Rock ’n’ roll heroes are supposed to be supernovas — exploding stars that flame out in bursts of thrilling light and flying debris. What about those, then, who stick around?

At 63, Bruce Springsteen still makes interesting and popular records, and he jumps, struts, and sweats onstage with the E Street Band with nearly the same earnest abandon he did back in 1975, when the release of the album “Born to Run” secured his place in the pop pantheon. Many rock acts linger thanks to nostalgic retroactive marketing of their wild-and-crazy old days, but as Peter Ames Carlin makes clear in this comprehensive new biography, Springsteen’s enduring appeal comes out of a decidedly unglamorous combination of clean living, good intentions, and hard work.