Sound Advice: CD Reviews - Bruce Springsteen (Born in the U.S.A.)

CD Review:
If you didn't hear at least one of the songs off this album in the mid eighties then you were lost on a desert island somewhere. The album is one of the best selling albums of all time. Seven of the twelve songs were top ten singles on Billboard in the States. His most popular album, Born In The U.S.A. was a change for Bruce into a more positive, more pop-like, and more comfortable rock star.

Taking the working class lifestyle he was always famous for, and shirking off the depression he was feeling on his last album Nebraska, Bruce released a celebration to the average American. You still hear about the working man and his troubles, but instead of lamenting over its negative aspects, Bruce puts his pride on his sleeve and shows how the lifestyle has a gritty beauty to it. He is stating almost blatantly that if you get your hands dirty for living, you are the salt of the earth and the backbone of American society, so stand tall and be proud.

No other song does this as well as the "anthem" to the blue collar worker, "Born in the U.S.A." Whenever a song mentions the USA (especially with the addition of the word "rock" in with it somewhere) it is bound to be a hit in the States and this song was no different.

"Glory Days" takes a nostalgic look back at one's youth and is quite good although somewhat depressing. My favourite track off the album is also its shortest. "I'm On Fire" is one of Bruce's simplest and most charming songs. With little musical accompaniment, Bruce sings almost in a whisper (which is great because his voice is awful) about a stolen moment with a girl who is already spoken for.

Rejuvenating Bruce's career, this album was so popular it influenced new fans to search out his older catalogue moving both Greetings from Asbury Park and The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle into platinum status in U.S. record sales.

Although I'm not a big fan of "The Boss", Born in the U.S.A. is a must listen for those researching popular rock music in the '80s. This was the one that topped most others for the decade.

Scott D. Brown