Name: There Was Nothing You Could Do
ISBN: 9780306832062

Steven Hyden

Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U. S. A. and the End of the Heartland

There Was Nothing You Could Do

Mat Connor

Steven Hyden is my favorite music critic and one of my season pass authors. If he announced a book about The Wiggles I’d probably still pre-order that book. Shout out to his Indiecast and Rivals podcasts. I look forward to every giant list he releases ranking an artist’s catalog.

At one point in this book, Hyden talks about the time he found a cassette of Born in the USA in his father’s car. Oddly enough, I have the exact same memory of finding a Springsteen cassette in my dad’s car, while waiting for him to come out of a Lee Valley Tools store. It was the Greatest Hits and I’m guessing many kids found Springsteen cassettes or CDs in their father’s cars. That’s why Springsteen is an important artist to cover.

I didn’t go on to become a massive Springsteen fan like Hyden. I appreciate his classic records (Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska, Born in the USA, The River, and Magic) but after that I’m more of a greatest hits fan. I don’t think you need to be a massive Springsteen fan to appreciate this book. Hyden is most interested in the arc of Springsteen’s career, his relationship to his influences and peers, and his cultural legacy. Pearl Jam is a band that’s never clicked for me (I’ve tried) and I loved Hyden’s book on them too.

My favorite section of the book was Hyden talking about Springsteen and Bob Dylan. My main takeaway is that we need a Steven Hyden book about Dylan’s Never Ending Tour (another great podcast Hyden cohosts).

There Was Nothing You Could Do Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U. S. A. and the End of the Heartland

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