The movie is inspired by the life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor and his love of the works of Bruce Springsteen. It is based on Manzoor's memoir "Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N' Roll".
The song "Blinded by the Light" was originally written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen for his debut album "Greetings from Asbury Park N.J." (1973). Springsteen himself states that the most important lyric of the song is the final line: "Mama told me not to look into the sights of the sun, but mama that's where the fun is."
The Bruce Springsteen song "I'll Stand By You" was previously written for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) but ultimately wasn't used for the movie. It was then leaked in 2016 but this film's soundtrack marks the first official release of the song.
Rob Brydon, who plays Matt's Dad, is a Bruce Springsteen fan in real life and in January 2018 surprised regulars at the Half Moon in Putney by singing a version of "Thunder Road" with singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph.
During the "Born to Run" sequence, when the main characters are dancing to the boom box in the town square, a quick crowd shot shows Sarfraz Manzoor with his wife and kids (tall grayish curly hair and blonde wife). Sarfraz is the author of the book "Greetings from Bury Park" on which this film is based.