Bruce Springsteen, rightfully known around the world as “The Boss,” was born on Sept. 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey. Today, he is celebrating his 65th birthday.

The Boss has more Grammys than most artists have hit singles and an Oscar to go with them. He remains one of the biggest touring artists in the world, playing shows for four hours. Springsteen's shows are adventures. Unlike other artists, who stick to setlists as if they are the Bible during tours, you never really know what Springsteen plans to do. He might even perform songs he wrote a few days earlier and hasn't had the time to record in the studio yet. For example, her performed “American Skin (41 Shots)” for over a decade before it finally made it to an album.

With a career that is into its fifth decade, the only solo artist comparable to Springsteen over that span is Paul McCartney. Like McCartney, Springsteen has recorded dozens of songs that have appeared on B-sides or in collections or never even seen the light of day. Therefore, just having his studio albums or greatest hits packages can never give you the full picture.

Springsteen's songs tell stories about people who want to get out, people wishing for a better life, new love and many other topics. He speaks to the working man, even while reeling in millions of dollars, because he still sounds so authentic. He sounds like the guy who got blinded by a light fifty years ago.

So, without any further ado, we say greetings from Asbury Park, NJ and look at the lesser known corners of the boardwalk.

image courtesy of INFphoto.com

[new page = Thundercrack]

10. Full disclosure: The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (1973) is my favorite Bruce Springsteen album. I could listen to those seven songs on a loop – the pure energy and excitement that pours from the stereo while hearing it is infectious.

Despite only seven songs though, the album runs over 46 minutes and Springsteen didn't quite have the cache in 1973 to do a double album. That means he had a lot left over, including “Thundercrack,” which deserves an exclamation point after it. This amazing outtake appears on Tracks.


[new page = You'll Be Comin' Down Now]

9. “You'll Be Comin' Down Now” is one of the major tracks on Magic (2007), Springsteen's best album from the last decade. To me, it's a more consistent record than The Rising (2001), which has three or four more songs on it than necessary. The second track on Magic is an ode to the over-produced Phil Spector or Brian Wilson sounds of the 1960s, but it actually works. While on paper, it doesn't sound like that influence should mix with Springsteen, it does here.


[new page = The New Timer]

8. “The New Timer” is a central piece on The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995), Springsteen's second all-acoustic album. The album is a bit one-note, sadly and nowhere near the milestone recording that Nebraska (1982) is. However, “The New Timer,” one of the many songs on the album that evokes the Dust Bowl, is a stand-out.


[new page = Open All Night]

7. Speaking of Nebraska, one of the most acclaimed records in Springsteen's discography, “Open All Night” is the exception to that album's rule. It's still a solo number, but features an electric guitar, augmented with acoustic guitars in the back. “Open All Night” is like a missing Chuck Berry or Rockabiliy number. Of course, that doesn't mean the subject is happy. “Hey, yo, Rock and Roll deliver me from nowhere.” That could be The Boss' mantra.


[new page = Seeds]

6. As I noted in the intro, Springsteen has a knack for surprising (or not surprising at this point) audiences with songs they had never heard before. “Seeds” is a rocker featured on his first live album, Live/1975-85 (1986) and was recorded during the Born in the U.S.A. (1985) tour.


[new page = Murder Incorporated]

5. “Murder Incorporated” dates back to 1982 and was up for consideration for Born in the U.S.A.. Springsteen probably dropped it because that album already had too many upbeat songs about depressing subjects. The track surfaced on 1995's Greatest Hits, but dropped for The Essential Bruce Springsteen, one of the current in-print hits collection for The Boss.


[new page = From Small Things]

4. The Boss always makes sure fans get their money's worth. Sometimes, that means buying songs you already own, as was the case with The Essential Bruce Springsteen. A third disc is included with the album, made up entirely of loose tracks, including “From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come),” a quick little song dropped from The River (1980). That double album could only include so many happy songs, which is why this short track didn't make it. It's a lot of fun, though.


[new page = Candy's Room]

3. “Candy's Room” did make it onto an album, namely 1978's Darkness of the Edge of Town. The track is highlighted by Max Weinberg's incredible drumming, which perfectly mimics a heart racing as one gets to their lover. It's an exciting break from the dreary working-class lives lead by the other characters on Darkness.


[new page = Spare Parts]

2. Another confession: I love Tunnel of Love (1987). When I was filling out the gaps in my Springsteen collection, I was admittedly apprehensive about buying this album... with a title like that, could you blame me? But I was stunned by the quality. Despite an often intrusive '80s production sound, the writing is surprisingly strong. “Spare Parts” features a searing guitar part, making it one of the highlights of the record.


[new page = Long Time Comin']

1. This is really hard. There's a ton of album tracks I'd love to highlight here, but “Long Time Comin,'” from Devils & Dust (2005) is a jubilant track from an overbearingly depressing record. (“Doesn't Springsteen know you can sing about happy stuff?” my uncle commented when we first heard this record.) It's a track about waiting for the best to come and it finally does in the end.

You can check out my previous Top 10 Bruce Springsteen Songs from 2011 here.