A photographer from Syracuse contributed the cover image for a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s new greatest hits collection.
“Best of Bruce Springsteen,” released on Friday, features 31 songs on its expanded digital release (now streaming on Spotify and Apple Music) and 18 tracks on physical media (CDs and vinyl). The compilation is an expanded retrospective that captures Bruce Springsteen’s career from his 1973 debut (”Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.”) to his 2020 album, “Letter to You.”
The cover will look very familiar to fans of The Boss, as it’s taken from the “Born to Run” photo session captured by photographer Eric Meola, an Eastwood native who graduated from Syracuse University in 1968. The image used for the 1975 album cover featured Springsteen, wearing a leather jacket and holding a guitar while smiling and leaning on E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons.
“I always thought it was one of those records that you didn’t have to hear,” Springsteen once said. “When you saw the cover, you said, ‘I want that one.’”
“With ‘Born to Run’ I nailed it,” Meola said.
Springsteen instead appears solo on the new greatest hits album cover, running one hand through his hair and looking off to the side. A guitar is dangling in front of him on a strap, and his black leather jacket is open so you can see a small tear in his white T-shirt.
It’s one of some 900 photos taken by Meola during that June 20, 1975, shoot in his New York City studio. Meola told The Post-Standard in 2005 that he was paid about $1,500 for the session without being guaranteed any of the photos would be used, but he knew “Born to Run” would be a huge piece of rock and roll history.
“I literally remember Clarence saying to me one day: ‘We’ll be interviewed about this 30 years from now,’” Meola said in 2005.
Eric Meola, a Syracuse native and Syracuse University graduate, photographed Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons for the iconic “Born to Run” album cover in a June 20, 1975, photo session in New York. (Provided photo by Eric Meola)
Eric Meola, a Syracuse native and Syracuse University graduate, photographed Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons for the iconic “Born to Run” album cover in a June 20, 1975, photo session in New York. (Provided photo by Eric Meola)
Eric Meola, a Syracuse native and Syracuse University graduate, photographed Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons for the iconic “Born to Run” album cover in a June 20, 1975, photo session in New York. (Provided photo by Eric Meola)
Eric Meola, a Syracuse native and Syracuse University graduate, photographed Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons for the iconic “Born to Run” album cover in a June 20, 1975, photo session in New York. (Provided photo by Eric Meola)
Eric Meola, a Syracuse native and Syracuse University graduate, photographed Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons for the iconic “Born to Run” album cover in a June 20, 1975, photo session in New York. (Provided photo by Eric Meola)
Eric Meola, a Syracuse native and Syracuse University graduate, photographed Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons for the iconic “Born to Run” album cover in a June 20, 1975, photo session in New York. (Provided photo by Eric Meola)
“Born to Run: The Unseen Photos” by Eric Meola (Photographer) is a book featuring more images of Bruce Springsteen with song lyrics and an introduction by Daniel Wolff.
Syracuse native and SU alumnus Eric Meola is a photographer who shot Bruce Springsteen’s famous “Born to Run” album cover. (Photo by Joanna McCarthy)
The new “Best of Bruce Springsteen” album, released April 19, 2024, features a photo by Syracuse native Eric Meola on the cover, taken from his 1975 session with Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons for the iconic “Born to Run” album cover. (Columbia Records)
“Best of Bruce Springsteen” doesn’t feature any new music, but it’s a great place to start if you’re a new fan after his thrilling concert at the JMA Dome on Thursday night. The digital collection includes 11 songs from his nearly 3-hour setlist at the Syracuse University stadium, plus classics like “The River,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “Born in the U.S.A.” and the Oscar-winning “Streets of Philadelphia.”
The physical “Best Of” record, also featuring new liner notes by Erik Flannigan, is available at Amazon on red, yellow and blue vinyl, plus Walmart, Target and other retailers.
Best of Bruce Springsteen (Expanded Edition):
01. Growin’ Up
02. Spirit in the Night
03. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
04. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
05. Born to Run
06. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
07. Thunder Road
08. Badlands
09. Prove It All Night
10. The River
11. Hungry Heart
12. Atlantic City
13. Glory Days
14. Dancing in the Dark
15. Born in the U.S.A.
16. Brilliant Disguise
17. Tougher Than the Rest
18. Human Touch
19. If I Should Fall Behind
20. Living Proof
21. Streets of Philadelphia
22. The Ghost of Tom Joad
23. Secret Garden
24. The Rising
25. Long Time Comin’
26. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
27. The Wrestler
28. We Take Care of Our Own
29. Hello Sunshine
30. Ghosts
31. Letter to You
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY, Thursday April 18, 2024.
(Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com)
For more photos and information about Eric Meola, visit ericmeola.com.
