Identity of Woman on Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Hungry Heart’ Cover Has Been Revealed
Bruce Springsteen's career and music have been written about so extensively that it's difficult to believe there are any questions still waiting to be answered about his classic records, but it's true, and we've just been granted the answer to one of the oldest Boss-related mysteries.
Specifically, if you've ever looked at the cover of Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" single and wondered about the woman on the bicycle in the background, her identity has now been revealed courtesy of the Asbury Park Coaster, where reporter Joseph Sapia delves into the history of the cover shot — starting with the copy Springsteen signed for photographer Joel Bernstein, writing, "Who was that girl?"
It wasn't until sometime later in the '80s that New Jersey resident Annmarie Solimini Adderley realized she was the one straddling her bike while leaning into the payphone in the shot — and it wasn't until earlier this year that a Facebook discussion among a group of Springsteen fans led to Adderley tracking Bernstein down and reaching out to him.
"People were commenting if this girl ever claimed her fame," Adderley tells the Coaster. "My girlfriend emailed me, ‘They’re talking about you.’"
According to Adderley, she didn't recognize Springsteen at the shoot and didn't realize what she was pedaling into; similarly, Bernstein looks back on her sudden presence in the background of the shot as a serendipitous bit of happenstance that ended up adding something extra. After speaking with Adderley and verifying her claim, Bernstein sent her a signed copy.
"Bruce Springsteen and Annmarie Adderley, the mystery girl at the phone booth," reads the inscription on the photo, which is being mounted at the Ocean Park Gallery in Asbury Park. "This print is my gift to you after all these years for inadvertently bicycling into my frame and serendipitously adding a degree of depth and mystery that I could never have come up with on my own."
See Bruce Springsteen and Other Rockers in the Top 100 Albums of the '90s
25 Interesting Rock Movie Facts