Frogtoon Music

Born In The U.S.A. (Album) by Bruce Springsteen

Artist Biography For Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen Born September 23 1949 Is An American Singer And Songwriter. He Has Released 21 Studio Albums Most Of Which Feature His Backing Band The E Street Band. Originally From The Jersey Shore He Is An Originator Of Heartland Rock Combining Mainstream Rock Musical Styles With Narrative Songs About Working Class American Life. Nicknamed "the Boss" His Career Has Spanned Six Decades. Springsteen Is Known For His Poetic Socially Conscious Lyrics And Energetic Stage Performances Sometimes Lasting Up To Four Hours. In 1973 Springsteen Released His First Two Albums Greetings From Asbury Park N.J. And The Wild The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Neither Of Which Earned Him A Large Audience. He Changed His Style And Reached Worldwide Popularity With Born To Run In 1975. It Was Followed By Darkness On The Edge Of Town 1978 And The River 1980 Which Topped The US Billboard 200 Chart. After The Solo Recording Nebraska 1982 He Reunited With The E Street Band For Born In The U.S.A. 1984 His Most Commercially Successful Album And One Of The Best-Selling Albums Of All Time. Seven Of Its Singles Reached The Top Ten Of The Billboard Hot 100 Including The Title Track. Springsteen Recorded His Next Three Albums Tunnel Of Love 1987 Human Touch 1992 And Lucky Town 1992 Using Mostly Session Musicians. He Reassembled The E Street Band For 1995's Greatest Hits Then Recorded The Sparse Acoustic The Ghost Of Tom Joad Followed By The EP Blood Brothers 1996 His Last Release Of The Decade. Springsteen Dedicated His 2002 Album The Rising To The Victims Of The September 11 Attacks. He Released Two More Folk Albums Devils & Dust 2005 And We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions 2006 Followed By Two More Albums With The E Street Band Magic 2007 And Working On A Dream 2009 . The Next Two Wrecking Ball 2012 And High Hopes 2014 Topped Album Charts Worldwide. His Latest Releases Include The Solo Western Stars 2019 The E Street Band-Featuring Letter To You 2020 And A Solo Cover Album Only The Strong Survive 2022 . When Letter To You Went To No.2 In The US Springsteen Became The First Artist To Score A Top Five Hit Across Six Consecutive Decades. Among The Album Era's Prominent Acts Springsteen Has Sold More Than 140 Million Records Worldwide And More Than 71 Million In The United States Making Him One Of The World's Best-Selling Music Artists. He Has Earned Numerous Awards For His Work Including 20 Grammy Awards Two Golden Globes An Academy Award And A Special Tony Award For Springsteen On Broadway . Springsteen Was Inducted Into Both The Songwriters Hall Of Fame And The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame In 1999 Received The Kennedy Center Honors In 2009 Named MusiCares Person Of The Year In 2013 And Awarded The Presidential Medal Of Freedom By President Barack Obama In 2016. He Ranked 23rd On Rolling Stone's List Of The Greatest Artists Of All Time Which Described Him As Being "the Embodiment Of Rock & Roll". Full Wikipedia Article Https //en.Wikipedia.Org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen Studio Albums
Greetings From Asbury Park N.J. 1973 The Wild The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle 1973 Born To Run 1975 Darkness On The Edge Of Town 1978 The River 1980 Nebraska 1982 Born In The U.S.A. 1984 Tunnel Of Love 1987 Human Touch 1992 Lucky Town 1992 The Ghost Of Tom Joad 1995 The Rising 2002 Devils & Dust 2005 We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions 2006 Magic 2007 Working On A Dream 2009 Wrecking Ball 2012 High Hopes 2014 Western Stars 2019 Letter To You 2020 Only The Strong Survive 2022

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Frogtoon Music Album Info: Born In The U.S.A.

Born In The U.S.A. Is The Seventh Studio Album By Rock Singer-Songwriter Bruce Springsteen Released On June 4 1984. Often Considered His Most Popular And Commercial Triumph It Saw Springsteen In Contrast To His Previous Album The Critical Favorite Nebraska Experimenting With Anthemic Arrangements And A 1980s Production Incorporating A Radio-Friendly Sound That Was Embraced Warmly By Both Critics And The Audience. Springsteen Also Delivered A New Look To His Public – He Was Reintroduced As A Tougher And Muscular Rock Star After Two Years Of Running And Bodybuilding. These Efforts And Innovative Strategies Resulted In Springsteen's Peak Of Commercial Success – It Was The Best-Selling Album Of 1985 In The United States Produced A Record-Tying String Of Seven Top 10 Singles The Most For A Rock Album In History And Became The Best-Selling Album Of Springsteen's Career. In Addition It Was Supported With The Highly Successful Two-Year Born In The U.S.A. Tour. As Part Of Its Enduring Popularity The Album Impacted As A Cultural Phenomenon With Its Title Track Often Misinterpreted As A Patriotic Anthem And Its Cover A Close-Up Of A Rear Springsteen In Front Of An American Flag As He Was Photographed By Annie Leibovitz Became One Of The Most Recognizable Images In American Popular Culture. In 1981 Springsteen Was Asked To Write Some Music For A Film By Paul Schrader Called Born In The U.S.A. Shortly After When Springsteen Was Working On A Song Titled Vietnam He Glanced At The Script And Sang The Title. The Song Entitled As The Work-In-Progress Movie Was Already Finished During The Sessions Of Springsteen's Introspective Album Nebraska And Springsteen Originally Wanted To Included On It. However It Was Removed As It Did Not Coincided With The Dark Feel Of The Rest Of The Songs. The Same Happened With Other Songs Already Cut Around January Or February 1982 – The Energetic Rocker "Cover Me" And The Intimate "I'm On Fire". Then Between April And May Springsteen Composed And Recorded A Number Of Songs Specifically Intended For An Album Besides Nebraska At The Power Station In New York – "Born In The U.S.A." "Darlington County" "Working On The Highway" "Downbound Train" "I'm Goin' Down" And "Glory Days". By Mid-1982 Most Of The Album Was Already Recorded Even Over Three Months Before The Commercial Release Of Nebraska. In May 1983 Springsteen Cut Another Song "My Hometown" At The Hit Factory And Around The End Of The Year He Taped The Two Final Tracks Originally Considered For The Album – "No Surrender" And "Bobby Jean". A Last Moment Addition Was "Dancing In The Dark" A Song Specifically Commissioned By Springsteen's Producer And Manager Jon Landau Who Was Satisfied With The Material Recorded But Wanted A Blockbuster First Single One That Was Fresh And Directly Relevant To Springsteen's Current State Of Mind. Landau And Springsteen Got Into An Argument But Later On Springsteen Wrote "Dancing In The Dark" With Some Trepidation. His Irked Mood From The Day's Argument Combined With The Frustrations At Trying To Complete The Album Quickly Poured Out Into The Lyrics. As He Wrote On His 1998 Book Songs "It Went As Far In The Direction Of Pop Music As I Wanted To Go – And Probably A Little Farther." However Springsteen Noted That "My Heroes From Hank Williams To Frank Sinatra To Bob Dylan Were Popular Musicians. They Had Hits. There Was Value In Trying To Connect With A Large Audience." One Of The Songs That Was About To Be Left-Off The Album Was No Surrender. Springsteen Claimed That This Was Because "you Don’t Hold Out And Triumph All The Time In Life. You Compromise You Suffer Defeat You Slip Into Life’s Gray Areas." Steven Van Zandt Convinced Springsteen Otherwise "He Argued That The Portrait Of Friendship And The Song’s Expression Of The Inspirational Power Of Rock Music Was An Important Part Of The Picture." "Dancing In The Dark" Was Chosen As The First Single For The Album And It Was Released On May 4 1984. The Song Surprised Both Critics And The Public As It Showed The E Street Band Using Synthesizer For The First Time. The Track Was Enthusiastically Received By Both Critics And The Public Particularly Pointing At Springsteen's Change Of Sound On The Wake Of The Blockbuster Success Of Michael Jackson's Thriller And The Popularity Of Pop Music In General In America. The Song Quickly Climbed The Charts And Peaked At #2 On The Billboard Hot 100 And Reached #1 On The Cashbox Singles Charts For Two Weeks On June 30. "Dancing In The Dark" Also Provided Springsteen A Top 10 Hit In Several Countries And The Most Successful Single Of His Career. The Album Itself Reached #1 On The Billboard 200 One Week Later On July 7 Spending The Following Three Weeks Also At The Top. It Came Back To The #1 Position On January 19 1985 For Three Further Weeks. In Late July The Next Single "Cover Me" Was Released And Reached At #7 On October. Then The Title Track A Stinging Tale Of The Hardships Suffered By Returning Vietnam Veterans Was Released Immediately Eventually Becoming One Of Springsteen's Best Known Songs Accumulating A Considerable Amount Of Folklore. The Song's Anthemic Feel And The Music Video Which Featured Scenes Of Waving Flags And Pastoral American Communities Reminiscent Of A Political Campaign Ad Led To Widespread Misinterpretation Of The Track's Meaning. Springsteen Was Praised By US President Ronald Reagan As A Great Patriot. It Was Another Top 10 Hit Reaching #9 In January 1985. Shortly The Follow-Up "I'm On Fire" Released In February Was Also A Big Hit Reaching #6 In May. The Next Month "Glory Days" Was Also Released Reaching #5 In August Supported Also With A Music Video. The Last Two Singles "I'm Goin' Down" And "My Hometown" Released In September And November 1985 Almost Equaled The Success Of Their Predecessors And Even With No Music Videos And Less Airplay They Managed To Reach #9 And #6. Overall Then Columbia Released A Total Of Seven Singles For The Album In The United States A Particularly Strange Feat For A Rock Album Especially Coming From Springsteen Who Was Seen At The Time Essentially As An "albums Artist". There Was Some Controversy Surrounding The Release Of Its Latest Singles With Cliff Bernstein As Manager Of Def Leppard And Dokken Considered That "a Sixth Single Is A Little Bit Of Overkill." Thanks To These Singles Springsteen Was An Almost Constant Presence On The Billboard Hot 100 Between May 1984 And March 1986. All Seven Received Extensive Promotion Enjoyed Respectable Sales And Gained Considerable Airplay And Four Of Them Were Supported With Music Videos. With This Strong Support The Album Achieved A Record-Tying String Of Seven Top 10 Singles In The Billboard Hot 100 By An Album Equaling The Record Achieved By Michael Jackson's Thriller 1982 And Later Also Equaled By Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 1989 . The Constant Presence Of Springsteen In The Music Industry Represented An Invaluable Support For The Album Which Enjoyed An Impressive Staying Power On The Charts Spending Its 84 First Weeks At The Top 10 Which Included The Whole Calendar Year Of 1985 And A Total Of 139 Weeks On The Entire List. Despite Being Released As Early As June 1984 It Was The Best-Selling Album Of 1985 In The United States. In Terms Of Sales Born In The U.S.A.'s Were Enourmous. In The U.S. On July 8 1984 Just One Month After Its Release It Received A Platinum Certification By The RIAA. Further Certifications Were Awarded Throughout The Following Year And On November 1 1985 When The Final Single Wasn't Still Even Released And The Album Was Still On The Top 10 It Was Certified Diamond Recognizing Ten Million Copies Sold Only In America . It Eventually Reached A 15xPlatinum Certification On April 19 1995. In All Born In The U.S.A. Sold 15 Million Copies In The United States And At Least Other 10 Million Internationally. It Still Stands As The Best-Selling Rock Album By A Solo Artist. Born In The U.S.A. Was Also Notable For Its Production Of Music Videos. In The Wake Of The Success Of Michael Jackson's Thriller Supported With Creative Polished And High-Budget Music Videos Springsteen Adopted The Format For The First Time In 1984 And Recorded Promotional Videos For Four Out Of The Seven Singles Of Born In The U.S.A.. This Videos Were Decisive For Introducing Springsteen's Music To A New Younger And Wider Audience As They Received Heavy Rotation And Support By The Recently-Launched MTV. The Video For "Dancing In The Dark" Was Directed By Brian DePalma. Set At A Live Performance It's Perhaps Best Remembered For The Appearance Of Courteney Cox As A Fan Who Is Invited On Stage By Springsteen And Dances With Him. The Video Played A Large Role In Launching Cox's Career Which Reached Its Heights When Becoming One Of The Stars Of NBC's Sitcom Friends. The Video Was Filmed In June 1984 At The St. Paul Civic Center In St. Paul Minnesota Before And During The Initial Show Of The Born In The U.S.A. Tour And First Aired On July 10 1984 On MTV. The Next Video For The Album Was The One Made For The Title Track. It Was Directed By Noted Filmmaker John Sayles And Also Consisted Of Video Concert Footage Of Springsteen And The E Street Band Performing The Song Poorly Synchronized With Audio From The Studio Recording. Released In Mid-December 1984 There Supposedly Had Not Been Enough Time To Mix The Audio From The Concert. This Footage Was Intermixed With Compelling Mid-1980s Scenes Of Working-Class America Emphasizing Images That Had Some Connection With The Song Including Vietnam Veterans Amerasian Children Assembly Lines Oil Refineries Cemeteries And The Like Finishing With A Grizzled Springsteen Posing In Front Of An American Flag. The Other Two Videos For The Album Were More Ambitious Productions As Portrayed Storylines That Alluded To The Emotions Of The Songs. The Video For "I'm On Fire" Shot In March 1985 In Los Angeles And Also Directed By Sayles Featured Springsteen As A Working Class Automobile Mechanic And An Attractive Married Very Well-To-Do Mostly Unseen Female Customer Who Brings Her Vintage Ford Thunderbird In For Frequent Servicing Always Requesting That He Does The Work. She Gives Him All Her Keys Not Just The Ones For The Car. Later That Night He Drives The T-Bird Up To Her Mansion High In The Hills Above The City. He Is About To Ring The Bell When He Thinks Better Of It Smiles Wistfully Drops Her Keys In The Mailbox Next To The Door And Walks Away Down Towards The Lights Below. It Was The First Video Showing Springsteen's Actoral Side It Began Airing In Mid-April 1985 And Later In The Year Won The MTV Video Music Award For Best Male Video. The Final Video For The Album Was The One Shot For "Glory Days". It Was Shot In Late May 1985 In Various Locations In New Jersey And Also Directed By Sailes. It Featured A Narrative Story Of Springsteen Playing The Protagonist In The Song Talking To His Young Son And Pitching To A Wooden Backstop Against An Imaginary Lineup He Eventually Lost The Game To Graig Nettles . Intercut With These Were Scenes Of Springsteen And The E Street Band Lip-Synching The Song In A Bar. Although He Had Left The Band More Than Two Years Earlier Steven Van Zandt Was Invited Back To Perform In This Video Along With His Sometimes Hysterical Stage Antics But The Two New Members Of The Band Nils Lofgren And Patti Scialfa Who Had Not Been On The Record At All Were Also Featured. Springsteen's Then-Wife Julianne Phillips Made A Cameo Appearance At The Baseball Field At The End. The Video Began Airing On MTV In Mid-June 1985. In An Effort A First For Springsteen To Gain Dance And Club Play For His Music And More Non-Whites In His Audience Remixes For The First Singles From The Album Were Executed By Maestro Arthur Baker. He First Created The 12-Inch "Blaster Mix" Of "Dancing In The Dark" Wherein He Completely Reworked The Album Version. Overdubbed Were Tom-Toms Dulcimers Glockenspiel Assorted Backing Vocals Bass And Horn Sythesizer Parts And Gunshot Sounds. Springsteen's Vocal Part Was Chopped Up Double-Tracked Echoed And Repeated With Certain Lines Such As "You Sit Around Getting Older" And "Heeey Baby!" Made Even More Prominent. The Remix Was Released On July 2 1984 And Generated A Lot Of Media Buzz For Springsteen As Well As Actual Club Play. It Went To #7 On The Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart And Had The Most Sales Of Any 12-Inch Single In The United States In 1984. However Many Of Springsteen's Hard-Core Rock Fans Who Had Been Suspicious Of The New Sound Of "Dancing In The Dark" To Begin With Despised The Remix. Baker Was Subsequently Quoted In Angry Response "I Got Really Offended. What Is So Different? It Has A Fucking Glockenspiel Which Bruce Has Used Before Background Vocals ... It's No Different. See If Any Of Those Mixes Had Come Out Before With No One Knowing The Other Version No One Would Have Said A Word." Baker Created The 12-Inch "Undercover Mix" Of "Cover Me" Next Making A Large-Scale Transformation A New Bass Line Was Cut An Unused Backing Vocal By Industry Legend Jocelyn Brown Was Restored And Reggae And Dub Elements Were Introduced. Released On October 15 1984 It Also Found Displeasing From Many Fans But Managed To Reached #11 On The Dance Charts. Finally On January 10 1985 It Was Released The 12-Inch "Freedom Mix" Of "Born In The U.S.A.". It Was A Fairly Radical Remixing Even More So Than Those Baker Had Done For The Album's Previous Singles. The Mix Removed Any Possibly Misleading Anthemic Elements And Pushed The Song's Mournfulness To The Front. Synthesizer Glockenspiel And Drums Were Chopped Up And Isolated Against Springsteen Vocal Fragments Saying "Oh My God No " And "U.S.A.—U.S.—U.S.—U.S.A." This Remix Was The Least Commercially Successful Of Baker's Efforts However As Unlike The Prior Two It Failed To Appear On Billboard's Dance Chart. As Of 1984 Was An American Megastar For Almost A Decade. However As Larry Rodgers Interpreted It "it Was Not Until Hit The Gym To Get Buffed Up And Showed Off His Rear End In Annie Leibovitz’s Famous Cover Photo For Born In The U.S.A. That He Became An American Pop Icon" Touching Off A Wave Of Bossmania As Author Chris Smith Described It . For The Album Springsteen Reintroduced Himself As A Muscular And Sexually-Charged Rocker After His Addoption Of Constant Wearing Of Tight Blue Jeans White T-Shirts And Bandanas And Also An Intensive Physical Training That Included Years Of Running Weightlifting And Bodybuilding. According To Bryan K. Garman In His Book A Race Of Singers – Whitman's Working-Class Hero From Guthrie To Springsteen" These New Image Helped Springsteen To Popularize His Image On A New Scale But Also Brought Him A Decisive Attachement To Political And Sociocultural Issues In The Times When Ronald Reagan Was Reviving A Patriotic Pride By Reaffirming The Values Of Prosperity Expansion And World Domination Of The United States "within A Decidedly Masculine Framework". For Garman As Reagan's Combination Of Masculinity And Nationalism Shaped A Popular Culture That "remasculinized" The Country's Image Of Americans Found Themselves Reading And Watching About The Vietnam War Trying To Come To Terms With The Lost War And The Soldiers Who Fought It. At The Time The Huge Popularity Of Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo" Films Demonstrated Both The Public's Fascination With The Vietnam Veteran And The Symbiotic Relationship That Existed Between The Reagan Presidency And Much Of The Popular Culture Of Its Era. According To The Author Springsteen Found Himself Enmeshed In The Ideologies And Symbols That Rambo And Reagan Represented. In August 1985 The Chicago Tribune Coining A Slogan That Would Soon Appear On Novelty T-Shirts And Bumper Stickers Throughout The Country Declared Him The Rambo Of Rock And Roll And A National Hero Who Like Stallone's Character "only Wants America To Love Him As Much As He Loves It." According To This Editorial Springsteen Reprised "the Defiant Good Ol' Boy Blue-Collar Skepticism Of Merle Haggard". At The Time It Was A Common Thought That Both Rambo And Springsteen Shared The Same Politics. As Garman Puts It "Stallone And Springsteen Addressed Questions Of National Identity Confronted The Legacy Of Vietnam And In Some Ways Physically Resembled Each Other They Both Had Dark Shoulder-Length Hair Wore Bandanas As Part Of Their Costumes And Flaunted Their Muscular Physiques. To Be Sure The Heroic And Sexualized Image That Springsteen Cultivated Was An Important Component Of His Popularity And In Large Part Accounted For His Appropiation By The Right." He Also Mentions That Springsteen Began Also To Be Characterized By A Kind Of Stage Performance That " On One Level Liberates His Fans By Presenting The Possibility Of Sexual Freedom. On Another It Reaffirms The Power Of Masculinity." Garman Concluded His Analysis With The Sentence "Like Reagan And Rambo The Apparently Working-Class Springsteen Was For Many American A White Hard-Bodied Hero Whose Masculinity Confirmed The Values Of Patriarchy And Patriotism The Work Ethic And Rugged Individualism And Who Clearly Demarcated The Boundaries Between Men And Women Black And White Heterosexual And Homosexual." Throughout Time The Album Did Not Lose Its Cultural And Social Relevance And Was Re-Introduced To Succesive Generations. As An Example Even Two Decades After Its Original Release Rolling Stone Published A Celebrated Cover Showing Simpons's Character Homer Simpson In A Re-Make Of The Cover Of The Album. Springsteen Himself Noted On His 1998 Book Songs "“For Years After The Release Of The Album At Halloween I Had Little Kids In Red Bandanas Knocking On At My Door... Singing I Was Born In The U.S.A. They Were Not Particularly Well-Versed In The Had A Brother At Khe Sahn Lyric.” Born In The U.S.A. Was Received By Music Critics With Mostly Unniversal Acclaim And Praise. However Some Argued Its Evident Commercial Edge And Synthesized Production Especially When Compared To The Obscure Introspective Predecessor The Critical Favourite Nebraska. That Wasn't A Problem For Respected Authors As Robert Christgau Who At The Time Of Release Gave An A To The Album Recognizing It As His "most Rhythmically Propulsive Vocally Incisive Lyrically Balanced And Commercially Undeniable Album." He Added That "the Aural Vibrancy Of The Thing Reminds Me Like Nothing In Years That What Teenagers Loved About Rock And Roll Wasn't That It Was Catchy Or Even Vibrant But That It Just Plain Sounded Good." He Finally Stated That "while Nebraska's One-Note Vision May Be More Left-Correct My Instincts Not To Mention My Leftism Tell Me That This Uptempo Worldview Is Truer." Rolling Stone Also Praised The Album Giving It Five Out Of Five Stars Highlighting The Prevalecence Of Umptempo Songs And Calling It An Album Of "rowdy Indomitable Spirit" AllMusic Also Gave Five Stars To The Album With William Ruhlmann Considering That It Was The Apotheosis Of The E Street Band And A Culmination Of A Road Traced Since Their Very Beginning – "the Place Where They Renewed Their Commitment And Where Springsteen Remembered That He Was A Rock & Roll Star Which Is How A Vastly Increased Public Was Happy To Treat Him." In June 2009 The Album Confirmed Its Enduring Popularity As Many Critics And Journalists Revisited The Album With Particularly Enthusiasm As Its Theme Coincided With The "new Hope" Bought In The Wake Of The Obama Era. However In July Author Charles A. Hohman Spread Controversy When Criticized The Album On Pop Matters For "stressing Male Sexuality As Imperative To The American Dream" And Leaving Women Out Of The Picture Or In Any Case On A Dominated Position. According To Him. "from The Hypermasculine Stance On The Cover To Springsteen's Forcefully Vigorous Vocals Throughout Born In The U.S.A. Is An Album About Masculinity Clearly Operating From A Man's Point Of View. To Springsteen's Credit His Women Are Seldom Sex Objects And When They Are Such As On "Darlington County" That Objectification Is Punished. However There Is Little Subversion Of Assigned Gender Roles Within Springsteen’s Portraits. In Fact His Women Are Largely Powerless Kept Firmly In The Private Sphere Functioning As Trophies Or Even As Entitlements For The Male Protagonists." Hohman Also Pointed That On The Album "just As Women Can Protect From The Storms Raging In The Cutthroat Rough-And-Tumble Working World They Can Be The Storm As Well. The Pursuit Of Women Like The Pursuit Of Money And Prosperity Can Lead To Danger Corruption Even Punishment. And So After Championing The Safeguarding Contentment That Women Can Provide Once Attained Born Launches Into Two Hard-Luck Delinquent Tales Tragicomic And Almost Cinematic Narratives Of Men Chasing Women As One More Essential Piece To Their Ideal American Life. "Darlington County" And "Working On The Highway" Are Born's Most Linear And Arguably Most Obscure Compositions But Both Illustrate The Troubles That Can Trap Men In Search Of Female Companionship." Born In The U.S.A. Was Voted As The Best Album Of The Year In The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. In 2003 The Album Was Ranked Number 85 On Rolling Stone Magazine's List Of The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. In 1989 It Was Rated #6 On Rolling Stone Magazine's List Of The 100 Greatest Albums Of The 1980s. Chris Smith Also Included The Album In His Book 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music Stating That It Was Lyrically "as Desperate As Nebraska But The Energy Of The E Street Band Brought The Songs Such Power That Many Mistook The Album–and The Title Track In Particular– As A Celebration Of Patriotism Devoid Of Any Critical Commentary." Despite The Blockbuster Success And Critical Acclaim Of The Album Springsteen Often Expressed Some Mixed Feelings About It. He Often Considered That Nebraska Contains Some Of His Strongest Writing While Born In The U.S.A. Didn't Necessarily Follow Suit. The Title Track "more Or Less Stood By Itself ” He Declared. "The Rest Of The Album Contains A Group Of Songs About Which I’ve Always Had Some Ambivalence." Even So And Despite Calling It The "grab-Bag Nature" Of The Album He Acknowledged Its Powerful Effect On His Career Claiming "Born In The U.S.A. Changed My Life And Gave Me My Largest Audience. It Forced Me To Question The Way I Presented My Music And Made Me Think Harder About What I Was Doing." The Title Track Inspired The Celebrated Annie Leibowitz Photo Of Springsteen's Butt Against The Backdrop Of An American Flag. Bruce Had To Be Convinced To Use It As The Album's Cover. Some People Thought It Depicted Springsteen Urinating On The Flag. Born In The U.S.A. Became The First Compact Disc Manufactured In The United States For Commercial Release When CBS Records Opened Its CD Manufacturing Plant In Terre Haute Indiana In September 1984. Discs Previously Had Been Imported From Japan. In 2004 Senator John Kerry Used "No Surrender" As His Campaign Theme Song During His 2004 Presidential Campaign. Springsteen Performed The Song At Several Kerry Rallies During The Campaign. As On Billboard All Seven Born In The U.S.A.'s Singles Reached The Top 10 On The Cashbox Singles Chart. They Reached #1 "Dancing In The Dark" #7 "My Hometown" #8 "I'm On Fire" #9 "Born In The U.S.A." "Glory Days" And "I'm Goin' Down" And #10 "Cover Me" .