Question Hi Seth I'm wondering if you can help me with anything involving the story behind Born in the USA. I am doing an album feature this weekend on it for my radio station, Q92.
I'm doing research for it and looking for all the juicy details about him at the time and anything regarding the songs and the album.
Hope you can help a brother out..
Brett
Answer i'm not entirely sure what information you are looking for, so if this doesn't help just write me back.
for the most part, born in the usa was written at the time of the acoustic "nebraska" album. he tried to record some of the "nebraska" songs w/ the band, but decided just to release his rough demo as the final version. so it's interesting that the songs that made him so popular, could have easily been "lost" as solo songs on "nebraska".
the album "Born in the USA" is probably his least favorite album, mostly b/c it represented a really rough time for him, mostly b/c his manager jon landau was being (pardon the phrase) a total dick during the recording. i think he smelled money and was being overly hard on bruce.
it was also at that time that stevie van zandt, bruce's closest friend and their from day 1 of his career, left the band. bobby jean is about him.
the most famous story, however, surrounds dancing in the dark. the album was completed, or so he thought, and landau told him he didn't hear one single on the album. they got in a huge fight and bruce said "why don't you write one then" and stormed out. that night, in anger, in his bedroom he wrote dancing in the dark. the album was finished then, and that became probably his biggest hit.
regarding the single "born in the usa", it was never understood, and probably isn't to this day. it's not a patriotic song, per se, but a story about a vietnam vet, and the trials he faced when he returned to the US. he was not attacking the US, however. it was more of a working man's song. then the politicians got a hold of it and bruce has some harsh works for ronald reagan. just search for bruce and reagan in google and i'm sure you'll find the details of that story.
