The Essential Bruce Springsteen

The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2003. The collection is part of a series of Essential sets released by Sony BMG (previously Sony Music Entertainment). It includes songs from various Springsteen albums and concerts up to the year 2003. A limited-edition third disc includes previously unreleased cuts, B-sides, contributions to soundtracks and benefit albums, covers, and an alternate, "country-blues" acoustic version of "Countin' on a Miracle" from The Rising.

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart on November 29, 2003, at No. 14, with sales of 90,000 copies. The album was awarded gold and platinum records on December 16, 2003, by the RIAA. As of August 2013, the album has sold over 1,079,000 copies in the United States. It reached No. 15 on the UK Albums Chart in 2013. The album was re-released with an updated track listing in October 2015.

Critical reception
The album received general acclaim from music critics, who appreciated its inclusion of Springsteen's most recognizable hits throughout his career. AllMusic calls it a better compilation album than 1995's "misguided, haphazardly selected" Greatest Hits.

Track listings

 * 2003 bonus disc


 * 2015 release

1-1		"Growin' Up"	3:08 1-2		"Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"	7:03 1-3		"4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"	5:37 1-4		"Thunder Road"	4:49 1-5		"Born To Run"	4:31 1-6		"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"	3:12 1-7		"Badlands"	4:03 1-8		"The Promised Land"	4:30 1-9		"Prove It All Night"	4:00 1-10		"The River"	5:01 1-11		"Hungry Heart"	3:21 1-12		"The Ties That Bind"	3:34 1-13		"Out In The Street"	4:21 1-14		"Atlantic City"	4:00 1-15		"Johnny 99"	3:41 1-16		"Glory Days"	4:16 1-17		"Born In The U.S.A." 4:40 1-18		"Dancing In The Dark"	4:03

2-1		"Tougher Than The Rest"	4:38 2-2		"Brilliant Disguise"	4:17 2-3		"One Step Up"	4:23 2-4		"Human Touch" (Single Edit)	5:12 2-5		"Better Days"	3:47 2-6		"If I Should Fall Behind"	2:58 2-7		"Streets Of Philadelphia"	3:17 2-8		"Murder Incorporated"	4:00 2-9		"The Ghost Of Tom Joad"	4:23 2-10		"The Rising"	4:48 2-11		"Lonesome Day"	4:08 2-12		"Devils & Dust"	5:03 2-13		"Long Time Comin'"	4:17 2-14		"Radio Nowhere"	3:21 2-15		"Working On A Dream"	3:30 2-16		"My Lucky Day"	4:02 2-17		"The Wrestler"	3:51 2-18		"We Take Care Of Our Own"	3:57 2-19		"Hunter Of Invisible Game"	4:42