Thoughts on Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run
The stakes. The pressure. The drive.
Tonight in Jungleland tells the story of the journey Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took to record Born to Run.
Before the Boss was The Boss
After two critically acclaimed albums that suffered from mediocre sales, Bruce’s relationship with his record company was insecure at best. When he was preparing to record album three, they weren’t sure they wanted to put up the money. Fifty years later, it’s hard to imagine anyone questioning whether this guy from New Jersey had what it takes to be a rock star.
If you want an inside look at the making of one of the greatest albums in rock & roll history, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Every aspect of the process is covered—songwriting and the evolution of lyrics, testing songs on the road, searching for the right drum sound and a piano that refused to stay in tune. Even the story behind that iconic album cover is included (did you know the button on the guitar strap was a nod to Elvis?).
Author Peter Ames Carlin—who also wrote Bruce a fantastic biography—draws from interviews with E Street members and other insiders, access to raw studio session recordings, and a conversation with The Boss himself on the occasion of his 75th birthday.
Why this is a book for me
Full disclosure: I’m the target audience for this book. I’m a longtime Springsteen fan. As a man of certain age who grew up in New Jersey, some might say my fandom was pre-ordained. My Spotify Wrapped puts me in the top 1-2% of Bruce listeners every year, and I play his music on my blonde, blackguard Telecaster—getting as close to Bruce’s Esquire hybrid as I can. So, it shouldn’t surprise you to read that I loved this book.
If you, like me, hail from the Jersey Shore, there’s the added bonus of familiar references—from a trip to Long Beach Island to reviews in the Asbury Park Press and more.
But if you love music, appreciate Bruce, or just enjoy learning about the process behind the making of great art, give Tonight in Jungleland a read.