Bruce Springsteen has a bone to pick with the movie ‘Jaws’

Bruce Springsteen had some words to say at the 2026 MoMA film benefit, and he happened to go after one of my favorite movies of all time.

To be clear, it was all in good fun.

As someone who came up at the Jersey Shore, The Boss had a very specific grievance with the original summer blockbuster, ‘Jaws.’

Matt Cosby, Getty Images

“In June of 1975 I went to a small theater directly across from the Atlantic Ocean and I saw ‘Jaws.’ I was 25 years old and one of the great pleasures on the Jersey shore in 1975 was night swimming,” Bruce said.

Preferably naked on one of those 90 degree, 80% humidity August Jersey nights preferably with someone you wanted to have sex with. There was nothing like it, after the bars closed, you’d have a few drinks and you’d make a night swim.

Gee, Bruce, was that the kind of ‘Dancing in the Dark’ you were referring to?

“Steven Spielberg f***ed that up.”

Monica Schipper, Getty Images

After a pause for laughter, The Boss continues, “he f***ed it up good.”

And who could say he’s wrong?

The opening scene of the 1975 classic where Chrissy dives into the shark filled water while the guys she was trying to seduce drunkenly passes out on the shore is utterly bone-chilling.

I ask myself, many times over the years… why? Why would a nice man like that… why would he do that?

The simple answer, my fellow Freehold native, is ‘to give us one of the best movies of all time,’ but I have to agree with him that it definitely changed the way people feel about going in the water.

a great white shark swimming in the ocean

I would argue ‘Jaws’ is one of the scariest movies of all time in terms of how it affected the way multiple generations feel about going in the ocean.

Though I guess it affects us all differently.

Maybe the ‘Born to Run’ singer would feel differently if he knew he shared his name with the animatronic shark used in the movie: legend has it that Speilberg referred to it as “Bruce.”

If he knew that then down the shore everything would be alright.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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