By the end of the 1970s, Americans were suffering through double-digit inflation and high unemployment. Now entering his 30s, Bruce Springsteen stepped away from his heroic tales of youth, independence and New Jersey and, using a new, streamlined writing style, he began exploring themes of disconnection, roots and simple dignity. “Hungry Heart” mirrored the sentiments of a dispirited nation, and its success broke Springsteen into the pop mainstream. Joey Ramone had asked Bruce to pen a song for the Ramones: said Bruce, “I went home that night and wrote this. I played it for Jon Landau and, earning his money, he advised me to keep it.”
Bruce Springsteen "Hungry Heart"

Bruce Springsteen The River