At a time when other ageing rock stars have yielded to burn-out or self-parody, Bruce Springsteen is regarded by many as having held his place as a cultural icon. His albums like Born in the USA (which spent 136 weeks in the British chart) all still enjoy airplay. Meanwhile, Springsteen has carved out a second career as a balladeer and purveyor of soundtracks and his work, which has been covered by artists from Frank Sinatra to Sonic Youth, sells a total of 15 million albums annually. This biography explores his life and musical career.