Under The Frequency

Born in The USA – Bruce Springsteen Cassette Tape.

—

by

Lizz
in

Cover Art

  • Photographed by Annie Leibovitz.
  • Classic Americana style outfit, a white T shirt and blue jeans. This mimics the themes of working class. – Red, white and blue to shadow the American flag.
  • The red baseball cap was given to Springsteen by Olympian Lance Larson; it had belonged to his father who had died around the time of the album’s release. It has the military logo ‘REMBASS’ (Remotely Monitored Battlefield Sensor System) on the front.

Historical Context

  • Springsteen read Ron Kovic’s memoir ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ and was inspired by his war stories, writing several tracks that centred around the themes of the Vietnam War.
  • The title song has been misinterpreted over time due to its repetitive, catchy nature. The lyrics are about a Vietnam veteran returning from the war to find his country has left him behind. – ‘Went down to see my V.A. man he said ‘Son, don’t you understand now?’ Veterans came home to find they had very limited opportunities and very little support from the government and the V.A. (Veterans Affairs).
  • Ronald Reagan misconstrued the song ‘Born in the USA’, praising it in his presidential campaign in New Jersey, not realising it was an anti-war protest song.

Track List

Side A –

  • Born in the USA.
  • Cover Me.
  • Darlington County.
  • Working on The Highway.
  • Downbound Train.
  • I’m on Fire.

Side B –

  • No Surrender.
  • Bobby Jean.
  • I’m Goin’ Down.
  • Glory Days.
  • Dancing In the Dark.
  •  My Hometown.   

Lyrics are enclosed in the J card which also features black and white images of Springsteen’s other albums with track lists.

My Favourite Track

‘I’m on Fire’ it’s repeating beat drives the moody, almost melancholy sound, brimming with poetic desire – ‘sometimes its like someone took a knife baby edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skull.’ It also has a raw sultriness to it.

Format

  • Type 1 – Ferric Oxide.
  • ‘Recorded with Dolby B-Type nose reduction characteristic.’
  • Plays badly with warping towards the end of the tape – likely from age.

Production.

  • Album released 1984.
  • Sold 17 million copies since its release.
  • Album produced by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin and Steve Van Zandt.
  • CBS Inc.
  •  Zomba Music Publishers LTD.