| 1 | 1 | | This summer the three most popular men in the United States were, in no particular |
| 2 | | order of importance, Ronald Reagan, Sylvester Stallone-cum-Rambo and Bruce |
| 3 | | Springsteen. It takes no great wisdom to see which of the three doesn't really fit in this |
| 4 | | group. Even the most casual listening to Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. reveals a grim |
| 5 | | portrait of an American promise gone sour. This theme is woven throughout the album |
| 6 | | and has been evident in Springsteen's work since the 1975 Born to Run. |
| 2 | 7 | | In a recent column in the New York Post, rock critic Podhoretz reveals he finds it |
| 8 | | curious that the young, who have disclosed their deep sympathy for Reagan to numerous |
| 9 | | pollsters, have feverishly embraced Springsteen. Actually, America's love affairs with |
| 10 | | Springsteen and Reagan may not be as contradictory as they appear. The two do have |
| 11 | | some common traits. |
| 3 | 12 | | Leaving politics aside for a moment, the reasons for the explosive rise in |
| 13 | | Springsteen's popularity are several. First off, the man undeniably has talent: his songs |
| 14 | | are deftly written, his albums are well composed. And then there's the show. No other |
| 15 | | rock performer is able to project more integrity and sincerity. That he cares for the music |
| 16 | | and his audience is obvious. He is the Great Communicator of rock and roll. |
| 4 | 17 | | However, while his gifts as songwriter and performer had been in evidence for |
| 18 | | years prior to the release of Born in the U.S.A. and his 1984-85 tour, he had not reached |
| 19 | | the supremacy of megastar. What happened? Simply, Born in the U.S.A. was the right |
| 20 | | album at the right time and profited from a recent phenomenon: the entertainment |
| 21 | | industry and media promoting a single star at a time. The king of the hill- whoever it is at |
| 22 | | the moment - reigns supreme. |
| 5 | 23 | | But he is no ordinary rock star. Springsteen is the first major rock figure in recent |
| 24 | | memory whose image is that of a regular guy, one who happened to hit gold. What's |
| 25 | | more, all evidence is that the image is the reality. In appearance, sentiment and song, |
| 26 | | Springsteen commemorates the trials of working-class America. He speaks the same |
| 27 | | language. He uses familiar symbols. |
| 6 | 28 | | Springsteen is able to deliver his message in a fashion that encourages his audience |
| 29 | | to relate to it. His manner of doing so is reminiscent of Ronald Reagan. It is anecdotal, |
| 30 | | down-home in style: he serves up brief sketches of those who have been crushed by the |
| 31 | | system. In his songs the larger accusation is only implied. When he is on stage it is more |
| 32 | | evident, as when at Giant Stadium he delivered a slow and somber version of 'This Land |
| 33 | | is your Land' and called it 'the greatest song that has ever been written about America, |
| 34 | | about the promise of what our country was supposed to be about'. He continued: |
| 35 | | ‘That’s a promise eroding for many of our citizens - the farmers in the Midwest, the |
| 36 | | steelworkers in Pennsylvania are not sure if it’s still true. But I know it should be. And I |
| 37 | | know you can make a difference.' So that is his prescription - individual activism. |
| 38 | | Springsteen calls on his audience to get involved with something close to home. |
| 7 | 39 | | There is the flag. It is certainly curious that a song, an album and an album cover |
| 40 | | that could reasonably lead one rock critic to ask Springsteen if he was 'actually pissing on |
| 41 | | the flag' could all be taken as a display of blind patriotism. Fans at his shows carry flags |
| 42 | | of all sizes and boast to reporters that they 'love America, just like Bruce'. Apparently |
| 43 | | many fans could not see beyond the red and white stripes on the album's cover and the |
| 44 | | single refrain of the title track. |
| 8 | 45 | | Certainly, Springsteen can be misinterpreted as preaching an escape from the rat |
| 46 | | trap by any means - make a few bucks and leave the dreary working class behind. Like |
| 47 | | Reagan, he climbed up from a lower-middle-class background. But Springsteen does not |
| 48 | | advocate a yuppielike, go-for-it ethic. At the close of 'This Land is your Land', he said |
| 49 | | solemnly, 'Remember, nobody wins, unless everybody wins', a motto Springsteen has |
| 50 | | repeated throughout his tour. |
| | | |
| | | David Corn, In These Times, September 25, 1985 |
