For whatever reasons, Born In The USA seems to be one of Springsteen's most maligned albums (just behind Human Touch and Lucky Town). I never quite understood why, as there are some damn fine songs here. Maybe not at the same level of excellence as most of his previous efforts (and especially coming on the heels of the brilliant Nebraska), but a very good collection of songs, nevertheless. There are a couple of clunkers here, to be sure, but as I listened to the album today I found that I quite liked even those. So maybe this album just needs time to age like fine wine.
I've always liked the title track, though it suffers from two serious drawbacks. First is the grating repetition of the 6 note motif that makes up the entire song. Max Weinberg is to be commended for keeping the thing fairly interesting musically, with his drum fills that sometimes remind me of Keith Moon's sloppy style. Second is the high range that Springsteen strains to reach on each line, but most notable on the "Born in the USA" choruses (if you can call them that, as there are no verses to speak of and certainly no bridge). His voice seems to get a little ragged towards the end, but what do you expect? It really is a high note he's shooting for (try to sing it yourself...if you can, I've got a job for you as a vocalist in a classic rock band).
Otherwise it's a great track with poignant lyrics and, despite it's maddening repetition, a killer hook. The Reagan administration, obviously not paying attention to the downbeat lyrics, asked the Boss if they could use the song as their slogan/theme song. Springsteen declined, and I'm tempted to think that it wasn't so much that he didn't care for Reagan's politics (which he didn't, I'm sure) but because he wanted to spare the President the sure embarrassment that would arise when he and his constituency realized just what the song was about. Old Ronnie must not have been one to appreciate irony.
"Cover Me" was played quite a bit on FM radio (I think it might have even been released as a single), and it sounds a lot like a concession to the pop music scene that threatened to leave Springsteen in it's wake. Of course "Dancing in the Dark" was the most obvious concession, but this one definitely smacks of "sell out", even if just a tad. Even so, "Dancing in the Dark", IMO, has the better lyrics.
I'm thinking that one reason why "Dancing in the Dark" was thoroughly derided by Springsteen's fans at the time was not so much the synth-heavy dance-beat style of the song, but the video that was put out to promote it, in which the Boss looks almost emasculated gyrating on a stage in front of a bunch of screaming girls. One of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time, but noone ever said he could dance. And that's just what he's trying to do throughout this video, even pulling a young Courtney Cox from the throng of Bruce-maniacs so he'll have a partner.
Okay, maybe I'm being a little hard on the guy. I can't dance, either. Neither can Phil Collins. At least Bruce gave it his best shot.
The first side is rounded out by 4 excellent songs (I know, "Dancing in the Dark" is on side two...I just got ahead of myself with all the "concession" stuff). "Darlington County" is a fun little romp that tells a genuinely funny story. Why I like this song and not "Glory Days" is something I can't understand myself (and the same is true of "I'm Goin' Down"). The sad tale of Bruce and Wayne is what makes the song enjoyable, certainly not the sing-song music and chorus.
More musically competent, IMO, is "Workin' on the Highway", where once again Springsteen weaves another humorous tale (almost as an aside) into a number accentuated by a simple, but effective, guitar lick.
"Downbound Train" takes a completely different approach, with some of the most heartbreaking sad lyrics the man has ever written. The dream he describes at the end is absolutely despondent. Plus, Danny Federicci does some of his best playing on this song. Almost as awesome as Roy Bittan's piano work in "Racing in the Streets". Federicci is all over this album and is consistently good throughout.
And finally to round out the side, another hit for Springsteen, "I'm On Fire". I don't see this one as a "concession" at all, but some may disagree. All I know is that it gets a lot done in a short period of time. Very nice arpeggiated guitar line with yet another nice Federicci organ part. And Bruce's voice is at his expressive best (having given it a long while to recover after singing "Born in the USA", no doubt).
Side two kicks off majestically with the anthemic "No Surrender". You'd think, with a chorus line that repeats "No retreat, baby, no surrender", that the song might just be about soldiers in a war. But you'd be mistaken. It's about conquering the world with a rock and roll band, then eventually realizing that it's not for you to do and retiring to let someone else pick up the mantle. I'm sure it's "about" some other things as well, but that's mainly what I get from it.
Another really good song that I've always enjoyed from this album is "Bobby Jean". It's a "Too Late Farewell" number that is ostensibly sung to and about a girl. Yet in 85, when this album came out, the buzz was all over the place that Miami Steve VanZandt was leaving the E Street Band and there was no way you could listen to the lyrics to "Bobby Jean" without suspecting that, even though they're addressed to a woman, they're actually directed to Steve. If this is news to you, just listen again and you'll see what I'm talking about. Plus, lest I forget to mention, there is a fantastic sax solo at the end of the song. When CC hits that high note during the fade-out I'm counting the goosebumps.
As I said earlier, I don't know why I like a song like "I'm Goin' Down" but can't stand "Glory Days". Maybe it's because I find the chorus to the former to be much better than the latter. I can almost see Springsteen doing an Elvis Presley imitation doing this song, and that tickles my funny bone. Hardy har har!
Then, to follow that song, he throws out another one with a similar musical type, "Glory Days". Don't ask me why I can't stand this song. The lyrics are okay. Not crazy about the chorus at all, and that's only compounded by the instrumental end section that just goes on and on and on, as if he thought he'd found the perfect chorus, then even he gets tired of it, saying "bring it home, boys" and even then they keep right on-a going. Didn't like the video, either.
I've already talked about "Dancing in the Dark", so that leaves me with just one song left, and a good one it is, too. "My Hometown" finds Springsteen further exploring the father-son relationship, this time within the context of a lament for an economically declining community. It's touching much in the same way as "Independence Day" and "Walk Like a Man", two other songs in which he explores a similar dynamic in fairly different ways. Yet another hit from this album (I think there were five), it's very likely the most "Springsteen-esque" of the lot. No wonder it is also my favorite of all those that got a fair share of radio airplay (well, besides "I'm on Fire").
Like The River, Born In The USA is a slightly uneven affair. It's not quite as noticeable, to me at least, because it's only one disc as opposed to two. It also shares this in common with The River: some of the songs are in dire need of remastering. The title track is almost as shrill as "The Ties That Bind" which opened The River.
Back in 85-86 I made a cassette compilation for a friend who was not a Springsteen fan. I think he'd only heard the hits from this album and decided it was not for him, as he generally liked "darker" music (he must not have been listening to the lyrics very closely). Anyway, I made him this tape called "Bruce Springsteen's American Dream", sort of playing off of the "Born in the USA" thing. Through the course of the 90 minute tape I included every song of Springsteens that I thought was "dark", maybe even a little depressing (and there are very many to choose from). Before too long this friend of mine was sold. To this day he is a diehard fan of Bruce Springsteen.
I don't know exactly what that has to do with Born In The USA, but I do remember that a couple of tracks on that tape were from that album.
3 1/2 Stars
Favorite Tracks: "No Surrender", "Bobby Jean", "Downbound Train", "I'm on Fire"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Glory Days", "Cover Me"
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