“Born in the U.S.A.”

ga409c09.qxd 1/8/2007 8:49 AM Page 338 “Born in the U.S.A.” Artist: Bruce Springsteen What makes a rock and roll “anthem”? The term anthem originally referred to a sacred vocal piece, usually sung by a Music / Lyrics by Bruce Springsteen church choir. Over the years, anthem has come to refer to songs Label: Columbia (1984) that have symbolic, cultural, or spiritual meaning (for example, national anthems like the “Star-Spangled Banner”). There are particular songs in the history of rock and roll that have generated a strong experience of cultural identity or community. (It also helps if the song has a particularly compelling or hypnotic refrain.) By this definition, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” is one of the major rock anthems of the early 1980s. “Born in the U.S.A.” is written from the point of view of a Vietnam vet in the late 1970s and early 1980s, having come home to rejection, hardship, and discrimination in the workplace. The song also underscores the fact that it was largely working-class and minority Americans who fought in Vietnam. However, the irony of this song’s history is the frequency with which it has been misinterpreted. In 1984, conservative columnist George Will held it up as a shining example of conservative American values; shortly thereafter, President Reagan made a famous reference to the song in a re-election speech. The song is still sometimes misread as a militant “pro-America right-or-wrong” song, usually by people who only know the words of the refrain and have filled in the blanks themselves. Musical Style Notes “Born in the U.S.A.” has an interesting asymmetrical structure. While it’s basically an example of a verse and refrain form, there are instances in which the refrain (“Born in the U.S.A.”) is played but not sung, and in one case a verse that is extended by a couple of lines, which draws the ear of the listener to that particular verse (“I had a Listening Guide 26 Guide Listening brother at Khe Sahn . ”). The band also changes the musical texture at certain points, adding and dropping instruments, which lends expressive color to different parts of the text. The powerful beginning consists of the refrain tune, played by Roy Bittan on keyboard synthesizer and Max Weinberg on drums. (This huge, reverberant drum sound was very popular in the early 1980s and can be heard in the recordings of many other artists, notably Phil Collins.) The other members of the “Born In the U.S.A.” version of the E Street Band are Clarence Clemons, saxophone; Danny Federici, keyboards; Bruce Springsteen, guitar and lead vocals; Garry Tallent, bass; and Steven Van Zandt, guitar and vocals. 338 ROCKIN’ OUT ga409c09.qxd 1/8/2007 8:49 AM Page 339 Musical “Road Map” TIMINGS COMMENTS LYRICS 0:00–0:17 Introduction Keyboard synthesizer and drums, playing the tune of the “Born in the U.S.A.” refrain 0:17–0:33 Verse 1 (Bruce Springsteen, vocals) Born down in a dead man’s town . 0:33–0:49 Refrain Born in the U.S.A. 0:49–1:04 Verse 2 Got in a little hometown jam . Entrance of entire band; sound texture thickens 1:04–1:20 Refrain Born in the U.S.A. 1:20–1:36 Verse 3 Come back home to the refinery . 1:36–1:53 Refrain music, without words 1:52–2:22 Verse 4 I had a brother at Khe Sahn . Note the slightly longer verse—there is no expected line of text after “He’s all gone.” The next two lines correspond in length to the second He had a woman . half of the other verses. Listening Guide 26 Guide Listening 2:22–2:39 Verse 5 Down in the shadow of the penitentiary . Band drops out; drums synth 2:39–2:55 Refrain Born in the U.S.A. 2:55–3:11 Refrain Born in the U.S.A. Whole band re-enters here. 3:11–3:57 Instrumental refrain, 3 times Whole band (Springsteen punctuates this with spontaneous vocalizations—“No, no, no,” etc.) 3:42 (Springsteen yelling in background.) 3:57–4:12 Synthesizer and bass continue refrain. Music; guitar (free form) Drum solos under synth and bass 4:12–4:37 Whole band re-enters, still playing refrain. Sound gradually fades. MUSIC VIDEOS, SUPERSTARS, MEGA-EVENTS 339.

Load more