Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen song) in Long Branch, New Jersey in early 1974, the song was Bruce Springsteen's final attempt to become successful. The prior year, Springsteen had released two albums to critical acclaim but with little commercial movement. Written in the first person, the song is a love letter to a girl named Wendy, for whom the hot rod-riding protagonist seems to possess the passion to love, just not the patience. However, Springsteen has noted that it has a much simpler core: getting out of Freehold. Route 9 is mentioned from the lyric "sprung from cages out on Highway 9". In his 1996 book
The River (Bruce Springsteen album) The River (Bruce Springsteen album) The River is the fifth studio album by Bruce Springsteen. It was released on October 17, 1980, by Columbia Records. Springsteen's only double album, "The River" was produced by Jon Landau, Springsteen, and bandmate Steven Van Zandt. The album was Springsteen's first to go #1 on the "Billboard 200" and spent four weeks at the top of chart. "The River" was nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance at the 1982 Grammy Awards. The sources of "The River" go back into earlier parts of Springsteen's recording career. "Independence Day", "Point Blank", "The Ties That Bind", "Ramrod",