Born in the USA

“Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen is the iconic Independence Day/barbecue song. What many don’t realize how anti-America it actually is. 

Springsteen released the song on June 4, 1984, a month before both Independence Day and the Los Angeles Olympics. The American people were in such a flag-waving time that they had selective hearing when listening to “Born in the U.S.A.” This, dare I say ignorance, even spread to President Ronald Reagan.

Incumbent conservative president Ronald Reagan was running for reelection and used Springsteen’s song at events. Despite not knowing Springsteen’s political beliefs, one of President Reagan’s top advisors reached out to Springsteen for a potential endorsement. President Ronald Reagan even referred to Springsteen’s song in one of his speeches, believing “Born in the USA” embodied the message of the American Dream. When in reality the song was about the negative aspects of coming home after Vietnam. 

Due to the popularity of the song, Springsteen got a lot of media attention. George Will, a conservative columnist, praised Springsteen as an “exemplar of classic American values.”

I believe that the American people were just so entranced in state of patriotism that they simply glossed over the true meaning of “Born in the U.S.A.”

Reagan's Re-election Ads: (they are so wonderfully optimistic and 80's-y!)

https://youtu.be/EU-IBF8nwSY

This is a video of Springsteen performing the song on the acoustic guitar. 

https://youtu.be/Ug5Bl8U2ItQ