Is Bruce Springsteen real? Or is he a manufactured commodity along the lines of Madonna,Prince,Michael Jackson or Britney Spears? Even Elvis, who entered the Army as the nation's
number one rock icon was discharged to Beach Blanket Bingo movies and crooning Blue Hawaii because his handlers felt that a softer image would sell more records. By the time of his death he was
barely a pale imitation of the rock king who revolutionized the music world. All rock acts develop and change over time, especially if they are fortunate enough to enjoy any sort of longevity. The Beatles,
whose seven years of music impacted the world, serve as a prime example. In 1963 they were four mop-headed teenagers from Liverpool who wanted to "hold your hand." Their mushy love tunes changed
the face of international music, and by 1969 they had their own Indian guru, were deep into the drug scene and were cited as inspiration to Charles Manson and his California family of homicidal deviates. Michael
Jackson, who debuted as the tiny and cute lead singer of the Jackson Five eventually evolved into Diana Ross with burning hair. There are few who would venture a guess as to where his
position as a cultural icon will eventually rest. The antics of Madonna, though indicative of her promotional genius, leave little
doubt that the only sure thing is that her next controversy will be greater than her last.
All rock acts create a "package" which is presented to their fans, some more elaborate than others. Sometimes the package is created by the artist or their "handlers." It can be a carefully scripted process much like the creation and management
of political candidates. This package is tailored for the fan base that the aritist wishes to capture. In some instances the "package" is created by the fans themselves, independent of the wishes and concerns of the performer. An interesting contrast
can be found in the dynamics behind Madonna, a performer who constantly works to re-create her image, and the Grateful Dead, a rock group that became the very symbol of cultural obsession. Certainly, the most interesting aspects of a "Dead" Show took place
in the parking lot before and after the band's performance. Deadheads! Where did they come from? Garcia once commented, "You wonder where all these people are coming from, but they're self-invented. We didn't invent them, and we didn't invent our original audience. In a way, this
whole process has invented us."1
Springsteen, like all performers, created an image, a purpose, a defining element in the performances he presented to his public. It may have appeared hazy at times, and mistakes were made, but his self-defined personna has been planned and
calculated very carefully. There is nothing inherently wrong with this sort of "product manipulation," especially if the artist is consistent and remains loyal to the "message" he is trying to transmit. In some cases, as with Elvis, the message is the music and doesn't go beyond that. Today
we classify his music as love ballads and fraternity rock tunes. In his time his work was refreshing and innovative, if not strictly "his" work. His combination of black blues and Southern country shocked the pop-culture world and revolutionized
the "presentation" of popular music. He quickly however, began to sing movie ballads and religious songs. Much of his audience felt he had sold out. In a sense, he did, he abandoned what his fan base revered him for most. What they wanted from Elvis was hip-gyrating rock. Elvis and his handlers however, had
other ideas. He was destined for Hollywood. He was later villified when he released "In the Ghetto," a song about a young man killed by the police for stealing a car. Why? Because it was phony coming from the Vegas King who had never expressed any prior concerns about social welfare.
Springsteen, raised in the Central New Jersey town of Freehold,came from a working class background. His father held a variety of factory jobs and worked as a security guard. His mother was an office worker. Freehold, a blue collar town if there ever was one, was his home until his late teenage years when he relocated to Asbury Park, a decaying shore town. Fame and success didn't come easy,
as he played in a variety of bands appearing at local venues and bars along the Jersey shore. His parents moved to California, but he stayed behind working with his bands. By 1972 he was a well-known bar act, appearing with what would eventually become the E Street Band. The "Jersey" image was important to Springsteen, not only because it was his home, but because it lay between New York
City and Philadelphia, two of the largest cities on the East Coast. Both cities claim special relationships with both him and his music.
New Jersey however, was the key. When his first album was released, Springsteen had turned down pleas to portray his home as New York City, saying, "Hey man, I'm from New Jersey!"2 The title of the album, Greetings From Asbury Park New Jersey, showed his pride in what he sometimes referred to as "the refinery between New York and Philly."
With the Jersey association came music about friends, Jersey nightlife and the gritty streets of his hometowns and New York City. He focused on this association through his first three releases; Greetings,The Wild and the Innocent and Born to Run. Bob Santelli, Director of
Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, commented on Springsteen's association with the State of New Jersey. (click link for interview.) There are more than a few web sites heralding Springsteen's connection
with the Garden State. Zeny's Over the New Jersey State Line, and David Dorfman's Asbury Boardwalk being two of the better ones.
Though Springsteen would eventually leave Jersey for a mansion in California, he returned to the state after several years and continues to live there. Many of his songs herald his connection with New Jersey. Lost in the Flood,Spirit in the Night,4th of July, Asbury Park,Thunder Road,Born to Run,Atlantic City and Jersey Girl are among the most obvious.
Many of Springsteen's songs concern the plight of the average person in society and center around the themes of work, play, love, marriage and the quest for the "American dream." Despair, frustration, searching and the desire to escape are not absent. A survey of his most popular selections in the "Message" section of this site, shows a rather
restrained reaction to society's problems. You'll find no call to arms coming from Springsteen. His is a rather safe examination of our lives as Americans, and in reality an affirmation of the Protestant work ethic. Wake up in the morning, go to work, try to do the right thing, and try to seize the moment and gain control of your life. Relationships are
important, so don't try it alone. He laments the fact that not everyone will find their space. "I don't think the Amerian Dream was that everyone was going to make it or that everyone was going to make a billion dollars, but it was that everyone was going to have an opportunity and the chance to live a life with some decency and a chance for some
self respect."3 Several examples of his "working class" songs include Youngstown,My Hometown,Promised Land,Factory,Badlands, and Galveston Bay. There are quite a few others you'll
notice as you scroll through the song section. These selections exhibit an obvious attempt on Springsteen's part to identify with working class issues or the drudgery of working class life, and he has been remarkably consistent in his message. Its this consistency, and the resulting credibility, that enabled Springsteen to associate his image with the
working man. This was not a simple task for a cultural icon with mega-millions in wealth.
One interesting facet of Springsteen's career has been the relative absence of controversy, or at least the intense adverse publicity surrounding many rock stars. He has had his moments in the limelight on issues that caused a stir, but they usually related to his music and not the image he presented to his fans. Bono, of U2 fame, touched upon this "image" when he spoke at
Springsteen's 1999 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. "Rock stars are supposed to make soap operas of their lives, aren't they?" he asked. "He hasn't done the things most rock stars do. He got rich and famous, but never embarrassed himself with all that success, did he? No drug busts, no blood changes in Switzerland. Even more remarkable, no golfing!
No bad hair period, even in the '80s. No wearing of dresses in videos ... No embarrassing movie roles, no pet snakes, no monkeys. No exhibitions of his own paintings. No public brawling or setting himself on fire." Bono viewed Springsteen's rise as a defining moment in rock history. "In Dublin, Ireland, I knew what he was talking about. Here was a dude who carried himself like
Brando, and Dylan, and Elvis. If John Steinbeck could sing, if Van Morrison could ride a Harley-Davidson .... It was something new, too. He was the first whiff of Scorsese, the first hint of Patti Smith, Elvis Costello and the Clash. He was the end of long hair, brown rice and bell bottoms. It was the end of the 20-minute drum solo. It was good night, Haight-Ashbury; hello, Asbury Park."
He was also relieved when he realized Springsteen was more than what was portrayed in his public personna. ""At some point I remember riding in an elevator with gentleman Bruce, where he just stared straight ahead of himself, and completely ignored me. I was crushed. Only when he walked into the doors as they were opening, did I realize the impossible was happening. My
god, Bruce Springsteen, the Buddha of my youth, is plastered! Drunk as a skunk! ... I have to go back to the book of instructions, scratch the bit out about how you held yourself in public. By the way, that was a great relief." On a lighter note, Ben Stiller took potshots at Springsteen's image on several occasions.
Springsteen has always been concerned with "image" and has worked diligently to maintain a respected perspective. His appearances for charities and at special events are legendary. The following video is of his 2001 appearance at the dedication of the new Zakim Bridge in Boston, named for the deceased social activist Lenny Zakim.
Springsteen has not appeared very often on television. He's made one Saturday Night Live appearance, an appearance on MTV and several on such shows as Conan O'Brien and the Today Show. Considering the thirty year span of his career his absence from the tube is surprising. He did make an appearance on TV in Sweden to promote an album
release in 1998. The following video segments address some of the issues we've discussed. (Segment 1,2,3,4)
There have been several controversial moments in Springsteen's career, usually in relation to either the content or the public perception of his works. In 1984 he released Born in the USA, a song which criticized the treatment of Viet Nam veterans, especially employment issues and veteran's rights. Apparently the song was widely misinterperted as a jingoistic salute to
being "Born in the USA." This has annoyed Springsteen over the years, and he no longer performs the song in the released version. The following videos demonstrate the differences in style.
Springsteen and his handlers were also angered when Ronald Reagan mentioned his name in a New Jersey campaign appearance in September of 1984. The media immediately accused Reagan and his staff of co-opting Springsteen's message as one of his own. In actuality, all Reagan did was mention Springsteen as a New Jersey native son and commented favorably upon the values
in his work. "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts. It rests in the message of hope so many young people admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about." A media firestorm followed and Springsteen's most committed fans were outraged. Conservative columnist George Will wrote about
Springsteen after seeing one of his 1984 shows, ""I have not got a clue about Springsteen's politics, but flags get waved at his concerts while he sings songs about hard times. He is no whiner, and the recitation of closed factories and other problems always seems punctuated by a grand, cheerful, affirmation: 'Born in the U.S.A.!"4
The relationship between politics, fans and
Springsteen are examined in "The Masses."
In the spring of 2000, while on the final leg of his tour, Springsteen performed a song song entitled American Skin: 41 Shots, a work which addressed the death of Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant shot and killed by plainclothes police officers in New York City. Diallo had been stopped for investigation and reached for a wallet in his pants
pocket and was shot 19 times by four police officers. A total of 41 shots were fired at Diallo. The song was immediately condemned by the NYC police union and a boycott of his NYC concerts was announced. Some officers refused to work overtime details at his shows. Springsteen invited Diallo's parents to attend the show when the song was first
performed at Madison Square Garden. Springsteen had little to say about the song, only that it addressed how hard it is to live in America today with the racial animosities. His fans, following their usual political loyalties, lined up on two sides of the issue, those who felt the song condemned the actions of the police and those who saw a deeper meaning
in the lyrics, one that lamented the fears and tragic circumstances involved in our perceptions of each other. "Is it a gun? Is it a knife? Is it a wallet? This is your life," were questions that could also apply to the perspective of the officers who shot Diallo. In 2003, in a second edition of his book, Songs, Springsteen stated that the song was not intended to
be anti-police. 5
In 2002, Springsteen released The Rising, a work devoted to issues surrounding the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01. There was some media criticism of a rock album which focused on the deaths on that day, and Springsteen was not unaware of the sensitivity of the subject he had chosen.
He spoke of the sacrifices of the police and fire fighters in the songs "The Rising," and "Into the Fire." As he consistently had done throughout his career, Springsteen was able to sing of the emotions of 9-11 with the sensitivity and
understanding that was demanded, and he continued to show the ability to deal with what is while encouraging us to find the strenght to move on with our lives.
1 Melissa McCray Pattacini. "Deadheads Yesterday and Today: An Audience Study."
In Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture,
ed. Michael Petracca & Madeleine Sorapure. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2001. 288. 2 John Duffy. Bruce Springsteen: In His Own Words. London: Ombibus Press, 1993. 15. 3 John Duffy. Bruce Springsteen.19. 4 James Cullen. Born in the USA: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition. New York: Perennial, 1998. 43. 5 "I had the title "American Skin" and a few stray lines, an idea for a song about American identity, sitting in my workbook for six months. In the weeks leading up to our New York shows, the tour's finale, I'd been thinking about the case of Amadou Diallo, the innocent African immigrant gunned down in a tragic accident by undercover police detectives outside hi apartment in New York City. He'd been shot 41 times. The sheer number of shots seemed to gauge the size of our betrayal of one another. "41 shots....41 shots," that was the mantra I wanted to repeat over and over thoughout my song, the daily compounding of crimes-large and small-against one another.
Though the song was critical, it was not anti-police" as some thought. The first voice you hear after the intro is from a policeman's point of view:"Kneeling over his body in the vestibule praying for his life." In the second verse, a mother tries to impress upon her young son the importance of his simplest actions in a neighborhood where the most innocent of motions (your hand reaching for your wallet, or not in sight) can be misinterpreted with deadly consequences.
In the bridge, the verses "Is it in your heart, is it in your eyes" asks the singer and his audience to look into themselves for their collaberation in events. In the third verse we're "baptized in these waters and in each other's blood....It ain't no secret/No secret my friend/You can get killed just for living/In your American skin." Life in the land of brotherly fear.
We debuted "American Skin" in Atlanta a few nights before we hit New York, and the audience responded powerfully. By the time we got to New York City, we were the talk of the tabloids. We were attacked in the newspapers, and I received letters from officials asking me not to play the song. If the people hadn't been serious about what they were writing (a song that very few people had even heard yet), a lot of it would have been funny.
I worked hard for a balanced voice. I knew a diatribe would do no good. I just wanted to help people see the other guy's point of view. The idea was here: Here is what systematic racial injustice, fear, and paranoia do to our children, our loved ones, ourselves. Here is the price in blood."
West Chester University History 650 Seminar in 20th Century American Popular Culture Dr. Charles Hardy Fall 2003 Joseph O'Brien
Prince, Michael Jackson or Britney Spears? Even Elvis, who entered the Army as the nation's number one rock icon was discharged to Beach Blanket Bingo movies and crooning Blue Hawaii
because his handlers felt that a softer image would sell more records. By the time of his death he was barely a pale imitation of the rock king who revolutionized the music world. All rock acts develop and change over time, especially if they are fortunate enough to enjoy any sort of longevity. The Beatles,
whose seven years of music impacted the world, serve as a prime example. In 1963
they were four mop-headed teenagers from Liverpool who wanted to "hold your hand." Their mushy love tunes changed the face of international music, and by 1969 they had their own Indian guru, were deep into the drug scene and were cited as inspiration to Charles Manson and his California family of homicidal deviates. Michael Jackson, who debuted as the tiny and cute lead singer of the Jackson Five eventually evolved into Diana Ross with burning hair. There are few who would venture a guess as to where his position as a cultural icon will eventually rest. The antics of Madonna, though indicative of her promotional genius, leave little doubt that the only sure thing is that her next controversy will be greater than her last.
elaborate than others. Sometimes the package is created by the artist or their "handlers." It can be a carefully scripted process much like the creation and management of political candidates. This package is tailored for the fan base that the aritist wishes to capture. In some instances the "package" is created
by the fans themselves, independent of the wishes and concerns of the performer. An interesting contrast can be found in the dynamics behind Madonna, a performer who constantly works to re-create her image, and the Grateful Dead, a rock group that became the very symbol of cultural obsession. Certainly, the most interesting aspects of a "Dead" Show took place in the parking lot before and after the band's performance. Deadheads! Where did they come from? Garcia once commented, "You wonder where all these people are coming from, but they're self-invented. We didn't invent them, and we didn't invent our original audience. In a way, this whole process has invented us."1
element in the performances he presented to his public. It may have appeared hazy at times, and mistakes were made, but his self-defined personna has been planned and calculated very carefully. There is nothing inherently wrong with this sort of "product manipulation," especially if the artist is consistent and remains loyal to the "message" he is trying to transmit.
In some cases, as with Elvis, the message is the music and doesn't go beyond that. Today we classify his music as love ballads and fraternity rock tunes. In his time his work was refreshing and innovative, if not strictly "his" work. His combination of black blues and Southern country shocked the pop-culture world and revolutionized the "presentation" of popular music. He quickly however, began to sing movie ballads and religious songs. Much of his audience felt he had sold out. In a sense, he did, he abandoned what his fan base revered him for most. What they wanted from Elvis was hip-gyrating rock. Elvis and his handlers however, had other ideas. He was destined for Hollywood. He was later villified when he released "In the Ghetto," a song about a young man killed by the police for stealing a car. Why? Because it was phony coming from the Vegas King who had never expressed any prior concerns about social welfare.
came from a working class background. His father held a variety of factory jobs and worked as a security guard. His mother was an office worker. Freehold, a blue collar town if there
ever was one, was his home until his late teenage years when he relocated to Asbury Park, a decaying shore town. Fame and success didn't come easy, as he played in a variety of bands appearing at local venues and bars along the Jersey shore. His parents moved to California, but he stayed behind working with his bands. By 1972 he was a well-known bar act, appearing with what would eventually become the E Street Band. The "Jersey" image was important to Springsteen, not only because it was his home, but because it lay between New York City and Philadelphia, two of the largest cities on the East Coast. Both cities claim special relationships with both him and his music.
concern the plight of the average person in society and center around the themes of work, play, love, marriage and the quest for the "American dream." Despair, frustration, searching and the desire to escape are not absent. A survey of his most popular selections in the "Message" section of this site, shows a rather restrained reaction to society's problems. You'll find no call to arms coming from Springsteen. His is a rather safe examination of our lives as Americans, and in reality an affirmation of the Protestant work ethic. Wake up in the morning, go to work, try to do the right thing, and try to seize the moment and gain control of your life. Relationships are important, so don't try it alone. He laments the fact that not everyone will find their space. "I don't think the Amerian Dream was that everyone was going to make it or that everyone was going to make a billion dollars, but it was that everyone was going to have an opportunity and the chance to live a life with some decency and a chance for some self respect."3 Several examples of his "working class" songs include Youngstown, My Hometown, Promised Land, Factory, Badlands, and Galveston Bay. There are quite a few others you'll notice as you scroll through the song section. These selections exhibit an obvious attempt on Springsteen's part to identify with working class issues or the drudgery of working class life, and he has been remarkably consistent in his message. Its this consistency, and the resulting credibility, that enabled Springsteen to associate his image with the working man. This was not a simple task for a cultural icon with mega-millions in wealth.
adverse publicity surrounding many rock stars. He has had
his moments in the limelight on issues that caused a stir, but they usually related to his music and not the image he presented to his fans. Bono, of U2 fame, touched upon this "image" when he spoke at Springsteen's 1999 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. "Rock stars are supposed to make soap operas of their lives, aren't they?" he asked. "He hasn't done the things most rock stars do. He got rich and famous, but never embarrassed himself with all that success, did he? No drug busts, no blood changes in Switzerland.
Even more remarkable, no golfing! No bad hair period, even in the '80s. No wearing of dresses in videos ... No embarrassing movie roles, no pet snakes, no monkeys. No exhibitions of his own paintings. No public brawling or setting himself on fire." Bono viewed Springsteen's rise as a defining moment in rock history. "In Dublin, Ireland, I knew what he was talking about. Here was a dude who carried himself like Brando, and Dylan, and Elvis. If John Steinbeck could sing, if Van Morrison could ride a Harley-Davidson .... It was something new, too. He was the first whiff of Scorsese, the first hint of Patti Smith, Elvis Costello and the Clash. He was the end of long hair, brown rice and bell bottoms. It was the end of the 20-minute drum solo. It was good night, Haight-Ashbury; hello, Asbury Park." He was also relieved when he realized Springsteen was more than what was portrayed in his public personna. ""At some point I remember riding in an elevator with gentleman Bruce, where he just stared straight ahead of himself, and completely ignored me. I was crushed. Only when he walked into the doors as they were opening, did I realize the impossible was happening. My god, Bruce Springsteen, the Buddha of my youth, is plastered! Drunk as a skunk! ... I have to go back to the book of instructions, scratch the bit out about how you held yourself in public. By the way, that was a great relief." On a lighter note, Ben Stiller took potshots at Springsteen's image on several occasions.
his name in a New Jersey campaign appearance in September of 1984. The media immediately accused Reagan and his staff of co-opting Springsteen's message as one of his own. In actuality, all Reagan did was mention Springsteen as a New Jersey native son and commented favorably upon the values in his work. "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts. It rests in the message of hope so many young people admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about." A media firestorm followed and Springsteen's most committed fans were outraged. Conservative columnist George Will wrote about Springsteen after seeing one of his 1984 shows, ""I have not got a clue about Springsteen's politics, but flags get waved at his concerts while he sings songs about hard times. He is no whiner, and the recitation of closed factories and other problems always seems punctuated by a grand, cheerful, affirmation: 'Born in the U.S.A.!"4 The relationship between politics, fans and Springsteen are examined in "The Masses."
