Bruce Springsteen Says His Time Cover Caused Him A Visit From IRS

Bruce Springsteen revealed how his fame resulted from an investigation from the IRS during a recent chat with Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner.

The rock icon Bruce Springsteen has embraced the American spirit throughout his career. Springsteen’s hit song, ‘Born In the U.S.A.,’ has been among the audience’s favorites, especially as a 4th of July anthem. While Springsteen’s country-infused rock songs achieved major commercial success, his fame also brought some legal troubles.

While the musician climbed the ladder of fame, he received growing attention from renowned nationwide magazines. One of the said magazines was the Time, and as Springsteen made it to the cover, the singer caught the attention of the Internal Revenue Service. After his appearance, Bruce was pressured to pay all of his unpaid taxes.

During the conversation, he joked that he wasn’t on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine when his third studio album and commercial success ‘Born to Run’ was released in 1975. The singer stated that there were no hard feelings between him and the magazine, but what tipped off IRS’ radar was probably that he was on the cover of Time and Newsweek.

Bruce Springsteen explained:

“I was not on the cover of Rolling Stone when ‘Born to Run’ came out, you know? I’m not picking a bone or anything, but I always felt — while we’re talking about it — Rolling Stone were a little skittish about putting me on the cover when that record came out. I was on the cover of Time and Newsweek.”

The singer then exclaimed that soon after his appearances, the Internal Revenue Service launched an investigation into his financial background. As Bruce Springsteen disclosed, he hadn’t paid any taxes before IRS’ visit, but his unpaid debts to the U.S. government were paid in about ten years.

The rocker revealed:

“I hadn’t paid a penny in taxes when I was on the cover of Time and Newsweek, and the IRS found out about it, and it took me 10 years [to pay it].”

As Springsteen reflected the American Dream in his songs, it seemed that he also got caught on the opposite side of it. Springsteen is currently on tour in Europe, and he is already scheduled to continue performing back in the United States as his nationwide concert dates are set for the next year.