Every Friday throughout the run of From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen, we will publish dedicated content inspired by Bruce Springsteen and the First Amendment. \u201cFreedom of Expression Fridays\u201d will feature unique and original posts by musicians, writers, visual artists, and more, with a focus on issues such protest, dissent, and the role of art in politics and political campaigns. <\/p>\n
One of the numerous drafts written by Bruce Springsteen of the lyrics for the song \"Born to Run.\" Courtesy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. <\/p>\n
In exploring the quest for the American ideal, Bruce Springsteen has used the freedom of expression to make powerful comments on his country, government and the lives of \u201cWe the People.\u201d He is part of a long tradition of American protest songs. Here are five of his best. <\/p>\n
\u201cBorn in the U.S.A.\u201d <\/p>\n
Famously co-opted by President Ronald Reagan for his 1984 re-election campaign (Springsteen objected), \u201cBorn in the USA\u201d is the archetypal Springsteen protest song. On first listen, a prideful chorus of American patriotism, on closer examination it\u2019s a poignant anti-war song. But this is not an idealistic call for world peace\u2014Springsteen is writing from the point of view of a working-class Vietnam veteran adrift in the country he loves. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Promised Land\u201d <\/p>\n
In a speech on the streets of Philadelphia during the 2008 presidential campaign, Springsteen talked about his music: \u201cI\u2019ve spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between [the] American promise and American reality.\u201d This thematic thread is perhaps most evident in \u201cThe Promised Land,\u201d from 1978\u2019s Darkness on the Edge of Town. The narrator has \u201cdone [his] best to live the right way\u2026get up every morning and go to work each day\u201d and though he may \u201cfeel so weak [he] want[s] to explode\u201d he still believes in the promised land. The dogs on Main Street understand. <\/p>\n
\u201cLost in the Flood\u201d <\/p>\n
Like \u201cBorn in the U.S.A.,\u201d this song from Springsteen\u2019s 1973 debut Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., sees a \u201cragamuffin gunner\u201d returning home from Vietnam \u201clike a hungry runaway.\u201d More lyrical and enigmatic than the anthem it presages, \u201cLost in the Flood\u201d is a complex commentary on the country to which veterans returned. The characters lose themselves in fast cars and guns while \u201ceverybody\u2019s wrecked on Main Street from drinking unholy blood.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ghost of Tom Joad\u201d <\/p>\n
Inspired by the politically conscious protagonist of John Steinbeck\u2019s The Grapes of Wrath, this song draws parallels between the Depression and the early 1990s, with \u201chighway patrol choppers comin\u2019 up over the ridge\u201d while \u201cfamilies [sleep] in their cars.\u201d Springsteen looked fondly on the social activism of the 1930s, and the refrain finds him \u201cwaitin\u2019 on the ghost of Tom Joad.\u201d Though Springsteen\u2019s 1995 recording is stripped-down and subtle, the force of the lyrics is evident in a driving cover by Rage Against the Machine, the era\u2019s most successful protest band. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis Land is Your Land\u201d <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a Springsteen original, but this cover expresses the hopeful call for freedom of opportunity that runs through the singer\u2019s work. According to Springsteen, this fixture of his live set was written by Woody Guthrie as \u201can angry song\u2026a response to Irving Berlin\u2019s \u2018God Bless America.\u2019\u201d Like Guthrie\u2019s classic folk ballad, Springsteen\u2019s adaptation is a tender evocation of a beautiful nation which belongs to all of us, regardless of wealth or access to power. <\/p>\n
From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen is on view at the National Constitution Center through September 3, 2012. <\/p>\n
Christopher Munden is a Freelance Writer for the National Constitution Center. His favorite Springsteen album is Nebraska. <\/p>\n
Also Read<\/p>\n
Original post: Every Friday throughout the run of From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen, we will publish dedicated content inspired by Bruce Springsteen and the First Amendment. \u201cFreedom of Expression Fridays\u201d will feature unique and original posts by musicians, writers, visual artists, and more, with a focus on issues such protest, dissent, and the role of art in politics and political campaigns. One of the numerous drafts written by Bruce Springsteen of the lyrics for the song \"Born to Run.\" Courtesy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Continue reading
\nLet freedom sing: Springsteen\u2019s five best protest songs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"