The Boss who was Born in the USA

An Interview conducted by Nicole Raghu in New Jersey, 1984

I recently faced the privilege of encountering Burse Springsteen, “The Boss”, an icon in the rock and roll community, who rose to fame with his renowned record, “Born to Run.” Born on September 23, 1949, in the town of Long Branch, New Jersey, Springsteen became a voice of the working class people by addressing social issues within his song. I conversed with him regarding his musical establishment that put him on the world scene and his new album, “Born in the USA”. The interview went as such:

How did you get started in creating music?

Well, (pause) I always loved music. I remember seeing Elvis Presley perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. [Elvis] was as big as the whole country itself-- as big as the whole dream, you know? My mom actually bought me my first guitar when I was thirteen, which changed my life forever. I was actually a pretty isolated teenager and never heard any albums that came out after, like 1967, until after I was twenty-four. I never felt I had enough personal style to pursue being a guitarist, so I joined a few bands after high school and in college -- before I, uh, (laughs) left. You see, I went to a real narrow-minded school where people gave me a lot of trouble cause I looked different and acted different and, well I didn’t belong there. Anyway, after I moved from band to band, I kinda stuck with the E Street Band and we signed onto Columbia Records, released our first album and lived the life.

But it wasn’t until your album “Born to Run’ and the songs after that, which caused you to rise to fame?

Right, well, “Born to Run” reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, which was way higher than I ever expected. After that, I had a reaction to my good fortune. With success, it felt like a lot of people who'd come before me lost some vital part of themselves. My greatest fear is that success will change or diminish that essential part of me. Afterwards, I released “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and then “the River” and “Nebraska,” which both explored themes about working-class, blue collared Americans. Shortly after, came my hit song, “Born in the USA.”

Speaking of "Born in the U.S.A.," could you explain to our readers a bit more on your stance and the insinuation of it being a patriotic tribute, especially in regards to the lyrics?

The song gives a voice to the pain of forgotten people. It also deals with the effects the war had on [America]. You know, America's Vietnam veterans. But when you think about all the young men and women that died in Vietnam and since they've been back-- surviving the war and even not surviving-- you have to reason that the country took advantage of their selflessness. There was a moment when they were just really generous with their lives. You know, I don’t have much personal experience, but the drummer from my first band was killed in Vietnam. He left and he didn't come back. And the guys that did come back—they weren’t the same.

I just wanted to focus on current social issues plaguing our country and people hear what they want to year, which in part is only “born in the USA.” They just overlook the other lyrics and its pretty stupid, since I say: So they put a rifle in my hand/Sent me off to a foreign land/To go and kill the yellow man. I don’t understand being more direct than that. My content is focusing on critique of the war, not patriotism, similar to how my previous songs were directed at the working class and their struggles.

But you released this album- an election-year album- called Born in the U.S.A., so what does that mean in regards to your political stance?

People were confused because this album’s cover is a flag of the states and that’s because “Born in the USA” is the name of the album and the first track. The theme of this album kind of follows from the themes I've been writing about for the last six or seven years. [But,] I’m aware that the flag is a powerful image and setting that lose-- I don't know what's gonna be done with it. I don't feel a real connection to electoral politics right now. I wanna work more directly with people and my music, tryna find some way that my band can tie into the communities that we come into. I guess that's a political action: human politics. I think that people on their own can do a lot, at least I intend to, especially in the communities that my audience comes from.

And what are your views on Reagan in invoking your name in your home state?

Because of that, Mondale stated that I publically supported Reagan for president. I mean, why even start with these assumptions. My manager John Landau, issued a quick denial, and then the Mondale campaign office issued an apology and correction.

Because of Watergate, Iran and now Vietnam, people want to feel good about America. But what's happening, I think, is that that need – which is a good thing – is gettin' manipulated and exploited. And seeing the Reagan reelection ads on TV and when he mentioned my name in New Jersey, I felt it was another manipulation, and I had to disassociate myself from the president's kind words.

Any final comments?

“Born in the U.S.A” is about a working class man [in the middle of a] spiritual crisis. He’s feeling lost. He has nothing left to tie him to society. He's alone. He’s isolated from the government, isolated from his family and to him nothing makes sense.

Well folks, here you have it: the infamous Burse Springsteen on the meaning behind “Born in the USA” and the effect he wants on the various communities he deals with.