Bruce Springsteen has spoken out against the George W. Bush years, claiming that the president's period in power was a "nightmare" for most Americans.

"Everything got broken," the singer told Observer Music Monthly.

Springsteen, an open supporter of President-elect Barack Obama, said the US is "suffering the consequences" of eight years of rule by a "very radical group of people".

"We had a historically blind administration who didn't take consideration of the past; thousands of thousands of people died, lives were ruined and terrible, terrible things occurred because there was no sense of real history, no sense that the past is living and real," he said.

Springsteen, whose 16th studio album Working In A Dream is released later this month, went on to praise US citizens for turning out to have their say on November 4.