Bruce Springsteen Reveals the Only Song He’d Play for the Rest of His Life

Despite a career defined by heartland rock and anthemic storytelling, Bruce Springsteen’s choice for the one song he could listen to for the rest of his life is unexpectedly rooted in 1960s pop. In a 2021 interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Springsteen revealed that his all-time favorite track is none other than Frank Sinatra’s 1966 classic, “Summer Wind.”

Faced with the tough question during the show’s “Colbert Questionnaire,” Springsteen took a moment before settling on the silky, melancholic tune. “One,” he said thoughtfully, “Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.”

A Timeless Classic with a Bittersweet Story

“Summer Wind,” released as the follow-up single to Sinatra’s iconic Strangers in the Night album, is a haunting reflection on a fleeting summer romance that fades into autumnal solitude. Originally a German song, Johnny Mercer adapted the lyrics to capture an American audience’s imagination with poetic imagery and wistful longing.

Sinatra’s rendition soared to the top of the Billboard Easy Listening chart and reached number 25 on the Hot 100, cementing its status as one of his signature songs. Though stylistically distant from Springsteen’s gritty rock sound, the emotional depth of “Summer Wind” clearly resonates with him on a profound level.

New Jersey Roots and a Deep Admiration for Ol’ Blue Eyes

Springsteen’s affection for Sinatra runs deep, partly because of their shared New Jersey heritage—Springsteen from Freehold and Sinatra from nearby Hoboken. He has often spoken about the influence Sinatra had on him, recalling childhood moments spent listening to the crooner alongside his mother.

“She said, ‘Listen to that. That’s Frank Sinatra. He is from New Jersey,’” Springsteen recalled. He described Sinatra’s voice as embodying attitude, life experience, beauty, and a tough sense of freedom.

“Every song seemed to carry a postscript, ‘And if you don’t like it, here’s a punch in the kisser,’” he said. But what moved him most was the “deep blue” timbre of Sinatra’s voice — not just the elegance and sophistication often associated with the singer, but also the raw sound of hard luck and late-night struggles.

Springsteen explained that this soulful, weathered quality made Sinatra’s music the soundtrack for men grappling with life’s challenges, and it’s precisely this emotional truth that makes “Summer Wind” so meaningful to him. The song captures the nostalgia for lost summer love and the sadness of fleeting time, themes that echo throughout Springsteen’s own songwriting.