It’s Only Rock & Roll: Springsteen, Cultural Value, and Self-Myth on Film

By Marian Jago

Abstract

Bruce Springsteen’s recent career activity (2016-2024) has seen him be remarkably active across a range of media types and platforms. Much of this activity is tied to what Laura Watson has termed Springsteen’s ‘memoir project’, an arc of activity which extends from the publication of his autobiography Born To Run in 2016 through to the Netflix adaptation of Springsteen on Broadway  in 2018. However, beyond the core aspect of this ‘memoir project,’ Springsteen has made pointed use of film as a way to expand perceptions of his place within the cultural landscape. Springsteen is no stranger to the use of cinema for affective purposes and has been making rockumentaries about his output since 1996. What is remarkable, however, is how his use of cinematic language (shots, camera angle, editing) has clearly been adapted recently to introduce and highlight new facets of his artistic persona with regard to compositional practice, while simultaneously working to maintain a coherence of narrative with regard to his rock’n’roll authenticity. This cinematic focus seems designed to expand Springsteen’s cultural legacy to include gestures toward (high) artistic output rather than (just) rock’n’roll. While the biographical aspect—Springsteen’s origin story—has remained remarkably consistent, Springsteen has used film to proactively reshape his legacy. Springsteen, via an extended period of careful career positioning, slight shifts in presentation of persona, and the engagement of his fan base in an authenticating process that facilitates the layering of identity, both creates the media flow out of which individual fans may construct a personal connection to his artistic output and ensures coherence with an evolving and highly curated mythology.