Bruce Springsteen News

Forbes.com vergleicht in einem Onlinebericht die aktuelle Bruce Springsteen Single „We Take Care Of Our Own“ mit dem 1984er Welterfolg „Born in the USA“.

Genauso wie „Born in the USA“ mahnt die aktuelle Veröffentlichung Missstände innerhalb der Vereinigten Staaten an. 1984 war es der Vietnamkrieg und der wirtschaftliche Niedergang, der die Menschen sehr beschäftigte. Als Bruce Springsteen „Born in the USA“ am 30. Oktober 1984 veröffentlichte, verstanden viele den Inhalt falsch. Unter anderem war es der damalige Präsident Ronald Reagan, der den Protestsong als „Hymne der Hoffnung“ anpries.

It rests in the message of hope in songs of a man so many young Americans admire: New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about.
(Ronald Regan, Hammonton, NJ – 19. September 1984) – Quelle

28 Jahre nach „Born in the USA“ erscheint „We Take Care of Our Own“ und Amerika muss die Kriege im Irak und in Afghanistan verarbeiten. Die Welt wird von einer Wirtschaftskrise erschüttert und Präsident Barack Obama verwendet „We Take Care Of Our Own“ als Wahlkampfsong (wir berichteten hier).

Forbes.com schreibt:

Is Bruce Springsteen’s „We Take Care of Our Own“ a „Born in the USA“ for 2012?
…
The song’s story arc is anything but uplifting. It’s tells the poignant, angry tale of a Vietnam veteran who has come home after watching his brother die in a senseless war only to find his country changed and anything but welcoming: “Went down to the factory/Hiring man said “Son, if it was up to me…Ten years burning down the road/Nowhere to run, I ain’t got nowhere to go.”
But what most fans heard was that earworm of a chorus.
Conservatives like George Will, who saw Springsteen in concert, picked up on the song’s seeming patriotic fervor.
…
This revisionism reached a crescendo when Ronald Reagan mentioned Springsteen by name during his 1984 re-election campaign. “America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts,” Reagan said at a stump speech in Hammonton, New Jersey. “It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire: New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen.”
Springsteen lashed back, in a manner of speaking. At a concert soon after Reagan’s comments, he addressed the audience. “The President was mentioning my name the other day, and I kinda got to wondering what his favorite album must’ve been. I don’t think it was the Nebraska album. I don’t think he’s been listening to this one.” Bruce launched into a searing version of Johnny 99 about a jobless auto worker who goes on a drunken shooing rampage and tells the judge “Your honor, I believe I’d be better off dead.”  Springsteen stopped performing the full-band version of “Born in the USA” for a while, replacing it with an edgy solo version designed to re-capture the song’s darker meaning. But the damage had already been done.
Springsteen’s latest hit, “We Take Care of Our Own” is a lot like “Born In the USA.” It’s got a catchy chorus– “Where ever this flag’s flown/We take care of our own”–that will surely become a sing-along during Springsteen’s upcoming world tour. But like “Born in the USA,” the song’s message is anything but uplifting.
…
One major difference between 1984 and now  is that over the last decade, Springsteen has become overtly political. He played shows in support of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and was an even more fervent supporter of Barack Obama. The President has already included the song on his official campaign playlist.
… weiterlesen

Mehr Infos:

• Neues Bruce Springsteen Video: “We Take Care of Our Own”
• Billboard-Charts – Bruce Springsteen – “We Take Care Of Our Own”
• Rezensionen zu “We Take Care Of Our Own”
• Neue Bruce Springsteen Single: We Take Care Of Our Own // Mit Video