This week in 1980, as “The River” tour rolled into New York for its legendary New Year’s run at Nassau Coliseum, Bruce had another reason to celebrate: “Hungry Heart” had climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written overnight after Joey Ramone asked him for a song, and kept at Jon Landau’s urging, it became his “first real top 10 smash” (in Bruce’s words) — introducing new audiences to “The River” and cementing his pop sensibility. | Bruce Springsteen

Bruce kicked off the holiday season in a lasting way, on this day 50 years ago, performing “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” at C.W. Post during the “Born to Run” tour — a bit of concert magic that grew into the holiday tradition we know today. Happy Holidays from everyone on E Street! | Bruce Springsteen