#142 Bruce Springsteen, 'Born in the U.S.A.' (1984)
Previously #86
Springsteen’s seventh record begins with the a striking piano chord played by the late Danny Federici, with Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan immediately coming in with the drums and synthesizer on the off-beat respectively. Within the first second you know it’s an E Street Band record, a sound in stark contrast to Springsteen’s previous record, the solo effort, ‘Nebraska’ (#150). Springsteen had written and recorded this song during the ‘Nebraska’ sessions. It was originally a slightly faster acoustic Blues song (yes, really! It’s featured on the release, ‘Tracks,’ if you care to listen). Often mistaken as a flag waving song, it was actually about the hardships veterans faced after returning home from war, specifically the Vietnam War, in this case. Weinberg absolutely owns this song giving the drum performance of his lifetime, perhaps trying to prove a point after not playing on Springsteen’s other “Born” song, ‘Born To Run.’ With 28 seconds to go, and after a rollicking performance by Weinberg, Springsteen counts in a quick “1, 2, 3, 4” as if to remind us who the real Boss of this band is. And that is Springsteen’s best quality. Surrounding himself with some of the best musicians of all time, he gives them to do their thing until it’s time to reign in the band and bring them together as the E Street Band.
The album would go on to garner 7 Top-10 hit singles, including the title track, ‘Cover Me,’ ‘Dancing In The Dark’ (featuring the memorable video with a then-unknown Courtney Cox), ‘I’m On Fire,’ ‘Glory Days,’ ‘I’m Goin’ Down’ and ‘My Hometown.’ More than half the record. The depth of this album is incredible though. The non-singles, ‘Bobby Jean,’ ‘Working On The Highway’ and ‘Downbound Train’ are every bit as good as the singles. The record took Heartland Rock to the mainstream taking artists such as Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and Bob Seger with it. The album went #1 in the US, Australia, UK, Canada and multiple other territories. As a sidenote, when I was 4 years old, I clearly remember walking around constantly singing the melody of ‘Born In The USA,’ convinced that I had written it. When I eventually heard the song on radio, I remember being incensed at this hack Springsteen who had ripped off my song. Still chasing down my royalties.
#rs500albums