The next person who actually listens to the lyrics of a Springsteen song will be about the third one. After you and me. The next fan of Springsteen who actually listens to the lyrics of his songs will probably be the first one

Sent by Thelonious | 9:45 PM ET | 08-25-2008

It wasn't quite as bad, but two years ago the Iowa High School Athletic Association played Springsteen's "Glory Days" between games of the Boy's State Basketball Tournament. Hopefully high school basketball won't be the highlight of the kid's lives.

Sent by marcus | 10:08 PM ET | 08-25-2008

You just blogged on the brilliance of Bruce Springsteen. It is exactly this that makes it so great - the tune makes it popular, the chorus makes it patriotic but the message between is what America actually is, a battle for liberty and ideas and ideals. This is a surgical strike by Bruce scored for the common American, you & I. Completely appropriate and with smarts and design enough to dodge the censors. Great Forethought by Bruce.

Sent by Daniel | 6:44 PM ET | 08-26-2008

The Boss publicly chastised Ronald Reagan's similar misinterpretation in the 1984 campaign, among other interesting facts: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1014

Sent by Scoop | 8:24 PM ET | 08-26-2008

I saw this song deconstructed on a VH1 show; Songs of the 80s, or something to that effect. The show went on, in its humorous way, to indicate how the chorus of the song took an entire nation without making any effort as to decipher its meaning. It just goes to show the importance (and ignorance) of what face value really means to the average Joe.

Sent by Daniel Stafford | 2:02 PM ET | 08-27-2008

Yeah, as others have said, this is not supposed to be a patriotic anthem, even though it sounds like one. It's supposed to use the conventions of an anthem to subvert the idea of uncritical patriotism - it's ironic, I suppose. In fact, there's an acoustic version on the "Tracks" collection that is much truer to the sentiment of the song than the version that sold millions to non-listening fans in the 80's. So people don't pay attention to the lyrics - what else is new? Ever read the lyrics to "Lust for Life" which Carnival Cruises uses in their commercials? That song is not about family fun on the high seas.

Sent by Bill R. | 12:40 PM ET | 08-28-2008

That's almost as awkward as the time I heard Kelly Clarkson's Because of You used as an "inspirational" song for a fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network.

Sent by Amanda | 10:15 AM ET | 09-04-2008

The Dawn of a New Integrity

Let me begin by saying that I am a Patriot. I am a Patriot for America. I am a Patriot for Europe, for China, for Russia, for India, and for all Earthlings; for countries yet unnamed and for children yet unborn; for every bird that flies and for every butterfly that flutters; for the wealthy and for the oppressed; for the working and for the jobless; for those who agree with me and for those who disagree with me. I am a Patriot for all in a time where Patriots must do more than speak. Patriots must act.

As I sit here, fortunate to overlook a lake in Texas from a balcony at a resort, and as I see the sun rising through the clouds to illuminate another day, I feel the symbolism those early Earthlings must have imagined as Apollo hitched his chariot to the sun to help it make another day; the baby sun, struggling from the womb of night, struggling to breathe the breath of a new dawn, helped by a hero who saw his duty to more than himself and did it.

So, with the same conviction and dedication, I hitch my chariot to Hope; hope that my daily efforts will usher in the Dawn of a New Integrity - a new integrity that is inclusive of all Earthlings, regardless of their geography or humanity, regardless of their wealth or lack, regardless of their agreement or disagreement with me.

But, just as Apollo needed horses of great faith and fortitude, horses of great passion and endurance, horses that knew teamwork was the only way to succeed, I ask for your faith and fortitude, for your passion and endurance, for your teamwork. Without it, we will all succumb to darkness.

You may find it strange for a businessman to speak in such terms. You may even find it unbelievable. But, before you dismiss my words completely, believe this: our new world demands that we must now always consider everyone's words prior to dismissal because we must now listen first to everyone before we draw conclusions, before we decide, before we judge, and certainly before we act.

I began by saying that I am an American Patriot. Therefore, let me address the need for a New Integrity from that perspective. In the past 63 years since the end of World War II, America emerged as the leading world power. But, like a child who suddenly finds himself alone in a candy store after hours, we assumed ownership and gorged ourselves on our newfound fortune with no regard for the future. We neither took heed of our forefathers, nor remembered the lessons previously learned by ancients and ancestors. We ate all of the candy and left the wrappers on the floor. Then, when the store opened the next morning, we wondered why the previous owners and the other children were upset.

So, let's begin the Dawn of a New Integrity in America first. Hitch your horses to our Chariot of Hope. Let's drag a new day kicking and crying from the darkness. Let's pay for the candy we've eaten and pick up our discarded wrappers. Let's join with others in sharing agreements instead of commandeering the Earth's resources as only our own. Let's stop bombing and start listening. We may find that Integrity was the only thing they wanted in the first place.

Warm Regards,
Jerry Kemp, Founder of Text Voting Network, Inc. and the TVN GREEN BOOK
www.tvnblog.org
For computers: www.textcoupons.info
For mobile/PDA: www.gogreenbook.com

Sent by Jerry Kemp | 1:28 AM ET | 09-05-2008