"Born to Run" is a hit song by the American singer/song writer Bruce Springsteen. Recorded in 1975 and released that year on the album Born to Run, the song was Springsteen's last-ditch effort to make it big. By the time he wrote the song, he had released two albums to much critical acclaim but very little commercial success. His live shows, however, were becoming legendary and Born to Run quickly joined his wide repertoire for the three-hour plus shows.

The lyrics to the song are appropriately epic for his last-ditch, all-or-nothing shot at the stars, yet they remain rooted in the universal desperation of adolescence. We gotta get out while we're young, he writes, 'cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run.

Written in the first person, the song is a love letter to a girl named Wendy (I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight/in an everlasting kiss), whom the bike-riding protagonist certainly has the passion to love, but may not have the patience.

In recording the song, Springsteen first earned his noted reputation for perfectionism, laying down as many as eleven guitar tracks to get the sound just right. The album Born to Run was the first credited to the complete E Street Band, but the title track was the last song Springsteen recorded with Vini Lopez on the drums, instead of E Streeter Max Weinberg.

The song and the album were unqualified successes for Springsteen. Upon release in the summer of 1975, Springsteen became a celebrity, scoring simultaneous cover stories in Time and Newsweek magazines.

The song has been played at nearly ever single Springsteen concert since 1975, and fans consistently sing along with Springsteen's signature non-verbal vocalizations throughout the song's performance.

The song has also been released in live versions on three albums.
- Live/1975-85 , a three-disc sampling of Springsteen's epic live shows.
- acoustically on Chimes of Freedom, a 1988 EP released for the anti-war charity, No Nukes.
- Live In New York City, a two-disc record capturing the E-United Reunion Tour that lasted from 1999 to 2001 and ended in a record-setting ten-night stand at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

Links

Lyrics & Audio clips from Brucespringsteen.net