Born to “Boss” — whether or not he likes it or not.
Bruce Springsteen has spoken out about his long-standing dislike of his nickname “The Boss” that’s “dogged” him all through his profession, although the “Tougher Than the Rest” rocker says he’s lastly made peace with it.
In an interview on Thursday’s episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast, Springsteen, 75, vented his exasperation with how he has develop into synonymous with the moniker.
“‘The Boss,’ which dogged me my whole life, still does,” he shared.
“I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve given up and gotten used to it, I suppose,” he added.
The “Born in the USA” hitmaker went on to elucidate that the sobriquet originated as a result of he was, actually, a boss to members of his band.
“‘Hey, boss.’ You know? ‘Are we getting paid this week?’ ‘Sure,’” he remembered. “And then some DJ heard it and started using it on the radio and it, you know, went viral, as they say. And so there it is.”
The backstory was additionally documented within the 2012 Springsteen biography, “Bruce,” by Peter Ames, which famous that the rock star’s inside circle referred to as him “The Boss” for the primary three years it was bandied about.
The nickname entered the general public lexicon in 1974 after a journalist overheard one in every of Springsteen’s crew shout after him, “Hey, Boss!”
Springsteen was bitter on the moniker virtually from its inception. Throughout performances within the mid-Nineteen Seventies, he’d typically alter the lyrics to his tune “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” from “You don’t have to call me lieutenant, Rosie, and I don’t want to be your son” to “You don’t have to call me lieutenant, Rosie/Just don’t ever call me Boss!” in line with Ames’ e-book.
“I remember people calling him that and not taking it seriously. Not ‘til I started calling him the Boss. Then they took it seriously because I was a boss, too. So when I started calling him the Boss the vibe was, ‘If Stevie’s doing it, there’s something to this!’” E Road Band member Steven Van Zandt was quoted as saying within the biography.
Whereas Springsteen followers may bemoan their idol’s perspective on his nickname, they nonetheless have cause to go dancing in the dead of night.
The Rock and Roll Corridor of Famer just lately introduced “Tracks II: The Lost Albums,” a treasure trove of seven never-before-released albums recorded between 1983 and 2018.
The gathering will “fill in rich chapters of Springsteen’s expansive career timeline — while offering invaluable insight into his life and work as an artist,” a press launch said.
“Tracks II: The Los Albums” is accessible June 27.
