English Task

- Tell me about situation in which it was written

- React to the lyrics
- Explain how it makes you feel
- Say if it is effective as a protest song

1. Born in the USA. The situation

Born in the USA is a song by Bruce Springsteen. He wrote it in 1981.
Bruce wrote the song because his friend Paul Shrader wanted to make it a movie theme, but the
movie was never shot. This song pays tribute the soldiers who fought in Vietnam, and to one friend
more specifically. This song is about the war in Vietman, more precisely the attack of Têt in 1968.
Both Ronald Reagan and Georges Bush used this song for their electoral campaign without the
authorization of Bruce: this is why many people thought this song was a patriotic hymn.

2. Lyrics
In the song, Bruce never mentions Vietnam but because he speaks about the yellow man, we know
what he means. The lyrics tell us the situation of one war Veteran, ten years after the conflict. Bruce
imagines he is an American Veteran (but we know Bruce never went to Vietnam).
In the song, he explains how people reacted when he came back from the war in Vietnam. He also
mentions the death of a brother: this supposed brother represents Bruce‘s drummer who never
came back after the War, because he died in Vietnam.

3. My feelings
This song makes me feel sad because the war is a real issue at any time. In addition, I admire the
courage shown by Bruce Springsteen because he denounces a real issue: war has bad effects on
soldiers because they can’t forget what they saw and did, while nobody in their home country can
understand them.

4. Protest song
I believe this song is a protest song because Bruce Springsteen denounces war in Vietnam a few years
after the conflict. He wanted to react to the US government decision to send so many soldiers in a
war that made no sense at all.