The dark inspiration behind the Bruce Springsteen song ‘Born In The U.S.A.’
The Bruce Springsteen classic ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ is almost as much an emblem of patriotic Americana as the country’s official anthem itself. Released on October 30th, 1984, this song has been deftly associated with a heartfelt ode by The Boss to his homeland – a common perception that masks the intricate layers of darkness ingrained deep within its foundation.
In fact, the esteemed anthem is far less anthemic of the land of the free than it seems. Springsteen actually wrote this song from a place of deep angst after a chance encounter with Ron Kovic, who was enlisted in the Marine Corps and deployed to Vietnam in 1965. In January 1968, during his second tour of duty, he was wounded in combat, resulting in him being paralysed from the chest down. After returning home, he struggled with physical and emotional trauma, as well as his deep opposition to the war.
In 1980, Kovic’s 1976 book, Born On The Fourth Of July, fell into the hands of Springsteen on a cross-country road trip after he found it at a drugstore just outside of Phoenix. Roughly a fortnight later, Springsteen found himself lodged at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles. Remarkably, fate intertwined as Kovic happened to be a guest there as well. Their paths converged at the poolside, where Kovic extended a heartfelt invitation to Springsteen, urging him to partake in a trip to a veterans centre situated in the vicinity of Venice. Springsteen accepted, embarking on an experience that would prove profoundly enlightening.
“I’m usually pretty easy with people, but once we were at the centre, I didn’t know how to respond to what I was seeing,” he said during his Springsteen On Broadway residency. “Talking about my own life to these guys seemed frivolous. There was homelessness and drug problems and post-traumatic stress – guys my age dealing with life-changing physical injuries”. As a result, in 1981, Springsteen started writing the song, initially titling it ‘Vietnam’, which he later changed after drawing inspiration from a script he had received from director Paul Schrader for a movie titled Born In The U.S.A.
He used the veterans’ stories as the basis for the song: “The verses are just an accounting of events,” he said. “The chorus is a declaration of your birthplace, and the right to all the pride and confusion and shame and grace that comes with it.” The song was written when Springsteen was grappling with deep-seated disappointment and a sense of grievance over the harrowing predicament faced by Vietnam veterans upon their return home to America.
His conviction was unwavering: those who had valiantly placed their very beings in harm’s way for their nation deserved nothing less than a resounding hero’s welcome, but the reality that unfolded was a stark contrast. Vietnam marked a historic departure from triumphant victories, leaving those who had served there largely neglected upon their reentry into their homeland. This stark oversight left Springsteen disheartened, his faith in the nation he believed he knew deeply shaken.
This is most prominently reflected in the song’s verses, which cast a shameful eye on the treatment of the veterans after their return. Springsteen has openly discussed the sort of ambivalence this wields in the minds of patriotic Americans, often stating that the song itself doesn’t have to amount to cognitive dissonance, as many often stated as they pointed an accusatory finger. In fact, Springsteen later said: “You can both be very critical of your nation and very prideful of your nation simultaneously.”
However, at the time, many deemed it deeply controversial and a threat to American values. Nonetheless, the song has gone on to become one of the most enduring songs in the history of music, but still with its misinterpreted message. Its sinister undertones hasn’t escaped some, though, with people like Stephen King, who felt the opening lyrics dark enough to signify the beginnings of one of his most popular stories, IT, which begins: “Born down in a dead man’s town”.
