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"From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen" will be on display Feb. 17-Sept. 3 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
A museum devoted to the bedrock of American democracy will from Feb. 17 through Sept. 3 celebrate a more visceral sort of rock: The music of Bruce Springsteen.
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is presenting, “From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen.”
Originating at the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, where the exhibition was featured next to the likes of Elvis and Elton, The Boss will now be rubbing monumental shoulders with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
“No other artist is as steeped in Americana or has better told the story of the American dream than Bruce Springsteen,” said David Eisner, the center’s CEO. “He’s the perfect artist for a center devoted to the robust discussion of American values to feature.”
America has one national anthem, but Americans have dozens, many of them — “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Promised Land,” “Born to Run,” and “The Rising” — composed and performed by Springsteen and the E Street Band. Over the past 40 years, Springsteen has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide and helped define American character as surely as Uncle Sam.
“The only other artists so connected to America are Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, but even compared to them he’s fairly unique,” said Jim Henke, curator of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. “His songs deal with the struggles as much as the dreams.”
National Constitution Center
The jeans Bruce Springsteen wore on the cover of "Born in the U.S.A."
Springsteen also differs from other artists, Henke said, in that he had an innate recognition that he was doing something that was transcending the music.
“He saved everything,” Henke said. “So we have the Fender guitar featured on the cover of ‘Born to Run.’ We have the jeans he wore on the cover of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ The exhibit is a very comprehensive look at his life and his career going clear back to his childhood.”
Eisner, whose favorite album is the stark “Nebraska” from 1982, said he’s been particularly pleased to thumb through the lyric notebooks.
“His penmanship on things like set lists is very hurried, but with the lyrics you can tell he was almost reverential with the words he was composing to songs like ‘Jungleland,’ ” Eisner said. “It’s also fun to see some of the changes he made from before recording the songs."
With Springsteen playing shows in Philadelphia on March 28 and 29, Eisner is besieged by friends who are begging for any hint that The Boss will come to the exhibit.
Henke said it happened in Cleveland.
“I called up his assistant and said the show was closing and we’d be happy to give him a private tour,” he said. “He said that wasn’t necessary. So on the very last day of the Springsteen exhibit, on a packed weekend, many fans were treated to seeing the Bruce Springsteen exhibit with Bruce Springsteen himself. And he couldn’t have been nicer.”
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Chris Rodell is a Latrobe, Pa., freelance writer who blogs at www.EightDaysToAmish.com. Read his 2009 Springsteen album-by-album blog retrospective here.
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Way to go Bruce! Congrats! I have always enjoyed his music. It is on my bucket/wish list to meet him, even if it is for a brief moment. Almost all my life, people keep asking me "are you related to him?". Can anyone guess my last name? LOL!!! It sure is fun going into restaurants, putting your name on the waiting list and enjoy seeing people look around when they call your name! :o)
Again, congrats Bruce! Keep the songs coming!
I have great admiration for 'The Boss' too.
I was fascinated by Jim Henke's comment: "The only other artists so connected to America are Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, but even compared to them he's fairly unique," said Jim Henke, curator of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. "His songs deal with the struggles as much as the dreams."
Perhaps Henke, as curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be forgiven for not knowing that the songs -- and careers -- of folk singers Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger were also about the struggles as much as the dreams.
Bruce Springsteen, like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, has incredible insight, perspective and compassion for those who struggle. Like them, he has a strong moral compass that has at times gotten him 'in trouble,' but it was the right kind of trouble to be in.
Woody and Pete stood up for the worker, for the dispossessed, and against corporate greed. Pete stood up for the environment, for minorities, and (even at the age of 93) against corporate greed. Bruce did a whole album (The Seeger Sessions) of Pete's less-known music. And Bruce is standing up for the part of the population that is being knocked down and dragged out -- and against the corporate greed that is causing the struggles.
I agree that 'The Boss' is unique. I certainly wouldn't argue otherwise. His preferred medium often seems to be driving rock rather than the ballad or the singable tune. I think that underlies his appeal for many people. But for me, it is his consistent message about respect for human dignity and compassion for those who struggle that make his music great.
Bruce is a nice choice but I’d argue that he’s no better than 5th behind Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan & John (Johnny Cougar) Mellencamp. ““No other artist is as steeped in Americana or has better told the story of the American dream than Bruce Springsteen,” said David Eisner, the center’s CEO. “He’s the perfect artist for a center devoted to the robust discussion of American values to feature.”
Class acts like The Boss understand the connection to the fans, so I am not suprised that he "...couldn't have been nicer." - It would be nice if the musuem would "travel" so those of us who may not get the opportunity to go to the city of brotherly love will have the opportunity to see it. Though it is appropriate that the musuem is in Philadelphia.
I love and respect Bruce, too, but agree with gerryg11 that there are others, including contemporaries of Bruce, who are equally worthy of the description "as steeped in Americana or has better told the story of the American dream." One glaring omission, in my opinion, is the perpetually and unjustifiedly underrated Bob Seger. I personally find the bulk of Bob Seger's songs more in-tune with that description than Bruce's body of work. But Bruce is great and deserves the accolades and recognition.
Well deserved...congrats to The Boss.
'Dancing in the Dark'- Anytime, anywhere with the Boss- sigh.............
I have been a diehard fan for many, MANY years but Bruce has sold out. Hasn't made a decent record in years and just isn't the same guy he was. Its sad.