Tracks box set, The Promise (2010 – Darkness outtakes).

This era is defined by an awareness of mortality. Songs like Long Time Comin’ or Living in the Future acknowledge that the future he sang about in 1975 has arrived, and it is complicated.

Springsteen’s career is unique because it is defined by . He repeatedly built a massive audience, achieved a specific peak, and then deliberately tore down the structure to start over. His discography is a cycle of construction and deconstruction.