Editing Born to Run (section)

==Legacy==
The success of ''Born to Run'' saved Springsteen's career<ref name="WSJ" /> and launched him to stardom.<ref name="UCR" />{{sfn|Dolan|2012|pp=133–134}}<ref name="UCRRockAlbums" /> The album established a solid national fan base for Springsteen, which he built on with each subsequent release.<ref name="mtv">{{cite web |last=Ruhlmann |first=William |title=Bruce Springsteen Bio {{!}} Bruce Springsteen Career |url=http://www.mtv.com/artists/bruce-springsteen/biography/ |website=[[MTV]] |access-date=November 8, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108135128/http://www.mtv.com/artists/bruce-springsteen/biography/ |archive-date=November 8, 2016 }}</ref> According to Kirkpatrick, it "not only gave Springsteen his first hit record, it transformed seventies rock music while pushing the boundaries of what a singer-songwriter could achieve within the rock genre".{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|2007|p=45}} Hilburn and Carlin compare ''Born to Run'' to albums that "established a sound and identity powerful enough to permanently alter the perceptions of those who heard it", including Elvis Presley's [[Elvis Presley (album)|first album]] (1956) and ''[[The Sun Sessions]]'' (1976), the Beatles' American debut ''[[Meet the Beatles!]]'' (1964), Bob Dylan's ''[[Highway 61 Revisited]]'' (1965) and ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'' (1966), and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]'s ''[[Nevermind]]'' (1991).{{sfn|Hilburn|1985|p=68: ''The Sun Sessions'' and ''Highway 61 Revisited''}}{{sfn|Carlin|2012|p=203}} Some critics argued ''Born to Run'' represented an amalgamation of the previous two decades of rock and roll that would push the next two decades of rock and beyond forward.<ref name="UCRBest">{{cite web |last=Lifton |first=Dave |title=Bruce Springsteen Albums Ranked Worst to Best |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springteen-albums-ranked/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=January 31, 2023 |date=July 29, 2015 |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204163232/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bruce-springteen-albums-ranked/ |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Carlin|2012|p=203}} In a 2005 article in ''Treble'', Hubert Vigilla referred to the album as "the Great American Rock and Roll Record".<ref name="Treble">{{cite web |last=Vigilla |first=Hubert |title=Bruce Springsteen's ''Born to Run'' is a classic rock triumph |url=https://www.treblezine.com/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run/ |website=Treble |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115024854/https://www.treblezine.com/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run/ |archive-date=November 15, 2022 |date=September 5, 2005 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Springsteen and the E Street Band have performed ''Born to Run'' in its entirety on several occasions,<ref name="CRR">{{cite web |title=''Born to Run'' by Bruce Springsteen |url=https://www.classicrockreview.com/2015/09/1975-springsteen-born-to-run/ |website=Classic Rock Review |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128194702/https://www.classicrockreview.com/2015/09/1975-springsteen-born-to-run/ |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |date=September 17, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> including at the [[Count Basie Center for the Arts|Count Basie Theatre]] in [[Red Bank, New Jersey]], on May 7, 2008,<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Andy |last=Greene |title=Bruce Springsteen Performs Two Full LPs at Rare Theater Show |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruce-springsteen-thrills-fans-performs-two-full-lps-at-rare-theater-show-20080508 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=May 8, 2008 |access-date=November 8, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108134544/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruce-springsteen-thrills-fans-performs-two-full-lps-at-rare-theater-show-20080508 |archive-date=November 8, 2016 }}</ref> at the [[United Center]] in [[Chicago]], Illinois, on September 20, 2009,<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Andy |last=Greene |title=Bruce Springsteen Playing All of 'Born to Run' in Chicago |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruce-springsteen-playing-all-of-born-to-run-in-chicago-20090728#ixzz1cCE16YQd |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 28, 2009 |access-date= October 28, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111223145234/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruce-springsteen-playing-all-of-born-to-run-in-chicago-20090728 |archive-date=December 23, 2011 }}</ref> and other shows on the fall 2009 leg of the [[Working on a Dream Tour]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band announce hiatus |url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/16/bruce-springsteen-the-e-street-band-announce-hitaus/ |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence of Sound]] |access-date= November 8, 2016 |date=September 16, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130912093258/http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/16/bruce-springsteen-the-e-street-band-announce-hitaus/ |archive-date=September 12, 2013 }}</ref> It was also partly or entirely performed on certain shows of the 2013 [[Wrecking Ball World Tour]].<ref name="njcom">{{cite web |last=Goldstein |first=Stan |title=Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball tour: Stats and tidbits as European leg ends |url=http://www.nj.com/springsteen/index.ssf/2013/07/bruce_springsteen_4.html |website=NJ.com |date=July 31, 2013 |access-date=November 8, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108142644/http://www.nj.com/springsteen/index.ssf/2013/07/bruce_springsteen_4.html |archive-date= November 8, 2016 }}</ref> The full album was again performed on June 20, 2013, at the [[Coventry Building Society Arena|Ricoh Arena]] in [[Coventry]], England, and dedicated to the memory of the actor [[James Gandolfini]], who had died of a heart attack the previous day.{{efn|E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt had acted alongside Gandolfini in the television series ''[[The Sopranos]]'' (1999–2007).<ref name="Gandolfini" />}}<ref name="Gandolfini">{{cite magazine |last=Danton |first=Eric R. |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruce-springsteen-dedicates-born-to-run-to-james-gandolfini-onstage-20130621 |title= Bruce Springsteen Dedicates 'Born to Run' to James Gandolfini Onstage |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 21, 2013 |access-date= June 21, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130624053335/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bruce-springsteen-dedicates-born-to-run-to-james-gandolfini-onstage-20130621 |archive-date=June 24, 2013 }}</ref>

===Analysis===
The success of ''Born to Run'' was tied to the fears of growing old held by a generation of late teenagers. Having missed the 1950s [[beat music|beat]] era and 1960s [[Civil rights movement|civil rights]] and [[Anti-war movement|anti-war]] movements, teenagers in the mid-1970s felt disconnected in an era of political turmoil with the Vietnam War and the [[Richard Nixon's resignation speech|resignation]] of president [[Richard Nixon]].{{sfn|Masur|2010|pp=111–112}} The decade was also plagued by [[stagflation]] that affected [[Working class in the United States|working class Americans]], resulting in the loss of the American dream for many.<ref name="Atlantic">{{cite web |last=Zeitz |first=Joshua |author-link=Joshua Zeitz |title=How Bruce Springsteen's ''Born to Run'' Captured the Decline of the American Dream |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/08/born-to-run-at-40/402137/ |website=[[The Atlantic]] |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121162013/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/08/born-to-run-at-40/402137/ |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |date=August 24, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Commentators note that ''Born to Run'' collectively captured the ideals of an entire generation of American youths<ref name="week" /><ref name="Paste70s">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/1970s/best-albums-of-the-1970s |title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1970s |date=January 7, 2020 |magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=August 25, 2023 |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807190723/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/1970s/best-albums-of-the-1970s |url-status=live }}</ref> and "spoke to the cultural shift" between the 1960s and 1970s.{{sfn|Masur|2010|pp=111–112}} [[Joshua Zeitz]] of ''[[The Atlantic]]'' summarized: "Springsteen embodied the lost '70s—the tense, political, working-class rejection of America's limitations."<ref name="Atlantic" /> ''[[Far Out (magazine)|Far Out]]''{{'s}} Tim Coffman argued that Springsteen effectively embodied what it meant to be "a down-and-out working-class kid in America, dreaming of a better life".<ref name="FarOut">{{cite web |last=Coffman |first=Tim |title=Bruce Springsteen – 'Born to Run' album review |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-album-review/ |website=[[Far Out (magazine)|Far Out]] |access-date=August 10, 2023 |date=March 18, 2023 |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810231428/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-album-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Springsteen himself stated in 2005:{{sfn|Masur|2010|pp=112–113}}

{{blockquote|The thing people tend to forget about ''Born to Run'' is that it was post-Watergate, post-Vietnam. People just didn't feel that young anymore, and that is part of what made that record present because I was dealing with a lot of classic rock imagery and classic rock sounds but I was writing in a particular moment when people had sort of their legs cut out from underneath them.}}

===Retrospective reviews===
{{Album ratings
| subtitle = Retrospective reviews
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Ruhlmann">{{cite web |last=Ruhlmann |first=William |title=''Born to Run'' – Bruce Springsteen |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-run-mw0000650803 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-date=October 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001143332/https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-run-mw0000650803 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}<ref name="Kot">{{cite news |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot |date=August 23, 1992 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/08/23/the-recorded-history-of-springsteen/ |title=The Recorded History of Springsteen |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=July 8, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014214/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-08-23/entertainment/9203170100_1_star-lucky-town-springsteen |archive-date=December 3, 2013 }}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
| rev3Score=A<ref name="CG">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|location=Boston|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=0-89919-026-X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: S|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=S&bk=70|access-date=March 13, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413002147/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=S&bk=70|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{sfn|Larkin|2011|p=1,957}}
| rev5 = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev5Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{sfn|Graff|1996|pp=638–639}}
| rev6 = ''[[New Musical Express]]''
| rev6score = 9/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Ace of boss |last1=Bailie |first1=Stuart |last2=Staunton |first2=Terry |date=March 11, 1995 |magazine=[[New Musical Express]] |pages=54–55}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev7Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Williams|first=Richard|title=All or Nothing: The Springsteen back catalogue|date=December 1989|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=39|page=149|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/bruce-springsteen-all-or-nothing|access-date=February 12, 2024|via=Rock's Backpages|url-access=subscription|archive-date=February 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212213335/https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/bruce-springsteen-all-or-nothing|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev8Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{sfn|Sheffield|2004|pp=771–773}}
| rev9 = Sputnikmusic
| rev9Score = 5/5<ref>{{cite web |last=Freeman |first=Channing |title=Bruce Springsteen ''Born To Run'' > Staff Review |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/44142/Bruce-Springsteen-Born-To-Run/ |publisher=Sputnikmusic |date=June 22, 2011 |access-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-date=October 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001143333/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/44142/Bruce-Springsteen-Born-To-Run/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull – on the Web]]''
| rev10Score = B+<ref>{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=October 29, 2016|url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2444-Streamnotes-October-2016.html|title=Streamnotes (October 2016)|website=Tom Hull – on the Web|access-date=July 2, 2020|archive-date=July 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704021921/http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2444-Streamnotes-October-2016.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
Retrospective reviewers consider ''Born to Run'' a masterpiece{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="week" /><ref name="Ruhlmann" /><ref name="BBGuide" /><ref name="FarOut" />{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|2007|p=45}}<ref name="Observer">{{cite web |last=Gertsenzang |first=Peter |title=How Bruce Springsteen Made 'Born To Run' an American Masterpiece |url=https://observer.com/2015/08/how-bruce-springsteen-made-born-to-run-an-american-masterpiece/ |website=[[observer.com|The Observer]] |access-date=August 10, 2023 |date=August 25, 2015 |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704091905/https://observer.com/2015/08/how-bruce-springsteen-made-born-to-run-an-american-masterpiece/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}} and one of Springsteen's best works.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="NMEBest" /><ref name="UpRBest">{{cite web |last=Hyden |first=Steven |title=Every Bruce Springsteen Studio Album, Ranked |url=https://uproxx.com/indie/every-bruce-springsteen-studio-album-ranked/ |website=[[Uproxx]] |access-date=January 31, 2023 |date=November 11, 2022 |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204163544/https://uproxx.com/indie/every-bruce-springsteen-studio-album-ranked/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="UCRBest" /><ref name="GuardBest" /><ref name="SpinBest">{{cite web |last=Shipley |first=Al |title=Every Bruce Springsteen Album, Ranked |url=https://www.spin.com/2022/11/best-bruce-springsteen-albums/ |website=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |access-date=January 31, 2023 |date=November 11, 2022 |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204163048/https://www.spin.com/2022/11/best-bruce-springsteen-albums/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TelegraphBest">{{Cite web |last=McCormick |first=Neil |author-link=Neil McCormick |date=24 October 2020 |title=Bruce Springsteen: all his albums ranked, from worst to best |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/bruce-springsteen-albums-ranked-worst-best/ |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823165306/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/bruce-springsteen-albums-ranked-worst-best/ |archive-date=August 23, 2023 |access-date=14 November 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Male |first=Andrew |title=Bruce Springsteen's Best Albums Ranked |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/the-mojo-list/bruce-springsteens-best-albums-ranks/ |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |access-date=January 8, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207212454/https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/the-mojo-list/bruce-springsteens-best-albums-ranks/ |archive-date=December 7, 2024 |date=January 3, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} It has been described as a timeless record<ref name="Slate">{{cite web |last=Masur |first=Louis |title=Born to Run: The groundbreaking Springsteen album almost didn't get released |url=https://slate.com/culture/2009/09/born-to-run-the-groundbreaking-springsteen-album-almost-didnt-get-released.html |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=August 10, 2023 |date=September 22, 2009 |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810232428/https://slate.com/culture/2009/09/born-to-run-the-groundbreaking-springsteen-album-almost-didnt-get-released.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CoS45Reasons">{{cite web |last=Blum |first=Jordan |title=45 Reasons We Still Love Bruce Springsteen's ''Born to Run'' |url=https://consequence.net/2020/08/gimme-a-reason-bruce-springsteen-born-to-run/ |website=Consequence |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325231912/https://consequence.net/2020/08/gimme-a-reason-bruce-springsteen-born-to-run/ |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |date=August 25, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> that set the stage for a career marked by a signature, distinctive sound and lyrics detailing aspirations towards the American dream.<ref name="BBGuide" /><ref name="UCRRockAlbums">{{cite web |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/70s-rock-albums/ |title=Top 100 '70s Rock Albums |date=October 26, 2022 |work=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=August 25, 2023 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116164140/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/70s-rock-albums/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Further praise was given to the instrumentation between Springsteen and the E Street Band,<ref name="Paste70s" /> and for its improvements over its predecessor, ''Wild''.<ref name="Ruhlmann" /><ref name="CoS45Reasons" /> Lou Thomas of [[BBC Music]] described the album as "a classic, honest musical expression of hope, dreams and survival".<ref name="bbcrev">{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Lou |title=Review of Bruce Springsteen – ''Born to Run'' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/gmjw/ |work=[[BBC Music]] |year=2007 |access-date=November 8, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019004544/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/gmjw/ |archive-date=October 19, 2016 }}</ref> Another writer from ''[[The Guardian]]'', Michael Hann, said ''Born to Run'' was "the album where Springsteen starts to make the transition from a musician to an idea, a representation of a set of personal and musical values".<ref name="GuardBest">{{cite web |last=Hann |first=Michael |title=Bruce Springsteen's albums – ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/30/bruce-springsteen-albums-ranked/ |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=January 31, 2023 |date=May 30, 2019 |archive-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131004605/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/30/bruce-springsteen-albums-ranked |url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite its acclaim, ''Born to Run'' has attracted negative attention from writers who feel the production is "too overblown",<ref name="PMK&M">{{cite web |last1=Klinger |first1=Eric |last2=Mendelsohn |first2=Jason |title=Counterbalance 18: Bruce Springsteen – ''Born to Run'' |url=https://www.popmatters.com/bruce-springsteen-born-run-counterbalance-2496086782.html |website=PopMatters |access-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813200138/https://www.popmatters.com/bruce-springsteen-born-run-counterbalance-2496086782.html |archive-date=August 13, 2023 |date=June 8, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> and presents Springsteen as "more of a synthesist than an innovator".<ref name="Kot" /> [[AllMusic]]'s William Ruhlmann conversely argues that "to call [the album] overblown is to miss the point", as doing so was Springsteen's intention, concluding that "it declared its own greatness with songs and a sound that lived up to Springsteen's promise".<ref name="Ruhlmann" /> In a later piece for ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' magazine, Christgau wrote that the record's major flaw was its pompous declaration of greatness, typified by elements such as the "wall-of-sound, [[white soul|white-soul]]-at-the-opera-house" aesthetic and an "unresolved quest narrative". Nonetheless, he maintained ''Born to Run'' was important for how "its class-conscious songcraft provided a relief from the emptier pretensions of late-hippie [[arena rock|arena-rock]]".<ref name="Blender"/> ''[[PopMatters]]'' writer Christopher John Stephens argued the album's strengths can be viewed as its weaknesses.<ref name="PopMatters">{{cite web |last=Stephens |first=Christopher John |title=Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' Brought Elegiac Depth and Youthful Romanticism to Heartland Rock |url=https://www.popmatters.com/bruce-springsteen-born-run-atr-2646801566.html |website=[[PopMatters]] |access-date=August 10, 2023 |date=August 25, 2020 |archive-date=August 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813200135/https://www.popmatters.com/bruce-springsteen-born-run-atr-2646801566.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Rankings===
''Born to Run'' has frequently appeared on lists of the greatest albums of the 1970s<ref name="UCRRockAlbums" /><ref name="Paste70s" /><ref name="AS70s" /> and of all time.{{sfn|Masur|2010|p=147}}<ref name="WSJ">{{Cite news |last=Kahn |first=Ashley |title=Springsteen Looks Back On 'Born to Run' |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113157733159792810 |url-status=live |access-date=September 30, 2023 |date=November 10, 2005 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230930174728/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113157733159792810 |archive-date=September 30, 2023 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> ''NME''{{'s}} Matthew Taub argued that ''Born to Run'' is "probably the single best rock album of the 1970s, and easily one of the finest ever recorded".<ref name="NMEBest">{{cite web |last=Taub |first=Matthew |url=https://www.nme.com/features/bruce-springsteen-albums-ranked-2808825 |title=Bruce Springsteen: every album ranked in order of greatness |date=November 8, 2022 |work=NME |access-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204163135/https://www.nme.com/features/bruce-springsteen-albums-ranked-2808825 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[American Songwriter]]'' included it in a 2023 list compiling 10 albums that shaped the 1970s music landscape.<ref name="AS70s">{{cite web |last=Beviglia |first=Jim |url=https://americansongwriter.com/classic-rock-gems-10-albums-that-shaped-the-1970s-music-landscape/ |title=Classic Rock Gems: 10 Albums That Shaped the 1970s Music Landscape |date=August 28, 2023 |work=[[American Songwriter]] |access-date=August 29, 2023 |archive-date=August 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829030725/https://americansongwriter.com/classic-rock-gems-10-albums-that-shaped-the-1970s-music-landscape/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1987, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 8 in a list of the "100 Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years"<ref name=RS1987>{{cite news| first1=Anthony| last1=DeCurtis| author1-link=Anthony DeCurtis |first2=Mark |last2=Coleman| title=The Best 100 Albums of the Last Twenty Years |magazine=Rolling Stone| issue=507| date=August 27, 1987| page=45}}</ref> and in 2003, the magazine ranked it 18th on its list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]],<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-50006/| year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time| magazine=Rolling Stone| access-date=September 23, 2019| archive-date=July 4, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704091928/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-50006/| url-status=live}}</ref> maintaining the rating in a 2012 revision and dropping a few slots to number 21 in the 2020 reboot of the list.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-3-1063212/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=September 22, 2020|access-date=August 8, 2023|archive-date=June 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620144208/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run-3-1063212/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2000, [[NPR]] included ''Born to Run'' in a list compiling the 100 most important albums in the 20th century.{{sfn|Masur|2010|p=147}} A year later, the TV network [[VH1]] named it the 27th-greatest album of all time,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/62192/episode_wildcard.jhtml?wildcard=/shows/dynamic/includes/wildcards/the_greatest/album_list_full.jhtml&event_id=862772&start=61 |title=The Greatest: 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll |access-date=January 31, 2007 |work=The Greatest |publisher=[[VH1]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001131714/http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/62192/episode_wildcard.jhtml?wildcard=%2Fshows%2Fdynamic%2Fincludes%2Fwildcards%2Fthe_greatest%2Falbum_list_full.jhtml&event_id=862772&start=61 |archive-date=October 1, 2007 }}</ref> and in 2003, it was ranked as the most popular album of all time in the first [[Zagat Survey]] Music Guide.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1984699#| title=Born To Run' Tops Zagat Music Survey| access-date=January 31, 2007| first=Barry A. |last=Jeckell| date=September 23, 2003| magazine=Billboard| archive-date=October 23, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023181800/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1984699| url-status=dead}}</ref> The album was also voted number 20 in the third edition of [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]'' (2000),{{sfn|Larkin|2000|p=43}} and was included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]'' (2006).{{sfn|Dimery|Lydon|2006|p=343}} In [[Apple Music]]'s 2024 list of the [[Apple Music 100 Best Albums|100 Best Albums]], the album ranked number 22.<ref>{{cite web |title=Apple Music 100 Best Albums |url=https://100best.music.apple.com/us |website=[[Apple Music]] |access-date=May 15, 2024 |archive-date=May 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514224218/https://100best.music.apple.com/us |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2003, ''Born to Run'' was added to the [[National Recording Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2004/04-061.html |title=Librarian of Congress Names 50 New Recordings to the National Recording Registry |access-date=January 31, 2007 |date=March 19, 2004 |work=The Library Today |publisher=[[The Library of Congress]] |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070205121156/http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2004/04-061.html |archive-date=February 5, 2007 }}</ref> In December 2005, U.S. New Jersey representative [[Frank Pallone]] and 21 co-sponsors sponsored H.Res. 628, a bill that would have celebrated the 30th anniversary of ''Born to Run'' and Springsteen's overall career. In general, resolutions honoring native sons are passed with a simple voice vote. The bill failed upon referral to the [[United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce|House Committee on Education and the Workforce]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Joal|last=Ryan|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=32521e2b-a367-4e2e-a196-c9caf59a59d3 |title=Senate Shows the Boss Who's Boss |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=November 15, 2005 |access-date=June 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611152231/http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=32521e2b-a367-4e2e-a196-c9caf59a59d3 |archive-date=June 11, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>