By the early-1980s Bruce Springsteen was already the defining American rock star of the era.
Blending the presence of early Presley with the word-wizardry of Dylan, at the turn of the decade Springsteen (born Freehold, New Jersey 23/9/49), had seen his standing go from revered songwriter/guitar hero to musical lightning conductor for blue collar attitudes and aspirations.
He would likely explore these same themes on his highly-anticipated next album but such was the timing, preponderance of affecting material and sheer commercial appeal of ‘BORN IN THE U.S.A.’ (June 1984), it elevated Springsteen to the plateau of global phenomenon, selling over 22 million copies through its first year of release. Through a combination of artistic credibility and colossal commercial success, its creator during that moment in time transcended mere stardom to attain cultural resonance not seen since the mid-50s heyday of Frank Sinatra.
His first two albums, ‘Greetings from Asbury Park New Jersey‘ and ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle‘ (1973) both displayed abundant promise, despite on occasion being sidetracked by a lack of focus or overambition. But with the third ‘Born to Run‘ (1975) all the potential claimed on his behalf by fans and critics alike came to bear. While some great L.P.s needed years of critical gestation to be heralded for their accomplishment, within months of appearing the case for ‘Born to Run‘ as the greatest rock record ever created was already being made.
Due to legal issues that involved a change of management, Springsteen was next heard on ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town‘ (1978), a gripping affair that toned down the cityscape romanticism of its predecessors to depict gritty urban snapshots. For the first time Springsteen asserted himself as a guitarist, while behind him his six-strong backing outfit, the E Street Band, once again revealed there was no other rock troupe quite so deft or dynamic.
The live performances during a world tour that followed release of engrossing 1980 double-set ‘The River‘ hoisted his standing to new heights, an in-concert fusion of James Brown and The Who, mixed with his own pure originality, encapsulated the authenticity in which Springsteen presented his music whether on stage or on record.
With ‘Nebraska‘ (1982) he took the bold, if unexpected step of releasing an intimate 10-track set that in essence was a collection of self-played, home produced demos recorded on primitive equipment. The stripped back presentation served the socially-conscious song narratives well, Springsteen confident enough in his judgement to hold in abeyance any number of fine songs written through this period for his next release, where they would take on full E Street Band dimension.
Indeed, the ‘Born in the U.S.A‘ title song along with pieces such as ‘Darlington County‘, ‘Working on the Highway‘, ‘Downbound Train‘ and ‘I’m on Fire‘ were committed to tape in basic form before being developed into big-sound presentations. ‘No Surrender’, ‘Bobby Jean‘, ‘Dancing in the Dark‘ and ‘My Hometown‘ were compositions that came fresh to recording sessions that were completed in March 1984 – this following an 18-month period that eventually brought a final track listing of 12 from the 80 songs reportedly cut.
No matter how many were in contention to be included, it is hard to imagine how Springsteen and his co-producers Chuck Plotkin, manager Jon Landau and soon to be departing E Street band guitarist Steve Van Zandt, could have compiled a more effective selection than the dozen constituting the album as it stands – Springsteen astute enough to follow the stark nature of ‘Nebraska‘ by reintroducing the E Street Band in all their colourful contours, the songs so engaging in their execution that over half were issued as singles, whereupon all reached the U.S. top ten.
As for lyrical subject matter, Springsteen presents episodes of life from a working class ethos, the story-driven context of these tales straightforward in their detail – aside, that is, from the opening title-track which stands as the most misinterpreted song of his career.
Given that many of the tracks are drawn from the same well as those on ‘Nebraska‘, it is no surprise to find Springsteen writing from the perspective of a more journeyed man, his outlook shaped by the sting of experience rather than optimistic innocence. Inspired by ‘Born on the Fourth of July‘, an autobiographical account by former U.S. Marine Ron Kovic of fighting the Vietnam war, the central figure of the instantly compelling opening track is also a veteran of the campaign. His personal travails revolve around losing a brother to the conflict and returning home to a land where he receives thinly disguised apathy for service given:
‘Come back home to the refinery/Hiring man said, “Son, if it was up to me”/Went down to see my V.A. man/He said, “Son, don’t you understand, now?”
Heard gleefully by some at the time, predominantly a number of right-wing politicians, as an endorsement of the United States, Springsteen appears to be offering a more realistic notion of patriotism, love of country tempered by recourse to acknowledging its failings. Adding an emotive synthesizer refrain to their battery of sound, the E Street Band produce a suitably rousing performance in support of impassioned delivery of the lyrics – the protagonist anguished by both his past and future prospects:
‘Down in the shadow of the penitentiary/Out by the gas fires of the refinery/I’m ten years burnin’ down the road/Nowhere to run/Ain’t got nowhere to go/Born in the USA/I was born in the USA/Born in the USA/I’m a long-gone daddy in the USA/Born in the USA/Born in the USA/Born in the USA/I’m a cool rocking daddy in the USA.’
Written with the intention that it would be passed to disco soulstress Donna Summer, Springsteen was persuaded by manager Landau to keep ‘Cover Me‘ for himself – the advice well-heeded as his E Streeters make their presence felt through a sharp-edged track conveying hope the relationship in question will survive.
With overtones of fellow ’80s headliners Prince and Dire Straits audible in the metallic sheen of the production, the portents are initially pessimistic, ‘The times are tough now, just getting tougher/This old world is rough, it’s just getting rougher/Cover me‘ – for now the best course of action is taking refuge from the daily struggle rather than offer reaction:
‘Outside’s the rain, the driving snow/I can hear the wild wind blowing/Turn out the light, bolt the door/I ain’t going out there no more.‘
Bringing first full deployment of the E Street Band in its most recognized format, namely Clarence Clemons (saxophone), Max Weinberg (drums), Garry Tallent (bass), Roy Bittan (piano/synthesizer) Danny Federici (organ) and Van Zandt (guitars), the upbeat ‘Darlington County‘ is a fast-moving tale of two out on the road friends looking for work, fun and female company, ‘Me and my buddy, we’re from New York City/We got $200, we want to rock all night/Girl, you’re looking at two big spenders/Why, the world don’t know what me and Wayne might do.’
Cut from the same cloth as songs such as ‘Cadillac Ranch‘ from ‘The River‘, while the story takes some humorous twists and ends with the amusing image of ‘Driving out of Darlington County/Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford‘, the true glory of tracks such as this and ‘I’m Goin’ Down‘ on side two, (where the central figure keeps having his once welcomed romantic advances rebuffed) is found in the sumptuous ensemble playing.
Indeed, while it is not difficult to imagine ‘Working on the Highway‘ delivered in breathless fashion by Springsteen alone on acoustic guitar, in the hands of the E Street Band it becomes a rockabilly rave up that finds the narrator reflecting on experiences (young lovers – she possibly under age – elopement, retribution of her irate family), which have led him to be part of a prison chain gang.
Side one draws to a close in downbeat, somewhat foreboding manner, both ‘Downbound Train‘ and ‘I’m On Fire‘ having resigned discontent at their core.
On the former there is personal despair in every line of the opening verse, (‘I had a job, I had a girl/I had something going, mister, in this world/I got laid off down at the lumberyard/Our love went bad, times got hard/Now I work down at the car wash/Where all it ever does is rain/Don’t you feel like you’re a rider/On a downbound train?‘).
Unable, so far, to overcome this series of setbacks, a beaten-down outlook is not helped by emotional frailty that hears the voice of his estranged wife calling to him from the house they shared when first married – the present brought sharply back into focus by the sound of a sledgehammer he now uses as part of a rain soaked crew of railway workers.
Side one closer ‘I’m on Fire‘ conveys an intense desire to woo a woman seemingly unaware of his voyeuristic attentions. The imagery is vivid and succinct, his tortured state of mind described with Roy Orbison styled phrasing, (‘At night, I wake up with the sheets soaking wet/And a freight train running through the middle of my head), the E Street Band through both songs showing themselves equally adept at understated finesse as they are with full-blown flourishes.
Introduced by drummer Weinberg playing with his customary snap, side two opener ‘No Surrender‘ comes roaring in, Springsteen writing an anthem extolling loyalty among friends and standing together as one:
‘Well we made a promise we swore we’d always remember/No retreat, baby, no surrender/Like soldiers in the winter’s night with a vow to defend/No retreat, baby, no surrender.’
In a display of energetic musical cohesion remarkable even by their standards, Springsteen and his cohorts take hooks from The Byrds and haste from The Clash, the message one of strength in solidarity and faith in the human spirit to prevail:
‘Now on the street tonight the lights grow dim/The walls of my room are closing in/There’s a war outside still raging/You say it ain’t ours anymore to win/I want to sleep beneath/Peaceful skies in my lover’s bed/With a wide open country in my eyes/And these romantic dreams in my head.‘
There is no slackening off in energy with ‘Bobby Jean‘ this particular ode to friendship prompted by the impending exit of Van Zandt from the E Street ranks – their relationship for the moment (he would return to the fold 18 years later and remain thereafter), unable to survive current demands from the guitarist of having more creative input.
Reflecting on long years of companionship since days as teenagers (‘Me and you, we’ve known each other/Ever since we were sixteen‘), the song whether directly about Van Zandt or a general break of kinship, is a fond, emotive farewell – a resonant sax blast from Clemons one final tug on the heart stings after Springsteen has ended the lyrics with heartfelt poignancy:
‘Well maybe you’ll be out there on that road somewhere/In some bus or train traveling along/In some motel room there’ll be a radio playing/And you’ll hear me sing this song/Well if you do, you’ll know I’m thinking of you/And all the miles in between/And I’m just calling one last time, not to change your mind/But just to say “I miss you baby. Good luck. Goodbye, Bobby Jean.’
There are also autobiographical inferences to be found in ‘Glory Days‘, although what comes over as jovial rocking piece is filled with regretful characters facing the cold realization the best of times have come and gone.
Time spent in the company of a talented baseball player from days in high school (‘He could throw that speedball by you/Make you look like a fool boy‘) and woman from the neighborhood who once could, ‘Turn all the boy’s heads‘ amounts to continual harking back to yesteryear, both of them living unfulfilled lives. Springsteen arrives at the conclusion, ‘Well time slips away and leaves you with nothing, mister, but/Boring stories of Glory days‘, and while hopeful such a fate does not lay in store for him, (‘And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it/But I probably will‘), in all likelihood it does.
Despite having cut a significant number of tracks during the preceding months and now arriving at the stage of having an album at the sequencing stage, Landau took the view it was still lacking a striking single. Legend has it that when this opinion was voiced, Springsteen took home a synthesiser and overnight came up with a lament based on self-loathing (‘I ain’t nothing but tired/Man, I’m just tired and bored with myself‘) – the following day ‘Dancing in the Dark‘ was cut and the biggest-selling single of his career was in the works.
Driven by synth-pop rhythms, that a track so instantly engaging (Springsteen winning a Grammy for this song in best Male Vocal category), could be held back to stand as the penultimate cut is testament to how well ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ was finally sequenced. The tracks with potential as 45s are interspersed through the record to provide the sense of it being a jukebox collection, while bookended by the emotive circumstances contained in the title track and closing cut ‘My Hometown‘.
The story of evolving generational alignment set against the backdrop stated in the title, the opening verse finds a man recalling childhood memories of interacting with his father, most notably driving through the place where they live. Framed by a melancholy keyboard structure, like ‘Wreck on the Highway‘ on ‘The River‘ Springsteen chooses to close the album in wistful mood, the unfolding narrative taking in racial antagonism of a previous decade, (‘In ’65 tension was running high at my high school/There was a lot of fights between the black and white/There was nothing you could do‘), before ruminating on grim realities of the present:
‘Now Main Street’s whitewashed windows and vacant stores/Seems like there ain’t nobody wants to come down here no more/ They’re closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks/Foreman says “These jobs are going, boys/And they ain’t coming back/To your hometown.“
The economic decline being described was relatable whether the listener lived in New Jersey or Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north of England, rapidly disappearing traditional industries causing many to contemplate moving away from their established roots – the 35-year-old at the heart of the tale and with a young son of his own, thinking along those lines:
‘Last night me and Kate/We laid in bed/Talking about getting out/Packing up our bags maybe heading south.’
After rejecting any notion of jingoism in the opening track, Springsteen closes the record by casting light on how communities are being fractured, national compassion for those afflicted by poverty a higher ideal than blind nationalism.
The most accessible album he would ever make, the success of ‘Dancing in the Dark‘ in the singles market prior to release of ‘Born in the U.S.A‘ paved the way for enormous sales, although few, including the artist himself one suspects, expected such gargantuan levels of success – a seven week run at number one in the U.S. charts supplemented by chart-topping returns from across the world. The record barely slipped from view during the ensuing 12 months when Springsteen and the E Street Band (former Neil Young sideman Nils Lofgren drafted to replace Van Zandt), were immersed in another extensive round of live shows.
When the dust finally settled, Springsteen had the sheer enormity of how ‘Born in the U.S.A‘ was embraced to contend with. His next album ‘Tunnel of Love‘ (1987), was a thoughtful, if low-key affair, individual members of the E Street Band playing as guest musicians on a record with inferences aplenty to the demise of his recent, but ultimately short-lived first marriage.
After touring in support of this latest release, in 1988 he moved on from the E Street Band completely, seeking new ways to present songs that were always earnest, no matter if they saw trouble on the horizon or spoke of emerging from said difficulties (be they personal or political), his songwriting often returning to the topic of reconciliation.
With the first phase of his career over, for Springsteen the chapters that followed became a matter of how he could reconcile with the lasting legacy of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – BORN IN THE U.S.A. (Released June 4 1984):
Born in the U.S.A./Cover Me/Darlington County/Working on the Highway/Downbound Train/I’m on Fire/No Surrender/Bobby Jean/I’m Going Down/Glory Days/Dancing in the Dark/My Hometown;
Hello – hope you enjoyed another exclusive production from SAMTIMONIOUS.com
In order to create the best experience for when you drop by to read a page or two, those with the power to ordain such things (me, actually), have decided to remove all external advertising from the site – in other words articles will no longer be subject to intrusive pop-up ads. BUT – and ain’t there always one – should you wish to make a donation toward the on-costs of the most entertaining and original blog-site around, please press on the – ‘DONATE’ – button below. It will be greatly appreciated.
Stay safe everyone and thanks for dropping by – best wishes Neil
SAMTIMONIOUS.com – films, football and fabulous music at The Dominion of Opinion
NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book: