Being Top of the Heap

American singer and songwriter Bruce Springsteen came out with his fifth album The River in 1980. The album was Springsteen's attempt to make a record that captured The E Street Band's live sound. The album is heartland rock and roll with a live garage-band sound that combines party songs with introspective ballads. The lyrics to the songs expand on themes that Springsteen took on in his previous albums Born to Run (1975) and Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978). The songs mainly focus on love, marriage, and family.

This became his first album to top the Billboard Top LPs& Tape chart and became his fastest selling album yet. Popular singles from the album include "Hungry Heart", a US top ten, "Fade Away", and "The River". Springsteen and The E Street Band supported the album on The River Tour from October 1980 to September 1981. The first single to be released from The River was "Hungry Heart", the second "Fade Away", followed by "Sherry Darling".

The River has since been certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the US, making it one of Springsteen's best-selling albums, and his highest certified studio release after Born in the U.S.A. (1984) and Born to Run.

The River is looked at as one of Springsteen's finest works. The River was reissued as an expanded box set in 2015, featuring the scrapped single LP, The Ties That Bind, and a documentary detailing the album's making.

To celebrate the release of The Ties That Bind and The River's 35th anniversary, Springsteen and The E Street Band embarked on The River Tour from January 2016 to February 2017, performing in North America, Europe, and Oceania. Many of the shows featured The River performed in its entirety, and other songs from Springsteen's career.

Born in the USA was his seventh album which came out on June 4,1984. The album was recorded in New York City with The E Street Band over two years between January 1982 and March 1984. This album had a more pop-influenced sound. The lyrics contrasted with the livelier sounds of the album and continued the themes of previous albums. Topics include working-class struggles, disillusionment, patriotism, and personal relationships, while some tracks incorporate humorous lyrics. The cover photograph of Springsteen from behind against a backdrop of the American flag has appeared on lists of the best album covers ever.

The album featured seven singles, five music videos, and three dance mixes. It became a huge commercial success and the best-selling album of 1985. It topped the charts in the US, the UK and other countries. All seven of its singles, including "Dancing in the Dark", "Born in the U.S.A.", "I'm on Fire", and "Glory Days", reached the U.S. top ten. The album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it Springsteen's best-selling album and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Springsteen and the E Street Band supported the album on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour.

Born in the U.S.A. transformed Springsteen into a worldwide superstar and brought him his largest amount of success to date as a recording and performing artist. The album helped popularize American heartland rock and influenced later artists who wanted to mimic its power and impact. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012.

The first single to be released was "Dancing in the DarK" and charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The third single to come out was "Born in the USA". This was followed by "I'm on Fire" and then "Glory Days".

The sixth single was "I'm Goin' Down" and the seventh "My Hometown".

Springsteen and The E Street Band supported Born in the U.S.A. on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour, which ran 156 concerts from June 29, 1984, to October 2, 1985. The tour began in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where the video for "Dancing in the Dark" was filmed.

Springsteen and The E Street Band performed the full Born in the U.S.A. album during a show at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in London at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on June 30, 2013. A DVD of the full performance, titled Born in the U.S.A. Live: London 2013, was packaged with Amazon pre-orders of Springsteen's 18th studio album High Hopes in January 2014. Besides the 2013 London concert, Springsteen performed the entire Born in the U.S.A. album in 2009 at shows in East Rutherford and Philadelphia, several other concerts in 2013 including in Munich, Milan, and Rio De Janeiro,and in 2014 in Melbourne, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.

Tunnel of Love was the eight album released by Bruce Springsteen on October 9, 1987. Although members of The E Street Band occasionally performed on the album, Springsteen recorded most of the parts himself, often with drum machines and synthesizers.

In 1989, the album was ranked at number 25 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties" while in 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it at No.number 467 on their list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

"Brilliant Disguise", "Tunnel of Love", "One Step Up", "Tougher Than the Rest", and "Spare Parts" were all released as singles. "Tunnel of Love" won Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo at the 1988 Grammy Awards.