Art is not always for art’s sake — it’s sometimes the artists’ way of expressing their thoughts with social or political concerns. Many names in the rock scene used their music to convey their beliefs or urge their fans to take action for their country’s political state. For instance, The Beatles wrote ‘Imagine,’ the Who wrote ‘Baba O’Riley,’ and Bob Dylan wrote ‘The Times They Are a-Changin.’ These songs were like anthems back in the day, but they are still considered relevant in today’s world.
Bruce Springsteen is also one of those artists with socially and politically conscious songs. He has written a significant number of songs over the years and saw the change in the society as well as the political state of America. So, it was inevitable for Springsteen, an outspoken person about his political stance, to reflect these in his lyrics. Besides ‘Wrecking Ball,’ the angriest album in his music catalog, there was a highly-political song The Boss wrote that many of his fans misunderstood.
Released in 1984, ‘Born In The U.S.A’ is one of his most successful records. The album cover is also iconic on its own, featuring a picture of Springsteen facing the American flag. While the Boss is identified with his American nationalism, he saw many issues in the country’s social and political state. He tried to express his disillusionment with the American dream with the title song, but it has long been misinterpreted.
Yes, he wrote ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ as a title song for a film that Paul Schrader planned to make. When these plans were put on a shelf, the musician made casual demos of the song at home. In the following years, he recorded an acoustic version of ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ for his ‘Nebraska’ album. However, the song wasn’t included in the album and ended up in a self-titled record with a different version.
Looking through ‘Born In The U.S.A.’s lyrics, the song appears to be a feel-good song and a tribute to American ideals. This is mainly due to the dominant tone of the song’s chorus, which sounds like a proud declaration of American nationality. However, the truth is far from that. According to many sources, ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ is one of the most misinterpreted songs in music history.
When you look closely, what Springsteen actually intended to do was to bring forward the economic hardships Vietnam veterans faced when they returned home. The lines ‘Come back home to the refinery / Hiring man says, ‘Son if it was up to me’ / I go down to see the V.A. man / He said, ‘Son, don’t you understand?” are a clear example of his real intention. However, the conservative columnist George Will and America’s then-president Ronald Reagan declared the song as a ‘song of hope.’
Apparently, the Boss tried to create a contrast between the anthemic chorus and the narrative he told in the verses. He wanted to show his fans the emptiness of the American dream by chanting the ’empty’ slogan in the chorus. Instead, many thought the song glorified being an American without thinking much about the lyrics. Although Springsteen’s criticism is apparent, the true meaning of ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ went unnoticed for years.
