Ahead of the release of his new album Letter to You, classic rock icon Bruce Springsteen has had an emoji modeled after him.
— Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) October 13, 2020
The Born to Run rocker's emoji only appears when you use the "Springsteen" hashtag. (It doesn't seem to appear in embedded tweets.) It shows the Boss in a well-known pose with an arm raised, about to strum his Fender telecaster, seemingly modeled off his Born in the U.S.A. era. The emoji appearing with the hashtag makes it the perfect time to share what your favorite Springsteen album is, or share a snippet of the singer-songwriter's lyrics that resonates with you.
My favorite #Springsteen song begins: "The screen door slams, Mary's dress waves. Like a vision she dances across the floor as the radio plays Roy Orbinson singing for the lonely. Hey, that's me and I want you only."
— Noelle Hance (@GirlNextDoor84) October 13, 2020
Fox 5 reporter Tom Fitzgerald tweeted about the history of the photo that the emoji was based on, including that it was photographed by famed celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz for the "Born in the U.S.A." single and was later used as a cover of Rolling Stone.
Twitter did a really nice job on the #Springsteen hashtag. It’s based on the iconic Annie Leibovitz “Born in the USA” photograph which was used for the 45 single cover and later on a cover for a @RollingStone 80’s retrospective issue. 🎸🎷🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/3cNSZkQ0sY
— Tom Fitzgerald (@FitzFox5DC) October 13, 2020
Fans on Twitter celebrated Springsteen getting the emoji-treatment, and tried out the icon themselves. Some fans took it as an opportunity to show off their collections of Springsteen CDs, memories of the Boss and their own creations that have been inspired by him.
This makes me beyond happy. Bruce Springsteen @springsteen now has his own emoji.#springsteen
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) October 13, 2020
BRUUUUCE now has his own emoji! That’s the best news of the year. (Low bar... I know.) #springsteen
— Ed Greenberger (@EdGreenberger) October 13, 2020
Fair warning: Twitter has unveiled a #springsteen emoji and I will probably incorporate it into every tweet I send from now on. #springsteen
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) October 13, 2020
Seeing as he's trending, now's as good a time as any to tweet about the musical genius of #springsteen pic.twitter.com/9sqGW9A2NZ
— John Bensalhia (@JohnBensalhia) October 13, 2020
I’ll always remember #springsteen donating to help families during the miners’ strike. I was a fan before and been a fan ever since. #ToryCorruption
— Billy Casper (@HordenJack) October 13, 2020
An old #Springsteen drawing I did many years ago! pic.twitter.com/dREFxfb3RJ
— Mystic Mare (@MysticMareArt) October 13, 2020
Photographer Bob Karp celebrated the emoji and new album with his own shot of Springsteen, taken in the singer's home state of New Jersey.
New album, new emoji, new president in 99 days, old photo (East Rutherford, NJ July 23, 1992)
— Bob Karp (@BobKarpDR) October 13, 2020
Long Live The Boss #springsteen pic.twitter.com/zJA0ejiE9g
While most people simply celebrated the Boss, adding to the virtual cheers of "Bruuuuuce" that are familiar to anyone who's seen him in concert, some people were a little less enthused. Hell on Wheels actor Anson Mount jokingly said that the emoji made him a touch jealous and asked his followers what his emoji would be.
So #Springsteen just got his own emoji and now I’m burning with jealousy. If I got my own emoji, what should it be?
— Anson Mount (@ansonmount) October 13, 2020
The emoji isn't the only promotional piece that Springsteen has announced to coincide with his upcoming Letter to You album. He's confirmed that he'll be releasing a Thom Zimny-directed documentary on Apple TV+, too. In a tweet, he promised that the film would be "an intimate and revealing look at the 45 year partnership and work process of the E Street Band."
"This is the first thorough documentary of the E St. Band at work," he wrote. "We filmed the five days our Letter to You sessions and you will get to see the band and myself piecing together the arrangements and recordings that comprise our latest release."
A preview of the doc shows Springsteen and the E Street Band preparing to play through a song in the studio, before Springsteen counts the band in.
The documentary and new album will both be released on October 23. The album comes just over a year after Springsteen's 2019 album Western Stars, which had an accompanying film of its own, capturing a performance of that entire album.
