He’s got a hungry chart.
A candidate for New Jersey governor posted a doctored list of his “most-listened-to” annual Spotify songs online — falsely claiming all of the top five were by Bruce Springsteen, the congressman admitted in a report.
New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer — who’s accused of fibbing about his fandom to drum up voter support among Boss-loving Garden State residents — tweeted the doctored “Spotify Wrapped” recap on Dec. 6.
The phony personalized chart was created using the music app’s signature yellow background and features the Jersey rock legend’s tunes “Thunder Road,” “Because the Night,” “Glory Days,” ” “Badlands” and “The Rising.”
“No surprises here….Fun fact: my first ever concert was at Meadowlands to see The Boss!” Gottheimer, 49, wrote in the X post.
But observers soon pointed out the font of his recap list was different than other Spotify Wrapped uploads — calling into question if it was real.
“Did Gottheimer’s campaign fake a Spotify Wrapped to curry favor with fans of The Boss? The things you do to win an election in this state,” Matt Arco, a politics reporter for NJ.com wrote on X.
“This is a fake,” another user wrote under Gottheimer’s post.
Pressed about the suspicious list, Gottheimer (D- Bergen County) confessed the music stats were bogus.
“This would be my Spotify Wrapped if I didn’t share my account with my 12- and 15-year-old kids,” he told NJ.com.“While it’s Springsteen all day for me — don’t get me wrong, I still love listening to Taylor Swift!”
He later tweeted, “This was a fun holiday tweet. It’s a joke to question my Springsteen creds, just ask my dog named Rosalita!”
When the congressman announced he was running for governor last month, he took the podium to the Springsteen classic “Glory Days” as supporters cheered.
Gottheimer also name-drops the Boss on campaign’s website, saying he spent his childhood “catching a Springsteen show every chance he could get.”
A rep for Gottheimer said the congressman’s social media team put the graphic together as a playful end-of-year post, and that his most-listened-to Spotify artist of the year really is Springsteen.
Other most-listened-to artists include Billy Joel, Drake, Travis Scott and Taylor Swift because he shares the account with his family, the rep said.
“I’ve never been in the car with him when he wasn’t listening to Bruce Springsteen,” the rep told The Post. “I’ve never met someone who’s more of a fan.”
Springsteen was born in Long Branch, NJ and has become a beloved symbol of the state’s working class chops and rallying cry for many residents.
Spotify Wrapped is a data-based campaign that provides a personalized recap of users annual listening habits.
The post NJ Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a gubernatorial candidate, roasted for faking Spotify stats to look like a Bruce Springsteen superfan appeared first on New York Post.
