DANNY CLINCH
Bruce Springsteen has won 20 Grammy Awards over the years.
“You stick around long enough and they give these things to you, I guess,” said Bruce Springsteen in 1995, accepting a Rock Vocal Grammy for his song, “Streets of Philadelphia” (even though, as he also said in his acceptance speech, he wasn’t really sure it was a rock vocal).
Indeed, before that year, he had only won two Grammys, and hadn’t even received any nominations for his landmark albums Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town.
After receiving four for “Streets of Philadelphia,” though, he’s won Grammys fairly regularly: He now has 20, and has been nominated 50 times.
With the help of Wikipedia’s Springsteen page, YouTube and the invaluable online Springsteen resource Brucebase, I’ve assembled this guide to Springsteen at the Grammys, through the years.
1982: Receives first nomination, in the Rock Vocal category, for “The River.” Loses to Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.”
1985: Wins first Grammy, in Rock Vocal category, for “Dancing in the Dark.”
1988: Wins in Rock Vocal category, for “Tunnel of Love.”
1994: No nominations but participates in a tribute to Curtis Mayfield:
1995: The breakthrough year, with four awards, including Song of the Year, all for “Streets of Philadelphia.” Here he is performing that song:
In Song of the Year acceptance speech, he praises “all those disparaged and mysterious Grammy voters out there, wherever you are … and whoever you are,” and thanks “my fans, whose passion and support has given great meaning to the work I’ve done, and the folks who have come up to me in restaurants and on the street who’ve lost their sons or their loved ones or their friends to AIDS and said that this song meant something to them.”
Here is another one of his acceptance speeches that year, for Best Rock Performance:
1997: Wins the Contemporary Folk Album award, for The Ghost of Tom Joad. In his acceptance speech, he thanks, among others, record company executive Don Ienner, “who as he sat in my studio, listening to a rough cut, his dreams of mega-sales slipping down the drain, gave me his full support from the heart.”
2003: Wins Rock Song and Male Rock Vocal awards for “The Rising” and the Rock Album award for The Rising, but loses in the Album of the Year and Song of the Year categories to Norah Jones. Here he is performing that song:
Also, he participates, this year, in this tribute to the late Joe Strummer:
2004: Wins in the Rock by a Duo or Group with Vocal category, for his Warren Zevon collaboration, “Disorder in the House.”
2005, 2006: Wins in Solo Rock Vocal category for “Code of Silence” and “Devils & Dust.” Here he is performing “Devils & Dust.”
In 2006, he also participates in a tribute to the late Wilson Pickett.
2007: Wins Best Traditional Folk Album, for We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, and Best Long Form Music Video for Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run.
2008: Wins three awards: Solo Rock Vocal and Rock Song for “Radio Nowhere,” and Rock Instrumental for “Once Upon a Time in the West” (from the tribute album, We All Love Ennio Morricone).
2009: Wins Best Rock Song for “Girls in Their Summer Clothes.”
2010: Wins Solo Rock Vocal award for “Working on a Dream.”
2012: Doesn’t win anything but sings “We Take Care of Our Own” and participates in show-closing Paul McCartney medley.
We need your help!
CONTRIBUTE TO NJARTS.NET
Since launching in September 2014, NJArts.net, a 501(c)(3) organization, has become one of the most important media outlets for the Garden State arts scene. And it has always offered its content without a subscription fee, or a paywall. Its continued existence depends on support from members of that scene, and the state’s arts lovers. Please consider making a contribution of any amount to NJArts.net via PayPal, or by sending a check made out to NJArts.net to 11 Skytop Terrace, Montclair, NJ 07043.
5 comments
Nice recap but you left a few out…
1985 – Nominated for album of the year with Born in the USA and loses to Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Can’t Slow Down’
1985 – Nominated for Record of the Year (Dancing in the Dark),and loses to Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do With It
I included all wins but not all nominations.
Great list as a tramp fanatic especially with ANYTHING The River era funny that the album dropped in October 1980 but the title track is not nominated until 1982? I guess since so late in 1980 it counts for 1981 nominations and those are the ones that were announced as winners in 1982? Please clarify. On a side note until he paid it the ultimate respect by calling his 2015-16 World Tour The River 2016 Tour n did the entire album for the whole U.S opening leg, until then I always felt he didn’t give the album it’s due respect. Getting lost as the end of the trilogy of albums that started with Born to Run. Having received a Grammy nomination adds weight to The River album itself. Wish it would be brought up more pretty much everyone thinks his first nominations weren’t til the Album of the Year loss for USA album. The one thing that has eluded him n the Mighty ESB. Way overdue if not for albums #3, 4, 5, USA, The Rising and 2012’s Wrecking Ball them when? Lol, I mean how many albums must he drop to get that one. Even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has their usual if u dropped 3 classic albums u get in, policy.
Records released late in the year are not eligible until the following year. So the 1982 Grammys would have covered albums released from something like the last three months of 1980 and first nine months of 1981 (I’m not sure what the exact cutoff date was, but obviously “The River was released after it). The awards ceremony was in early 1982.