Imagine walking into a newsagency and seeing the same young rock star staring back at you from two of America’s biggest magazines. On October 27, 1975, Bruce Springsteen did something incredible, and his life would never be quite the same.
He was 26, wore jeans and a leather jacket, and sang about fast cars, broken dreams and getting out of town.
Bruce Springsteen had spent years playing clubs along the New Jersey coast with his E Street Band, building a reputation for marathon performances and giving absolutely everything on stage.
Then came Born to Run.
Released in August 1975, his third album featured Thunder Road, Jungleland and the magnificent title track, with its promise of escape and a better life somewhere down the highway.
Two months later, on October 27, Springsteen appeared simultaneously on the covers of Time and Newsweek.
Time called him a new rock sensation, while Newsweek explored the making of a rock star.
The publicity was enormous, although Springsteen himself was uncomfortable with all the attention.
His manager Mike Appel had helped engineer the double-cover coup, and suddenly a musician who had spent years earning his audience one concert at a time was being hailed as rock’s next superstar.
Fortunately, the music lived up to the excitement. In the years that followed came Dancing in the Dark, Glory Days, Hungry Heart and Born in the U.S.A., songs that became part of the soundtrack to millions of lives.
And what happened to those famously long concerts? They’ve remained a Springsteen trademark for decades.
More than half a century after those magazine covers, The Boss is still one of rock music’s most enduring performers.
On October 27, 1954, Walt Disney introduced American television audiences to his new weekly series, Disneyland.
The opening episode offered a look behind the scenes at his animation studio and a preview of the theme park being built in California.
The programme later appeared under several names, including The Wonderful World of Disney, bringing generations of families together for an evening of entertainment.
On October 27, 1904, New York City’s first subway line opened, with Mayor George B. McClellan Jr. taking the controls for the inaugural journey.
The original route stretched about 15km through Manhattan, and more than 100,000 passengers rode the trains on opening day.
Comedy legend John Cleese turns 87 today.
From the brilliantly rude Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers to his work with Monty Python, Cleese has been making audiences laugh for more than half a century.
Simon Le Bon, lead singer of Duran Duran, celebrates his 68th birthday. Remember Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf and The Reflex?
Were you a Bruce Springsteen fan in the 1970s, or did you discover The Boss through Born in the U.S.A. in the 1980s? Which of his songs brings back the best memories?
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