Springsteen met Joey Ramone in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Ramone asked Bruce to write a song for his band, The Ramones. Springsteen wrote “Hungry Heart” that night but decided to keep it.
The song was on the album The River. The album peaked a #1 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1980. ‘Hungry Heart’ peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100 in 1980. This was Springsteen’s first top 10 hit.