Sharp Notes Monday: ‘Born in the U.S.A.’

By Jandoli Institute on November 11, 2024 • ( 0 )

By Richard Lee

“Born in the U.S.A.” is one of Bruce Springsteen’s most misunderstood compositions. It’s pounding beat and declarative refrain suggest a fist-pumping patriotic anthem.

In fact, the song became a topic in the 1984 presidential race when President Ronald Reagan, speaking at a campaign stop in Hammonton, New Jersey, said: “America’s future rests in the message of hope in songs of a man so many young Americans admire, New Jersey’s Bruce Springsteen.”

Reagan apparently did not realize that “Born in the U.S.A.,” which his campaign was using as a theme song, was not the patriotic song he and his staff thought it was. Instead it was about the struggles of a veteran returning home from the war in Vietnam.

The president’s opponent, Democrat Walter Mondale, had accurate understanding of the song. “Bruce Springsteen may have been born to run but he wasn’t born yesterday,” he said in response to Reagan’s comments.

The mood of the song is much different in Springsteen’s acoustic version, recorded around the time of his Nebraska album, and it is an acoustic version that we choose for Sharp Notes Monday on Veterans Day.

Richard Lee, executive director of the Jandoli Institute, is a former music journalist who often writes about the intersection of music and current events.

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As part of our “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” music and social media project, we share a song every Monday to start your week.

View previous Sharp Notes Monday selections.

Visit our “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” music and social justice page to learn more about the project and view videos of our presentations.