Many people, probably most Dopers in fact, know that Courtney Cox got her start in show business in Springsteen’s “Dancin In The Dark” video. On its face, the question in the title seems ridiculous. But Cox was on a number one rated show for 10 years. She then had her own show “Cougar Town” for 5 years. Is it fair to say that her popularity, however that is measured, has exceeded Springsteen’s? If either were to walk out on the sidewalk of any given world city, I’m not sure that Cox might be the more recognizable of the two.
Springsteen is more famous, to answer your OP. Cox might be more recognizable on the sidewalk, but that’s a whole other thing.
In the U.S., I suspect that Springsteen is more famous overall. That said, I know that a lot of younger people enjoy watching Friends reruns, but I don’t know how many of them are really familiar with Springsteen or his music, so it’s possible that, for those under 30 or so, Cox might actually be better-known.
Outside the U.S., I imagine their relative fame will be dependent on how popular Springsteen’s music is/was in a particular country, versus whether Friends got a lot of play in that country.
I’d say it’s a generational thing for 90s kids who grew up with Friends (even those like me who weren’t that into Friends, it was so culturally ubiquitous that you couldn’t avoid Courtney Cox, et al) she is. But for those older and younger than us, she’s just that actress who was in that 90s comedy and went on to have a fairly unspectacular Hollywood career, whereas Springsteen is a legend (even for those who aren’t particularly into his music he’s a recognizable star)
I wonder how many Springsteen songs an average 30 year old could name.
Eleven.
After the endless fawning coverage of Matthew Perry’s death, you’d think all the Friends gang was the second coming of Elvis. So maybe Cox is more famous than Bruce.
I think you have the Boss confused with Spinal Tap.
She’s 59, he’s 74. It’s possible nobody under 30 is familiar with either one. She could get mistaken for Demi Moore or Caitlyn Jenner, he’s still the Boss.
I’m not sure exactly how it started, but when I was in high school my family would occasionally be asked to watch certain TV shows before their on-air premier, and give feedback on them. (I think NBC had a deal with our cable system.) One of them was Misfits of Science, an odd sci-fi comedy/adventure about a crew of individuals with supernatural powers. It ran for 16 episodes in 1985. Courtney Cox was in it, and I think I saw that before the Dancing in the Dark video.
According to IMDb, the video was first, but not by much. I seem to remember recognizing her when I saw it the first time.
I can’t remember all the other shows we were asked to preview; I know Night Court was one of them. A friend of mine saw Miami Vice before the premiere.
I was a huge fan of Springsteen in the late 1970s, and now I don’t know how it would take me to come up with eleven titles of his songs.
Perhaps, but Cox’s fame was from a primarily visual medium, while Springsteen’s was primarily audio. If you heard the two of them performing without seeing them, I’m sure Springsteen would be more recognizable.
I’d say Springsteen’s name is more famous than Cox’s, but Courtney’s face is probably more recognizable than Bruce’s.
Does that make sense?
Just asked my 19 year old grandson who he would recognize. His response was “Who is Courtney Cox?” He knows Springsteen from Born in the USA.
My high schooler had no idea who either of them was, but thinks Bruce Springsteen sounds familiar.
Yeah, I agree.
I wonder if he’d recognize “Monica from Friends?”
I know who both are but I don’t know if I would recognize either of them on the street today. Cox doesn’t look like she did 20 years ago which is the only way I see her in Friends reruns. Springsteen I don’t follow and could probably only recognize from his old 80s videos so I wouldn’t be able to identify him either.
Doesn’t it depend on how one is measuring ‘fame’?
Is it how many people across various generations recognize the person? In just the U.S., or throughout the world? In that case it may be Cox, since she’s worked in a more visual medium so she may be more readily recognizable. But I bet I’d recognize Springsteen’s singing voice more easily than Cox’s 
Is It how much money they’ve made, or how much they’re worth? No idea on that front who wins, and I don’t feel like looking it up. Let’s call it a draw, since I don’t think money should be a measure of fame anyway.
Is it how well respected or regarded they are in their respective artistic / career choices? In that case, nothing against Cox’s acting, but I’d definitely give Bruce the win there.
I’m 47 and I could only name “Born in the USA” at the top of my head. Which makes me feel kind of dumb since I also know “Dancing in the Dark” which was the video Cox was in. I can recognize many of his songs when I hear the title. Oddly enough, I think of Springsteen as an 80s rock star because his most famous album dropped in 1984 and tend to forget he’d been singing for many years before that.
I admit it, I’m more likely to recognize Courtney Cox than I am Bruce Stringsteen if I passed by them on the street. I used to watch Friends every week and only saw Springsteen when his video played on VH-1 or MTV.