Born In The U.S.A.

This is the 4th Springsteen album I have gotten out of 70, 2nd this week. After listening to the album I ate at a McDonalds, read a Ronald Reagan biography and punch a commie in the dick. MERICA!

Never have I so thoroughly enjoyed a guy who sounds eternally constipated essentially screaming about how much life sucks. And that'll probably never happen again.

nice, and for every idiot that reads this, born in the usa is not a mindless patriotic song. "Cover me" surprisingly nice song

Springsteen has better albums than Born in the USA, but I don't know if he has a better collection of songs. What it might lack in cohesiveness or consistent tone, it more than makes up for in the fact that every single track is a classic. You could pick which songs would be the singles just by throwing darts at the tracklist. There is no filler, no song that you want to skip, just 45 straight minutes of beautiful music.

This wins the "Better than Eric Clapton" award.

Boring as fuck

I had more respect for Bruce before listening to this. He's an okay songwriter and an awful musician. This sounds like music that was made for children.

You know, I've listened to this album many times, and I'm struck today by the fact that this is possibly the most upbeat-downbeat album I've ever heard. Yeah, the anthems are there, they're full of energy and they still feel great to listen to. But dig in and listen, this is some dark stuff. It's more polished and has more of a pop sensibility than The River or Nebraska, but it takes you on the same kind of downbound journey. There's humor, pathos, slow burning passion, oppressive sadness, joy, regret. Somehow it all lives together here in this perfect little package. That's an incredibly rare thing and Springsteen makes it all seem so effortless. I was 13 years old when this album came out, so I couldn't relate to a lot of these songs at the time. Almost 40 years on, Springsteen is now one of my absolute favorite artists. I listen to him every day, and the depth of this album grows for me every time I hear it. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): I'm on Fire, I'm Goin' Down, Born in the USA, Dancing in the Dark, Downbound Train, Darlington County, Cover Me, Working on the Highway, No Surrender, Glory Days, My Hometown, Bobby Jean. It's actually hard to rank these. I have clear favorites in my mind, but as each song comes up, I change my mind and have a new favorite. This is that kind of album.

i know this album is iconic or whatever but it didn't make a huge impact on me. the lyrics painted a sad story about a crumbling America that had failed its people, which like, i can definitely get on board with, but the actual music just didn't really hit me beyond the surface level. i think i liked born to run more. favorites: born in the USA, cover me, dancing in the dark

Why are you yelling? You’re hurting my ears. His voice is not appealing. He’s flat all the time. All his melodies sound the same.

Introspective and passionate yet accessible and polished. Bruce Springsteen is an intelligent artist!

So I’d previously had a bias toward Born to Run between the two, but listening to this again reminded me of how many great hits & what a consistent feel this one has. Really good

Ultimate dad rock with a small dose of cirngey good ol' boy lyricism. Good tunes though, nothing great, but good.

Interestingly the worst part of this are the hit singles.

I truly disliked this. There is no musicality and it’s basically him yelling throughout most of the album.

I do love the almost bitter and wounded anthems and pedestrian portrayals of moving on despite everyday burdens and finding solace and joy in music. My hometown is heartbreakingly beautiful. I love when he says things like “there was nothin you could do” it’s a real concession to the sense of being lost and beaten down that is hard to see expressed in music now unless it is an almost comic portrayal of self obsessed misery.

Another fantastic album. every song is a great track that can be appreciated for either its uplifting backing track or it's hidden lyrical depth. This is just a really good album. 4.8/5 stars.

I'm from Jersey, so I'm legally obligated to give this a 5. (Kidding.) Aside from the somewhat cheesy, dated production, this is a great batch of songs. Tracks like "No Surrender" and "Dancing In the Dark" are classics, and even got me singing along. Favorite tracks: "No Surrender", "Bobby Jean", "Glory Days"

I gave the other Springsteen's 1. So I guess this is my favourite Springsteen album

Great album, Bruce is able to pull off just about anything. Fast paced upbeat songs as well as slower, sad pieces, it always sounds like he was born to do exactly this. A album which contains half of his greatest hits has to be a 5 star rsting

you shouldn't be proud to be American

Oh, boy. I can barely stomach early Springsteen. And it's all downhill once you get past Darkness On The Edge of Town. The Boss, my ass.I'll give Springsteen credit for one thing: he doesn't approach this material tentatively. The martial, strident, echoey drums and the droning plastic synths of the title cut are a perfect fit for Springsteen's shout singing. I know the lyrics are critical, but I don't care. I can't get past how vile this is. I prefer Joe Piscopo's version. At least it's funny. Things don't approve as the album goes along. Humorless, strident, lacking any subtlety or nuance whatsoever, fully buying into his own myth, Born in the USA is unbearable.

Nothing can touch Born to Run. But lord are there some great tracks on this one. I think this album is amazing, and yet I also think it has become over rated. Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born to Run are appropriately rated. This one, somehow as good as it is, is elevated in some circles as THE Springsteen album. It is not, but it is great. And yet it is still 5 stars.

Masterpiece. Bruce is a treasure and must be protected at all costs

Out of all the albums we've listened to so far, this one definitely has the most recognizable radio hits, and it's easy to understand why. The production is very triumphant, even if the lyrics are critical of American life. It's probably why "Born in the USA", a Vietnam War protest song that focuses on mistreated veterans, is still played at Republican Party rallies to this day. It's a strangely enticing combination of combining sentimentality and frustration with the reality of the American Dream. Fav Tracks: My Hometown, I'm Goin' Down, No Surrender, Born in the USA, Working on the Highway Rating: 4.5/5

I feel like a 60-year-old dad and it's great. Born in the USA is a classic, but a little too worn for me. I'm on Fire was Still nice, and refreshingly relaxed. The whole album is a fucking vibe I don't know what to say. I don't think it does anything particularly special, it just does everything well. No surrender/Glory Days are probably my favorites. Not perfect, but enjoyable as all hell, will be revisiting this, 7/8.

Continuing to confuse Republicans for over 40 years.

The ultimate blue collar album. Most of Springsteen’s biggest hits are here, and a lot of good stuff in between. I’m On Fire is a big highlight, and who doesn’t know Dancing in the Dark? Not a big Bruce fan but this whole album is probably his most listenable.

Billy Joel’s country cousin, better than I thought but still not a fan

yikes!

It always frustrated me that folks lumped the title track in the same category as "God Bless The USA" and such, when it's actually an indictment. I grew up with this album, and even listening with older, wiser ears...I still find it great. The melodies and the songcraft still solid. I get that his voice and his style may not be for everyone, and the sound of it all is full-on 80s stadium rock This album gave voice to a certain disillusioned, working class, segment of the population. Unfortunately,I suspect it will be looked upon today as a segment that is not as important as others, and just needs to shut up. And that's misguided.

Classic. American. Undercurrents run deep. Surface is red white and blue.

I'm probably not going to come back to listen to this album again. It is undeniable to me though, that this is one solid rock album cover to cover. Not my preference, but I'll give Born In The USA my salute.

First time I’ve listened to it. I already knew Born in the USA and Dancing in the Dark, which I love, but I wasn’t much of a fan. Now that I’ve listened to the album, I understand why people love Bruce, it’s an amazing one!

Fucking love this album. Buzzing it popped up as I don't listen to it often. 1. Born In The USA - ironically this is the track that put me off Springsteen for so many years, assuming he was a boring dad rock patriot berk. Couldn't have been more wrong 8/10 2. Cover Me - One of his all time classics 9/10 3. Darlington County - It's very cheesey but good fun 7/10 4. Working On The Highway - As above. Chorus is v catchy 6.5/10 5. Downbound Train - A welcome change back to more classic Springsteen vibes with lyrics that paint a picture 9/10 6. I'm On Fire - Noncey lyrics, always found it a tad over-rated but it's v good 8/10 7. No Surrender - a stone cold banger 10/10 8. Bobby Jean - Best track on the album and top 5 overall, fucking love it. Especially as it's written about Steve van Zandt leaving the band <3 10/10 9. I'm Going Down - Another classic 10/10 10. Glory Days - Another in the good kind of cheesey category 8/10 11. Dancing In The Dark - Not enough guitar for me but it's incredible 9.5/10 12. My Hometown - A perfect ending 9/10

Re-listening for the generator (4 or 5 times). Pop-accessible rock at an apotheosis. Bruce and the E Street Band bat a thousand here. Down your drink whenever Clarence Clemons brings the house down. - “Born in the U.S.A.”, one of the famously misunderstood songs, blaring its chorus to obfuscate its restless subversion to the inattentive listener as the protagonist laments losing brothers at Khe Sanh and returning from hellacious Vietnam to find he’s been cast aside back home. - Bruce searches for a ride-or-die lady to back him up on “Cover Me”, followed by a sneaky favorite one-two combo in “Darlington County” and “Working on the Highway”, a little c’est la vie levity driving south down the coast before the album makes another emotional turn south. - The turn south is taken on the ode to loss “Downbound Train” and the electrically charged ode to lust “I’m on Fire” before a fiery defiance is gained on “No Surrender”, and discarded on the halfway-lamentation “Bobby Jean” discussing an old friend pulling an Irish exit. - Finally, the album points north to open the third act with an amazingly peppy look at a failing relationship and a protagonist crashing and burning when attempting to make moves on his partner, “I’m Goin’ Down”. Hey, maybe he should try that! - We’ve all got ‘em, and the E Streeters converge to describe a universal experience in “Glory Days”, jaw-jackin about the good old days. Hopefully the real glory days are yet to come; in the immortal words of Tony Soprano “‘remember when’ is the lowest form of conversation’”. - The synthesizer’s finest hour: “Dancing in the Dark”. One of my all-time favorites, the unshakeable rhythm never ceases to please, and the relentlessly relatable lyrics never fail to get a rueful yet defiant grin outta me. - We close with the meditative “My Hometown”, another set of unfortunately relatable lyrics. The author roams around his hometown, both as a son and as a father, pondering the neighborhood through trials and tribulations. (This author's hometown was permanently wounded by 90's American gov't budget cuts, from which it has settled into a slow decline. A particularly poignant closer.) Hell of an album here. Springsteen and the E Street Band take you on a joyride that feels like it’s 40/60 joy/ride relentlessly cruising down the freeway, down the boulevard, down the block; contemplating our perpetual restlessness with the windows rolled down, roaming about our territory observing a boisterously observant, seasonably warm Fourth of July. 10/10

A timeless classic.

Born in the U.S.A. is undoubtedly iconic, but it didn’t resonate with me as deeply as it has with others. The lyrics are brilliant—Springsteen paints a raw, unflinching picture of a fractured, working-class America, full of broken dreams and quiet despair. But musically, it doesn’t quite hit the same emotional depths. Compared to Born to Run, this feels more polished, more designed for radio, and a bit less cohesive as an album. There are standouts, though. I’m on Fire is hauntingly beautiful in its simplicity, while Dancing in the Dark is irresistibly catchy, synth-heavy in the best way. The title track is thunderous, packed with righteous anger, but its relentless repetition can wear thin—by the end, I’m ready to move on. The production, full of 80s synths and drum machines, feels dated now, and it sands down some of the grit that makes Springsteen’s storytelling so powerful. Tracks like Downbound Train and Working on the Highway suffer the most from this. That said, Springsteen’s ability to write songs that dig into real, often ugly truths about life is undeniable. Even if the album feels more like a collection of singles than a cohesive journey, the intelligence and passion behind it still shine through. It’s a good record, but for me, Born to Run will always be the one that truly captures Springsteen’s magic.

This one had me reliving the Glory Days, when I was Dancing In the Dark.

When Darkness on the Edge of Town was generated for me last year, I wrote about how even though I’ve lived in New Jersey for nearly 40 years of my life, I never really payed much attention to Springsteen, almost to the point of actively avoiding his music. Well, Darkness blew me away and I gained a new appreciation for Bruce, but I decided to keep that mindset sort of intact and would only listen to another Springsteen album once it got generated here. So here we are, Springsteen album #2. To say I’ve never heard this album before would be a lie, or at least a half-truth. I was born in 1981, by the time this record was released I was 3 and by the time I was four or five, I have memories of the songs from this record being played by family friends and neighbors or on the radio. It was, in 1980’s New Jersey, kind of the ultimate Fourth of July barbecue record, even if a lot of people didn’t really grasp what the title track was actually about - my five year old self obviously included. Like I said in my review of Darkness, Bruce Springsteen, in this state, is inescapable. It’s just a fact of life here. So my rating here might be tainted by a touch of nostalgia or regional bias, you can decide. Where Darkness at the Edge of Town has an aggressive and sometimes outright pessimistic tone, Springsteen seems to have dialed back those qualities a bit on Born the USA. It’s certainly more musically upbeat in a lot of places, even if lyrically Bruce remains grounded and in tune with his caustic wit. I don’t think this record reaches the heights of Darkness at the Edge of Town, though it’s clearly more polished, streamlined and accessible. I suspect that i might end up finding more enjoyment from his records where he is a little more pessimistic and aggressive with his music and lyrical approach, though there are moments of that here, like on Cover Me, which was probably my favorite of the songs that I didn’t already know/forgot about. Because of that, I’m looking forward to the day that Nebraska gets generated here.

1984? You kidding me, right? Damn, I'm old. Total hit factory for Bruce; well written music that is hard to beat for pure American Rock n' Roll! Can't miss, track 1 - 12. I'm a little Bruce'd out, but if you are not familiar - please listen!

https://youtu.be/nEXVLPcvksM

Not much dif from rap: way of life songs, reflective more than influential. Don't think anyone stepped into that life because of BS. Songs are fairly invariable--same beat, same timing. Same elements also in Snoop Dog but a different life. He's good at what he does but I was never a fan. I'm on fire stood out, but the rest was pretty much all alike.

BITUSA has two standouts for me: title song and Dancing in the Dark. Not sure what to make of the rest, apart from I'm On Fire, which isn't far behind. I've had this record for a couple of years and usually skip through the rest, repelled by the high budget Shakin' Stevens vibe (I prefer my nostalgia middle budget). It's a bit much. Listening to the rest today, they're mostly fine, but I can understand why tB prefers Nebraska.

нахуй нам не нужна ваша версия Газманова, нам своей достаточно

It was cool

The singles are enjoyable enough Downbound Train is alright too, pretty boring overall. I just think he's quite dull and really only appeals to certain types of straight laced Americans which is fine but he's not for me im afraid. Monica danced nicely though and it's nice to see Silvio get some time away from the Bada Bing.

🦅🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅

Terrible. Weirdly paedophilic, racist, too story telling esque for me. Potential with riffs and voice but ruined with the subject of the songs. Very 80s and movie sound track vibes.

I'm going to start with Pete Seeger. Bruce made a Seeger tribute album in 2006 and it is fantastic, his rework of Seeger's songs is astounding considering how wooden and uninspiring Seeger's work is (see Michael Gray's entry on him in the Dylan encyclopaedia). I note that Seeger record as everything swung into Bruce's favour, his limited voice and sometimes grating hokey enthusiasm all clicked. And, importantly, he didn't write any of the tunes. I don't know what to think when it comes to Bruce. While on one level I get it, on another I find his mega popularity unfathomable. I wonder about the way mass media guides us towards pluralist ignorance, is this a 20th/21st century phenomenon? Je ne sais quoi my arse Bruce. I love Born to Run, love it to death but I was 12 in 1975 so it's part of my rites of passage soundtrack. Darkness, good record, Nebraska has some great moments and then there's this. He toured this record in 85 and I saw him at the Ent Cent and was massively underwhelmed by the whole thing. I think there are two problems; firstly he's backed by a very unimaginative bar band, they are good but they are and will always be the kind of guys who played as Chuck Berry's pick up band. Secondly, bar a few absolute gems, Bruce is not a very good songwriter. I reminded of Roy and HG's joke about David Williamson, he had six great plays in him, the problem is he wrote 20. Ditto Bruce, he had one maybe two shots in the locker, and he fired a thousand. Most of these songs are awful, and I mean awful, as follows: Born in the USA/Cover Me/Darlington/Working on the Highway/No Surrender/Bobby Jean (I mean seriously, fuck off Bruce)/I'm Going Down/ Glory Days (see Bobby Jean)/Dancing in the Dark ("I get up in the evening and I ain't got nothing to say, I go to bed feeling the same way" thanks for sharing Bruce, we're kind of tired and bored with you too) . He's lamenting boring stories of glory days when his most of career is telling the same boring stories, oy vey! Downbound Train has a good riff, and you can hear the drums, but again those lyrics...you stink Bruce. My Hometown, ah c'mon enough already with the corn, corn dog. I'm on Fire is a fine song, here he shows what he is sometimes capable of, fine words, a great atmosphere and...good grief...an interesting arrangement. This record is shithouse, really, really shithouse. It gets a point for I'm on Fire.

I can't stand Bruce Springsteen

Nope, just can't do it. I am allergic to this bloke

Bruce is bad. You know this. (Besides that one song about Atlantic City)

I just don't get the fascination with Springsteen. With the notable exception of Nebraska, it all just seems like simplistic, cheer-along-US-rawk. Lyrically more interesting than the music, this album is utterly uninteresting and cringe-worthy.

This made no impression on me whatsoever

I'm just not a fan of Bruce Springsteen.

Holy shitfuck, I hate his voice. Plus, Darlington County is just Born In The USA with different words. It's literally 2 tracks later!! Shameless. Fav new track: I'm Goin' Down as it was the most ridiculous.

Not for me

Never cared for this album, not in the redneck context nor the anti-war context.

Couldn’t get through it, but I did try

sucks.

Yeah still not a fan. Cheesy cringey vocals and lyrics. Boring instrumentation. I just can't see the appeal.

I was not in fact born in the U.S.A. Think this album was alright, except for the focus on wanting to get with young girls and asking if their dad was around...that shit was weird. Might have to get Chris Hansen on the next project. On a more serious note I think a lot of this album is for a targeted demo and I'm just not that. It does a lot of story telling about experiences that said demo would go through (idk Im guessing, again I'm not said demo). And because of that being the style and the content I'm just not going to connect with much of it. There were some Jammers though, Favourite tracks: Born in the USA, I'm Goin' Down, and Glory Days (which surprisingly had some depth to it and prlly was the track I could "understand" the best)

no me va

This album had a time and place. It’s place is no longer on my playlists or shelf. Patriotism is hard

Okay, I finally get Bruce. Dancing in the Dark is an alltime great song, and the political bent slides just under the radar.

Well if this isn't prescient...Springsteen speaks out against all the idiots in charge at a concert last week, and then this album hits first thing Monday morning. I'm all for it. I'm not a huge Springsteen fan. I've always found his vocals a bit grating, but the guy is as good as them come as far as being a decent human. You can't deny that he is the anthem of post Vietnam America. That weird time of American history where things weren't great, people wanted to move on from years of conflict and pain of Vietnam and the social upheavals of the '60's and '70's, but the economy was changing and people weren't exactly sure what to think or do. The funny thing about this album is that so many people misunderstand it. The take the light and happy sounding tunes, and completely miss the lyrics behind them. Again, it's like the '80's, things seem ok on the surface, but when you dig into it there's a lot of disfunction that people are trying their hardest to ignore.

The Boss in top form laying down some foundational tracks to cement his legendary status.

What’s up with the The Boss and girls and little girls? Workin’ on the Highway has the hidden (when you ain’t listening much) depressing message that the guy is working a chain gang because he kidnapped a little girl. The whole album is really depressing lyrics with upbeat tracks. Wikipedia says, “ As Springsteen continued developing "Vietnam", the director Paul Schrader asked him to write music for an unmade film called Born in the U.S.A. The screenplay concerned a Cleveland factory worker who works during the day and plays guitar in a bar band at night.[7]” Makes so much sense. "My Hometown," is super simple and such a heartbreaker and brings me all the small Midwestern town feels. I didn't realize this was the last song and it hits with such a thud. It really sums up the whole album. What an end. Humans are so simple though, every politician (and mostly conservative) since Reagan has tried to use "Born in the U.S.A" on the campaign trail. And every time there are people (like me) sneering from the sidelines, saying, "Did you even listen to the words???" Then you see throngs of people chanting and pumping fists to, okay, a bona fide rocker. Did they listen? No. No they did not. But there's no denying the bona-fide feeling you get colluding with the music and the chorus and ignoring the lyrics. I'm sure somewhere in the mid to late 80s or later some senior class in a small town voted to have "My Hometown" as their class song. We can sneer, "Did they even listen?" I don't think it matters. The feeling is still there. You're gonna feel nostalgic when you leave it all behind and nostalgia is part sadness, part happiness and a feeling you can't shake.

Couple tracks on this album not my fav, but.. if this isn't a 5 star what is?

SO many top hits, and filler that’s good to better than good. I’m on Fire is a personal fav. Glory Days kills, and Dancing in the Dark, of course. Cover Me a darkhorse. But Born in the U.S.A. gotta be THE track, if one has to narrow it down.

Fav: I'm Goin Down Notes: Holy hits. Classic. 4.5 = rounding 5

son, take a good look around this is your hometown

All killer, no filler on one of the best albums of the 80's. Takes on more meaning after reading the book "There Was Nothing You Could Do" by Stephen Hyden. This album has only gotten better over the years. Bruce at his populist best even as the title song was so misunderstood by the Reagan administration.

This one's got everything: smash hits, poignant stories about working class despair, smash hits with poignant stories about working class despair. Yet, like most of Bruce's discography, theres always an unshakeable sense of optimism threaded through. Times are tough and getting tougher but Born in the USA makes things better for 45 minutes every time. Favorite songs this time around: cover me, Darlington county, my hometown.

Excellent classic rock LP

This album is the second can of Budweiser, pulled from an ice cooler, at 5:35 on a warm Friday afternoon in the late '80s. Everyone has circled around in mismatched chairs, the kids are playing in the yard, somebody already ordered some pizzas, and all you need to do is take a load off after a long week, enjoy your time with those your, and wait for the fireflies and mosquitoes to tell you it's time to go inside. 5/5.

This album is great. It’s interesting how late into his career this came out because it brims with energy. The instrumentation is obviously great.

This was a huge album when it came out. I think it really put Springsteen on the map as a superstar just because of the sheer number of songs that got airplay at the time.

Classic Bruce

I was not a fan of the last Bruce Sprigsteen album I listened to(Born to Run), so it was a pleasant surprise to find that I enjoyed all the songs in this album.

For those of you at home keeping score, I've had 2 by Dylan, and now the score is tied with 2 by The Boss! Previously on the Springsteen Files, we found The Boss working on "Nebraska". He recorded demos to play for the E-Street band to make the album, then just released the demos AS the album. It's stripped down, beautiful but spooky and sad; critically acclaimed, but doesn't exactly top the charts like "Born to Run". The door to the world-famous recording studio The Hit Factory swings open, and in walks a man smoking a long cigar. Our Hero dreads seeing this visage yet he pays close attention as this man speaks: "C'mon, Bruce my boy, let's give the people what they want! You're a Rock Star! These people need something to play at their July 4th block party BBQs! There's a cowboy running for president, and he needs a campaign anthem, cheer up, will ya?" Bruce Springsteen is a true artist. He's a poet who writes about the struggle of the everyman. But hell, he's no fool. This is music, but it also business, so he releases one of the top selling records of all time. ******* This is an excerpt from my failed pitch for a Netflix movie about the life of Bruce Springsteen. It never got off the ground. Apparently Warren Zanes already wrote a book about this time period of his life, and they already made a movie starring Jeremy Allen White as The Man Himself. Oh well, I guess I'll get back to work on my Bob Dylan biopic pitch. Nobody's done that yet, right? Okay, seriously folks, review time. Funny thing about records, sometimes you can judge them by their cover, sometimes you can't (see my Soul II Soul review, coming soon). I remember knowing nothing about this record, and seeing the cover of the CD in high school. Bruce's ass, standing in front of the stripes of an American flag, give me a break! Born in the USA? So fucking lame. Karma police, arrest this man. This is another record that I love so much because people still think "Born in the USA" is patriotic, that "Glory Days" is a Jock Jam, and "Dancing in the Dark" is a party song. This record sold 17 million copies in the US alone. It's so subversive, yet so commercial, and 40 FUCKING YEAR LATER, it still flys under the radar. Suck it, American Idiot. Here are the words Ronald Reagan used for his presidential campaign song: Born down in a dead man’s town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much Till you spend half your life just covering up Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man Come back home to the refinery Hiring man says “Son if it was up to me” Went down to see my V.A. man He said “Son, don’t you understand” I had a brother at Khe Sanh fighting off the Viet Cong They’re still there, he’s all gone He had a woman he loved in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms now Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I’m ten years burning down the road Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go "Born in the USA" was a cry of anger and pain, not a declaration of pride. This is the first song on the record, and it lays out the exact theme of the record. The American Dream is bullshit. From here, we head to paranoia "Cover Me", lost love, "Downbound Train", "I'm Goin' Down", "Bobby Jean", and trying to find work but getting arrested instead "Darlington County", "Working On The Highway". Then there's feeling trapped in a rut and doing something, anything, to get out "I'm On Fire", "No Surrender", "Dancing In The Dark". And we've got "Glory Days", the anthem for peaking in high school and mild alcoholism. We've got all of these songs about how bad everything is, but the music itself is jaunty and anthemic, and sounds readymade to be blasted from stadium speaker towers and car radios at the same time. It's the E Street Band in full force, sax solos and bouncy organ stabs. "Darlington County" has a "sha la la" chorus. "Working On The Highway" has this chugging, exciting beat and it makes you feel like this guy is gonna make it! You he's just moving on man, we don't need to hear how it ends. "No Surrender" sounds like a valiant champions anthem! "Glory Days" and "Dancing In The Dark", no explanation needed. Pure pop radio gold. If the sound of these songs matched the subject matter, it would still be a great record. Hell, it'd be Nebraska part 2, and I'd fucking love it! But it wouldn't be Born in the USA, because this is exactly how the American Dream comes packaged. It's sold in this bright shiny wrapper, but it's broken on the inside. The exception here is "My Hometown". it closes out the album. It's as if Bruce can't keep up the facade any longer. This song was one of the 7 Top-Ten Billboard hits! I cannot believe a song this devastating was on the radio and MTV and was in the Top Ten. I was eight years old And running with a dime in my hand To the bus stop to pick Up a paper for my old man I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick And steer as we drove through town He'd tousle my hair And say, "Son, take a good look around" This is your hometown 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 Two cars at a light on a Saturday night In the back seat there was a gun Words were passed in a shotgun blast Troubled times had come To my hometown 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" Last night me and Kate we laid in bed Talking about getting out Packing up our bags, maybe heading south I'm thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now Last night I sat him up behind the wheel And said, "Son, take a good look around This is your hometown" We've followed these characters as they grew up. They were Wild, Innocent, they were doing the E-Street Shuffle out in Asbury Park with Rosalita, and Sandy, and Kitty, and Wild Billy. They looked around and decided that they wanted more. Come on, Mary, take hold, let's hit Thunder Road, let's step out into the Night, we'll take the Backstreets. We'll Run as fast as we can, maybe this Meeting Across the River will pay off, I'll do this one last job and we'll get out of this town. Now we head to the sea to wash these sins off our hands. Racing in the Street was fun back then, but now there's a shadow cast over the whole thing. Tomorrow it's back to the Factory. The Promised Land is now the Badlands. Then finally, its up the hill, towards the Darkness at the Edge of Town, where dreams are found and lost. This is the dream, found and lost at the same time.

I know this was Springsteen's most commercially successful album, but I'm not sure it's my personal favorite. Born In The USA is an all-time classic and criminally misunderstood song. It ironically sets the tone for the other Side 1 tracks which hit on a lot of sad themes you wouldn't expect after Bruce comes out hot in the opener. Other than Darlington County, I didn't really get pulled by any other song. The Side 2 tracks are where this album is truly great. Glory Days, Dancing In The Dark, and My Hometown are my favorites but frankly all the songs are great in their own right. You definitely get away from some of the sadder themes on the Side 1 part and get more from the rest of the band here. This one lands somewhere between a 4 and a 5 for me. I'll skew towards the latter since there are some downright classic songs in this album that are among the best the Boss ever put out (Born In The USA, Glory Days).

Loved it!

fuck it 5 stjerner, jeg er hastigt på vej ind i min Bruce Springsteen æra

What can you say about this album? Such a classic. I found myself really appreciating the ballads on this listen: I'm On Fire, My Hometown. Amazing songwriting.

10/10 classic album for me. Every song is a hit on this album but one or two. Dancing in the Dark is constantly on my rotation, and sung in the kitchen at least weekly. This album has a true mix of feelings and is perfectly put together.

En gubb klassiker

Hits

I was wobbling between 4 and 5, but this albums hits are all great. Title track is somewhat corrupted by its (mis)use as a patriotic anthem. But I love goin down, love I’m on fire (yes it also has the “little girl” stuff this group hates so much but it feels more intentionally villainous.) Of his big albums, this is maybe the least cohesive though. Just feel like more of a collection of (great) singles. But there’s some thematic link. I’m gonna round up

feels so good to listen to this on a sunny spring day with the window open and the breeze coming in. bruce’s music always makes me feel like my heart is too big for my ribcage, like i can’t fit all of that emotion inside. real joy and real frustration, unrelentingly earnest. even ‘dancing in the dark’ which i’ve heard one zillion times in various superficial contexts still has the power to bring me to my knees. ‘bobby jean’ will forever be about a teenage lesbian from the POV of her gay best friend. they were closeted together in high school—”now you hung with me when all the others / turned away, turned up their nose / we liked the same music, we liked the same bands / we liked the same clothes” and “now we went walking in the rain / talking about the pain from the world we hid / now there ain't nobody, nowhere, no how / gonna ever understand me the way you did”. eventually bobby jean made it out of their hometown to a big city where she could be herself and the narrator recognizes that she had to do it and he admires her for it…but he wishes he could’ve talked to her one last time, not to change her mind but just to say i miss you, baby, good luck, goodbye... i’m literally crying writing this. "now i work down at the car wash where all it ever does is rain" from ‘downbound train’ is one of my favorite lyrics ever. it just turns my heart for some reason. and ‘i’m on fire’ is forever transcendent. fav tracks: cover me; downbound train; i’m on fire; bobby jean; i’m goin’ down; dancing in the dark

So this has been a time coming. In some ways, this album feels like a bit of a homecoming — and maybe a chance at redemption? 'Coz y'see, the second album my group ever got was a Bruce Springsteen record, and specifically DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN. It's one I remember giving a 3/5 because... Well, honestly, I have no idea. This was so early in my group's 1001 Albums journey that I had no idea how I wanted to write reviews and express my opinions. Heck, I don't think I really knew how to listen to albums, 'coz I only wrote exactly 35 words about that record, and my biggest comment about it was that Springsteen could be a little unintelligible sometimes. So if this album's anything to me off the bat, it's a chance to give Springsteen a bit more respect, y'know? Then there's the fact that... Well, the only other thing I mentioned in that old review was that I preferred BORN TO RUN to DARKNESS. But y'see, I misspoke there; I've actually never heard BORN TO RUN before. I meant to say that I preferred **this** album, BORN IN THE U.S.A.. (And you can blame me for mixing them up? Both of their titles start with "born"; you can' tell me I'm the only one who got them backwards.) Naturally, then, I must ask myself: why **do** I like BORN IN THE U.S.A.? Or why did I think I did, anyway? And either way, was I basic for picking Springsteen's single most popular album besides the other one with "born" in the title? Like, I mean, come on. This is BORN IN THE U.S.A.. It's one of the biggest albums of the entire 80's. Over half the album was released as singles I may as well say my favorite Michael Jackson album is THRILLER, or that my favorite Prince record is PURPLE RAIN. It isn't and it is, for the record, although that's besides the point. I don't think picking an artist's most popular album as your favorite is wrong if it really does speak to you. So... Why, exactly? How does it speak to me? This is where, once again, I wonder if I'm basic. After all, I'm a girlie who listens to music melody first, and in that sense... Goodness me, this wasn't one of the biggest albums of the 80's for nothing. It sounds absolutely massive, just as I'd want any good 80's album to sound. And hooks? Goodness me, it has hooks for days. With those synths, too? It's hit after hit after hit, it's nuts. You can tell why so much of it was released as singles, and, honestly, in this regard, I feel like I'd be hard pressed to argue about this being one of the best albums of all time, even if it wouldn't be one of mine. And while, at least for my own sake, I've never thought that listening to music for the melody was shallow, it does need to be acknowledged that taking this thing on melody alone is missing part of the point. It's what led innumerable people to think that the title track is pure, blind patriotism instead of being about a disillusioned Vietnam vet's allientation after the war. Yeah, it's one of those albums, where despite how upbeat and poppy it sounds, it's actually kind of depressing once you dig below the surface. It's all about working-class struggles and all that... And to side-track for a second, I jus' wanna say that as I perceive Bruce Springsteen, none of his songs about that stuff have ever sounded inauthentic. Like, even here, on the biggest album of his career, I listen to him and I can't imagine that he doesn't care. No matter how much his star rises, he's still a man of the working class, blue collars and all. And, y'know, that's an appeal of all of his albums — or at least the stuff I've heard. But as for this album specifically, like, come on: it's exactly **because** it's so poppy and unbeat that it hits so well. Not just in the contrast between how anthemic the music is contrasted with its actual subject matter, but also just because it makes it all generally more palatable. Now that I'm thinking about it, my problem with DARKNESS might've just been that it didn't hit the same heights that BORN IN THE U.S.A. does. It's more restrained, and a bit more serious and raw. I don't recall a single song on DARKNESS ripping a sax solo like multiple tracks on BORN IN THE U.S.A. do. And, yeah, I can't act like that's not a reason why I was "fiiiiine" enough with it to give it a 3/5. Besides "Badlands", there just weren't hooks like the ones on BORN IN THE U.S.A.. And I worry a lot about being basic or shallow — ultimately, I don't think it matters. For one, since there's no comment section here, I doubt anyone's gonna seek me out on Bluesky or Discord or whatever to tell me I am. But what I feel is... Let's take the title track. I don't think it's bad to like it for its sound and its sound alone as long as you don't pretend like you know what it means. It's not something to be played at pro-America "rah-rah" campaign rallies, y'know? Like, I'm not advocating ignorance here; just don't act like you know more than you do, eh? Be honest here. And being honest, even if I **do** know what "Born In The U.S.A." means, for the time being I feel like I'm still bound to come back to it more just for how it sounds than for any big, important point it's making in its lyrics. There's nothing wrong with that. But let's get back to talking about the album directly and wrap this up. I think it's a truly great album, and like I said, truly one of the best of the entire decade it comes from (in terms of popular ones, anyway). Put it right alongside U2's THE JOSHUA TREE, or Madonna's LIKE A PRAYER, or Weird Al's IN 3-D. It has deep, important lyrics about America and the working man's struggle if that's what you're looking for, but if you just want the tunes and the hooks, well, damn, it'll provide for yah and then some as well. Other people can argue about if it is or not, but for me, yeah, it's The Boss at his best. Even if, in large portions, I still have no idea what he's saying. Jus' who he be, y'know?

There's something about The Boss that makes him so great, and it's very prevalent on these tracks. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. We haven’t gotten Bruce Springsteen since the second day of this entire experience (this is album #480 for me), but he’s done it once again: I really, REALLY liked this. That said, I don’t think I can give this album’s songwriting & storytelling the justice they deserve, in part because I think some of the cultural contexts of this album are simultaneously outdated & way too close to home at the same time. I don’t want to come across like an expert on something that I’m not, but I feel like I’m informed enough to point out that this album is kinda stuck in 1984, for better or for worse. It’s why it’s so frustrating that this album still feels close to home; so many of the struggles Bruce is writing about here haven’t changed, at least not that radically. Trust me, I’m not trying to drink the Reagan-era “it’s morning again in America” working class Kool-Aid – you could make a handful of tweaks to these tracks and they’d fit just as well in the current political/economic climate. I think this album has aged really well with its criticisms, and I think it’s aged poorly in terms of some of the starry-eyed gaze at which Bruce Springsteen hoped we’d resolve those criticisms. This is the slice-of-life Americana I’ve preached about a few times, and Bruce Springsteen’s writing is stellar on a number of these tracks. This is, by & large, the most “baby boomer” album we’ve gotten so far, written by one, for them, and shining through to express the frustrations of a generation. There’s a reason this sold 30 million copies, & why it has the critical acclaim that it does. I’m just not a baby boomer. Granted, my dad was one, which is why some of these tracks feel like they’re hitting a bit closer for me: I can totally see him in every single one of these tracks. It makes each track feel even more full & vivid than it already is, & that enhances the album to a higher degree for me. I do think “Darkness on the Edge of Town” has higher highs than this album, but this has a better consistency in terms of track quality, and my own personal feelings are too strong to ignore. There’s certainly a few lulls in the instrumentals at times, a few hokey lyrics by modern standards, & for as much as I love Bruce Springsteen’s vocals here, I wouldn’t mind if he took a lozenge. Overall, though, this is a great, great album. It’s definitely stuck in 1984, both lyrically & production-wise, but I don’t think it should sound any other way. I think it’s no less than a 4, and for me, a very easy bump up to a 5.

Every song on this album sounds like it could have been a hit, and most of them were!

This is basically the denim jacket of albums. Faded, patched up, still cool as hell. You get grit, heart, and a damn loud mirror held up to America. It’s all fist-pumping anthems and rustbelt poetry. There’s a real Mellencamp energy here, but sharper, louder, and more pissed off. Even the hits that get played at baseball games are secretly flipping the bird. Feels like someone screamed “freedom” with one hand on a factory wall and the other flipping a coin in a gas station parking lot. I don’t know what more you want in a Friday soundtrack. Spins: All Day Playlist Additions: - Born In The U.S.A. - Cover Me - I'm On Fire - Glory Days - Dancing In The Dark

What an album

fist bump explosion american flag

Boss

This was brilliant. Springsteen at his best with quite a few hits. This is a stone-cold classic and deserves it's place on this list!