‘Born in the U.S.A.’
A Reason To Smile
Forty years ago this weekend, Bruce Springsteen began a concert tour with a new song and a new album. The title cut off the album, “Born in the U.S.A.,” would become one of his most iconic songs, and the album was destined to be his all-time bestseller.
Despite its rousing chorus, which Springsteen screamed into the microphone night after night for the 16 months of the tour, “Born in the U.S.A.” may be one of the most misunderstood songs of all time. President Ronald Reagan, certainly a Republican, latched onto the chorus for its apparently patriotic bent. But the lyrics tell a much different and darker tale. It is a story of the problems encountered and endured by a veteran returning from Vietnam. Springsteen didn’t want any part of Reagan’s right-wing agenda of cutting welfare and restricting abortion. Sound familiar? As Springsteen tells it, the song was “a demand for a ‘critical’ patriotic voice along with pride of birth.”
Reagan said that he and Springsteen shared the same American dream. The singer strongly disagreed, telling a concert crowd one night in Pittsburgh, “In the beginning, the idea was we all live here a little bit like a family where the strong can help the weak ones, the rich can help the poor ones … I don’t think it was, everybody was going to make a billion dollars, but that everybody was going to have an opportunity and a chance to live a life with some decency and some dignity.”
We featured The Boss a few months ago, but after a week when the future of democracy took one on the chin, we thought what better time to celebrate what this country means to so many of us. Whether you were born here, or as they say in Texas, got here as quick as you could, the rock and roll anthem always brings me a smile. So, crank up the volume and feel free to sing as loud as your family can stand.
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Stay Steady,
Dan
On 11-22-16, President Obama awarded Bruce Springsteen the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award. “I’m president, but he’s The Boss.” Yes indeed.
“The best music is essentially there to provide you with something to face the world with.” - Springsteen
Dan, you brighten the darkest day. I admire you for your honesty , integrity and your love, not just of America, but of the American people. All of them!