Is Springsteen the ultimate “you had to be there” musician?

I think it is a combination of

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you had to be there during his hey-day, experiencing it as it happened

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and

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he’s just really overrated

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I can't speak for the early stuff like Thunder Road, but Born in the USA hit at just the perfect time, even though the title track was so totally misappropriated by Reagan.

You had a lot of folks who grew up/graduated in the 60s looking back on life and thinking about how different reality was from their dreams and expectations, which he really captured in Glory Days. You had tons of Vietnam vets who really did come back home to shite lives and being treated like shite and for what, the war didn't do anything. I think that delusion was captured really well in Born.

You can say the same thing for The Rising album. I know a handful of those songs were already written, or at least partly written, before the 9/11 attacks but still he was able to tap into a national feeling, and tell the story from so many different angles - the firefighters in The Rising, those left behind in Lonesome Day and Empty Sky, just the overall destruction of ground zero in My City of Ruins (even though that was initially about Asbury Park going to hell).

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Then again, maybe he’s just really overrated.

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He is someone the critics fell in love with after 10th Avenue Freeze Out and Born to Run. Way overrated.

He sounds like he’s trying to push out a turd when he sings.

Great live, but his music is hit or miss to me. My dad loved him so I got a heavy dose of him as a kid.

I do really like his mid-80’s stuff. I’m On Fire, Glory Days, Brilliant Disguise, One Step Up, My Hometown are all great songs.

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I’ve tried so many times to get into his music, and just haven’t been able to.

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I was a teenager during the mid-80's, probably at the height of his popularity at the time. Yes he's got nice tunes but I can't deeply get into his music catalog. I can name 10 other artists or groups way better than his music.

Weird he's so unpopular. I love his music. Great lyricist. Nebraska is absolutely a brilliant album. He's rock'n'roll Bob Dylan to me.

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I’m On Fire, Glory Days, Brilliant Disguise, One Step Up, My Hometown are all great songs.

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Agreed. "Trapped" is a great song if you haven't listened to it.

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Is Springsteen the ultimate “you had to be there” musician?
I’ve tried so many times to get into his music, and just haven’t been able to.

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I was there...and am here now, and I still don't get it.

A handful of decent tunes. A lot of lackluster ones. Not a great singing voice. What gives?

I find a lot of Springsteen's big hits are mediocre but if you dive deeper into his early work, there's some really good music there.

Racing in the Street
Downbound Train
Wreck on the Highway

I’m not a fan but I respect him. I’ve never been to a show but what I’ve heard wasn’t bad or anything. Some has been really good. He’s got a great band of talented musicians and delivers for his fans every night. I just don’t think I could sit through three hours of his music. But if you love his music then that’s a good deal. I’ve known some big Springsteen fans and they haven’t tried to push him on me. Frankly, the Springsteen haters are the obnoxious ones. Wtf do you care?