What Makes A Hit Song? Close But No Cigar.

[Just1L]

Pretty interesting story I read online. For me, 9 times out of 10 I'd have written the Vietnam version over the Born in the U.S.A. version. Which, I believe are like most tunes and lyrics on this site. I'd be willing to bet I would really like the Vietnam version and if it was posted on this site it'd fit right in perfectly. I feel like if there is one thing I'm certain about with my own songs it's that lyric-wise, they normally wouldn't fall into the mass consumption area. Something I'll be thinking about from now on… or at least after I finish my current song.

 

Here's the link: https://music.yahoo.com/blogs/music-news/born-u-springsteen-most-misunderstood-anthem-turns-30-005115280.html

 

 

Randy

 

[Rudi]

I always found the song dull. I realised it was not a patriotic song, but it never stopped people treating it as though it was.

Perhaps it was treated as a simple song because it sounds like a simple song.

Could be a good way to slip something past the censor?

 

I was more interested in the reference to 'Louie Louie' which I played in a scratch band once. I never realised those lyrics were controversial.

[MikeRobinson]

I personally think that most people who hear the song (including me ...) never actually hear all of the lyrics.  Fewer still, today, would actually relate to it. However, everybody understands "a hook."  A gravel-stricken voice ... "bawrn-n-n-n-n in the eww-ess-aaay!!" ... and the amazing-as-usual performances by E-Street Band ... that's what made the song "iconic."

 

Also:  "war protest songs" have generally become passé, because the Marketing of War has become much more sophisticated since the 1960's.  It turns out that people really don't give a damn whether there's a war going on ... as long as they don't see it on the news, and especially as long as they cannot get drafted to fight in it involuntarily.

 

For example, the United States has now been involved in a war in "generally, the Middle East" for more than fifteen years, and yet the President of the United States has treated it as merely a government exercise ... announcing a timetable (being:  "when I am no longer President and can never be President again") for termination of the "engagement."  But people can't even locate Afghanistan on the map, because nothing about the war involves them.  Thousands of coffins are no longer "news," because no Average Joe has to worry about being inside one of them unless he is whatever-enough to actually sign up.

 

[[ And, please note:  (1) I am an American, and (2) this is not intended to be a rant.  "War is Business."  A multi-trillion(!) dollar business, paid-for by endless fountains of Money that goverments "borrow" from themselves for that purpose.  No song will ever change those economics.  (At least, not yet.) ]]

 

So ... "Born in the USA" really isn't a war-protest song.  It is ... a distinctive opening riff, and an iconic chorus performed by an amazing singer backed by an equally amazing band.  You could substitute a lyric about the Teletubbies in "the middle eight" and it would make no difference now.