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.

( LAUGHTER ).

>> 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.