# The Essential Bruce Springsteen

The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2003. The collection is part of a series of Essential sets released by Sony Music. It includes songs from various Springsteen albums and concerts up to the year 2003. A limited-edition third disc includes previously unreleased cuts, B-sides, contributions to soundtracks and benefit albums, covers, and an alternate, "country-blues" acoustic version of "Countin' on a Miracle" from The Rising (2002).
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart on November 29, 2003, at No. 14, with sales of 90,000 copies. The album was awarded gold and platinum records on December 16, 2003, by the RIAA. As of August 2013, the album has sold over 1,079,000 copies in the United States. It reached No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart in 2013. The album was re-released with an updated track listing in October 2015.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10 |
| PopMatters | (positive) |
The album received general acclaim from music critics, who appreciated its inclusion of Springsteen's most recognizable hits throughout his career. AllMusic calls it a better compilation album than 1995's "misguided, haphazardly selected" Greatest Hits.

## Track listing

The Essential Bruce Springsteen track listing
| 2003 track order | Title | Original album | Length | 2015 track order |
| — | "Growin' Up" | Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ (1973) | 3:05 | disc 1, track 01 |
| disc 1, track 01 | "Blinded by the Light" | Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ | 5:04 | — |
| disc 1, track 02 | "For You" | Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ | 4:40 | — |
| disc 1, track 03 | "Spirit in the Night" | Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ | 5:00 | — |
| disc 1, track 04 | "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" | The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973) | 5:37 | disc 1, track 03 |
| disc 1, track 05 | "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" | The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle | 7:04 | disc 1, track 02 |
| disc 1, track 06 | "Thunder Road" | Born to Run (1975) | 4:51 | disc 1, track 04 |
| disc 1, track 07 | "Born to Run" | Born to Run | 4:33 | disc 1, track 05 |
| disc 1, track 08 | "Jungleland" | Born to Run | 9:36 | — |
| — | "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" | Born to Run | 3:11 | disc 1, track 06 |
| disc 1, track 09 | "Badlands" | Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) | 4:05 | disc 1, track 07 |
| disc 1, track 10 | "Darkness on the Edge of Town" | Darkness on the Edge of Town | 4:31 | — |
| disc 1, track 11 | "The Promised Land" | Darkness on the Edge of Town | 4:31 | disc 1, track 08 |
| — | "Prove It All Night" | Darkness on the Edge of Town | 3:56 | disc 1, track 09 |
| disc 1, track 12 | "The River" | The River (1980) | 5:01 | disc 1, track 10 |
| disc 1, track 13 | "Hungry Heart" | The River | 3:21 | disc 1, track 11 |
| — | "The Ties That Bind" | The River | 3:34 | disc 1, track 12 |
| — | "Out in the Street" | The River | 4:20 | disc 1, track 13 |
| disc 1, track 14 | "Nebraska" | Nebraska (1982) | 4:30 | — |
| disc 1, track 15 | "Atlantic City" | Nebraska | 3:57 | disc 1, track 14 |
| — | "Johnny 99" | Nebraska | 3:41 | disc 1, track 15 |
| disc 2, track 01 | "Born in the U.S.A." | Born in the U.S.A. (1984) | 4:42 | disc 1, track 17 |
| disc 2, track 02 | "Glory Days" | Born in the U.S.A. | 4:17 | disc 1, track 16 |
| disc 2, track 03 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Born in the U.S.A. | 4:04 | disc 1, track 18 |
| disc 2, track 04 | "Tunnel of Love" | Tunnel of Love (1987) | 5:13 | — |
| — | "Tougher Than the Rest" | Tunnel of Love | 4:37 | disc 2, track 01 |
| disc 2, track 05 | "Brilliant Disguise" | Tunnel of Love | 4:16 | disc 2, track 02 |
| — | "One Step Up" | Tunnel of Love | 4:22 | disc 2, track 03 |
| disc 2, track 06 | "Human Touch" | Human Touch (1992) | 6:31 (2003) / 5:11 (2015) | disc 2, track 04 |
| disc 2, track 07 | "Living Proof" | Lucky Town (1992) | 4:48 | — |
| disc 2, track 08 | "Lucky Town" | Lucky Town | 3:29 | — |
| — | "Better Days" | Lucky Town | 3:48 | disc 2, track 05 |
| — | "If I Should Fall Behind" | Lucky Town | 2:58 | disc 2, track 06 |
| disc 2, track 09 | "Streets of Philadelphia" | Philadelphia soundtrack (1994) | 3:18 | disc 2, track 07 |
| — | "Murder Incorporated" | Greatest Hits (1995) | 3:59 | disc 2, track 08 |
| disc 2, track 10 | "The Ghost of Tom Joad" | The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995) | 4:24 | disc 2, track 09 |
| disc 2, track 11 | "The Rising" | The Rising (2002) | 4:48 | disc 2, track 10 |
| disc 2, track 12 | "Mary's Place" | The Rising | 6:01 | — |
| disc 2, track 13 | "Lonesome Day" | The Rising | 4:08 | disc 2, track 11 |
| disc 2, track 14 | "American Skin (41 Shots)" | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in New York City (2001) | 7:53 | — |
| disc 2, track 15 | "Land of Hope and Dreams" | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in New York City | 9:22 | — |
| - | "Devils & Dust" | Devils & Dust (2005) | 5:03 | disc 2, track 12 |
| - | "Long Time Comin'" | Devils & Dust | 4:17 | disc 2, track 13 |
| - | "Radio Nowhere" | Magic (2007) | 3:21 | disc 2, track 14 |
| - | "Working on a Dream" | Working on a Dream (2009) | 3:30 | disc 2, track 15 |
| - | "My Lucky Day" | Working on a Dream | 4:02 | disc 2, track 16 |
| - | "The Wrestler" | Working on a Dream | 3:51 | disc 2, track 17 |
| - | "We Take Care of Our Own" | Wrecking Ball (2012) | 3:57 | disc 2, track 18 |
| - | "Hunter of Invisible Game" | High Hopes (2014) | 4:42 | disc 2, track 19 |

### 2003 bonus disc edition – disc three
## Charts

| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
| Australian Top 50 Albums | 43 |
| Austrian Top 75 Albums | 12 |
| Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums | 19 |
| Finnish Top 50 Albums | 14 |
| French Compilations | 21 |
| Irish Top 75 Albums | 5 |
| Italian Albums | 8 |
| Netherlands Top 100 Albums | 22 |
| Norwegian Top 40 Albums | 4 |
| Portuguese Top 30 Albums | 13 |
| Swedish Top 60 Albums | 2 |
| Swiss Top 100 Albums | 35 |
| UK Albums Chart | 28 |
| US Billboard 200 | 14 |
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
| Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums | 84 |
| Danish Top 40 Albums | 17 |
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
| Spanish Top 100 Albums | 77 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
| US Catalog Albums | 13 |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
| UK Albums Chart | 15 |
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 41 |

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | 2× Platinum | 140,000$^^$ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat) | Gold | 15,736 |
| Italy (FIMI) | Gold | 25,000$^‡$ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) | Platinum | 40,000$^*$ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| Sweden (GLF) | Gold | 30,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 300,000$^*$ |
| United States (RIAA) | 2× Platinum | 1,079,000 |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||