“Born in the USA” is a song as patriotic as it is protesting. Its importance in the United States is only compared to what “Inconsciente Colectivo” means to Argentina, “El Baile de los que sobran” to Chile, or “Gimme Tha Power” to Mexico. Considered a “second national anthem,” the musical hit invites you to “move, think, experiment, get angry and fall in love,” as its author and performer explained, Bruce Springsteen.
The song is part of the album of the same name released in June 1984, and reached more than 30 million copies sold around the world. Springsteen at that time was an artist who had graced the covers of the magazine time and Rolling Stone, and fame was not indifferent to him. But when the album was crowned the best-selling album of 1985, her name was positioned alongside megastars like Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna.
Definitely, Born in the USA It became “El Jefe’s” most important album, but it also generated suspicion and “ambivalence.” He avoided playing the title song for several years and when he did, in 1989, he made sure to reinterpret it, to remove the festive air of Rock And Rolland instead, emit a funeral song that confused the people who once sang the chorus with national pride.
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and poet, Springsteen was born into a poor working-class family. His father worked in a factory, while his mother was a receptionist at a law firm. During his adolescence, he did manual labor, such as tarring his neighbor’s roof so he could buy his first guitar.
As he revealed in his memoir, Born to run, growing up during the 1950s was not easy. His father, who suffered from alcoholism and undiagnosed mental problems, was often abusive to Bruce and his family. At 17, her sister became pregnant and the musician decided to take care of her and her boyfriend, and together they lived in New Jersey to build their own future.
For the public, his story can be interpreted as one of the great examples of the “American dream,” but Springsteen himself never held a romantic view of his struggles and sacrifices. On the contrary, he disapproved of the system that restricted his dreams and those of the society in which he grew up.
The lyrics of “Born in USA” focus on an impoverished citizen who is drafted into the Vietnam War. Upon his return, he is greeted with indifference, and like many other young survivors, he faces abandonment from the nation he served, as well as unemployment, discrimination, and disillusionment.
The video clip is both a lament and a tribute. Interspersed with stark 16-millimeter images of a denim-clad Springsteen singing, youthful hope contrasted with adult reality is presented. Birthday parties, carnival rides, and proms are shown alongside long lines at check-cashing stores, military exercises, cemeteries, and factory life.
The scathing criticism of the “American Dream” was direct and clear, but perhaps it was its vibrant rhythm, the catchy melody, or Springsteen’s powerful voice, that for much of the public the song was mentally reduced to the chorus “Born in the USA.” (“Born in the United States”), which was sung over and over again with great nationalist fervor.
Springsteen’s attempt to convey “pain, glory and shame” was used by the Republican Party to “celebrate” the greatness of the United States. From Ronald Reagan until donald trumpthe singer-songwriter forced himself to speak out against the fact that his success was being used to twist its original meaning.
“The Boss” also blamed listeners for not “listening well” to the message he was trying to convey. “To understand that piece of music you need to do what adults are capable of doing, which is to have two contradictory ideas in your mind. You can be proud [del país] and at the same time hold accountable the nation you are happening to. “It is a song that is not necessarily what it seems to be,” she said in a program on the BBC.
Due to the massive popularity that the main song achieved, one can make the mistake of believing that the rest of the 11 songs went unnoticed, but nothing could be further from the truth. The album in its entirety remained on the Billboard 200 for an astonishing 373 weeks, seven of which remained at the top. A year after its release, it won a Grammy for Best Rock Album. He often ranks high on lists of the best in history, such as the rankigs of Rolling Stone and NME.
“Dancing in the Dark”, “Cover Me”, “Downbound Train” and “No Surrender” became classics in their own right. The first was notable for presenting a man who seeks to escape his problems on the dance floor, but who in the end realizes that he cannot escape from himself. It is believed that this issue is related to the severe depression that he experienced in his 30s, which is why he went to therapy for the first time. “Man, I’m tired and bored of myself,” he mentions in a fragment.
“Downbound Train” seethes with pent-up frustration. The protagonist of the song reflects on her life and wonders what he has done with her. The song has an air of sadness and resignation, but also a certain poetic beauty. As an antithesis, “No Surrender” is a defiant statement of resilience and determination. The message is inspiring and maintains a powerful rhythm that makes it one of the favorites on the album.
To encapsulate this complex and nuanced look at American society, the album cover shows Springsteen, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, with his back to the audience and looking at the American flag. The image sparked several theories, including an unusual one that claimed the musician was urinating on the flag. But the musician clarified this misunderstanding and told Rolling Stone that they chose the photo of her butt because “it looked better than the one of her face.”
“This album is about the people of my country. “It’s about his dreams, his frustrations and his search for a place in the world,” Springsteen told Times during its launch. He assured that his intentions were genuine, and he never intended to make an album as transcendent as it turned out. “I just wanted to make a good rock and roll record.”.
