Bruce Springsteen "My Hometown"

Bruce Springsteen ruled the Adult Contemporary Chart just one time. It happened the week of February 1, 1986 when his tender "My Hometown" ironically knocked "Go Home" from Stevie Wonder from the top spot.

Rob Thomas "This Is How a Heart Breaks"

A quick glance at the 2006 Grammy nominations for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance saw Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton all lose to Rob Thomas. Somehow the Matchbox 20 singer's solo effort "This Is How a Heart Breaks" beat out four Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famers.

Bruce Springsteen "Brilliant Disguise"

"Brilliant Disguise" is a more introspective song from Bruce Springsteen that echoed his state-of-mind toward his new bride, Julianne Phillips, at the time. His Tunnel of Love album alluded to unhappiness between the two. "Brilliant Disguise" questions a man's feelings toward his wife who he feels is a stranger. Phillips and Springsteen later divorced leading Bruce to Patti Scialfi who had toured with the band at the time in support of Tunnel of Love. Fans weren't shy about sharing their displeasure on Springsteen's new relationship. In a 1995 interview, he said,

"It's a strange society that assumes it has the right to tell people whom they should love and whom they shouldn't. But the truth is, I basically ignored the entire thing as much as I could. I said, 'Well, all I know is, this feels real, and maybe I have got a mess going here in some fashion, but that's life.'"

Natalie Cole "Pink Cadillac"

Bruce Springsteen originally released "Pink Cadillac" as the B-side of "Dancing in the Dark". He later declined Bette Midler's request to remake the tune claiming it wasn't a "girl's song". He later had a change of heart, only this time he allowed Natalie Cole to remake the song in 1988. It became her biggest hit in a decade.

Patty Smyth "No Mistakes"

Make no mistake about it: Patty Smyth shouldn't be confused with Patti Smith. Smyth (pronounced "sm-eye-th") fronted the '80s pop-rock group Scandal whereas Smith is best known for "Because The Night"--a song written with Bruce Springsteen and later made famous by 10,000 Maniacs. Most recall Smyth for singing opposite Don Henley in the 1992 ballad "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough". Smyth later released "No Mistakes" in 1993.

Bruce Springsteen "Human Touch"

Bruce Springsteen found himself on rock, pop and Adult Contemporary radio in 1992 thanks to "Human Touch". The song is proof that American Idol judge Randy Jackson is famous for something other than calling contestants "dawg". Jackson plays bass guitar on the tune.

Train - "Calling All Angels"

When you think about rock bands, does Train ever come to mind?  Well, someone apparently thought of the San Franciso band.  "Calling All Angels" managed to re-define the word "rock" and helped garner two Grammy nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group in 2003.  Train lost both awards to Bruce Springsteen and The White Stripes, respectively.

Bruce Springsteen - "Cover Me"

Bruce Springsteen wrote "Cover Me" for Donna Summer, but ultimately decided to keep the song for himself.

Bruce Springsteen - "I'm On Fire"

"At night, I wake up with the sheets soaking wet and a freight train runnin' through the middle of my head..."

John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band - "On The Dark Side"

In what has to be one of the greatest band names of all time, John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band released "On The Dark Side" in 1984, and people immediately thought it was a song by Bruce Springsteen.  You can almost hear Clarence Clemons belting out the sax solo.  If you ever start your own cover band (and you will!), definitely learn to play this hand-clapping saxophone-rich song...you'll be glad you did.

Bruce Springsteen - "Secret Garden"

Want to know a secret weapon that can turn a sleeper hit into a mega-hit?  It's easy: take audio clips from a movie and intersperse them over the song.  It worked for Bruce Springsteen whose 1995 "Secret Garden" didn't take off until being added to the Jerry Maguire soundtrack over a year later.  

Bruce Springsteen - "The Streets of Philadelphia"

Bruce Springsteen's biggest hit of the 1990s came via the soundtrack to the movie Philadelphia.  A year later, Springsteen's "Secret Garden" was released, but didn't become a hit until the following year when Renee Zellweger told Tom Cruise, "You complete me" in the movie Jerry Maguire.

Bruce Springsteen - "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

The nation's largest radio owner decided that all of it Adult Contemporary stations would air wall-to-wall Christmas music in December of 2001.  The stunt garnered huge ratings and now is an annual tradition in cities all across America.  In finding the perfect blend, most stations air a "safe" playlist comprised of standards (Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Burl Ives) mixed with more contemporary songs (Michael Buble, Mariah Carey, Coldplay).  Much like the music, the same arguments arise each year:
1. Why do you start playing it so early in November?
    -because that's when the ratings period begins 
2. Why do you play the same songs over and over every year?
    -because those songs scored the highest in focus groups
3. Why do radio stations always play that gawd-awful "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Bruce Springsteen?

    -because men run stations that target women and since men like Bruce Springsteen they play that song despite the fact that most women either do not like Springsteen or are indifferent to his music