Bruce Springsteen Reveals the Biggest Hit He Wrote ‘In 2 Minutes’: ‘Didn’t Even Think About It’

Mar. 15, 2025

Bruce Springsteen in 1984.Photo:Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty

Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty

Sometimes greatness works quickly.

Bruce Springsteenrevealed in a new interview that one of his most popular songs, “I’m on Fire” from 1984’sBorn in the U.S.A, was also one of the songs he wrote the quickest.

In aRolling Stoneinterview with singerZach Bryan, published on Oct. 16, the two musicians discussed the next album Bryan is working on and decisions the 28-year-old would make about songs. Then Bryan asked Springsteen, 75, about “I’m on Fire.” He asked, “When it came to ‘I’m on Fire’ — the synth, did that come first or was it what you’re missing after?”

Bruce Springsteen performing in 1984.Ebet Roberts/Redferns

Ebet Roberts/Redferns

The “Dancing in the Dark” singer explained, “That was literally a song I wrote in two minutes. Didn’t even think about it. Didn’t think it was ever going to be on a record. And in the studio, there’s me playing that Johnny Cash Tennessee Three guitar. And then there’s the synthesizer, and there’s Max [Weinberg] playing a bass foot. I think that’s all that’s on that record.”

“There’s nothing on that record,” he continued. “Wrote it in two minutes. And if you go to iTunes now, it’s the No. 1 favorite song out of every song I’ve written. I wrote that in two minutes!”

Back in July, Springsteen and Bryan released a duet together, “Sandpaper,” on Bryan’s albumThe Great American Bar Scene. They also haveperformed together at Bryan’s concerts.

The duo shared some of their songwriting process in theirRolling Stoneinterview. “Sometimes I’ll write a song in two minutes and it’s ‘Oh, this is going to be great.’ And then I’ll write a song in three months … and then I’ll throw it away,”Bryan shared.

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Bruce Springsteen performing in 2024.Noam Galai/Getty

Noam Galai/Getty

“That’s just the way it is,” Springsteen said. The “Thunder Road” singer shared that his songwriting shifted after he wrote “The River,” which was also the name of his 1980 album. “It was the first song where I wrote in kind of character, with a lot of detail, and after that I said, ‘I really like writing like this.’ On [the album]Nebraska, I ended up writing all those detail-filled songs.” He also shared that during that time, he started listening to more Hank Williams and Johnny Cash music, which impacted his songwriting.

Springsteen’s life and career will once again be in the spotlight in the documentaryRoad Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which will premiere on Disney+ and Hulu on Oct. 25. In the trailer, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer shared why he continues to release music andhold concertsaround the world: “I plan on continuing until the wheels fall off, and for as long as the audience will follow me. That’s my job.”

source: people.com