John Niven

Born in the USA: how Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 album bridged the American political divide

Steven Hyden traces the impact of the title song, whose coruscating verses and affirmatory choruses cut both ways, and made its creator for a time the world’s greatest rock star

Bruce Springsteen during his Born in the U.S.A. tour in Detroit, Michigan, in July 1984. [Getty Images]
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  • There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A .’ and the End of the Heartland

    Steven Hyden

    Hachette Books, pp. 230, £28

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