Thu Jul 22 2021
4
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!
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Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
1984
- Album Summary
Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was released by Columbia Records on June 4, 1984. The album's music was written by Springsteen and recorded with his E Street Band and producers Chuck Plotkin and Jon Landau at The Power Station and The Hit Factory in New York City over the course of several years. The process of recording the album was intertwined with that of his previous album, Nebraska. The cover featured an iconic photograph of Springsteen from behind, taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz. Born in the U.S.A. was met with positive reviews, which noted its more pop-oriented radio-friendly sound, and massive commercial success. It produced seven top-10 hit singles and was promoted with a worldwide concert tour by Springsteen. Born in the U.S.A. became his most commercially successful album and one of the highest-selling records ever, having sold 30 million copies by 2012. It has also been cited by critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album received a nomination for Album of the Year at the 1985 Grammy Awards.
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Fri Nov 06 2020
5
nice, and for every idiot that reads this, born in the usa is not a mindless patriotic song. "Cover me" surprisingly nice song
Mon Jun 14 2021
5
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.
Mon Apr 04 2022
1
This wins the "Better than Eric Clapton" award.
Mon Jan 18 2021
1
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.
Tue Mar 09 2021
5
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"
Tue Jul 06 2021
5
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
Fri Feb 26 2021
5
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.
Thu Sep 16 2021
5
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.
Mon Mar 28 2022
5
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
Wed Apr 06 2022
5
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.
Tue Jan 19 2021
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.
Thu Jun 03 2021
5
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
Tue Jul 06 2021
5
Masterpiece. Bruce is a treasure and must be protected at all costs
Tue Mar 15 2022
5
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.
Sat May 29 2021
4
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.
Tue May 10 2022
4
https://youtu.be/nEXVLPcvksM
Wed Aug 18 2021
3
Ultimate dad rock with a small dose of cirngey good ol' boy lyricism. Good tunes though, nothing great, but good.
Thu Sep 14 2023
3
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.
Thu Nov 05 2020
2
Billy Joel’s country cousin, better than I thought but still not a fan
Fri Jan 15 2021
1
This album had a time and place. It’s place is no longer on my playlists or shelf. Patriotism is hard
Fri Jan 15 2021
1
I truly disliked this. There is no musicality and it’s basically him yelling throughout most of the album.
Fri Mar 12 2021
1
no me va
Fri Jan 15 2021
1
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.
Mon Jan 18 2021
1
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)
Thu Jan 28 2021
1
Boring as fuck
Fri Jun 18 2021
1
Yeah still not a fan. Cheesy cringey vocals and lyrics. Boring instrumentation. I just can't see the appeal.
Thu Jul 08 2021
1
sucks.
Wed Jul 28 2021
1
Couldn’t get through it, but I did try
Thu Aug 19 2021
1
Never cared for this album, not in the redneck context nor the anti-war context.
Mon Oct 18 2021
1
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.
Mon Nov 08 2021
1
Not for me
Tue Nov 09 2021
1
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.
Thu Nov 11 2021
1
yikes!
Mon Nov 15 2021
1
I'm just not a fan of Bruce Springsteen.
Thu Jan 20 2022
1
This made no impression on me whatsoever
Tue Mar 29 2022
1
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.
Tue Oct 04 2022
1
Bruce is bad. You know this. (Besides that one song about Atlantic City)
Mon Oct 24 2022
1
Nope, just can't do it. I am allergic to this bloke
Mon Nov 21 2022
1
I can't stand Bruce Springsteen
Tue Nov 22 2022
1
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.
Fri Nov 06 2020
5
The boss! So good
Fri Jan 01 2021
5
boss
Mon Jan 18 2021
5
Perfection.
Tue Mar 02 2021
5
Great album, timeless, love it.
Mon Feb 01 2021
5
Epic
Thu Jan 28 2021
5
A classic!
Tue Mar 16 2021
5
Packed with classics. The title track, I'm on fire, no surrender, glory days, dancing in the dark, my hometown. One or two weaker tracks but overall brilliant
Fri Jan 22 2021
5
Classic Bruce
Tue Apr 06 2021
5
Summer classic baby
Wed Jan 20 2021
5
I can't help but feel like Bruce is a bit cheesy, maybe it is just how much his songs are played. Still, I can't deny this album 5 stars. There are at least 5 epic songs on here.
Wed Jan 13 2021
5
So many classic jams on this album.
Sun Apr 18 2021
5
Excellent album j’ai adore. 4.90
Tue Mar 16 2021
5
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
Mon May 31 2021
5
Yo creo que cuando menos me cae mal Estados Unidos (el concepto?) es cuando sus músicos, cineastas, entertainers pues, toman la delantera. Este disco me emociona mucho, me hace creer en los gringos (?). La voz de Bruce me gusta bastante y acá creo que todo tiene un espíritu rockero, pero al tiempo se siente que ya hay una voluntad pop, o sea que todo mundo pueda escucharlo y sentirse a gusto; no sé cómo más explicarlo. Me gusta el hitazo "Born in the U.S.A.", "Darlington County" tiene mucho espíritu gringo igual y las otras favs "I'm On Fire", "I'm Goin' Down" y "Dancing in the Dark". 10/10
Fri Feb 05 2021
5
Supreme
Tue May 18 2021
5
Classic of classics. Still relevant, still magnificent rock anthems
Tue Mar 23 2021
5
The boss
Fri Feb 12 2021
5
An essential album for sure!
Sat Apr 03 2021
5
The Boss does stadium rock. Best Tracks: Born In The U.S.A., I'm On Fire, Dancing In The Dark
Wed May 19 2021
5
Eines der besten Alben aller Zeiten. Obwohl es ja teilweise breitbeinig und stadiontauglich ist, ist es nie peinlich. Und die Geschichten, die erzählt werden, sind autentisch über ein Amerika der Arbeiter ohne, herablassend zu sein. Mega! I am on fire.
Tue Jul 06 2021
5
Not 100% my kind of music but I have no criticism to make. This is a great album.
Thu May 06 2021
5
Was soll ich sagen... Das einzig negative wäre, dass es halt der Gipfel der Popularität ist....
Thu May 06 2021
5
Kann da nichts besonderes dran finden, aber die Musik ist der Hammer!
Mon Mar 29 2021
5
Been ages since I listened to this, but it still holds up. Very 80s, and yet still classic Springsteen.
Wed Jul 07 2021
5
The Boss!!! Amazing album. An all-time favorite.
Thu May 06 2021
5
Great album. Some very good deep cuts below the title track like Darlington County, No Surrender, and I’m on Fire. Downtown Train and My Hometown are the only duds to me.
Fri Jun 04 2021
5
First track makes you want to take on the world. Good from start to finish.
Mon May 24 2021
5
It's the Boss!!!
Fri Jun 18 2021
5
Not my favorite Bruce album, but still heads and tails above most.
Fri Jun 18 2021
5
Bought this at age 13 when it came out. Gets compared to Nebraska or The River all the time as they were contemporaries but this is not those albums. This is "mainstream" Bruce reaching out to his widest audience ever and nailing it. "Bobby Jean" is a lamentation of a girl he used to know that still hits that yearning feeling all these years later. A favorite.
Mon Aug 23 2021
5
Defines the 80s!
Wed Sep 01 2021
5
The boss.
Mon Sep 20 2021
5
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
Mon Oct 11 2021
5
A departure from his earlier works and a more pop feel album than was heard from The Boss than before this. Very accessible, very 80s, this is a great album to dip into his works.
Tue Oct 12 2021
5
Excelent. Almost a perfect album.
Mon Oct 18 2021
5
When Bruuuuuuuuce turned this album in, his manager, Jon Landau told him he needed a single for the radio. He went back and produced that single - Dancing in the Dark and an additional six more would be released. Every single record was a top-ten hit. You can't argue with this and you can't argue with Bruce because he is the Boss.
Mon Oct 18 2021
5
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!
Tue Oct 19 2021
5
This is pertnear a greatest hits album on its own. Five all-time classics. Damn.
Sun Oct 24 2021
5
Bruuuuce!
Tue Oct 26 2021
5
The perfect album about the United States. Shame the ideals that Bruce wrote about have been perverted in the 37 years since this was released.
Wed Nov 10 2021
5
Not a bad track. pre-MAGA without the vitriol.
Wed Nov 10 2021
5
I’d forgotten how good this album is! Who can resist a spontaneous dance party when dancin in the dark come on
Fri Nov 12 2021
5
Gute laune ami rock. Einige Lieder kannte ich schon
Mon Nov 15 2021
5
Classic rock is classic. Some of it more classic than others.
Tue Nov 16 2021
5
Born In The USA - Niet alleen de titel van een album, maar ook van een heel bekend nummer, zelfs bekend van de 2 Live Crew. Ik was meteen nieuwsgierig naar het album, en wat een fijn album is het! Allemaal leuke liedjes, ondanks dat er toch niet heel veel nummers zijn die er echt uit springen voor mij. Naast de bekende hits is voor mij de verrassing mij: "No Surrender" *****
Wed Nov 17 2021
5
3 absolute classics with some lowkey bangers sprinkled in there. Easy 5 star
Mon Nov 22 2021
5
That's great
Wed Nov 24 2021
5
23rd November 2021 Listened on the record player while working before we went to this weird bubble instillation in green Park. Bake off final win for guiseppe. Nothing to say. Perfection.
Tue Nov 30 2021
5
They didn’t call him the boss for nothing. This is the masterpiece!!
Sat Dec 04 2021
5
Great 1980's era Boss stuff. "Born In The USA" that so misunderstood Ronald Reagan Theme! is an amazing track as is "Downbound Train" Poet to the people is Brooooce! "Glory Days" is some song too and of course the Courtney Cox Dancing on the video for "Dancing In The Dark" is legendary. In My Collection already.
Fri Dec 10 2021
5
Perfect
Mon Dec 13 2021
5
Brilliant album, a collection of great songs
Fri Dec 24 2021
5
Classic, at least 8 great songs on this album.
Tue Jan 04 2022
5
One of my favorite albums of all time
Sat Jan 08 2022
5
Excelente disco
Tue Jan 11 2022
5
He's not called the Boss for nothing.
Tue Jan 11 2022
5
He Bossed it.
Tue Jan 11 2022
5
The archetypal blue collar rock album. Infectiously enjoyable. With a title track that humiliated US politicians who only read the title.
Thu Jan 13 2022
5
There are a lot of Springsteen's best songs on this album, and it marries the joy of some of his biggest hits with the emotional weight of his slower albums.