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When Bruce Springsteen United Liberals and Conservatives

A new book examines Springsteen’s most impactful record, ‘Born in the U.S.A.,’ an oft-misunderstood masterpiece that foreshadowed the changing politics of America.

Originally published in the Washington Post on September 13, 1984, and then syndicated to newspapers throughout the country, a column written by the paper’s most popular right-wing columnist made the case for Born in the U.S.A. representing old-fashioned American values. Reflecting on the aftermath of a show at Soldier Field on August 9, 1985, Galloway begins his article with a meta-commentary on the “middle-aged exercise” of explaining the significance of Bruce Springsteen in a manner that recalls the air quotes-loving Chris Farley character Bennett Brauer from Saturday Night Live: The net result is that Bruce Springsteen— one of the world’s biggest rock stars and possibly the most famous populist— declined to offer public support in an election year to the opponent of a president viewed by many as being openly hostile to underprivileged and marginalized people.

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