John Lennon Loved a 1980s Bruce Springsteen Song With a 1950s Twist

TL;DR:

John Lennon was a fan of a Bruce Springsteen song and a Cars song for the same reason.
He liked 1980s music with 1950s vibes as well as classic rock songs from the 1950s.
The Springsteen song was huge in the United States but not the United Kingdom.

Bruce Springsteen wearing a bandana — Bruce Springsteen | Aaron Rapoport / Contributor

John Lennon was a big fan of one of Bruce Springsteen’s songs. He said it reminded him of 1950s music. In addition, John felt the Springsteen track was similar to one of his biggest solo hits.

John Lennon loved a Bruce Springsteen song and a Cars song with retro vibes

The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes an interview from 1980. In it, John compared some recent singles to his song “(Just Like) Starting Over.” For context, “(Just Like) Starting Over” is deeply indebted to the music of Elvis Presley and other early rock ‘n’ roll stars.

“Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Hungry Heart’ — which I think is a great record — is to me the same kind of period sound as ‘Starting Over,’” John said. “I think The Cars’ ‘Touch and Go’ is right out of the ’50s. ‘Uh, uh, oh … ‘ That new wave, a lot of it is ’50s stuff. But with the ’80s styling, and that’s what I think ‘Starting Over’ is: it’s a ’50s song made with an ’80s approach.”

John Lennon said listening to a 1950s Elvis Presley song took him to heaven

John gave fans more insight into his feelings on 1950s music. “If the oldies but goldies come on, it’s one of my favorites,” he said.” If I hear ‘Be-Bop-a-Lula,’ I can hear it over and over again. Every time it comes on, I switch up the thing. I have the record still.”

John was still a fan of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. “If I hear Elvis … I heard him sing ‘I Want You, I Need You, I Love You’ the other day. I mean, I was just in heaven,” he said. “Of course, I was going back to my youth and remembering the dates and what was going on when I heard that music.”

How Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Hungry Heart’ performed on the international pop charts

“Hungry Heart” became one of The Boss’ biggest hits in the United States. There, it peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 18 weeks. The tune appeared on the album The River, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for four weeks. The River remained on the chart for 107 weeks in total.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Hungry Heart” was far less popular in John’s native United Kingdom. There, the tune only reached No. 44 and remained on the chart for four weeks. If John was still living in the U.K. when “Hungry Heart” came out, it’s unclear if he would have heard the song. On the other hand, The River peaked at No. 2 in the U.K. and spent 89 weeks on the chart.

John was a fan of “Hungry Heart” even if it wasn’t a juggernaut in the U.K.

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