"Born In The U.S.A."

In My Humble Opinion
1

Right now, in the area that I live, they have started playing patriotic songs during lunch hour. The usual fare. But one sticks out in my mind: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”. I love the song when it came out, but I have always thought this song has always been misunderstood. I have heard it play at a National Republican Convention (which Bruce protested its use), in Fourth July fireworks displays, and in many other settings. Has any actually read the lyrics?

Here is a sample:

For a complete at the lyrics at http://www.thuismarkt.nl/users/springsteen/Lyrics/BornInTheUSA.html
Not the most gun-ho American patriotic song ( I still like the song), so my questions are:

  1. Why do people still play it in patriotic settings? (Yes, I know, probably most people don’t pay attention to the lyrics and they just hear " I was born . .")

  2. Is this one of the most misunderstood song in the US pop history.

Just wondering

XicanoreX

2

  1. I think you’ve nailed it – people don’t listen to lyrics.

  2. No. That distinction almost certainly belongs to “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

3
  1. I don’t have my Bruce bio here at work with me, so I can’t give you the exact quote, but after the Born in the USA album came out, President Regan decided to use Bruce as a poster-boy for patriotism (much against Mr. Springsteen’s wishes). Various conservative big-wigs talked about how darned patriotic that rock star from NJ was, and if more Americans were like him this’d be a better world. Hey, if the album cover’s got an American flag (of course, with the Boss’s posterior posed in denim in front of it) and the lyrics have USA in it, it must be patriotic.

To save those confused a little bit of dignity, the song sure sounds patriotic, sans lyrics. But I get a kick out of it every time I think of Ronald Regan praising Bruce’s patriotism.

  1. I’d say it ranks up there. The juxtoposition of lyrics lamenting the fate of the young American sent away to war either to die or come home and face the fact that he/she is unwanted with driving “up beat” sounding music is really misleading. More recently (as in his latest live album and in concert) he plays it as a solo guitar piece, slow and soulful. Had the lyrics originally gone along with the current music, it would not have been misunderstood.

(sorry for the long reply to something that probably matters so little, but I am a big Springsteen fan, and I rarely get to show off any knowledge, even if it is worthless knowledge, here on the SDMB)

4

It is definitely misunderstood and misused by many.

There’s a new commercial out promoting patriotism (and jeans?) that uses a snippet of an old classic - crap! I can’t think of the song right now, Springsteen has my head caught in a sound loop and I can’t remember the one I want. sigh Essentially it begins with a big guitar riff, then a line about some people being born to wave the flag. Of course they don’t quote the next line, which is That’s not me.

If I remember I’ll try to post later.

Another song commonly misunderstood - Revolution by John Lennon. It was a big protest song, but Lennon is in fact protesting against violent uprising and changing the system.

5

The thing is that the lyrics do go along with the original music. The martial beat and the proud air of the music, along with the repeated refrain “Born in the USA” are meant as irony. (Real irony, not Alanis Morrissette irony.) That’s the genius of “Born in the USA,” and why it’s such a classic peice; the patriotic facade is what makes the very sad story the lyrics tell all the more poignant. There’s so much you can take away from that song. Is the way he sings it a take on blind patriotism, or is he demanding something? Or is it a commentary on the way the downtrodden often seem to be the best patriots?

Playing the song as a slow, soulful song would work, but makes it simpler and takes much of the depth and nuance out of it.

6

You’re thinking of Fortunate Son by CCR

7

I hate that damn tommy jeans ad, they butchered the lyrics:
Some folks were born to wave the flag…
and of course they don’t play the next line which goes “but it ain’t me, it ain’t me… I ain’t no senator’s son”

I hate seeing a message twisted to mean the opposite of what was intended…

8

Please explain

9

Agree and I thought I was the only one that had that thought about that.

“Fortunate Son” by CCR

and I quote to those guys who used it in the commercial:

Another song, that is currently being used by Target, but misunderstood by most is Devo’s “It’s a beautiful world”. Most people remember the chorus, but always forget the last words of the song:

Yep, I had forgotten about that one, but yes, you are right. This song by John Lennon is always used in “60’s” documentaries or in that famous commercial (I forget which company) toutin “revolution”, but only they read the lyrics closely they would see its a protest agains violence.

XicanoreX

10

“When a Man Loves a Woman” is widely perceived as a romantic song… but if you listen closely, it’s the angry, weepy rant of a man who’s been hurt by a no-good, rotten wench! The whole point is, when a man is deeply in love, he overlooks all his beloved’s faults. He’s so smitten, he can’t see that she’s lying to him and cheating on him. He’ll even turn against friends who try to warn him!

“Born in the USA” is not the only Springsteen song that’s been awfully misinterpreted. “Glory Days” is another. The whole point of that song is that our “glory days” are fleeting. A few years from now, we’ll be washed-up nobodies who have nothing but fading memories of our youth. Years ago, I remember that they used to play Springsteen’s “Glory Days” during all the New York Giants’ games. Nobody seemed to grasp that what Springsteen was really saying: that in twenty years, Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor will be old farts, sitting at a bar and babbling to the bartender, “Did I ever tell you how I won the Super Bowl?” And the bartender will roll his eyes, and say, “Yeah, about 1000 times. LEave me alone!”

11

In 1998, I heard a commentary on NPR by a professional wedding singer on the music that is chosen for weddings. (I know this thread isn’t about wedding music, but work with me here.) This was after my own wedding, so I remember the piece fairly well. (I couldn’t find it in the archives, however, so I can’t provide a link.)

He said that most of the music chosen is inappropriate, because people choose it on the basis of a title or the melody. So a song like “Born in the USA” would be chosen on those grounds.

My vote for Most Misunderstood Song is “The Greatest Love of All”. Not about loving another person, but about loving yourself.

And Nike used “Revolution”.

Robin

12

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by xicanorex *
[snip]

Yep, I had forgotten about that one, but yes, you are right. This song by John Lennon is always used in “60’s” documentaries or in that famous commercial (I forget which company) toutin “revolution”, but only they read the lyrics closely they would see its a protest agains violence.

IIRC, During the second verse John says"

Which means, according to the movie IMAGINE, that he (John) felt on certain days that he could find truth on both
sides of the argument…
{BOLDING MINE}

13

You know, NOT being a M. Bolton fan, I had never put much attention to the lyrics and, ya know, after further review, . . .you are right.

XicanoreX

14

LOL

XicanoreX

15

FTR When A Man Loves a Women was originally sung my Percy Sledge.

16

Doh!

FTR?

XicanoreX

17

Damn you BuddhaDog, you beat me to it.

18

…sung BY Percy…but you know that

FTR = For the Record

19

What’s misinterpreted about “When a Man Loves A Woman”?

Another commonly misinterpreted song is American Woman by The Guess Who, as well as (although some people may disagree with me) Alice Cooper’s School’s Out- which talks about not having to go to school because it was lost to the war, NOT because he’s a rebellious punk.

20

What about Sting and “Every Breath You Take”?