The Official Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Thread.

Like Brian, I go in and out of Born In The U.S.A. too.

Although, perhaps shamefully, I prefer the demo version from Tracks a lot more than the original :/

Though I loved the original when I first heard it, along with The River and Streets Of Philadephia it got me into the man.

And even just thinking about doing a Top 20 list of Bruce songs causes my breathing to cease and my mind to go into overload.

Started trying to write a list and realised just how many of Bruce's titles follow a pattern

X in the Y
X on the Y

Born in the USA
Spirit in the Night
Something in the Night
Racing in the Street
Dancing in the Dark
Mansion on the Hill
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Working on the Highway

Bruce prefers the demo version too. That's is how it was originally written. He seldom plays the electric version (though he does on occasion). I read (or heard?) an interview a long time ago where he said he had no intention of changing the demo but then they were messing around in the studio one day and Max came up with those massive drum hits at the beginning of the song. It was all downhill from there.

One of the best one-two punches for an opening I have ever heard Bruce do was during the 2004 Vote For Change Tour. He opened, by himself (no band) with his 12 string playing The Star Spangled Banner - a la Jimi Hendrix. This was to remind people that this was a political event. And then as he was finishing, the band took their places behind him and they roared into BITUSA. It was a very powerful moment.

Well it certainly makes me feel good that Bruce and I share the same opinion

I just feel the demo has more feeling to it, I do love the rock version, but the original is just more darker and I feel the actual meaning and story behind the song is easier to follow. With the rock version I get too lost in the kickass punch in it, with the demo I can follow along and even though I wasn't born or affected by the Vietnam War that demo makes me feel as if I were.

And that Star Spangled Banner/BITUSA opening sounds amazing!

There are boots my friend

The final, single version, though is just a far stronger melody. Don't have a problem with the jingoistic tones, suits perfectly Americans cheerleading for a ludicrous war, and a good contrast with the lyric. It rewards the effort more when it hits you what the song is about.

True, but it was often misconstrued as a simple rah-rah USA song since many people didn't actually listen to the lyrical content. To be fair - sometimes the words are hard to understand past Bruce's screaming.

I like the electric version of born in the USA... ... One of my favorite loud rock Bruce songs... Right after murder incorperated and badlands...

Then again, I only have 6 Bruce albums: working on a dream, born in the USA, born to run, magic, live in NY and his greatest hits...

See, I understand why Bruce prefers the acoustic version, and it's good in it's own way, but I also feel like it neuters the song. I've always felt like not playing the song because some people are too dense to understand the lyrics is basically giving into those people. That, and I live the keys in BITUSA

Just bought Devils & Dust, what a fantastic album