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>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WE'RE BACK WITH BRUCE
SPRINGSTEEN, WHOSE NEW ALBUM "LETTER TO YOU" COMES OUT THIS
FRIDAY. BRUCE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
ALSO STRUCK ME ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY IS YOU SPEAK OF THE
OTHER PEOPLE THAT YOU WORK WITH, YOU SPEAK OF SO MANY OF THE
SUBJECTS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, NOT JUST IN YOUR LYRICS
BUT IN YOUR NARRATION AND TALKING ABOUT YOUR LIFE WITH
EXTRAORDINARY TENDERNESS. AND YOU'VE OFTEN, YOU KNOW,
SHOWN TENDERNESS IN YOUR LYRICS. BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS, AS YOU
STAND ON THOSE TRAIN TRACKS LOOKING AT THE TRAIN LIGHT
COMING DOWN THE TRACTION, AS YOU SAY IN THE DOCUMENTARY, YOU GET
TO A POINT IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU'RE AWARE OF YOUR MORTALITY. >> SURE, YEAH. >> Stephen: HAS THAT MADE YOU
MORE TENDER. >> I DON'T KNOW. I THINK YOU END UP BEING A
LITTLE MORE FORGIVING, YOU KNOW, OF FOLKS WHO MAY HAVE CROSSED
YOUR PATH OR FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER YOU'VE HELD YOUR
GRUDGES. AND IT GOES FOR THE WHOLE BAND. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE WHEN
YOU LIVE WITH PEOPLE FOR 50 YEARS THERE'S THINGS THEY CAN'T
STAND ABOUT YOU, THERE ARE THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT
THEM. HEY, MAN, BACK IN 1975, THIS
HAPPENED. AND IT'S 2015, AND SOMEBODY'S
JUST BEGINNING TO B TALK ABOUT I ALL OF THE HUMAN CONUNDRUM THAT
YOU WOULD EXPECT EXISTS IN OUR BAND. BUT WE HAVE HAD A GREATER
RESPECT FOR THE INTEGRITY OF OUR SHIP THAN OUR PERSONAL GRUDGES. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE STILL HERE,
YOU KNOW. AND THAT HAS HELD FOR EVERY BAND
MEMBER, AND WILL HOLD AS LONG AS EVERY BAND MEMBER FEELS LIKE
THAT, THAT THE INTEGRITY OF OUR SHIP, ITS SEAWORTHINESS, AND THE
MISSION THAT WE'RE ON TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER PERSONAL GRUDGE. >> Stephen: ARE YOU A SAILOR,
BRUCE? DO YOU SAIL? >> YOU KNOW, I DO NOT. <i> ( LAUGHTER ).</i> >> Stephen: ONE OF THE-- ONE
OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE ALBUM IS IT-- IT, YOU KNOW, IT
UNDOUBTEDLY SOUNDS LIKE YOU. I HEAR YOUR VOICE. I HEAR THE SOUND OF THE BAND. AND-- AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S IN
KEEPING WITH THE HISTORY OF YOUR SOUND. BUT THEN YOU PLAY A SONG-- YOU
PLAY "IF I WAS A PRIEST," IS ONE OF THE THREE SONGS YOU WROTE IN
1972. "IF I WAS A PRIEST," OKAY, THAT
SOUNDS DIFFERENT THAN THE NEW SONGS, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU. THERE'S NO MISTAKING THAT'S ALSO
YOU. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT MAN WRITING IN 1972, OR WHAT THAT
MAN WROTE IN 1972, AND WHAT THAT MAN IS WRITING NOW? >> YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE "YOUS"
ARE IN ONE CAR. AND AS YOU GET OLDER YOU ADD
ANOTHER ONE. YOU ADD THE YOU THAT'S 60. YOU ADD THE YOU THAT'S 70. YOU HAVE THE YOU THAT'S 30 IN
THE CAR. YOU HAVE THE YOU THAT'S 24 YEARS
OLD AND FIRST SIGNED-- ALL OF THOSE FOLKS ARE IN THE CAR THAT
YOU'RE DRIVING. SO A LOT OF IT DEPENDS, OF
COURSE, AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT, ON WHO'S AT THE WHEEL, YOU KNOW. AND SO, I CAN-- CONSEQUENTLY, I
CAN PULL UP DIFFERENT PARTS OF MY INTERNAL LIFE AND MY INTERNAL
HISTORY, AND I CAN GO TO THOSE MOMENTS AND FIND SOMETHING IN
COMMON WITH THAT VOICE THAT CONNECTS-- IT'S A BIT OF A TIME
TRIP, YOU KNOW. IT CONNECTS FROM THAT MOMENT AND
LAYS A BOND THROUGH ALL THOSE YEARS TO WHO YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. SO I COULD GO BACK TO SONGS THAT
I WROTE WHEN I WAS 22 YEARS OLD, AND I COULD FIND A VOICE TO SING
THEM IN AT 70, YOU KNOW. SO THEY WERE A LOT OF FUN
BECAUSE I DON'T WRITE LYRICS LIKE THAT ANYMORE, AND I LOVE
THAT WRITING STYLE, AND I WISH I HADN'T ABANDONED IT SO SOON. BUT I WAS VERY SELF-CONSCIOUS
ABOUT THE DYLAN COMPARISONS SO I MOVED AWAY FROM IT RATHER
QUICKLY. BUT LOOKING BACK ON IT, I KIND
OF HAVE MY OWN-- MY OWN DYLAN-ESQUE STYLE THAT WAS A LOT
OF FUN, REALLY UNINHIBITED, REALLY KIND OF JUST LETTING--
OPENING THE DAM AND LETTING THE WORDS SPILL OUT. THAT HAD A LOT OF JOY AND A LOT
OF-- AND A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF DEPTH IN IT. SO THOSE SONGS WERE FUN TO GO
BACK TO AND TO RECORD ON THIS RECORD. >> Stephen: IN THE
DOCUMENTARY, CLIVE DAVIS SAYS TO YOU THAT DYLAN SAID TO HIM AFTER
HE LISTENED TO "GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK" HE BETTER BE
CAREFUL OR HE MIGHT GO THROUGH EVERY WORD IN THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE. HE MIGHT RUN OUT OF WORDS." HE SHOULD TALK. HE SHOULD TALK. BUT-- AND YOU TOOK THAT AS LIKE,
WELL, I TOOK THAT ADVICE TO HEART BECAUSE HE WAS MY MENTOR. THE LAST TIME WE WERE TOGETHER I
ASKED YOU TO NAME THE TOP FIVE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SONGS,
ACCORDING TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. >> YEAH. >> Stephen: GIVE ME YOUR TOP
THREE DYLAN SONGS ACCORDING TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. >> OH, THAT'S REALLY HARD. THAT'S REALLY, REALLY HARD. >> Stephen: THIS IS THE FINAL
ROUND OF THE COMPETITION, BRUCE. THIS IS FOR ALL THE MONEY. >> YOU'VE GOT TO PUT "LIKE A
ROLLING STONE" IN THERE JUST BECAUSE IT'S A HISTORY
CULTURE-CHANGING PIECE OF MUSIC. AND IT'S ALSO SIMPLY AWE
FANTASTIC ROCK 'N' ROLL SONG. SO THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PUT IN
THERE. "VISIONS OF JOHANNA," IS A BIG
SONG FOR ME. BUT I ALSO LIKE "RING THEMBLES"
FROM-- I FORGET THE ALBUM IT'S FROM. I LOOK ALL OF JOHN WESLEY
HARDEN, SO IT'S HARD TO PICK ONE. LET ME THINK... >> Stephen: HOW ABOUT A SINGLE
LINE-- YOU'VE GIVEN ME THREE ALREADY. WHAT'S THE FIRST DYLAN LINE THAT
JUMPS OUT TO YOU? >> YOU KNOW, THE FIRST LINE... "ONCE UPON A TIME A GIRL SO FINE
THREW THE BUMS A DIME IN THEIR PRIME DIDN'T YOU." THAT WAS LIKE-- YOU WERE HOOKED. YOU WERE INTO THAT STORY SO
INTENSELY AND SO QUICKLY. THAT'S THE ONE THAT IMMEDIATELY
COMES TO MY MIND. >> Stephen: NOT THAT YOU'RE
ASKING BUT MINE IS MY "MY WEARINESS AMAZES ME. I AM BRANDED ON MY FEET." IT'S SIMPLE, BUT "BRANDED ON MY
FEET." >> THAT'S DAMN GOOD. >> Stephen: I'VE BEEN THERE A
LOT. >> THAT'S DAMN GOOD! >> Stephen: I'VE BEEN THERE
YOUNG. I'VE BEEN THERE OLD. ONE MEMBER OF THE BAND, MAX
WEINBERG, IS URGING PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO THE WHOLE ALBUM. AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE
YOUNGSTERS WILL LOOK AT HIM LIKE HE'S NUTS. LISTENING TO WHOLE ALBUMS--
PEOPLE DON'T DO THAT A LOT ANYMORE. DO YOU RECOMMEND THE WHOLE
ALBUM. OBVIOUSLY, IT'S YOUR ALBUM, BUT
DO YOU LISTEN TO A LOT OF ALBUMS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THESE DAYS. YOU'RE UNDER OATH. >> I LISTEN TO ( BLEEP ) ROCK
WELL. >> Stephen: HOW ABOUT "THE
GREATEST." CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE SONG "THE
GREATEST." >> I LOVE HER WRITING AND IT'S
SIN MAT AND I CAN HER NARRATIVE IS GREAT. THE LAST RECORD I ACTUALLY
LISTENED TO ALL THE WAY THROUGH WAS THE 45th ANNIVERSARY OF
"BORN TO RUN." SO I GOT WITH A BUDDY OF MINE,
AND IT WAS, LIKE, SUNDAY MORNING AT 11 A.M. I SAID, "COME ON, WE'RE GOING TO
JUMP IN THE CAR. WE'RE GOING TO PLAY IT FROM TOP
TO BOTTOM JUST FOR THE 45th ANNIVERSARY." WE GOT IN THE CAR AND STARTED
DRIVING SOUTH A LITTLE BIT. AND THE ALBUM'S RUNNING ITSELF
DOWN. AND WE GET TO ASBURY PARK, I
TURN AND I COME UP KINGSLEY AVENUE, JUST AS "BORN TO RUN"
HITS, DOWN PAST THE STONE PONY, PAST CONVENTION HALL, INTO DEAL,
INTO WEST LONG BRANCH TO 7 AND A HALF WEST END COURT, JUST AS THE
INTRO TO "JUNGLE LAND" HITS, I'M PARKED IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE I
WROTE ALL THE SONGS FOR "BORN TO RUN." THAT WAS FUN. >> Stephen: WOW, WOW. >> SO I THINK IT'S FUN LISTENING
TO RECORDS ALL THE WAY THROUGH JUST BECAUSE THEY-- THERE'S A
GREATER STORY-- THEY'RE ALWAYS MORE THAN THE SUM OF THEIR
PARTS. AND A GREATER STORY TO TELL. I WOULD SUGGEST PEOPLE LISTEN TO
THIS ONE ALL THE WAY THROUGH, TOO. YOU'LL HAVE A BIGGER EXPERIENCE. >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE
ONE MORE BREAK, BUT WHEN WE COME BACK, MAYBE-- MAYBE BRUCE WILL
PLAY ONE OF THOSE GUITARS. YOU NEVER KNOW.
