Despite Affair Rumors, Bruce Springsteen Feels ‘Lucky’ To Have Married Patti Scialfa

Apr 15, 2022 by apost team

Bruce Springsteen, or as he is also known, "the Boss," is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He has released 20 studio albums, the majority including the E Street Band, and is considered one of the originators of the heartland rock style of music. Springsteen's work focuses on the lives of blue-collar workers and has very complex and poetic lyrics. It is also known for being socially conscious, and the artist himself has been outspoken about politics in the past. 

Springsteen's 1984 classic, "Born in the U.S.A.," is his most commercially successful album as well as one of the best-selling records of all time. Among his many accolades are 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, one Academy Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was awarded to him by President Barack Obama in 2016.

The New Jersey native met his wife, Patti Scialfa, in the early 1980s, and they became friends. In 1984, Springsteen invited her to join the E Street Band. The pair seemed to be on their way to dating, but Springsteen met his first wife, Julianne Phillips, around the same time. 

In 1988, the marriage with Phillips ended. Scialfa and Springsteen began dating not long after, and they had their first son, Evan, in 1990. They married in 1991 and had their daughter, Jessica, the same year. Their youngest son Sam was born in 1994 and has grown up to become a firefighter.

Due to how soon Springsteen began seeing Scialfa after he separated from Phillips, there is some speculation that their relationship began before he was officially divorced. Read on to learn more about this potential scandal and to hear what Springsteen had to say about it.

Springsteen is lauded as one of the greatest musicians of all time, but he credits his mother for making him the man he is today. The singer shared with The Guardian:

"I guess, really… I probably learned the best answers to that from my mother. My mother was basically decent, compassionate, strong, and wilful. She insisted on creating a world where she could make her children feel as safe as possible, even though she certainly had her faults in that area. But she was consistent. You could count on her. Day after day after day. And she was very strong. The best part of me picked up a lot of those characteristics and I struggle to live up to them today. So I think dependability, strength, willfulness… put in the service of something good – those are the things that matter to me."

The star had a relatively happy childhood but has described it as being tumultuous at times. "I think I was a little unusual in that I went into rock'n'roll music to create order out of my life," he said. "My younger life felt rather chaotic, so I was in search of some stability, actually, some order."

When he was young, Springsteen found solace in music, and it helped him feel less invisible. "Suddenly I was able to make a very loud noise, and a noise that was not so easy to ignore," he explained. "I had my little rock'n'roll band and we were playing to a small gym full of dancers and their friends, and they immediately looked at you as a presence in their lives."

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In the book “Racing in the Street: The Bruce Springsteen Reader,” the artist opens up about the time in his life when he was breaking up with Phillips and beginning his relationship with Scialfa. Even though he was criticized, Springsteen stated that he largely ignored the assumptions, and said that no one has the right to judge another person for who they love.

Springsteen also commented in his autobiography that when he was married to Phillips, he was still overcoming personal hardships from growing up with a distant father and this caused him to act out against those who loved him. “There was a part of me, a significant part, that was capable of great carelessness and emotional cruelty,” he wrote, according to Daily Mail. “That wanted to wound and hurt and make sure those who loved me paid for it.”

According to People, a close friend said: “I think maybe Bruce is not handling the pressure of being such a big star. He talks about scruples and commitment, but the sad thing is, that he’s having an affair. People think it’s okay because he’s such a big star. But this is his wife he’s hurting. It’s chickens—of him to leave the country and leave Julianne holding this. Maybe now people will see that the Boss is human.”

Ultimately, whether or not there was an overlap between the two relationships seems to be overshadowed by the long-term partnership between Springsteen and Scialfa. The singer shared, "We've been together for 30 years. That's a long – you've shared a lot. You know, Patti's been at the center of my life for the entire second half of my life ... and an enormous amount of guidance and inspiration and you know, I can't overstate it. You know, it's, I've been lucky.”

What do you think about Springsteen’s relationship with Scialfa? Are you a fan of his music? Let us know and feel free to send this along to your friends and family.