Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

I've been listening to it quite a bit lately, trying to figure out the historical place of this album in Springsteen's career. I know it's good, but I'm not sure it's great.

I think one could very easily make the assertion that every song on Born in the USA is among Springsteen's best 50, but I also think similarly that none of his top 10 would be from this album.

I won't make a poll about this, but I'm interested to see how people view this album in terms of Springsteen's career, whether it is seminal or just good.

Edit: fixed title.

Re: Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

This is one of the few Springsteen albums I never bothered to get on CD. I have downloaded tons of concerts, only one or two are from the BitUSA tour.

I was 13 when BitUSA came out and I became a huge Springsteen fan. After listening to that tape about 1000 times, my dad came into my room and gave me his old records of Born to Run, Darkness and The River, as well as a bootleg of a 1978 concert he taped off the radio. THat pretty much ended my listening to Born in the USA.

I'd rank his albums in this order:

Born to Run
Darkness
Nebraska
Wild, Innocent
Greetings
The River
Born In The USA
Tunnel of Love
Tom Joad
Seeger Sessions
Luckytown
Human Touch

So it falls in the middle. Lots of big hits, but overall far from his best.

Re: Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

It is obviously a very solid and radio-friendly album. I don't think any serious Springsteen fan would consider it his seminal album, though.

It served its purpose. "Dancing in the Dark" is an excellent pop song, and allowed him to cross over into the MTV thing that was happening at the time.

Re: Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is one of the few Springsteen albums I never bothered to get on CD. I have downloaded tons of concerts, only one or two are from the BitUSA tour.

I was 13 when BitUSA came out and I became a huge Springsteen fan. After listening to that tape about 1000 times, my dad came into my room and gave me his old records of Born to Run, Darkness and The River, as well as a bootleg of a 1978 concert he taped off the radio. THat pretty much ended my listening to Born in the USA.

I'd rank his albums in this order:

Born to Run
Darkness
Nebraska
Wild, Innocent
Greetings
The River
Born In The USA
Tunnel of Love
Tom Joad
Seeger Sessions
Luckytown
Human Touch

So it falls in the middle. Lots of big hits, but overall far from his best.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with your rankings for the most part, but would place "Tunnel of Love" at number 3. It's just an album that speaks to me. I find it incredibly haunting.

Re: Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

Never liked Tunnel of Love very much. But all of his albums pale to a great '78 show. I think the Winterland show is the pinnacle of all rock and roll.

Re: Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

for the most part, I agree with this list....I'd move Greetings to #1, though....followed by Nebraska at #2. After that, I wouldn't touch the list.




[ QUOTE ]
This is one of the few Springsteen albums I never bothered to get on CD. I have downloaded tons of concerts, only one or two are from the BitUSA tour.

I was 13 when BitUSA came out and I became a huge Springsteen fan. After listening to that tape about 1000 times, my dad came into my room and gave me his old records of Born to Run, Darkness and The River, as well as a bootleg of a 1978 concert he taped off the radio. THat pretty much ended my listening to Born in the USA.

I'd rank his albums in this order:

Born to Run
Darkness
Nebraska
Wild, Innocent
Greetings
The River
Born In The USA
Tunnel of Love
Tom Joad
Seeger Sessions
Luckytown
Human Touch

So it falls in the middle. Lots of big hits, but overall far from his best.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

It also contained one of the most misunderstood songs in mainstream rock history - Born in the USA.

The fact that REAGAN used this song as a backdrop is one of the most absurd things in history....and was utterly comical to anyone who understood the true intention of the song.

Apparently - no one who worked for Reagan bothered to listen to any of the lyrics other than the chorus.


[ QUOTE ]
It is obviously a very solid and radio-friendly album. I don't think any serious Springsteen fan would consider it his seminal album, though.

It served its purpose. "Dancing in the Dark" is an excellent pop song, and allowed him to cross over into the MTV thing that was happening at the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

[ QUOTE ]
I think one could very easily make the assertion that every song on Born in the USA is among Springsteen's best 50, but I also think similarly that none of his top 10 would be from this album.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think a serious Springsteen fan would sooner gouge their eyes out than call "Dancing In The Dark" one of his 50 best songs. I would also put "Cover Me" in my bottom ten Springsteen songs ever. "Downbound Train" is without a doubt in my top five Springsteen songs ever.

As for the entire CD, it's probably a notch below most of the CD's that preceded it, but not it's not a significant margin.

Re: Thoughts about Springsteen\'s Born in the USA album
 

Agree w/ a lot said in this thread. Born to Run and Nebraska were albums I liked a lot. I am not the hugest ever Springsteen fan, but he was big in my high school and college years. I saw one of the last concerts on the Born in the USA tour in Los Angeles and will say it was a great show. Not because of the songs from that album, although some of those I like. Even with some of the pop oriented stuff thrown in he played for like 4 hours and it was goot.