Bruce Springsteen names the eight songs he ‘couldn’t live without’

Bruce Springsteen has shared the eight songs he simply “couldn’t live without” as The Boss runs through his favourites.

Springsteen has more than a few hits under his belt, with the Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A. mastermind offering fans a glimpse into his own listening habits. The veteran performer shared his choices during an appearance on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs. BBC Radio 4’s long-running programme features celebrities, musicians, and special guests who are invited to talk about the songs they would choose to listen to should they be left on an island. Springsteen has plenty of songs to choose from, and amid his choices were Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Elvis Presley. Classic rock tracks from his youth, as well as moments of magic from his peers, were praised by The Boss during his appearance on the acclaimed BBC programme.

Desert Island Discs presents the guest with a scenario of being abandoned on an isolated island. With them is a Bible, the complete works of William Shakespeare, and eight songs of their choice. They are also allowed one luxury item and a book of their choosing.

Praise for The Rolling Stones also featured from Springsteen, with The Boss sharing how founding member Brian Jones influenced him. Speaking of his choice, It’s All Over Now, Springsteen shared: “I would use my mother’s hair clips to pin my hair down, then I would sleep on it exactly right, because I had Italian curly hair so I would pin it down until it was as straight as Brian Jones’.”

The song itself also inspired Springsteen to become a guitar player after being “thrown out” of his first band. He recalled the song “held a special place for me because when I got thrown out of my first band, I went home that night and I was pissed off, so I said ‘All right I’m going to be a lead guitar player.'”

The Beatles’ I Want to Hold Your Hand was also mentioned by Springsteen, who says the song “changed the course of my life.” He added: “It was a very raucous-sounding record when it came out of the radio. It really was the song that inspired me to play rock and roll music — to get a small band and start doing some small gigs around town. It was life-changing. It’s still a beautiful record.”

Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone, too, was mentioned by The Boss, who says the Mr. Tambourine Man songwriter had many works which meant a lot to him. He told Desert Island Discs: “Like a Rolling Stone’ feels like a torrent that comes rushing towards you. Floods your soul, floods your mind.

“Alerts and wakes you up instantaneously to other worlds, other lives. Other ways of being. It’s perhaps one of the most powerful records ever made, and it still means a great deal to me along with all of Dylan’s work.”

Also mentioned in Springsteen’s appearance were Van Morrison, The Four Tops, and James Brown. A full list of Springsteen’s choices can be found below.

• Elvis Presley – Hound Dog
• The Bealtes – I Want to Hold Your Hand
• The Rolling Stones – It’s All Over Now
• Van Morrison – Madame George
• Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
• James Brown – Out of Sight
• The Four Tops – Baby I Need Your Loving
• Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone

Gaye, too, had a huge influence on Springsteen, with The Boss adding: “This entire record, from start to finish, is a masterpiece. It was sultry and sexual while at the same time dealing with street-level politics. That had a big influence on me.”