Bruce Springsteen’s seventh studio album “Born in the U.S.A.” ignited an inferno in the red, white, and blue hearts of every American upon its release in 1984. However, it can be argued that "Born in the USA" can be classified as one of the most misinterpreted songs of all time. In essence, it represented two opposing songs: what the fans heard and understood, and what the true meaning of Springsteen's message was. Released right before the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Summer Olympics, and in the midst of a Ronald Regan era of patriotism, the record became an instant hit on American radio. However, it was the title track that managed to harness the nationalistic mood of the time with its notorious patriotic chorus and Springsteen’s authentic American image. The album cover, replete with a blue jean clad Springsteen propped against an American flag backdrop, became a symbol for most Americans and many listeners considered Springsteen, with his raw, raspy voice, the iconic representation of working class America. Ronald Reagan himself, during a speech in Springsteen’s hometown, stated: “America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts; it rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen” (Werner, 1998, 246). Much to the dismay of Springsteen, many listeners, including President Reagan, failed to grasp the true meaning of the song.
If analyzed carefully, the melancholy verses of the song are in sharp contrast to the overpowering chorus. Ignore the addictive chorus "Born in the U.S.A.” and what you really hear is a protest song that tells the depressing story and struggle of Vietnam Veterans returning home to a disillusioned life. To his most devoted ...
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... in the live footage of the music video. His “throaty” timbre captivates his authentic image. He sings with a medium tenor that is hard at the edges, but with a certain control that is independent from backing vocals and harmonies. The repetitive flow captivates listeners and leaves them mesmerized by this American rock n' roll icon.
One can conclude that the flag waving, fist-pumping pride of the chorus completely betrayed the true essence of the song. The stark reality of the final words "Nowhere to run aint got nowhere to go," is not an affirmation of patriotism, but rather a voice echoed in despair and disillusionment. If interpreted as Springsteen intended, the words "born in the U.S.A." should not be considered a statement of pride, but rather a betrayal of the American dream, illustrating a country that failed and isolated many and robbed them of hope.
The film is centered as a parody of Bruce Springsteen’s popular hit “Born in the USA.” In the film, he embodies a Mexican-American from East Los Angeles who is falsely accused of being an immigrant and then deported. The film uses political satire to employ the message of the status of Chicanos within the United States. “The film is a critique of white racism, particularly white racism directed toward ethnic minorities and immigrant groups that are considered foreigners and therefore unwelcome in Anglo America (Tatum 80).” The film won Best Picture at the Havana Film Festival as well as Best Screenplay and Best Production Design. It was later accredited as being part as “Hispanic Hollywood” along with other famous Latino films during the
It was a way for the United States to recruit soldiers to send to Europe, as the United States was short on soldiers and even passed conscription acts to draft people into the army. In addition, Americans still held anti-war sentiments, as Wilson was reelected campaigning on not going to war. This patriotic song helped ease American fears and provided confidence that US troops would be able to end the war swiftly. On a global scale, the song is tied to the American entry into World War I, an event that solidified the Allied victory, shaping the history of the world leading to World War II. On the national level, the song gave the people hope because it reflected the belief that the United States’ troops would be able to dominate Europe and come home safely. By the end, however, the death and destruction left by the war became apparent. The trust in Wilson’s grandiose ideals and the patriotism faded as the people began seeing US involvement in the war was a mistake, taking up Harding’s offer to return to “normalcy” (Brinkley, 530). As a result, this song is also firmly situated in a change of eras as the United States moved past World War I and into the Roaring
Folk singer and victim of the Great Depression Woody Guthrie, wrote the song “This Land was Made for You and Me” to express how U.S. citizens once viewed the nation as prosperous, now viewed the nation as desperate. In the song, Guthrie explains that the beauty and bounty of America’s land belongs to everyone. Poignantly, the song ends with “As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if [God blessed America for me.]” This line stressed how confused citizens felt about their country during this time. Citizens did not know what to think about living in America anymore. Should they leave? Where would they go? What about the
In essence, this song carries various sociological concepts. It concentrates on the main idea about the social construction of reality and talking about how reality is changing. The song questions the actions and mentally of individuals violating the norms and values of society. The band takes into consideration various factors of why it is happening including the media and religion. As a result they talk about such influences taking control building and developing a sense of self. This is a great song about present day problems and how society changes with them.
Popular folk band, The Lumineers, composed a song, “Charlie Boy,” to remind the audience of a terrible and appalling part of America’s past, the Vietnam War. During this time period many men were killed in combat because their president, John F. Kennedy, made them believe that they could win a disastrous war without many casualties. One of the members of The Lumineers had a personal connection with someone who fought in this dreadful war. Wesley Schultz, the lead singer of the band, attempts to remind Americans that the Vietnam War is a critical and unfair part of our history that many people have forgotten. The Lumineers adopt a use of a warm melody, repetition, and album placement in order to convey
This song from the time of Mexican Revolution puts into perspective to me about how things were back then and how the citizens realized why people wanted to be president.
America is a country rich in history, which can be dated back to 1776 with its independence from the British. With this new-found independence came a great loss of life and new found freedoms. This land did not come without struggles and bloodshed, from people that believed that this land was worth fighting for. It wasn’t necessary the land that was special, it was the belief of what this land represented. With the new-found freedoms, giving to individuals where the freedom to express them self in many formats, many express their patriotism in forms of poetry and in music. There have been several songs written by many different musicians, but the most significant to America’s core values are My country, ‘tis of thee by Samuel F. Smith, God
When I heard it the first time, the melody of the music feels so beautiful but the lyrics are so sad and it give me a feel of your live withered like a tree. Don 't know why I love that song so much so I did some research on it. And find out that the theme song is called "sound of silence ". It 's written and song by Simon & Garfunkel in the early 1960s. even though the song is not so popular at that time. but it really describes how were people 's feeling in that time. The early 1960s in United states it 's a very hard time to the country and the people who live in there. The negative effects of Vietnam war still remain the discriminations of black and the assassination of president John f. Kennedy. We can see in that time the American 's dream is falling apart and it become farther and farther. The song "sound of silence" really show how people at that time live in the society, how they feel like and what kind of society problems they are facing and how the song can use the describe the society
Dylan’s anti-war bias, simply repetitive tone, religious allusions and aggressive description add to our understanding of his overall perspective, whilst Black’s partisan bias, catchy chord progression and direct allusions strengthen our comprehension of his viewpoint. Analysing these war anthems provides us with a better understanding of the influence of music and how popular political songs may subtly express a perspective without doing so explicitly. Songs that explore political issues do not necessarily have to be openly hostile to be effective, though it is important for one to be able to recognise the true motives of an artist’s lyrical manipulation, tone and musical
Woody Guthrie inspired millions of people. He did this with his most popular song still to this day, “This Land is Your Land”. He had hundreds of his songs that he would sing. To us Americans, his song is like an anthem of our country. In 1940, Guthrie came out with the song and traveled across the nation with it. The songs purpose is to express that USA is for everyone and not just the people who can afford it. The quotes that he declared and his songs and very similar, yet so different.
This song created a divided between the lower class and the upper class. They protest against protecting only the upper classes and college educated from the draft. Their arguments in the song uses two methods of appeal, emotion and ethics. They establish their argument by using emotional appeal most heavily, then using ethics to support their position. The song accomplishes this with these lyrics, “I ain't no millionaire’s son, son It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one,” it stated that some are not fortunate to be skipped in the drafted solely because their families are not
While examining his lyrics further, the first eye opener is "I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bullshit." (Fiasco) In this instance, Fiasco was talking about the Vietnam war. It came with great controversy since many Americans believe this fight was pointless, as it came with no gain to the U.S. This civil war came with a great cost, accordingly "economists report the Vietnam War cost the U.S. $111 billion during war time, which calculates to $738 billion by 2011 standards." (Tucker) With such a costly war, only
He writes to persuade the American people to make the promises of the Constitution a reality. Walt Whitman writes, “I hear America singing” to present images of a true American society living the American Dream. “Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs”(Whitman18). The American people are thought to be expressing their freedom through their voice. The dream is real, but it has yet to become a reality. The American dream would become reality when the idea that “centre of equal daughters, equal sons/All, all alike, endear’d”(Whitman12) is put into effect. Overall, Whitman’s nationalistic views of America are a way of promoting social change to achieve the American
The lyrics are true to a certain point . Some people do come to America looking for freedom, even being poor, but they manage to survives not because of their drive or push to live in America , but also because their not alone. America is filled with probably every single race on planet earth. Neil Diamond says that he knows how it must feel to travel to a country you don't know, but he also says to not be afraid because America is a land of opportunities. Even though there are many differences between cultures, we still manage to stay intact, and that reason is because how great America
As we inch towards the year 2000, we look back to the pre-dominant individuals of the 20th century. Time magazine voted Frank Sinatra as the world’s most influential vocalist of the 20th century. Frank Sinatra not only excelled but transcended music and became a true personality of our time. Whether you’re talking about recorded music, live performances, movies or simply living large, Frank Sinatra has done that all. He has become an international figure, having the reputation as a celebrity, icon, bad boy and the greatest singer of American popular songs. He is known as being America’s first teen idol and also as a true American Legend. You may all know the name "Frank Sinatra" but you may all not know why Frank Sinatra is a cultural icon. After reading the book "Sinatra:Behind the Legend" by Randy Tarabelli, I learned a lot about this American legend.