Songwriting a fleeting thing for 'The Boss' Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen says he hasn't written new music in two years.

The Boss admits he can go for long periods without getting a desire to put pen to paper to write lyrics, and hasn't penned anything since 2022.

"Songs don't come that often," he is quoted by Entertainment Weekly as saying at the Los Angeles premiere of his new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

"I've gone two years without writing anything."

By contrast his latest LP, 2020's Letter to You, was swiftly penned in just two weeks and recorded in a matter of days.

The album was written following the loss of his lifelong friend and bandmate George Theiss, who died in 2018 following a battle with cancer at the age of 68.

"I came back from George's, and he filled me with something," he said.

"I think all of Letter to You was written in about two weeks and recorded in four days."

Meanwhile, the Born in the USA hitmaker has vowed to keep performing "until the wheels fall off".

In a trailer for the film, he says: "Since I was 16, playing live has been a deep and lasting part of who I am and how I justify my existence here on earth."

Springsteen subsequently reflected on performing alongside the same line-up for the last 40 years.

The award-winning musician also insisted that he doesn't have any plans to retire from the music business.

"I plan on continuing until the wheels fall off, and for as long as the audience will follow me. That's my job," he said.

In August, Springsteen promised his fans that he won't be slowing down in the coming years.

The chart-topping star - who has battled some health issues in recent times - suggested that he still loves performing live as much as he ever has.

He told fans during a show in Philadelphia: "We've been around 50 f***ing years, and we ain't quitting! We ain't doing no farewell tour bull****! Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for the E Street Band!"

Springsteen also admitted that he still relished the experience of performing live in front of his adoring fans.

The Dancing in the Dark hitmaker - who is known for his energetic live performances, which can last for more than four hours - said: "Farewell to what? Thousands of people screaming your name. That's all it takes. I ain't going anywhere."