Police miffed at Springsteen?

NYPD Reportedly Stiffs Springsteen
Wed Oct 8, 6:05 PM ET


NEW YORK - Is Bruce Springsteen making the NYPD blue?

The New Jersey rocker closed out his recent world tour with three shows at Shea Stadium, where he reportedly aggravated city police by performing "American Skin (41 Shots)" — a song inspired by the 1999 shooting of West African immigrant Amadou Diallo by four officers.


After Springsteen played the song during the Oct. 1 opening night, a high-ranking police official ordered that there would be no post-concert police escort for the Boss after his next show, the Daily News reported.


Springsteen, through publicist Marilyn Laverty, declined to comment Wednesday on the report. NYPD spokesman Michael O'Looney, in a two-paragraph statement, danced around the issue.


"As a courtesy, Mr. Springsteen was given a police escort to his boat at the World's Fair Marina following the concerts on both Wednesday and Saturday night," O'Looney said.


He didn't offer any comment on Friday night, but added that police had also provided an escort for E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg from LaGuardia Airport to Shea on Wednesday.


Springsteen didn't perform "American Skin" at either of the last two shows.


After Springsteen debuted the song during his 2000 tour, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association — representing 27,000 police officers — urged its members not to attend Springsteen's 10 Madison Square Garden concerts.

"I'm clean and fairly sober"

aah the old row has raised its ugly head. Guess the coppers dont like having songs written about them murdering people ey

too right dan, was playing that last night too, now gotta track down the Shea shows me thinks

I totally agree with what the police did. If he wants to write a negative song about them, why should they help him out? They did it to be nice and for free.

If everyone would just read the lyrics they would see that this is NOT an anti-cop song. It's about the difficulty of making snap decisions in todays society. If anything, it talks about the difficulty of being a cop and making the right decision.

This is copied from the Backstage board:

Springsteen writes explicity about "American Skin" in the brand new edition of Songs, his longest statement by far about the controversy and the song itself. Bruce writes, "Though the song was critical, it was not 'anti-police' as some thought." As he also points out, the first verse is from the point of view of a police officer, "kneeling over his body in the vestibule, praying for his life." Rather than being an indictment of police, if the song points a finger at anyone, Springsteen suggests that it points at all of us in this country, the singer included. "The idea was here," he writes: "Here is what systemic racial injustice, fear, and paranoia do to our children, our loved ones, ourselves. Here is the price in blood."

Kathleen

It does???

41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots....
and we'll take that ride
'cross this bloody river
to the other side
41 shots... cut through the night
You're kneeling over his body in the vestibule
Praying for his life

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life
It ain't no secret
It ain't no secret
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living
In your American skin

41 shots
Lena gets her son ready for school
She says "on these streets, Charles
You've got to understand the rules
If an officer stops you
Promise you'll always be polite,
that you'll never ever run away
Promise Mama you'll keep your hands in sight"

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life
It ain't no secret
It ain't no secret
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living
In your American skin

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it in your heart, is it in your eyes
It ain't no secret

41 shots... and we'll take that ride
'Cross this bloody river
To the other side
41 shots... got my boots caked in this mud
We're baptized in these waters and in each other's blood

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life
It ain't no secret
It ain't no secret
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living
In your American skin

As far as I'm concerned Bruce didn't expect this kind of reaction on the song and later tried to "smooth talk" folks a little bit. And that's a pity.
Because the issue he brought up in the song is very important. There are lots of cases out there when policemen take advantage of their position and act before they think. And if Bruce decided to bring this issue up, then he shouldn't retreat.

coulda recited that lot

Yes - it does

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life

How would you like to make that decision in a split second. Is someone armed or is it a wallet? That may be a cops job - but it's a terrible decision to have to make - sometimes very fast.
I'm only trying to point out that if you take the lyrics at face value this is not an anti-cop song.

Kathleen

look to sum this up ok...erm, the song is just very good, kathleen is a bruce NUT and to be honest and if you value ur legs, its just not worth arguing over....im not sure if you know or not but ill let you in on asecret...

nothing gets between kathleen and bruce....

Okay, what about the second verse? I understand it as the mother talks about how unreasonable policemen can be. Don't irritate policemen, or you may lose your life. Because policemen got guns for sure. And they may assume the worst.

Actually, in this song Bruce wants to make some kinda point but he is not sure which point he should actually make. And he ends up being meaningful (which's a must for him) but actually inconsistent. It's like I want to be meaningful, but I don't really know what point I want to make. That's the reason I don't like this song.