For Bruce Springsteen, politics in his music are just politics as usual. His forthcoming album “Wrecking Ball” is set to run with the lead single “We Take Care of Our Own.” As one would imagine, there are strong political overtones in this song. Taking a stance is nothing new for the New Jersey native son. Here are 10 of my favorite Springsteen songs with political messages in them.
“The River” (1981)
This song is a particularly sad look at the American Christian condition. You get a girl pregnant out of wedlock and you have to get married and get a job. The narrator of this song does this, but by the end, the mood has shifted: “…lately there ain’t been much work on account of the economy.” This affects the narrator and his wife: “Now I just act like I don’t remember; Mary acts like she don’t care.” And the dreams and aspirations of another youth are shaken back from reality.
“Human Touch” (1992)
While some may consider this song more of an interlude between two estranged individuals, there are political overtones throughout. When the narrator says, “Ain’t no mercy on the streets of this town; ain’t no bread from heavenly skies,” we can see the apathy and frustration with his lot in life.
“Hungry Heart” (1980)
This song is about a guy who left his wife and kids and went off on a listless journey of self-discovery. The trouble is that when he meets a girl in some random bar, falls in love, and then knows he’s got to put a stop to it, he winds up back in the same bar again. While this song is certainly about the human condition – love, longing, escape, and return – it also speaks pointedly about the condition of the modern American man and his personal responsibility towards his family.
“My Hometown” (1985)
Another great Springsteen political song, “My Hometown” talks specifically about the economic woes of Springsteen’s literal hometown in New Jersey. By the song’s end, the narrator is so flush with frustration that he decides to move the whole family out of his hometown.
“Born to Run” (1975)
Many view this song as something of an open homage to a woman, but Springsteen actually admitted much later in the liner notes to his “Greatest Hits” album that “Born to Run” was written about his aspirations to live the American dream: “My shot at the title. A 24 yr.old kid aimin’ at ‘The greatest rock ‘n roll record ever.’” The political overtones of doubt and passion and complete frustration with his ability to make his life his own were present in this early work.
“Badlands” (1978)
This song cuts straight to the core of what a Springsteen political song is all about. “Badlands” begins with the lyric alerting “trouble in the heartland,” which may have been Anytown, U.S.A., and the narrator goes from confusion (“I’m caught in a crossfire I don’t understand”) to anger (“I don’t give a damn for the same played-out scenes”) to fortune-cookie apathy (“You spend your life waiting for a moment that just don’t come; well, don’t waste your time waiting”). With this song, Springsteen with very broad strokes set the tenor for what already was and what would become his much larger body of politically laden work.
“Dancing in the Dark” (1984)
This song isn’t so much a political anthem as a personal-political delving into the modern American human experience. In the song, the narrator is frustrated with his day-in/day-out and his apathy towards the American experience is palpable: “I get up in the evening, and I ain’t got nothing to say; I come home in the morning, I go to bed feeling the same way; I ain’t nothing but tired; man, I’m just tired and bored with myself…” This night-shift blues is something that is shared by many workers in the world, especially in the wintertime when you get into work and it’s dark outside and you get out of work and it’s already dark again.
“Born in the U.S.A.” (1984)
Some would argue that “Born in the U.S.A. is Springsteen’s most political song, but I would have to argue that it’s only in the top three. The classic anthem of the story of a kid who gets sent off to war and comes home with “nowhere to run; ain’t got nowhere to go” is a definite entry into the post-war populism Springsteen was famous for.
“Streets of Philadelphia” (1994)
Everyone has seen the amazing film with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington; “Philadelphia” – the Springsteen-recorded lead single from that film really cuts to the core of both the political and the social issues of AIDS in America.
“Glory Days” (1985)
I think my favorite Springsteen political song of all time is more of an upbeat song with a small guitar riff and an organ. The lyrics are particularly poignant, talking about time lost and one of the tragedies of life in America: People don’t realize the best times of their lives until they’ve passed us by. The fact that by the song’s end, the narrator is belly-to-the-bar is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all:
“Now, I think I’m going down to the well tonight
and I’m going to drink till I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it
but I probably will.”
Some may think this list is incomplete, and Springsteen certainly has a body of work that could inspire debate. What are your favorite Springsteen political songs?
Sources:
http://www.rock-songs.com/songfacts/born-to-run-springsteen.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107818/