Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ album was released 40 years ago this week on 4 June, 1984.
The album is Springsteen’s biggest seller, with over 17 million sales in the US alone and certified 14 times Platinum in Australia. Bruce’s next two biggest sellers are ‘Born To Run’ (7 million USA) and ‘The River’ (5 million USA).
‘Born In The U.S.A.’ came after the Springsteen solo album ‘Nebraska’. The previous E Street Band was ‘The River’ in 1980.
Bruce worked on the album from 1982. Some songs went to the solo and acoustic ‘Nebraska’ and other to the E Street Band for this record. The origins of the album started with a song originally titled ‘Vietnam’ after reading the book ‘Born On The Fourth of July’. He was later asked to contribute music to a movie titled ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ that was never made, but the title stuck and Bruce changed his ‘Vietnam’ song into ‘Born In The U.S.A.’
He then started writing more songs. From the same batch ‘Nebraska’. ‘Atlantic City’ and ‘Mansion of the Hill’ went to the ‘Nebraska’ album and ‘Born In The U.S.A’ and ‘Downtown Train’ were kept for the ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ album.
The track ‘Cover Me’ was recorded in early 1982. Springsteen wrote the song for Donna Summer but ended up keeping it for himself. Donna was given another Springsteen song ‘Protection’. It was a lead single off her 10th album ‘Donna Summer’.
The song ‘Johnny 99’ was originally intended for ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ but it was decided it better fitted on ‘Nebraska’.
In May 1982, in very quick succession, ‘Darlington County’, ‘Glory Days’, ‘I’m Going Down’ and ‘I’m On Fire’ were recorded as well as the unused at the time ‘Frankie’, ‘Murder Incorporated’, ‘My Love Will Not Let You Down’ ‘A Good Man Is Hard To Find’, ‘This Hard Land’, ‘None But The Brave’ and ‘Wages of Sin’. It was a production period for Bruce.
In total, the ‘Born In The U.S.A. and ‘Nebraska’ sessions generated between 70 and 90 songs, many of which have been released on later albums, b-sides and box sets.
SIDE A
1. Born in the U.S.A.
2. Cover Me
3. Darlington County
4. Working on the Highway
5. Downbound Train
6. I’m On Fire
SIDE B
1. No Surrender
2. Bobby Jean
3. I’m Goin’ Down
4. Glory Days
5. Dancing In the Dark
6. My Hometown
The singles from the album were:
Dancing In The Dark
Cover Me
Born In the U.S.A.
I’m On Fire
Glory Days
I’m Going Down
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