# Is Courtney Cox more famous than Bruce Springsteen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [November 23, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586 "2023-11-23T16:12:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/81 "2023-11-25T00:08:00Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > If you hate that Born in the USA rasp, give a listen to anything from _Greetings From Asbury Park_ or _The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle_(My personal favorite Bruce record.) Thanks, that’s really useful advice. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/82 "2023-11-25T00:47:23Z")
And for something more recent (he was 67 when they debuted this song on SNL). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ld1cXemQ3UQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Bruce Springsteen - Meet Me in the City (Live on SNL)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld1cXemQ3UQ) ---
**Author:** ![gre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@gre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gre)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/83 "2023-11-25T01:48:44Z")
I remember the intro to _Misfits of Science_, but not the episodes themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/84 "2023-11-25T02:16:20Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Most people who hate Springsteen’s voice are heavily influenced by that hoarse, phlegmy, rasp shouting on Born in the USA. Well - I don’t know of folk who say they dislike his voice today, but I guarantee that the folk who said it when Born to Run and Darkness came out weren’t influenced by Born to Run! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/85 "2023-11-25T03:35:36Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > _The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle_(My personal favorite Bruce record.) One of my favorite too… I’ve fallen deeply out of love with “Incident on 57th St” (except for the transition into Rosalita) but every other track is a little bit of magic. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/86 "2023-11-25T05:56:29Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I’m guessing you must absolutely hate Tom Waits! No. It’s not the gravelly-ness I dislike. I’m a fan of Waits, and of various Goth singers with deep or rumbly voices. It’s the sounding constipated part. It’s hard to describe, but Springsteen and Dylan have it, and Waits doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/87 "2023-11-25T06:10:45Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I don’t think anyone in this thread has mentioned the first _Ace Ventura_ movie yet. Courteney Cox was in that, and it was a pretty big hit at the time. Interesting how quickly some things are forgotten. She was also Alex’s girlfriend on Family Ties. It was the later years, but still a popular show. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/88 "2023-11-25T11:24:08Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Then Born in the USA hit, he got hugely popular, and I didn’t hear people saying that anymore (even tho I didn’t like most of Born in the USA was the first vinyl I ever bought, and I bought it soon after it came out. My mom told her friend, and her friend made the same observation that Springsteen’s voice is horrible. Friend would have been approximately 50 years old at the time, and was active in church choir and her son, then in high school, is a trained opera singer (tenor). I would consider Bruce Springsteen more famous outside of the US. More people are more likely to listen to US music than to bother watching a US television show. I think some of his songs are also popular for karaoke. At least I know what I’ll be listening to later today - haven’t listened to any Bruce Springsteen for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/89 "2023-11-25T12:00:52Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I guarantee that the folk who said it when Born to Run and Darkness came out weren’t influenced by Born [In the USA]! Obvious brainfart. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/90 "2023-11-25T14:03:03Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > I would consider Bruce Springsteen more famous outside of the US. More people are more likely to listen to US music than to bother watching a US television show. I don’t know if you’re saying that the popularity ranking for Bruce Springsteen is higher in other countries than in the U.S. or if you’re saying that, outside of the U.S., Courtney Cox is more famous than Bruce Springsteen. I don’t know whether either one of those claims is true. YouGov exists for nine countries outside the U.S. doing, I think, the same sort of ranking that it does in the U.S. Perhaps it’s possible to check about this using their rankings for those countries. I also don’t know if it’s true that people outside of the U.S. do more listening to American music than watching American television shows. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/91 "2023-11-25T20:46:05Z")
> [@pirviii](#): > > She was also Alex’s girlfriend on Family Ties. I was going to mention that. She had also appeared on one episode of _Seinfeld_ as Jerry’s girlfriend-of-the-week. Of the six _Friends_ cast members, Cox was the one who was somewhat well-known at the time it premiered. She already had a fairly solid sitcom track record behind her, while the others were largely unknowns (with the possible exception of Lisa Kudrow, who had a recurring role on _Mad About You_). ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/92 "2023-11-25T21:55:13Z")
But i don’t remember her acting skills ever being extolled. She was called cute, fetching, attractive, well cast, but did anyone ever accuse her of acting? She was basically eye candy, in the Springsteen video, in Friends, in Scream but not especially talented in any role. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/93 "2023-11-25T22:03:01Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > But i don’t remember her acting skills ever being extolled. She was called cute, attractive, well cast, but did anyone ever accuse her of acting? She’s received five People’s Choice Award nominations (and won one), two Saturn Award nominations, and a bunch of other nominations. She may not be a Meryl Streep, she may not have even been the best actor on _Friends_, but I think your statement is ill-founded. > **[Courteney Cox | Awards and honors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courteney_Cox#Awards_and_honors)** > > 1.1995: Honored as the Female Discovery of the Year by the Golden Apple Awards. | > 2.2010: Honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Women's Image Network. | > 3.2010: Honored with the Lucy Award by the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards. | > 4.2023: Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/94 "2023-11-25T22:03:35Z")
I remember her as being less popular than Jennifer Anniston. I didn’t watch _Friends_ but I knew Anniston better than Cox, in fact I think I only know the name Courteney Cox from more recent coverage. I would have been able to identify her as an actress on that sitcom, but I don’t think I would have known her name. At that age (teens), I couldn’t have told you who Springsteen was, either. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/95 "2023-11-25T22:04:28Z")
I would say Anniston, Kudrow and Schwimmer were the standouts. Though I stopped watching the series long before it ended. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2023, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/96 "2023-11-25T22:58:04Z")
To nitpick myself, her first name is spelled Courteney, not Courtney. There’s a Courtney Cox that’s listed in the IMDb, but that’s a different person. She’s a guitarist who’s appeared in three videos of her band. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/97 "2023-11-26T00:57:28Z")
I’ve been saying that repeatedly this whole thread, it’s a lost cause brother. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/98 "2023-11-26T03:03:05Z")
It’s not our fault that she spells it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/99 "2023-11-26T03:36:39Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > I would consider Bruce Springsteen more famous outside of the US. More people are more likely to listen to US music than to bother watching a US television show. I think some of his songs are also popular for karaoke. I’ve only ever lived in non-US countries (Britain, China and Sweden, from longest to shortest duration), and everywhere I’ve been _Friends_ was a massive phenomenon. Of course, it’s receding in interest now, but the Friends Reunion still broke viewing records in multiple countries around the world. Meanwhile Bruce Springsteen…honestly, before this thread, I would have recognized the name, but if you had asked me to name one of his songs I would have _very hesitantly_ said Born in the USA with a rising inflection, and stopped there. And I’m an old-ish (44) Westerner. It’s not even close IMHO. And again, none of this is to disparage BS’ music…it’s not really to my taste but I’m making no statement about who deserves fame more or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2023, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586/100 "2023-11-26T03:43:52Z")
I’m curious about this. I lived in Hungary from '98 - '03, and _Friends_ was something unknown in the culture. But, as I mentioned above, Bruce Springsteen was. Same with my experiences in Poland. But that was twenty years ago. Things may have changed a lot, and the world is a big place. (The American sitcoms I remember being on TV when I was there were “Married With Children” and, for whatever reason “Sledgehammer.”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-courtney-cox-more-famous-than-bruce-springsteen/993586.md?page=6)