Bruce Springsteen has a notoriously complicated relationship with his nickname, “The Boss.”

The moniker — which actually predates the formation of his legendary E Street Band in 1974 — was affectionately coined by fellow musicians because of Springsteen’s leadership role in their early tours but it took on a life of its own that he was never quite comfortable with.

“I hate being called ‘Boss.’ I just do,” he admitted to Creem Magazine in 1980. “Always did from the beginning. I hate bosses. I hate being called the boss.”

The 2025 movie Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, which includes characters casually calling Springsteen “Boss,” delves into a particularly fraught period in the artist’s early career where he was still coming to grips with worldwide fame. He fiercely resisted publici

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