"Bruce Springsteen Songs," a luxurious coffee-table book chock-full of Springsteen's recorded lyrics and portraits of the artist as a young man, is due for publication this fall by Avon Books. The ...

For close to a half-century, anyone who trusts lyric sheets and official artist websites has been certain of one thing: In Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road,” Mary’s dress waves, and it does not sway.

The song title “Independence Day” has popped up several times in music history, attached to significant songs. Writers understand that listeners expect something patriotic and upbeat when that phrase ...