The Essential Bruce Springsteen

Greatest hits album by Bruce Springsteen

Released

November 11, 2003

Recorded

1972–2002

Genre

Rock, folk rock, heartland rock, roots rock^[1]

Length

2:33:23
3:20:45 (Reissue)

Label

Columbia/Legacy

Bruce Springsteen chronology

The Rising
(2002)

The Essential Bruce Springsteen
(2003)

Devils & Dust
(2005)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Pitchfork Media	(8.6/10)^[2]
Entertainment Weekly	(A-)^[3]
PopMatters	(positive)^[4]

The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen, released November 11, 2003. The collection is part of a series of Essential sets released by Sony BMG (previously Sony Music Entertainment). It includes songs from various Springsteen albums and concerts up to the year 2003.

The third disc includes previously unreleased cuts, B-sides, contributions to soundtracks and benefit albums, covers, and an alternate, "country-blues" acoustic version of "Countin' on a Miracle" from The Rising.

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart on November 29, 2003, at number 14, with sales of 90,000 copies. It spent 13 weeks on the chart. The album was awarded gold and platinum records on December 16, 2003, by the RIAA, and has sold 1,079,000 copies in the USA. as of August 2013.^[5] The Essential Bruce Springsteen also reached #15 on the UK Albums Chart in 2013. The album was re-released with an updated track list in October 2015.

Critical reception

The album received general acclaim from fans and music critics, who appreciated its captivation of Springsteen's most recognizable hits throughout his career and called it "a better compilation album than Greatest Hits", which was released in 1995.^[1]^[2]

Track listings

2003	Title	Original album	Length	2015
—	Growin' Up	Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, 1973	3:05	disc 1, track 1
disc 1, track 1	Blinded by the Light	Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ	5:04	—
disc 1, track 2	For You	Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ	4:40	—
disc 1, track 3	Spirit in the Night	Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ	5:00	—
disc 1, track 4	4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)	The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, 1973	5:37	disc 1, track 3
disc 1, track 5	Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)	The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle	7:04	disc 1, track 2
disc 1, track 6	Thunder Road	Born to Run, 1975	4:51	disc 1, track 4
disc 1, track 7	Born to Run	Born to Run	4:33	disc 1, track 5
disc 1, track 8	Jungleland	Born to Run	9:36	—
—	Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out	Born to Run	3:11	disc 1, track 6
disc 1, track 9	Badlands	Darkness on the Edge of Town, 1978	4:05	disc 1, track 7
disc 1, track 10	Darkness on the Edge of Town	Darkness on the Edge of Town	4:31	—
disc 1, track 11	The Promised Land	Darkness on the Edge of Town	4:31	disc 1, track 8
—	Prove It All Night	Darkness On The Edge Of Town	3:56	disc 1, track 9
disc 1, track 12	The River	The River, 1980	5:01	disc 1, track 10
disc 1, track 13	Hungry Heart	The River	3:21	disc 1, track 11
—	The Ties That Bind	The River	3:34	disc 1, track 12
—	Out in the Street	The River	4:17	disc 1, track 13
disc 1, track 14	Nebraska	Nebraska, 1982	4:30	—
disc 1, track 15	Atlantic City	Nebraska	3:57	disc 1, track 14
—	Johnny 99	Nebraska	3:44	disc 1, track 15
disc 2, track 1	Born in the U.S.A.	Born in the U.S.A., 1984	4:42	disc 1, track 17
disc 2, track 2	Glory Days	Born in the U.S.A.	4:17	disc 1, track 16
disc 2, track 3	Dancing in the Dark	Born in the U.S.A.	4:04	disc 1, track 18
disc 2, track 4	Tunnel of Love	Tunnel of Love, 1987	5:13	—
—	Tougher Than The Rest	Tunnel of Love	4:16	disc 2, track 1
disc 2, track 5	Brilliant Disguise	Tunnel of Love	4:16	disc 2, track 2
—	One Step Up	Tunnel of Love	4:22	disc 2, track 3
disc 2, track 6	Human Touch	Human Touch, 1992	6:31	disc 2, track 4
disc 2, track 7	Living Proof	Lucky Town, 1992	4:48	—
disc 2, track 8	Lucky Town	Lucky Town	3:29	—
—	Better Days	Lucky Town	4:08	disc 2, track 5
—	If I Should Fall Behind	Lucky Town	2:57	disc 2, track 6
disc 2, track 9	Streets of Philadelphia	Philadelphia soundtrack and Greatest Hits, 1994/1995	3:18	disc 2, track 7
—	Murder Incorporated	Greatest Hits	3:18	disc 2, track 8
disc 2, track 10	The Ghost of Tom Joad	The Ghost of Tom Joad, 1995	4:24	disc 2, track 9
disc 2, track 11	The Rising	The Rising, 2002	4:47	disc 2, track 10
disc 2, track 12	Mary's Place	The Rising	6:01	—
disc 2, track 13	Lonesome Day	The Rising	4:05	disc 2, track 11
disc 2, track 14	American Skin (41 Shots)	Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in New York City, 2001	7:53	—
disc 2, track 15	Land of Hope and Dreams	Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in New York City	9:22	—
—	Devils and Dust	Devils and Dust, 2005	4:58	disc 2, track 12
—	Long Time Comin'	Devils and Dust	4:17	disc 2, track 13
—	Radio Nowhere	Magic, 2007	3:19	disc 2, track 14
—	Working On A Dream	Working On A Dream, 2009	3:30	disc 2, track 15
—	My Lucky Day	Working On A Dream	4:10	disc 2, track 16
—	The Wrestler	Working On A Dream	3:50	disc 2, track 17
—	We Take Care of Our Own	Wrecking Ball, 2012	3:54	disc 2, track 18
—	Hunter of Invisible Game	High Hopes, 2014	4:42	disc 2, track 19

2003 bonus disc

Disc three (Limited Edition bonus disc)
No.	Title	Notes	Length
1.	"From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)"	The River outtake	2:42
2.	"The Big Payback"	Nebraska outtake; B-side to "Open All Night" single	1:59
3.	"Held Up Without a Gun" (Live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, December 31, 1980)	Live version of song which was the B-side of "Hungry Heart"	1:21
4.	"Trapped" (Live at Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey, August 6, 1984)	We Are the World, 1985	5:10
5.	"None But the Brave"	Born in the U.S.A. outtake	5:35
6.	"Missing"	The Crossing Guard soundtrack, 1995	5:04
7.	"Lift Me Up"	Limbo soundtrack, 1999	5:16
8.	"Viva Las Vegas"	The Last Temptation of Elvis, 1993	3:10
9.	"County Fair"	Born in the U.S.A. outtake	4:51
10.	"Code of Silence" (Live at Madison Square Garden, New York City, Manhattan, New York, June 29, 2000)	Recorded live during the Reunion Tour	4:33
11.	"Dead Man Walkin'"	Dead Man Walking soundtrack, 1996	2:44
12.	"Countin' on a Miracle" (Acoustic version)	Originally from The Rising	5:01
Total length:			47:26

Charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Australian Top 50 Albums^[6]	43
Austrian Top 75 Albums^[7]	12
Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums^[8]	19
Finnish Top 50 Albums^[9]	14
French Compilations^[10]	21
Irish Top 75 Albums^[11]	5
Italian Top 20 Albums^[12]	8
Netherlands Top 100 Albums^[13]	22
Norwegian Top 40 Albums^[14]	4
Portuguese Top 30 Albums^[15]	13
Swedish Top 60 Albums^[16]	2
Swiss Top 100 Albums^[17]	35
UK Albums Chart^[18]	28
US Billboard 200^[19]	14

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums^[20]	84
Danish Top 40 Albums^[21]	17

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Spanish Top 100 Albums^[22]	77

Chart (2009)	Peak position
US Catalog Albums^[19]	13

Chart (2013)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart^[23]	15

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Norway (IFPI Norway)^[24]	Platinum	40,000^*
Sweden (GLF)^[25]	Gold	30,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[26]	Platinum	300,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[27]	2x Platinum	1,079,000^[5]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1 2 3 The Essential Bruce Springsteen at AllMusic
1 2 Richardson, Mark (January 6, 2004). "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential Bruce Springsteen". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2004-01-06.
↑ Browne, David (November 21, 2003). "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential Bruce Springsteen". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2003-11-21.
↑ Kalet, Hank (January 13, 2003). "Bruce Springsteen : The Essential Bruce Springsteen". PopMatters. Retrieved 2003-01-13.
1 2 Paul Grein (August 7, 2013). "Week Ending Aug. 4, 2013. Albums: Robin Thicke, Call Katy Perry". Yahoo Chart Watch.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Australian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Austrian Charts (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Finnish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Les "Charts Runs" de chaque Album Classé" (PHP). InfoDisc (in French). Search for "Bruce SPRINGSTEEN" on the drop-down menu to see results.
↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 13 November 2003" (JSP). GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Italian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Portuguese Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Swedish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Swiss Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Chart Archive: Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive – 22nd November 2003". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
1 2 "The Essential Bruce Springsteen – Bruce Springsteen". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Danish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Essential (Album)" (ASP). Spanish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
↑ "Chart Archive: Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive – 22nd June 2013". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Essential" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2003" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
↑ "British album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Essential Bruce Springsteen". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 14, 2013. Enter The Essential Bruce Springsteen in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
↑ "American album certifications – Springsteen, Bruce – The Essential Bruce Springsteen". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Bruce Springsteen Garry Tallent Roy Bittan Max Weinberg Steven Van Zandt Nils Lofgren Patti Scialfa Jake Clemons Charles Giordano Soozie Tyrell Former members Ernest Carter Clarence Clemons Danny Federici Suki Lahav Vini Lopez David Sancious Former touring musicians Everett Bradley Barry Danielian Clark Gayton Curtis King Ed Manion The Miami Horns Cindy Mizelle Michelle Moore Tom Morello Curt Ramm Jay Weinberg

Studio albums	Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973) The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973) Born to Run (1975) Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) The River (1980) Nebraska (1982) Born in the U.S.A. (1984) Tunnel of Love (1987) Human Touch (1992) Lucky Town (1992) The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995) The Rising (2002) Devils & Dust (2005) We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006) Magic (2007) Working on a Dream (2009) Wrecking Ball (2012) High Hopes (2014)

Live albums	Live 1975–85 (1986) In Concert/MTV Plugged (1993) Live in New York City (2001) Hammersmith Odeon London '75 (2006) Live in Dublin (2007) Live from the Carousel (2011) Apollo Theater 3/09/12 (2014) The Agora, Cleveland 1978 (2015) Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975 (2015) Nassau Coliseum, New York 1980 (2015) Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984 (2015) LA Sports Arena, California 1988 (2015) Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 (2015) Ippodromo delle Capannelle, Rome 2013 (2015) Arizona State University, Tempe 1980 (2015) The Christic Shows 1990 (2016)

Compilations	Greatest Hits (1995) 18 Tracks (1999) The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003) Greatest Hits (2009) The Promise (2010) Collection: 1973–2012 (2013) Chapter and Verse (2016)

Box sets	The Born in the U.S.A. 12" Single Collection (1985) Tracks (1998) The Collection (2004) Born to Run: 30th Anniversary Edition (2005) The Collection 1973–1984 (2010) The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (2010) The Album Collection Vol. 1 1973–1984 (2014) The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015)

EPs	Live Collection (1987) Chimes of Freedom (1988) Blood Brothers (1996) PBS Exclusive (2007) Magic Tour Highlights (2008) American Beauty (2014)

Singles	"Blinded by the Light" (1973) "Spirit in the Night" (1973) "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" (1974) "Born to Run" (1975) "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" (1976) "Prove It All Night" (1978) "Badlands" (1978) "The Promised Land" (1978) "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" (1979) "Hungry Heart" (1980) "Fade Away" (1981) "Sherry Darling" (1981) "The River" (1981) "Cadillac Ranch" (1981) "Point Blank" (1981) "Atlantic City" (1982) "Open All Night" (1982) "Dancing in the Dark" (1984) "Cover Me" (1984) "Born in the U.S.A." (1984) "I'm on Fire" (1985) "Glory Days" (1985) "I'm Goin' Down" (1985) "My Hometown" (1985) "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (1985) "War" (1986) "Fire" (1987) "Brilliant Disguise" (1987) "Tunnel of Love" (1987) "One Step Up" (1988) "Tougher Than the Rest" (1988) "Spare Parts" (1988) "Human Touch" (1992) "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" (1992) "Streets of Philadelphia" (1994) "Secret Garden" (1995) "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1996) "Sad Eyes" (1999) "The Rising" (2002) "Lonesome Day" (2002) "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" (2003) "Devils & Dust" (2005) "Radio Nowhere" (2007) "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" (2008) "Working on a Dream" (2008) "My Lucky Day" (2008) "The Wrestler" (2009) "We Take Care of Our Own" (2012) "Death to My Hometown" (2012) "High Hopes" (2013)

Charting songs	"Be True" (1981) "Ramrod" (1981) "Johnny 99" (1982) "No Surrender" (1984) "Stand on It" (1985) "Because the Night" (live) (1986) "Chimes of Freedom" (live) (1988) "Youngstown" (1995) "American Skin (41 Shots)" (2001) "Pay Me My Money Down" (2006) "Long Walk Home" (2006) "My City of Ruins" (2011) "Rocky Ground" (2012)

Other notable songs	"Growin' Up" (1973) "For You" (1973) "Incident on 57th Street" (1973) "The Fever" (1973) "Thunder Road" (1975) "Night" (1975) "Backstreets" (1975) "She's the One" (1975) "Meeting Across the River" (1975) "Jungleland" (1975) "Adam Raised a Cain" (1978) "Racing in the Street" (1978) "Stay" (1979) "The Ties That Bind" (1980) "Independence Day" (1980) "Out in the Street" (1980) "Stolen Car" (1980) "Wreck on the Highway" (1980) "Nebraska" (1982) "Highway Patrolman" (1982) "Darlington County" (1984) "Working on the Highway" (1984) "Downbound Train" (1984) "Bobby Jean" (1984) "Pink Cadillac" (1984) "Jersey Girl" (1986) "Light of Day" (1993) "Murder Incorporated" (1995) "Land of Hope and Dreams" (2012) "Just Like Fire Would" (2014)

Video releases	Video Anthology / 1978–88 (1989) In Concert/MTV Plugged (1992) Blood Brothers (1996) The Complete Video Anthology / 1978–2000 (2001) Live in New York City (2001) Live in Barcelona (2003) VH1 Storytellers (2005) Wings For Wheels (2005) Hammersmith Odeon London '75 (2005) Live in Dublin (2007) Magic Tour Highlights (2008) London Calling: Live in Hyde Park (2010) The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010) Springsteen & I (2013) Born in the U.S.A. Live: London 2013 (2014) A MusiCares Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (2014) Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes (2014) High Hopes in South Africa (2014) Hunter of Invisible Game (2014)

Tours	Born to Run tours (1974–77) Darkness Tour (1978) The River Tour (1980–81) Born in the U.S.A. Tour (1984–85) Tunnel of Love Express (1988) Human Rights Now! (1988) Bruce Springsteen 1992–1993 World Tour (1992–93) Ghost of Tom Joad Tour (1995–97) Reunion Tour (1999–2000) Rising Tour (2002–03) Vote for Change (2004) Devils & Dust Tour (2005) Seeger Sessions Band Tour (2006) Magic Tour (2007–08) Working on a Dream Tour (2009) Wrecking Ball Tour (2012-13) High Hopes Tour (2014) The River Tour 2016 (2016) Summer '17 (2017)

Related articles	Discography E Street Band Steel Mill The Sessions Band The Miami Horns Born to Run autobiography E Street Radio Little Steven's Underground Garage Outlaw Pete Mike Appel Jon Landau Brendan O'Brien Bob Clearmountain The Max Weinberg 7 Southside Johnny Joe Grushecky Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska

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