More than mere performer, Bruce Springsteen is the embodiment of what we think of when we think of rock ’n' roll. Raised in working-class northern New Jersey, Springsteen melds the gut thrill of early rock and soul with the poetics of the singer-songwriter movement for a sound that doesn’t just describe the triumphs and sorrows of everyday Americans but spins them into myth. It’s a feat that elevated him from working musician to something like national hero upon his arrival. Though best known for his arena-sized anthems, Springsteen actually varies his approach quite a bit, from the sweat-soaked grandeur of the E Street Band workouts on albums such as 1975's Born to Run to the stark, dust-bowl folk of 1982's Nebraska, embracing the nostalgic allure of rock while integrating his sound with synthesizers and Broadway-level showmanship (the latter evident not only in his marathon, tank-emptying concerts but also 2017’s Springsteen on Broadway run). Tonally, Springsteen is just as hard to pin down, leavening his darkest, most politicized stories—“Born in the U.S.A.,” for example—with his most uplifting music, a contrast that made him equal parts patriot and dissident, often blurring the line between the two. Or, as Springsteen himself put it himself in a press conference for his 2012 album Wrecking Ball, “I have spent my life judging the distance between American reality and the American dream.”