Once Bruce Springsteen got under the skin of the country, it was impossible to shake him. His infectiously catchy rock style jump-started a new movement in the genre—one that continues to inspire today. Despite his growing fame in the late ’70s, some of his peers questioned whether he was taking rock in the right direction. Todd Rundgren decided the answer was a resounding “no” and set out to produce an album to spite Springsteen. Find out which album was made to make fun of The Boss below.

The Album Todd Rundgren Mocked Bruce Springsteen With

In addition to his personal projects, Rundgren was making a name for himself as a producer in the late ’70s. His list of credits was already impressive when he was tapped to produce Meat Loaf’s debut record, Bat Out of Hell.

This project was an ambitious one. The artist decided to retell Peter Pan through the lens of a rock opera, which wouldn’t be an easy ask of any producer. Rundgren agreed to take the challenge, if only to air out his own grievances.

“We’re Going To Do This Again?”

Rundgren took issue with Springsteen’s point of view. He found The Boss’ music to be a half-baked attempt to generate nostalgia among rock fans. While that’s certainly not an opinion that is widely held, Rundgren felt it strongly.

After meeting Meat Loaf and hearing his idea for his debut album, Rundgren saw an opportunity to take this grandiose idea and get in a few jabs at Springsteen with it.

“He was on the cover of Time magazine, as the ‘savior of rock ‘n’ roll,’” Rundgren once said. “And I listened to these long songs, all about the ’50s, and it’s like, ‘Wait a minute…we have to go through this again? The motorcycles? The switchblades? The leather jackets? We’re going to do this again? Oh, hell, no!’”

“So, when I saw Meat Loaf, I said, ‘This is a spoof of Bruce Springsteen, and that’s why I’m doing it,’” he added. “And the rest, as they say, is history.”

Rundgren hasn’t been shy about the fact that he did this. He’s made it very clear through his public comments that this album was, in his mind, for the singular goal of making fun of Springsteen.

“I don’t think I mentioned it while I was making the record, but I’ve done it enough in public,” Rundgren continued. “Meat Loaf must have known that’s what I was thinking. I didn’t care if it succeeded or not; I just wanted to make fun of Bruce Springsteen!”

With this information in mind, revisit Bat Out of Hell below. Can you hear the similarities to Springsteen’s style?

(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAMM)