2020-10-23 SiriusXM Studio, New York City, NY

Scheduled: 16:00 Local Start Time 16:02 / End Time 16:58

Info & Setlist | Venue

Episode 5 of 'Letter To You Radio', an E Street Radio exclusive series of long-form interviews leading up to the release of Letter To You. In this episode, Springsteen discusses his new album Letter To You with Little Steven Van Zandt. Later in the day, Bruce calls into SiriusXM/E Street Radio to talk with Jim Rotolo.

Letter To You Radio

Bruce Springsteen
Steven Van Zandt (Guest)

E Street Radio

E Street Radio's "The Wild & The Innocent" Interview

Jim Rotolo: Bruce Springsteen, welcome to E Street Radio, it's Jim Rotolo.

Bruce Springsteen: Yay, are we on the air?

Jim Rotolo: Yeah, we are on the air, Bruce. How are you?

Bruce Springsteen: Fabulous. Now we are celebrating Letter to You Day right here on Stone Hill Farm!

Jim Rotolo: Yeah!

Pati Scialfa: Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!

Bruce Springsteen: That is my lovely wife, my producer Ron Aniello, and my brother-in-law Sean Scialfa.

Jim Rotolo: That is fantastic, fantastic, Bruce. Congratulations. What, what a beautiful piece of work this is, this album, of work. It's just absolutely fantastic, it's brilliant. And, uh, we are so happy, uh, that we are sharing it here, the peo-, uh, fans have been calling in for the past hour and, uh, were just- it's, it's a big celebration here as well. So, you know, we're just loving it.

Bruce Springsteen: That is so fabulous. I'm so glad to finally get this to the fans. Uh, just wanna send all my love out, to all the folks who supported us over these years. Me and the E Street Band are so excited about this records, we really feel it's some our best work in a long, long time. And, uh, just glad to be able to, uh, uh, to get this out to the eyes and the ears and the hearts that are our there.

Jim Rotolo: Yeah. I, and, I know you started, you put this album together late last year and it was done very, very quickly. Uh, definitely the quickest I think have ever put an album together, I think.

Bruce Springsteen: Ever. Ever. Amazing.

Jim Rotolo: Did you ever, did you ever think that you would be at that point where you could put a whole album together, or- that quickly? I mean I know the band's brilliant and all, but…

Bruce Springsteen: Not really, you know. I mean, I figured, you know, sometimes it- I mean, three weeks? A month? I mean, I'd, I, that, that what I used to do with Brandan O'Brien, and I considered that incredibly fast. But this was fast because there were no overdubs or, or, uh, extraneous production, you know. I wanted the sound of the E Street Band very pure. And, uh, uh, just I wanted the instrumentation of the band and nothing else. The guitars, the bass, the drums, uh, two keyboards. And so it all just, we just got in the studio and it all just happened. Three hours a song. We were really done in four days, and the fifth day we just kind of listened back and, uh, checked out what we had, you know. So, uh, it was a great, great experience with the band, and, and it was just, just a wonderful experience for all of us.

Jim Rotolo: Yeah, it, it really is. And, and thank you for having Thom Zimny there to, to uh, record all this as it was happening.

Bruce Springsteen: Oh. Well that was amazing. I just said, "Thom, you know, we're gonna go in with the E Street Band. We've never been filmed making an album before. Come on down and film, and just stay out of the way." And that was how the entire project, project began. And Thom ended up turning it into an incredible film that I think is one of the best things we've ever done. And, uh, it's just a lovely piece of work.

Jim Rotolo: It, it really is. Did you go in with the intentions of, 'This is going to be a full album?' Or did you just want to get the band together to re-, to record some things and see how it goes?

Bruce Springsteen: Well, you, you know, you always hope that, a), a) that the songs are good, and you don't know 'til you hear them back. And I didn't demo anything, because the guys requested that I not. And so I just played them the song, and then we played it. So, uh, I don't hear it until the E Street Band makes that noise, you know. And, so the first or second take in, I'm, I'm, the audience, you know. I'm standing there listening to what we got. And, uh, you know, so it was, so it was just kind of very fresh and instantaneous, and uh, uh… But you know, you never, you don't know. And after, after three or four days I said, "I think we got it, I think we got the whole thing."

Jim Rotolo: That's amazing. That's amazing. Bruce Springsteen joining us here on E Street Radio. I, I wanted to ask you a question. The three songs that you had written years earlier…

Bruce Springsteen: Yeah.

Jim Rotolo: …What, uh, what, why those three songs, and were you looking at others that you had written about- back at that particular time.

Bruce Springsteen: Well, well you know, we, we had, we were working the year previous on a Tracks 2. So I happened to go through all of the songs that were on the John Hammond demo tape as potential tracks for Tracks 2. And I came across those songs, and I said, "Wow, these, these are pretty good." And, uh, you know, the band- "I'd be interested to see what it would sound like now with the band playing, playing these songs," which were pre-Greetings From Asbury Park. Never released, an entire album, at least. And, uh, so it just sort of grew from that. Also, I cut "Janey Needs A Shooter" as a single piece for what I thought was going to be a Record Store Day release here in the United States. But it ended up sounding so good, I said, "That sounds like an album cut." And so I just held onto it. And, uh, then one thing led to another, and "If I Were A Priest" and "Song For Orphans" came around. So, it was all sorts of happy accidents happening all over the place.

Jim Rotolo: Wow. Wow. And, and the new songs that you, that you wrote for the album, you started them late last year, or prior to that year? While you were still doing Broadway, or were you finished with Broadway by that point?

Bruce Springsteen: You know, I was finished with Broadway, and I probably started in the fall of the year prev- the year after that.

Pati Scialfa: < ?? indistinct ?? >

Bruce Springsteen: I'm talking to Jim. I'm on E Street radio, right now.

Pati Scialfa: Oh.

Bruce Springsteen: That's my lovely wife Patti saying hi.

Pati Scialfa: Hi.

Jim Rotolo: Hi Pat- hi Patti.

Pati Scialfa: Hey everybody. We're just, we're celebrating Bruce's release, outside, socially distanced…

Bruce Springsteen: By the fire.

Pati Scialfa: …we're having a blast.

Jim Rotolo: Oh that sounds great.

Pati Scialfa: Hello everybody.

Bruce Springsteen: Pour a drink for Jim.

Jim Rotolo: Yeah, thank you. And Patti, you, you sound fantastic on this record. Thank so much for your, all your- you're just brilliant. Thank you.

Bruce Springsteen: Yeah, she was great, you know. So, it, it's a, you know it's just a great record for all of us, you know.

Jim Rotolo: Yeah. And, and, I'm, I'm sure you're itching as much as everybody else is to get out and play this music live.

Bruce Springsteen: Well, you know, I mean, if I had my way, obviously we'd be rehearsing right now and getting, getting ready to play in the new year. But, uh, we'll see what happens, uh… Like I say, I'm, optimistically, I'm hoping 2022 at, at, at the best, you know. And, uh, uh, I just, I just hope that happens, because I would love to come out and play these songs live for our audience.

Jim Rotolo: Yeah, yeah. Everybody is just chomping at the bit, and I'm sure you are as well, especially with this new material.

Bruce Springsteen: Of course.

Jim Rotolo: Yeah. Well we'll see what happens. And you have another episode - which, by the way, thank you for putting together these, these radio shows for us on E Street Radio. I don't think, I don't think I've thanked you for this, but- These "Form My Home To Yours" series, we're, we're premiering 14, episode 14 on Wednesday, uh…

Bruce Springsteen: Yeah.

Jim Rotolo:…"Farewell To The Thief," which, uh, I can’t wait to hear that one.

Jim Rotolo: Uh, but they've, they've been a…

Bruce Springsteen: That's just fun.

Jim Rotolo: Yeah that should be a lot of fun. But you've, you've done, you know, these episodes have really helped a lot of people out, uh, with everything that's gone on in this, this awful year…

Bruce Springsteen: Yeah, that was…

Jim Rotolo:…So, on behalf of the fans thank you for doing that.

Bruce Springsteen: Thanks. You know, I was trying to figure a way… When the virus hit, I said, "Well, how can I continue my conversation with my fans?" I said, "Well, you know, maybe a radio show. I get to play my favorite records and, and, and sort of, uh, accompany everybody through whatever this experience is that we're going through." So, I've had a great time putting the shows together, and I'm glad everybody's enjoyed it.

Jim Rotolo: Yeah, yeah. I'm looking forward to the next episode coming up on Wednesday. I'm gonna let you go back to your celebration, you deserve it. Enjoy yourself, you and Patti, thank you. Thank you so much…

Bruce Springsteen: Bless all our fans. We love you.

Jim Rotolo: Alright, Bruce. Thanks for coming by tonight on E Street Radio. Talk to you again soon.

Bruce Springsteen: Take care

Jim Rotolo: Take care. Alright.

Bruce Springsteen: Bye bye.

^{Compiled by: Eddy Wehbe via SpringsteenLyrics.}