Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska has enjoyed a journey unlike any other album. Made in the wake of his commercial breakthrough The River, the album found The Boss in retreat, leaving the E Street Band behind, reluctant to engage with record company demands for a hit single.
Instead, inspired by literature and film, he recorded alone on an acoustic guitar, taping everything on a four-track machine. The result was a stark, haunting collection of songs that gave voice to workers and outlaws seeking light in the darkness.
To the surprise and subsequent delight of Columbia Records, Nebraska sold a million. It may not have matched the commercial success of The River, but it paved the way for Born In The USA, and it's become one of Springsteen's most loved collections. It inspired Warren Zanes's 2023 book Deliver Me from Nowhere, which in turn inspired Scott Cooper's 2025 film Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.
And now there's a quiz: 20 questions about Nebraska, designed by literal experts. Let us know how you get on in the comments section below.
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