Bruce Springsteen’s "Born in the USA" is his most commercially successful album and is beloved by fans and critics alike. The title track is an excellent example of what makes the Boss’ “heartland rock” so appealing to so many. It’s lyrical message seemingly contrasts itself with the upbeat, anthemic musical backdrop.
On one’s first listen of “Born in the U.S.A.”, they might find themselves blown away by the blaring synthesizer riff of Roy Bittan and the percussive explosion of the snare drum played by Max Weinberg. Bruce’s raspy groan is then heard, roaring with the soul of a patriot. At first, one may believe the song is what it sounds like, a prideful jam dedicated to the good ol’ US of A and the people that reside here. However, examination of the lyrics tells a profoundly different story.
The first verse begins by introducing the narrator, who by his account was given a bad stroke of luck at birth. He was born in a bad town and suffered immense hardships until he ended up like “a dog that’s been beat too much;” becoming passive, shy, and submissive.
In the second verse, the narrator explains how he got in some trouble back at home, and as a result he was given the choice to go to prison or fight in Vietnam. He chose the rifle, and was sent off, “to go and kill the yellow man”. Despite his service, the narrator couldn’t get a job upon his return, and his bitterness is strongly insinuated.
The narrator then mourns his friend from the war, who died while he was there, and displays his grief by revealing that he still has a picture of this friend and a girl he loved in Vietnam. In the final verse, it’s revealed the narrator has been back in the states for ten years now, and feels like he has nothing else to live for.
These somber versus juxtaposed with the aforementioned musical tone and recurring, steadfast chorus create a divergent message. The instrumental and chorus provoke feelings of patriotism and excitement, while the verses convey dejection, mourning, and perhaps even resentment towards the government. The narrator describes a system that sent him to war, got his friend killed, and couldn’t thank his service with even a manual labor job. So why the contrast? I believe Springsteen wrote this way in order to show hope. No doubt the verses paint a picture of a man who is hopeless, yet, the chorus and the music show us what the U.S.A. should be, and that the narrator believes being born in this country should mean something. It is a not so gentle call for the nation to wake up and be what it can and should be.
