a hybrid of drinking buddy and father figure for the millions of people who have formed a codependent relationship with Bruce Springsteen records. My own Springsteen neediness is borderline unhealthy. He’s not merely my favorite rock star—my emotional ties are far messier than that. I’ll put it this way: if you made a Venn diagram of Springsteen fans and people who have weirdly poisonous relationships with their fathers, I would be sitting dead center with enough other sad sacks to fill Giants Stadium for a three-night stand. Bruce didn’t get along with his dad either, and like Bruce, we’ve all used Bruce Springsteen songs to work out our feelings about the old man.