{"id":2173612,"date":"2025-11-23T17:29:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T17:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2173612"},"modified":"2025-11-23T17:29:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T17:29:22","slug":"bruce-springsteens-last-top-40-hit-needed-a-second-act-to-get-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/bruce-springsteens-last-top-40-hit-needed-a-second-act-to-get-there\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruce Springsteen’s Last Top 40 Hit Needed a Second Act to Get There"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cStreets Of Philadelphia\u201d, released in 1994, very easily could have been Bruce Springsteen\u2019s last Top 40 single in America. The track, written for the movie Philadelphia, gave Springsteen an Oscar and a Top 10 single.<\/p>\n

A movie played into the success of what would actually become Springsteen\u2019s last Top 40 hit. Were it not for an enterprising DJ from Portland, it might never have made it.<\/p>\n

Springsteen\u2019s Pop Chart History<\/h3>\n

Most of Bruce Springsteen\u2019s chart success with singles came in a relatively tight window in the mid-80s. That\u2019s when he went nuclear with the Born In The U.S.A.<\/em> album, becoming a pop star while somehow maintaining his stance as a rock Everyman.<\/p>\n

Springsteen lost some of that chart momentum simply because he didn\u2019t release much music in the decade following that album\u2019s 1984 release. Tunnel Of Love<\/a><\/em>, the LP he released in 1987, kept it rolling with three Top 15 hits. But it would be another five years before The Boss delivered another album.<\/p>\n

When he did, he released two of them on the same day. Neither of those records (Human Touch and Lucky Town<\/em>) featured the E Street Band, whom he had jettisoned in the late 80s. But that estimable set of musicians came back to the fold by the time Springsteen got around to releasing his last Top 40 hit.<\/p>\n

Getting the Band Back Together<\/h3>\n
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In 1995, Bruce Springsteen released a greatest hits album. Since many of the songs included featured the essential contributions of the E Street Band, he called the band back to record a few new songs for inclusion on the record. One of those new tracks was a ballad called \u201cSecret Garden\u201d.<\/p>\n

In many ways, the introspective, hushed song recalled some of the material about adult romantic relationships that peppered Springsteen\u2019s early 90s work. For the most part, the E Street Band stays in the background in the track, except for when Clarence Clemons steps out for a gorgeous saxophone solo.<\/p>\n

Upon its release as a single in 1995, \u201cSecret Garden\u201d only made it to No. 63. The story of this song\u2019s commercial prospects might have ended there. But a movie director with an ear for good tunes and a clever DJ gave the song a surprising second life.<\/p>\n

Not So \u201cSecret\u201d Anymore<\/h3>\n

Cameron Crowe, who once made his living as a Rolling Stone<\/em> journalist, directed the movie Jerry Maguire,<\/em> starring Tom Cruise, in 1996. He included \u201cSecret Garden\u201d in the movie, which went on to become a major hit. Many moviegoers were hearing this Springsteen gem for the first time, since the original single release was so muted.<\/p>\n

To strengthen its exposure, a Portland DJ did a mix of the song that included several snippets of dialogue from the film. This version started to make the rounds to other stations across the country. \u201cSecret Garden\u201d suddenly found a wide audience well after its initial release.<\/p>\n

Sensing the way the winds were blowing, Bruce Springsteen authorized a re-release of \u201cSecret Garden\u201d as a single in 1987. Listeners were ready for it this time around, and the song made it all the way to No. 19. As of now, it\u2019s the last time that Springsteen made it that high on the pop charts.<\/p>\n

Photo by Neal Preston<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n