By: Eric Mulligan
In early 1982, Bruce Springsteen recorded an acoustic demo of what would become one of his most popular and recognizable songs: “Born in the U.S.A.”, which features a deceptively patriotic chorus but whose verses describe the struggles of a Vietnam War veteran returning home.
On June 4, 1984, Springsteen’s album of the same name was released, featuring a reworked version of the song that had a much more upbeat and anthemic sound, but retained the earlier version’s somber lyrical content. The album would go on to become a massive critical and commercial success, with its numerous singles seeing heavy radio play.
On September 19, 1984, during a reelection campaign speech in Hammonton, New Jersey, President Ronald Reagan committed what turned out to be something of a tactical error by name-dropping the Jersey-born rocker.
Reagan’s words on behalf of Springsteen were as follows: “America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts. It rests in the message of hope in songs of a man so many young Americans admire, New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about.”
Anyone who knows anything about Springsteen’s personal politics should find the association incongruous. Albums like his 1982 solo effort “Nebraska” have about as sunny a view of trickle-down-style economics as George Orwell’s novel “Animal Farm” does of Stalinism. And sure enough, the incident prompted music fans, and the American press, to express skepticism about the authenticity of the president’s interest in Springsteen.
The Bruce Springsteen of 1984 was by no means the public figure that he is today. As a Springsteen fan in 2020, it is impossible for me to separate “The Boss” from his left-leaning political ideology. The lyrical content of most of his music, but especially some of the deeper tracks, reflect generally progressive opinions, as do his regular political activism and his public endorsement of former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
But Reagan and his re-election organization had about 35 fewer years of Springsteen knowledge to work with than me. To them, Bruce Springsteen was little more than a young American rocker with an energetic hit song called “Born in the U.S.A.”, and they could consult neither the Politics subsection of Springsteen’s Wikipedia page nor his back catalog on Spotify to correct their impression of his fervent patriotism.
But is that impression really so inaccurate? It is true that “Born in the U.S.A.” certainly does not have a “message of hope” like Reagan described in his speech. Its message criticizes the lack of opportunities and assistance available to working-class Americans returning from the horrors of war.
As longtime Springsteen fan and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told NPR, the song’s refrain “felt like a celebration of being born in the U.S.A. when, really, it’s a defiant song about ‘I was born in the U.S.A., and I deserve better than what I’m getting’”. However, one could argue that in criticizing certain aspects of America, Springsteen is being extremely patriotic.
Patriotism is often thought of as a devotion to or love for one’s country. What is constructive criticism if not a form of devotion? People who express discontent with aspects of their country are often accused of being unpatriotic, but in my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. Those individuals’ desires to change their country for what they believe to be the better represent a high degree of devotion to the country itself. If they truly did not care about their country, why would they fight to improve it? Why would Bruce Springsteen release a song that shines a light on America’s poor treatment of blue-collar war veterans if not to bring about positive change?
It would be naive to suggest that “Born in the U.S.A.” is simply a complaint screamed into the void, and it would be ignorant of the nuances of art to declare that its elements of criticism make it unpatriotic. If a song could only be patriotic by showing nothing but unceasing national support, the American “patriotic” songbook would consist of little else than the national anthem, anthem-like standards such as “America, the Beautiful”, and possibly Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”.
A looser definition of patriotism, however, could arguably lead to the inclusion of most of Springsteen’s discography. From his 1973 debut album “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” onwards, he has been a balladeer of the everyman, turning out countless songs about the ups and downs of working-class life in America and consequently raising national awareness of the very real problems those songs described. Even the ostensibly more mainstream “Born in the U.S.A.” included its fair share of realistic, character-driven tracks; “Darlington County”, “Working on the Highway”, “Downbound Train”, and “Bobby Jean” could have easily appeared on “Nebraska” if not for their rock ‘n roll instrumentation.
In 1995, Springsteen released “The Ghost of Tom Joad”, a somber acoustic album very much in the vein of “Nebraska.” The title track uses the character of Tom Joad from John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath” as a symbol for all those who have been let down by the harsh reality of the American dream. The picture it paints of American life is not a flattering one, but it is sadly accurate, and it does a service to Tom Joad’s modern-day counterparts by raising awareness of their difficult situation. In this way, “The Ghost of Tom Joad” is one of his more patriotic albums.
Springsteen’s 2002 comeback album “The Rising” had every right to be the most blatantly patriotic, America-centered album in his catalog, but it somehow managed to become something more. Composed primarily in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001, the album certainly makes many references to Americans’ experiences both during and after the attacks. However, many of the album’s themes run deeper than just the events of 9/11. The song “Nothing Man” addresses the issue of survivor’s guilt and is poignant whether viewed in the context of a first responder or a military veteran. “My City of Ruins” could be about either a typical American city struggling through an economic depression or a post-9/11 New York City.
While these themes of crisis and strife are certainly relatable, “The Rising”’s true magic comes from the universality of its messages of uplift. These messages are in no way specific to the United States; for example, the song “Worlds Apart” features a strong Middle Eastern influence. Upon its release, “The Rising” provided America with a source of comfort and empowerment in the wake of national tragedy, but it continues to strengthen and encourage listeners that are dealing with problems, both large and small, today.
Anyone who doubts Bruce Springsteen’s patriotism need look no further than his massive “Live 1975-85” compilation album. In addition to showcasing live versions of his greatest hits of the time, some of which are bookended by his intimate musings on their subject matter or his past, the album contains several covers. One of them, Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” – which has incidentally come to acquire a similar reputation to the “America, the Beautiful” esque songs that were mentioned earlier – is introduced by Springsteen as originally being “an angry song.” He goes on to describe how it was written in response to the blind patriotism of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. Guthrie wished to correct the flaws he perceived in Berlin’s work by writing a song in a similar vein with more realism, much like the work of “the Boss” tries to authentically capture American life.
Springsteen finishes the introduction by remarking that it is “just about one of the most beautiful songs ever written” and knowing the love he has for his country and its people, it’s easy to see why he would think so. And after he starts to play, it’s easy to hear why he would think so too.
Eric Mulligan can be reached at [email protected].