Maps of Music

Letter to You (2020)

Where the lyrics of Letter to You take you, and where it was really made.

Three songs on this 2020 album were written before Springsteen's 1973 debut album.

Key places

Recording at Thrill Hill Recording (2020)

Recording site Springsteen's home in Colts Neck — The album was recorded at Thrill Hill Recording in Colts Neck, New Jersey. The pin sits at the town centre, not on the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover photography in New York City (2020)

Album cover Record Plant Studios — Danny Clinch took the cover photography in late 2018 while Springsteen was in New York City for his Broadway stage show. The pin marks the city centre only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Letter to You: 20th studio album by Bruce Springsteen
• Released October 2020; first album with the E Street Band since 2014's High Hopes
• Widespread critical acclaim and commercial success, topping several international sales charts
• Springsteen's 21st top-10 album in the United States
• Made him the first artist with top five albums in each of the last six decades
• Promoted without touring: online radio station, music videos, custom Twitter emoji

Background

• Tour planned from early 2021, disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic
• By release, Springsteen estimated the earliest live performances would be in 2022
• Writer's block followed by a week-and-a-half of intense songwriting in April 2019
• Inspiration partly from the death of former bandmate George Theiss
• Lyrics discuss regret, aging and dying

Recording

• E Street Band assembled at Springsteen's home studio; five days booked in November 2019, finished after four
• Produced by Ron Aniello and Springsteen
• Recorded live in studio with no demos and only minimal overdubs such as guitar solos, handclaps and backing vocals
• Three tracks originally written before the 1973 debut Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.: "If I Was the Priest", "Janey Needs a Shooter", "Song for Orphans"
• Earlier recordings of these songs were found with John Hammond while assembling a compilation

Cover

• Photography by Danny Clinch in late 2018, while Springsteen was in New York City for Springsteen on Broadway

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey; grew up in Freehold, New Jersey.
• Inspired by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, began playing with local bands in the 1960s, including the Castiles, Steel Mill and the Bruce Springsteen Band.
• Formed the band that became the E Street Band in October 1972; the name came into use in September 1974.
• Signed to Columbia Records in 1972 by John Hammond; debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. released January 1973.

Members

• Performs solo and with the E Street Band, his backing band since 1972.
• Long-time members include Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Steven Van Zandt, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg and Patti Scialfa.
• Clemons died June 18, 2011; Federici died in 2008.

Career

• Born to Run (1975) brought worldwide fame; Born in the U.S.A. (1984) became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• Won an Academy Award in 1994 for "Streets of Philadelphia"; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
• Has sold more than 140 million records worldwide; holds 20 Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award.
• The 2023–2025 tour with the E Street Band was among the highest-grossing tours in history.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: universal acclaim with a weighted average of 88 out of 100 from 25 critics
• The A.V. Club: A rating, calling it one of the finest achievements of Springsteen's career
• Rolling Stone: 4 out of 5 stars for the lyrics' self-therapy and the sense of Springsteen accepting his own aging
• Uncut: 9 out of 10, placing the album in the context of Springsteen's career and his relationship with the band and audience
• Mojo: 4 out of 5 stars, noting the musicianship keeps the album from being overly sentimental
• Associated Press: mixed review, praising some songs but noting Springsteen sometimes slips into cliché
• Pitchfork: 7.4 out of 10
• Consequence of Sound: B+
• The Guardian: 3 out of 5 stars, describing it as a scaling down of ambition
• AllMusic editorial staff: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Reappraisal

• Album of the Year aggregator: critical consensus of 82 out of 100 from 35 reviews
• AnyDecentMusic?: 8.0 out of 10 from 27 critics

Records

• Billboard 200: number 2, with 96,000 units in its first week in the US
• UK: number one on the midweek chart update, with 51,800 first-week units
• Ireland: fastest-selling album of 2020 to date
• Australia (ARIA): Springsteen's fifth number-one album
• US: second best-selling vinyl album of the year to date, behind The Slow Rush by Tame Impala

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Three songs on the album were written before the 1973 debut album, and Springsteen found earlier recordings of them with John Hammond while assembling a compilation.
• Allan Clarke covered "If I Was the Priest" in the 1970s, and that song had not been released by Springsteen before this album.
• Warren Zevon reworked "Janey Needs a Shooter" for his 1980 album Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School.
• E Street drummer Max Weinberg kept touring with his own group, Max Weinberg's Jukebox, and used those dates to promote the album.
• Springsteen made promotional appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Late Show to reach new listeners while touring was off.
• Danny Clinch's cover and liner-note photography was shot in late 2018 while Springsteen was in New York City for his stage show.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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