Bruce Springsteen is arguably one of the most iconic musicians in the history of rock and roll, so it’s fair to say that a recommendation from The Boss himself tends to carry a bit of weight. Thanks to a recent interview with the rocker, we’ve been given an insight into the sort of music he listens to these days, including records from Kanye West to Taylor Swift – not exactly artists you’d expect the bloke who sang ‘Born To Run’ to listen to.
In a recent interview with Variety, Bruce Springsteen opened up about the contents of his iTunes folder, giving the public an insight into the sort of music he’s been listening to lately.
In between some of the more expected acts, such as Ben Harper, Frank Turner, Steve Earle, and The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon, there were also a few more artists that one wouldn’t usually associate with the legendary musician.
“I love [Lana Del Rey], especially the extended version of her first record,” he noted, before also proclaiming his love for the likes of experimental folk musician Sufjan Stevens, claiming that “he’s great”.
Springsteen also made a point to profess his love for Kanye West, in particular his last album, 2016’s The Life Of Pablo. “I thought that was an amazing creation, especially the arrangements,” Springsteen said.
Other acts that Bruce Springsteen heaped praise upon include Jakob Dylan (“He’s done some good writing, especially on [Women + Country], the record he made with T Bone Burnett”), Iron & Wine, Lucinda Williams, and The Magnetic Fields, specifically their 69 Love Songs record.
During the interview, the rocker also opened up about his slight admiration for Taylor Swift, which came about thanks to his daughter taking him to one of her shows. “When my daughter was in college she took me with all of her girlfriends, and it was a fantastic show. [Swift’s] audience experiences her songwriting very, very personally, and I think she’s speaking to a large part of them very personally”
“As far as craft, [her songs are] really, really well-built and well-made; they’re very, very sturdy, and the records are too. I admire the modern record-making craft and modern songwriting. It’s not necessarily something I’m driving around listening to in my car 24-7 — I’m too old, I tend to listen to older music.”
Check out one of Bruce Springsteen’s most recent singles, ‘High Hopes’, below.
