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NOS, Phoebe: Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' is not blind flag-waving.

That US athletes are also dominating these Olympics no surprise. And especially after the suspension of many Russian athletes due to the biggest doping scandal since the former GDR and ahead, Lance Armstrong, no more than logical. That those American athletes are also highlighted in the NOS daily talk show is therefore justified. Putting them on screen to the sounds of Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. shows laziness and poor listening, however.

Well-known predecessor

Fair is fair, the editors of NOS Sportzomer have a famous predecessor: Ronald Reagan. He likewise listened purely to the chorus and referenced Springsteen in his 1984 election campaign.

America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts. It rests in the message of hope in the 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 Reagan

Of course, Reagan was distracted by the flag at the beginning of the clip we all know. The version of the song with the major chords and bombastic synth part.

The eponymous album resulted in Springsteen's worldwide breakthrough, and that success was welcome after the desolate and largely acoustic Nebraska, full of characters on the fringes of society.

Time for something positive!

Only: Springsteen wrote most of the songs for Born in the U.S.A. for Nebraska. And changed virtually nothing textually.

Dancing in the dark, with that cosy clip featuring a tiny Courteney Cox, an upbeat song? Think again.

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 wayBruce Springsteen - Dancing in the Dark

This whole world is out there just trying to score
I've seen enough I don't want to see any more
Cover meBruce Springsteen - Cover Me

And so it goes on, with the title track being the most desperate. Reagan never heard this demo, that much is clear.

Born in the U.S.A. is about a traumatised Vietnam veteran and has nothing to do with patriotism, at most the sort of despite-everything variety.

Born in a southern deserted town
The first blow I got was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that has been beaten too much
Until you spend half your life trying to hide itLyrics.net

Trump learns nothing or everything from his predecessor

US presidential candidates are almost making it a sport to use their songs against the wishes of artists. This is also reported in the Netherlands by NOS. Of course, Donald Trump takes the crown by, among others. Rolling Stones and Queen 'use' unsolicited. Trump responded as expected by fanning the flames even further in the case of the Stones kindle, Queen guitarist in turn backed Elizabeth Banks' parody of Trump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV5z84nt3y0

Number 1

Entertaining, but for NOS Sportzomer, however, all that matters is who is number one and what music we can quickly grab underneath. But just let Springsteen, of all people, criticise this 30 years ago in his response to Reagan's misuse of his music:

In America, the story is always who's number one. That's the American story. That's not the real American story. But that's the story that's presented to you by the media, everyday: 'Who is number one today. Celebrate them, get them out of here, who is number one tomorrow.'Bruce Springsteen

https://youtu.be/ZYIddiB6Cig?t=51s

 

Henri Drost

Henri Drost (1970) studied Dutch and American Studies in Utrecht. Sold CDs and books for years, then became a communications consultant. Writes for among others GPD magazines, Metro, LOS!, De Roskam, 8weekly, Mania, hetiskoers and Cultureel Persbureau/De Dodo about everything, but if possible about music (theatre) and sports. Other specialisms: figures, the United States and healthcare. Listens to Waits and Webern, Wagner and Dylan and pretty much everything in between.View Author posts

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