Springsteen’s Lyrical Connotations
As explained Bruce Springsteen clearly found himself in a constant battle with comparisons being drawn from Born in the USA and Reagan’s presidential idealism and many misinterpreted the songs on the album as jingoistic. Many consider this ‘battle’ to have started when conservative journalist George Will wrote an article in a 1984 newspaper after attending a Bruce Springsteen show, ‘’ “I have not got a clue about Springsteen's politics, if any, but flags get waved at his concerts when he sings songs about hard times. … The recitation of closed factories and other problems always seems punctuated by a grand, cheerful affirmation: Born in the U.S.A.!” (Will, 1984) Will’s positive comments and misunderstanding behind the lyrical content of Born in the USA had inspired Reagan on his campaign for re-election and he often referred to Springsteen at his demonstrations. In September 1984 Reagan commented during a speech in Bruce’s home state of New Jersey, ‘’ America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts. It rests in the message of hope in songs of a man so many young Americans admire—New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about.’’ (Reagan, 1984) Springsteen was automatically branded a Reagan supporter, a huge misunderstanding when analysing the actual meaning behind many of the lyrics of the…show more content… As Alterman describes, ‘’millions of people heard exactly the opposite message of what Springsteen intended.’’ (Alterman, 1999) In this section I want to look at the audience’s interpretation of the lyrics included in Born in the USA, compare this to the actual meaning Springsteen was trying to convey and address the line of thought that the actual meaning of a song’s lyrics can be lost in its musical