‘The Boss’ brings positive and negative to lyrics
October 30, 2008 by Features · Leave a Comment
By Derek Miles
He is known as The Boss for a reason. That was what ran through my head as I came across a profile of Bruce Springsteen from earlier this year on the TV show “60 Minutes.â€
For more than 35 years, Springsteen has earned not only his nickname, but also the reputation of a true rock and roll superstar. Whether he has been singing about the beach in his native New Jersey, a fateful September morning or what he thinks is vain war, Springsteen has exemplified what a rock star should be.
In his storied career, which has now spanned almost 40 years, The Boss has given us ballads pumped full of strong political meaning (“Born in the USAâ€), as well as songs which are both catchy and appealing (“Hungry Heartâ€). He has sold millions upon millions of his albums, won 18 Grammies, an Emmy, and an Academy Award. Yes, there is no question that Bruce Springsteen is a musical megastar.
Springsteen is, of course, not the only megastar in the world of music. We can all think of plenty of those. However, what sets him apart from the vast majority of those musicians is the fact that he not only stands for something, but that he also is not reluctant to tell the world what exactly it is that he stands for. Songs such as “Atlantic City,†“American Skin (41 Shots),†“Lucky Town,†“Devils & Dust,†“Streets of Philadelphia,†and arguably his most famous song “Born in the USA,†all tell of the very real, and yes, sometimes very cruel American actuality, which most of us have become accustomed to.
“I guess I would say that what I do is I try to chart the distance between American ideals and American realities. That’s how my music is laid out,†Springsteen told “60 Minutes†last spring.
With that being said, these realities that Springsteen spoke about are not all as cruel and negative as some skeptics might like to think. The tragic and horrific events of Sept. 11 inspired Springsteen’s eloquent 2002 album, “The Rising.†Springsteen wrote the album not only as a first-hand witness of the attacks, but also as an American.
With his most recent album “Magic,†Springsteen sings, somewhat controversially, about issues in America today, which he sees as real, important and pertinent.
“It’s like we’ve reached a point where it seems that we’re so intent on protecting ourselves that we’re willing to destroy the best parts of ourselves to do so,†Springsteen said. “I think we’ve seen things happen over the past six years that I don’t think anybody ever thought they’d see in the United States.â€
Not every rock star would say that, especially with millions of albums and millions of dollars on the line in today’s somewhat unstable and explosive cultural environment. So it comes as no surprise that many interpret his words and his newest album as unpatriotic and anti-American.
That might bother most musicians, especially when they get to thinking about their bank accounts, but not Springsteen. He knows that it comes with the territory, as he explained to “60 Minutes:â€
“That’s just the language of the day … It’s unpatriotic at any given moment to sit back and let things pass that are damaging to some place that you love so dearly, and has given me so much,†Springsteen said. “And that I believe and still feel and see as a beacon of hope and possibility.â€
I think it’s clear that Springsteen is a rare breed in the musical world of today.
Whether you agree or disagree with what Bruce Springsteen is saying, it’s hard not to respect him.
After all, he isn’t known as The Boss for nothing.
Derek Miles is a geography and German sophomore.
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