Fun Fanfare for Bruce

In a haze of social and political anxiety, I decided to write about something much less stressful. Music often calms my activist nerves and one of my favorite musicians is Bruce Springsteen. You may be sitting there with a cocked eyebrow and confused look. This makes you no different than most people when they find out I’m a die-hard Boss fanatic. He really is a misunderstood artist and I hope this blog with help shine a new light on his art. Three big reasons to love Bruce are his political lyrics, thoughtful stories and the fun you can have in a car singing along with him.

His politics are probably one of the most misunderstood aspects of his music. I’m sure many Palinites love chanting “Born in the USA” without much notice of the other words in the song. Many would be surprised to learn this song is very political. It features anti-war and in your face lyrics about the mistreatment of our veterans. Springsteen understands that patriotism is powerful and can be good, but blind patriotism is very dangerous.

So they put a rifle in my hand/ Sent me off to a foreign land/ To go and kill the yellow man/ Born in the U.S.A. / I was born in the U.S.A…
I had a brother at Khe Sahn fighting off the Viet Cong/ They're still there, he's all gone

During a recent concert, he made statements about the loss of our civil liberties under the Bush administration. The crowd seemed to divide in half. Some seemed uncomfortable and wanting to get back to the music and others like myself, my partner and the person beside us wearing an Amnesty International shirt were clapping in praise of his recognition of these important issues. He then sang “Livin’ in the Future”, from his new album Magic.

My ship Liberty sailed away on a bloody red horizon

The groundskeeper opened the gates and let the wild dogs run…
Chorus: Don't worry Darlin', now baby don't you fret/We're livin' in the future and none of this has happened yet

Almost anyone can relate to at least one Springsteen song. He crafts stories that are thought-provoking and provide an almost tangible image of hardship, adventure and love. The lyrics of The River paint a picture of a couple that wanted more out of life. After listening to the story you almost can’t help, but think about your own hopes and dreams.

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company/ But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy…But I remember us riding in my brother's car/ Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir… Now those memories come back to haunt me/ they haunt me like a curse/ Is a dream a lie if it don't come true

He does all of this while making you throw your arms up and stomp your feet. In the car, "Thunder Road" is sure to get you breaking the speed limit just a little bit.

Hey what else can we do now/ Except roll down the window/ And let the wind blow back your hair/ Well the night's busting open/ These two lanes will take us anywhere

And of course there is my favorite Springsteen song (easily in my top 5 songs of all time) the classic "Born to Run", which has elements of the political, romantic, storytelling and rock-n-roll which truly defines his music.
From the beginning of the song,
In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway American dream
to the end,
Someday girl I don't know when/ we're gonna get to that place/ Where we really want to go/ and we'll walk in the sun/ But till then tramps like us/ baby we were born to run[!!!!!!]
there is no mistaking the talent of Bruce Springsteen.