NJ Democrat Admits He Faked His Spotify Wrapped To Be All Springsteen Songs

Like many New Jersey politicians who came before him, state Representative Josh Gottheimer (D), who announced he was running for governor last month, professes to be a huge fan of Garden State native Bruce Springsteen.

Gottheimer says as much on his campaign website, noting how he grew up “catching a Springsteen show every chance he could get (and still does!).” At his campaign rally, the rep took to the stage to The Boss’s song, “Glory Days.”

Springsteen is one of the most famous musicians to come out of New Jersey and frequently expresses pride in his roots.

Most recently, Gottheimer shared a snapshot of his Spotify Wrapped top five songs he purportedly listened to this year. All five were from Springsteen: “Thunder Road,” “Because the Night,” “Glory Days,” “Badlands,” and “The Rising.”

“No surprises here,” the gubernatorial candidate wrote in the X caption. “Fun fact: My first ever concert was at Meadowlands to see The Boss!”

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Nothing seemed amiss until Monday when a writer for the New Jersey Monitor’s newsletter noted some discrepancies in the photo shared in Gottheimer’s post. These small details called the Spotify Wrapped recap into question, and many wondered if it was a fake.

For example, the “g” in “Your top songs” looked different than the “g” Spotify uses. The numerals, spacing, and resolution also didn’t look quite right.

????Lol. h/t @terrencemcd pic.twitter.com/pRh61vRvsO

— Matt Arco (@MatthewArco) December 9, 2024

Gottheimer was contacted on Monday about the allegations, which led him to admit that he had fabricated his top five.

“This would be my Spotify Wrapped if I didn’t share my account with my 12 and 15-year-old kids,” Gottheimer said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. “While it’s Springsteen all day for me — don’t get me wrong, I still love listening to Taylor Swift!”

Gottheimer’s plan to connect with residents seems to have backfired. The original X post is still up, and commenters are letting him have it.

“Faking a Spotify wrapped list…embarrassing,” one person wrote in reply.

“This points to a larger problem…if you lie about this what else do you also lie about? RESIGN!” another said.

“Lying isn’t a choice for democrats. It’s a requirement,” a third person agreed.

New Jersey politicians frequently mention their love of Springsteen. Last year, Democratic Governor Phil Murphy declared September 23, the musician’s birthday, “Bruce Springsteen Day” in the state. 

Former Republican Governor Chris Christie is also a huge fan of Springsteen and, according to NJ.com, had the B Street Band, a tribute band to the singer, play at his inaugural gala in 2010. 

Springsteen is popular among conservatives for writing music that resonates with blue-collar workers, but he is a staunch liberal. In 2024, he endorsed Kamala Harris for president and called Republican nominee Donald Trump the “most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime.”