Bruce Springsteen's Favorite Song Is a Frank Sinatra Classic

Bruce Springsteen’s music undoubtedly appears on many people’s lists of favorite songs. From “Thunder Road” to “Dancing in the Dark,” he’s created a fair number of hits that have become legendary. But what songs does the Boss himself love best?

When asked by Stephen Colbert what song he’d pick if he could only listen to one for the rest of his life, Springsteen pondered for a few moments before delivering his answer: “Summer Wind” by Frank Sinatra.

The Story of Frank Sinatra’s “Summer Wind”

Sinatra released “Summer Wind” in 1966. The song was originally written in German by Heinz Meier, with lyrics by Hans Bradtke, but was rewritten with English lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song uses the sirocco wind, a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and sweeps across southern Europe in late summer, as a metaphor for a summer romance that drifted away in the fall. 

Sinatra had previously worked with Mercer on several tunes, and he recorded “Summer Wind” for his album Strangers in the Night. His version uses a big band and an electronic organ, giving it a sense of grandeur characteristic of the era and Sinatra. 

Springsteen and Sinatra’s connection spans decades. The pair were both born and raised in New Jersey, and Springsteen was a longtime admirer of the legend. In 1995, Springsteen performed “Angel Eyes” at a celebration of Sinatra’s 80th birthday. “He is the patron saint of New Jersey, and since his rise from the streets of Hoboken, Frank has basically owned the place,” said Springsteen ahead of his performance, “but he has been gracious enough to loan me a small piece of it by the beach.”

That evening, Springsteen attended a private dinner party alongside Bob Dylan, where he got to watch his wife Patti Scialfa sing jazz at an impromptu jam session with Sinatra on the keys. “Frank moves to the piano, and I then get to watch my wife beautifully serenade Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan, to be met by a torrent of applause when she’s finished,” the musician recalled. 

Bruce Springsteen’s Other Favorite Songs, from Elvis Presley to The Beatles

Fortunately, we don’t live in a world where we’re forced to select just one song to listen to for the rest of our days. While Springsteen’s pick for that scenario might be “Summer Wind,” he’s also expressed admiration for many other tunes over the years.

Springsteen is a huge fan of Elvis Presley, whose hit “Hound Dog” reshaped his perspective on life when he heard it as a child. “I realized, suddenly, that there was more to life than what I’d been living,” Springsteen said of hearing the track for the first time. “I was then in pursuit of something and there’d been a vision laid out before me. You were dealing with the pure thrust, the pure energy of the music itself. I was so very young but it still hit me like a thunderbolt.”

The Beatles were also a major influence, and specifically, their song “I Want to Hold Your Hand” played a significant role in shaping Springsteen’s career. The track “inspired me to play rock and roll music to get a small band and start doing some small gigs around town,” Springsteen recalled. “It was life-changing. It’s still a beautiful record.”

Over the years, he has also paid tribute to The Rolling Stones’ “It’s All Over Now,” Van Morrison’s “Madame George,” Marvin Gaye’s album What’s Going On, James Brown’s “Out of Sight,” The Four Tops’ “Baby I Need Your Loving,” and Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” among other records.

“‘Like a Rolling Stone’ feels like a torrent that comes rushing towards you,” Springsteen said of the Dylan track. “Floods your soul, floods your mind. Alerts and wakes you up instantaneously to other worlds, other lives. Other ways of being. It’s perhaps one of the most powerful records ever made and it still means a great deal to me along with all of Dylan’s work.”