“Born in the U.S.A” Song Analysis by Lauren Polli
In 1984, famous songwriter, Bruce Springsteen, released “Born in the USA”. The song starts off on a negative note, opening with lines “Born down in a dead man’s town/The first kick I took was when I hit the ground.” Springsteen is showing that the narrator of the song was born down. He is kicked all his life, and has to work hard to clean his wounds. The lyrics of the first verse have a note of despair, of sadness. The shift to the upbeat, proud-sounding chorus is almost ironic, like Springsteen is making fun of the situation. The loud and proud chorus, with the lyrics “Born in the U.S.A/ I was born in the U.S.A” has caused the song to be greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted. For example, Ronald Reagan tried to use the song as a campaign song, but Springsteen quickly said no. Reagan, like many others thought the song was an American anthem, when in reality it is a story of someone who grew up with a tough life, was sent off to the army, and came back to hard life. The chorus is not saying, “I was born in the U.S.A, and I am proud!” but more so that “I was born in the U.S.A, and I deserve more.”
The second and third verses tell the story of how the narrator got “into a little hometown jam” and was shipped off to Vietnam to fight in the war. When he comes back, he is not met with a happy welcome. Instead, he struggles to find work and receives little help from his V.A. The song gets even sadder in the fourth stanza with the lines “I had a brother at the Khe Sanh…They’re still there, he’s all gone.” These lines portray the emotional damage that goes along with war, such as losing loved ones. He ends the fifth, and final verse with the line “Nowhere to run, and nowhere to go” closing out the story of a man who was born into a tough life, was shipped off to the war, and comes back still feeling lost and alone.
The song ends with the chorus, this time including the line “I’m a cool rockin’ daddy in the U.S.A. now.” A sarcastic line that shows how the narrator of the song is a fighter that was forgotten by the U.S.A.
“Born in the U.S.A.” Analysis by Jaden Hwang
In 1984, “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen became one of the most misunderstood songs in American history. After reading Born on the Fourth of July, Springsteen became inspired to create “Born in the U.S.A.” to help raise awareness about the mistreatment of Vietnam War veterans. During this period, many Americans were upset over losing the Vietnam War because this marked the first time the U.S.A lost a war. When Bruce Springsteen became aware of the mistreatment of Vietnam War veterans, he felt disheartened over how his country was treating these veterans, so in a moment of compassion, Springsteen decided to create a song to commemorate the struggles of those veterans. The song follows a young man sent to Vietnam as punishment for his crimes. When the man returns to the U.S.A., the Veterans Affairs office refuses to help him because he is one of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam. As the song closes out, Springsteen sings about how the veteran does not have anywhere to go even though he is back in America.
Although “Born in the U.S.A” appears like a commemoration of being American, in reality, it is about being an American. Throughout the song, Springsteen shows more negative aspects of America, like poverty and war, compared to most American anthems that focus on American pride. Early drafts of “Born in the U.S.A” even carry out this theme as the veteran is informed, “‘Bout half the town’s out of work / … / But I guess you didn’t hear: / You died in Vietnam'”. This draft relates to the negative aspects of America because it reveals what the V.A. man, in the song, means when he mentions “‘Son don’t you understand'” in the full release of the song. When the V.A. man remarks to the veteran about how the veteran does not understand, he means that according to the views of the American public, the veteran and the other half of the town are dead to America because of the loss of the Vietnam War. Despite the patriotic name and upbeat music, “Born in the U.S.A.” is one of the most misunderstood anthems to be released in American history.
Overall, despite the negative aspects of America “Born in the U.S.A.” is an anthem that symbolizes how far America has come when it comes to treating veterans. While “Born in the U.S.A” is a protest song about the injustice the Vietnam War veterans faced, it still shows some positive aspects as the veteran in the song as he finds himself in a better position in the last verse of the song. Thus, the true meaning of “Born in the U.S.A” is to have free reign in having national pride but also be aware of the faults in the nation.
The Meaning and the Misinterpretation of America’s Favorite Song by Kate Hunsberger
In 1984, Bruce Springsteen released a song called “Born in the U.S.A.,” and the music impacted our country. It later became one of Bruce Springsteen’s most famous songs. Bruce
Springsteen also released a demo with slightly different lyrics and a completely different tempo. To add, the lyrics came about as ambiguous to many Americans and the song underwent countless misinterpretations. Springsteen displays the theme of an American standing for the negligence of United States veterans. Throughout “Born in the U.S.A.,” Springsteen uses descriptive lyrics to illuminate the struggles United States veterans face, and in turn, the song released confusion onto many people, such as Ronald Reagan.
To begin, Springsteen contextualizes the veteran’s life. Through lyrics such as “Born down in a dead man’s town” Springsteen displays the rough upbringing the veteran endured.
Following the chorus, the lyrics discuss the process in which the United States coerced the man into the army. By “a little hometown jam” the man was “sent off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man.” Springsteen uses these lyrics to explain the way soldiers in trouble were relieved of their punishments by fighting for their country. At this time the United States endured the Vietnam war which we lost causing more Americans to ignore the veterans. After the war, the now veteran attempts to achieve his old job, but he fails and turns to the V.A. The lyrics show the unemployment problem many veterans face after the trauma. To add, the narrator’s brother dies in a battle in Khe Sanh as Springsteen states “they’re still there, he’s all gone”. Springsteen highlights more of the disregard to the veterans with the lyrics “nowhere to run” and “nowhere to go”. The lyrics show the stuckness of the veterans and their inability to achieve work or any sense of recovery. Overall, “Born in the U.S.A.” uses descriptive language to cast light upon the poor treatment of those who deserve the best.
As the lyrics of “Born in the U.S.A.” dive deep into veteran struggles, Springsteen also struggled with the reaction of the public to the song. Many Americans mistook the song as a patriotic anthem for the U.S.A.through the chorus. The chorus of the song almost seems like a shout for joy towards the U.S.A.. The lyrics in some ways do not fit the tempo of the song because the track takes on an upbeat and fast pace contrary to the lyrics. The common misconception of the actual song led to Ronald Reagan using “Born in the U.S.A.” as an aid in his campaign speech. He uses the song in a way to relate messages of hopes and dreams Americans have. However, Springsteen held no intention to give a message of American hopes and dreams. All in all, “Born in the U.S.A.” stands as a commonly misinterpreted song by the American public.
“Born in the U.S.A” Faiza Khaled
“Born in the U.S.A”, released by Bruce Springteen in 1984, expresses resentment towards the bitter acknowledgement of returning Vietnam veterans. The Vietnam War began with conflict between communist North Vietnam against South Vietnam, with the United States being their main ally of the South. In March of 1965, U.S Marines arrived in Da Nang to protect the
U.S. airbase from Viet Cong attacks. After eight brutal years of warfare, President Nixon signed the Paris Peace Accord and withdrew U.S forces from Vietnam while facing repercussions of an approximated 58,220 casualties. War ended in 1975 with communist forces seizing control of South Vietnam. Veterans were faced with disregard after returning from the U.S.’s first brutal loss. They struggled to get jobs and be accepted back into society by friends and family. Less than ten years later, Springsteen composed his hit “Born in the U.S.A” as a response to a disheartened nation.
Springsteen’s song is often misinterpreted as patriotic based on the anaphoric use of “Born in the U.S.A.” In actuality, Springsteen’s objective was to allude towards the disillusionment of the American image. He begins the song talking about being born in “deadman’s town”, contradicting the ideal image of the American lifestyle. Bruce uses terminology like “yellow man” to refer to the racist conservatism instilled by political systems. During this time and even today, many struggled to grasp an understanding of balance between patriotism and doubt towards the land they called home. Almost blinded by the government, many chose to disregard the dark realities of their actions and focus solely on the aspects that make us a superior nation.
Many of the soldiers sent off to war were limited in their options, some obligated to serve for their nation. Although born into a nation of flaws, there was “nowhere to run” and “nowhere to go”. Instead, they were taught to make the best of it and to contribute to the triumph of the country. Regardless of everything, the soldiers still went off to fight, not knowing what horrors would be placed in front of them. They sacrificed their lives to fight for the peace of every other citizen. Despite their heroic sacrifices, their return was acknowledged with a silent hostility.
They struggled to attain jobs and felt a sense of uncomfort in their own homeland. In the song, Bruce Springsteen narrates through the journey of a veteran attempting to get a job. Eventually he ends up in the “shadows of the penitentiary [out] by the gas fires of the refinery”. Essentially, he expresses a feeling of being trapped or imprisoned, which can be inferred by the use of the word “penitentiary”. This also refers to how many Vietnam veterans found themselves incarcerated later on. By the end of the 5th verse, the veteran is “ten years burning down the road.” Although it’s been 10 years since the war, the veteran feels as if they are still at war, only this time it’s in their own land that they call home. They feel like foreigners in their own homeland.
The song “Born in the U.S.A” serves as an indictment towards the negative demeanor whenever the American image is contradicted. Certain situations bring out the hidden realities of what seems to be rightful, resulting in a facade. The Vietnam war was simply one instance of many to reveal the atrocities of a corrupt system. As a deterrent, heroes who sacrifice their lives against their own will are the ones who are blamed instead of authority figures that should be held accountable.
