Rear-View Mirror: The politics of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A."

Every week Rich Terfry looks back in our Rear-view Mirror at a great song from the good ol’ days.

In 1984, Bruce Springsteen released what is arguably the most misinterpreted song in pop music history.

"Born In The U.S.A." was written as a scathing indictment of America's treatment of it's war veterans and as a lament for waning national pride. The images portrayed in the verses are bleak.

"Down in the shadow of the penitentiary/Out by the gas fires of the refinery/I'm 10 years burning down the road/nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go"

Those images are followed by the song's iconic, anthemic chorus. At the top his lungs, Springsteen shouts, "Born In The U.S.A." over thundering drums and an uplifting piano melody that sounds like it was played with a sledgehammer. It's a desperate cry of frustration and sadness.

The song's hook was so powerful, it blinded some listeners to the song's true meaning. It was misinterpreted as a patriotic rallying cry by many, including the president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. 1984 was an election year and Reagan wanted to use the song as his campaign anthem. When the president claimed to be a big-time Springsteen fan, the media jumped all over him. Johnny Carson famously said, "If you believe that, I've got a couple of tickets to the Mondale-Ferraro inaugural ball I'd like to sell you," referring to Walter Mondale, who was running against Reagan. Springsteen himself accused the president of not paying attention and turned down his request for an endorsement and for use of the song.

Reagan may have missed Springsteen's point entirely, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a minor misstep. He eventually defeated Mondale in a landslide. Springsteen was a winner too. The song was a top 10 hit propelling the Born In The USA album to 15 times platinum sales status in the U.S. alone.

Incidentally, the album also won a Juno award here in Canada for International Album of the Year.

It's the presidential campaign anthem that wasn't -- "Born In The U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen.

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Here are some other great editions of Rear-view Mirror:

The Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends"

Rolling Stones 'Miss You'

The Coasters 'Run Red Run'

Elvis Costello, 'Alison'

James Brown, 'Hot (I Need to be loved loved loved)'

Inner Circle, 'Tenement Yard'

Ray Charles, 'I Don't Need No Doctor'

Curtis Mayfield, 'Freddy's Dead'

Gang Starr, 'Beyond Comprehension'

Bo Diddley, 'Bo Diddley'

Aretha Franklin, 'Rocksteady'

CCR, 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain'

Howlin' Wolf, 'Smokestack Lightning'

Bobby Womack, 'Across 110th Street'

Roy Orbison, 'In Dreams'

Foggy Hogtown Boys, 'Man of Constant Sorrow'

Pink Floyd, 'Wish You Were Here'

Neil Young, 'Cortez The Killer'

Bob Dylan, 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'

Little Eva, 'Loco-Motion'

Elvis Costello, 'Watching the Detectives'

Jimmy Cliff, 'The Harder They Come'

The Verve, 'Bittersweet Symphony'

Roberta Flack, 'Killing Me Softly with his Song'

R.E.M., 'Radio Free Europe'

Radiohead, 'No Surprises'

Led Zeppelin, 'Ramble On'

Glen Campbell, 'Wichita Lineman'

Rolling Stones, 'Beast of Burden'

John Cougar Mellencamp, 'Pink Houses'