Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the USA” and the first time in Italy
The June 21, 1985 the love story between Bruce Springsteen and Italy began. A date destined to enter the hearts of all fans of the Boss. And also in that of the same rocker from New Jersey, so much so that in 2013 when Bruce Springsteen returns to perform once again in the Italian “Scala del calcio” he will say: “I've been playing since I was a kid and I've seen a lot of places. But this one is really special“. The fortieth anniversary of the release of “Born in the USA”, a milestone in Springsteen's discography and in rock more generally just back in stores in a special reissue for Sony Music (in colored vinyl with expanded packaging: you can buy it at
this link), it is also an opportunity to relive that magical evening.
The album had been out for a year. Springsteen had already been an international star for a decade, thanks to “Born to Run”, but he had never come to us. The initiates who went abroad to see him play live had fueled the cult of the greatest live performer ever. Yet, in Italy, the Boss remained material for a few sector media and a niche of enthusiasts who were not enough to make his records chart-topping phenomena.
What changed the cards on the table was “Born in the USA”, the album that made Springsteen aglobal icon, making it as popular as global pop phenomena such as Michael Jackson and Madonna. But, at the same time, much more acclaimed than them. That album was also the trigger for the legendary tour that would finally lead Bruce to Italy a year later.
The video for his first single, “Dancing in the Dark”, had immediately become part of MTV's furniture. Even more impactful was its title track, created a couple of years earlier together with the songs from “Nebraska”: left out of that acoustic, lo-fi and solo masterpiece, that bitter denunciation on the condition of Vietnam War veterans became it was transformed into a stadium anthem. One of those magics that only the E Street Band, back alongside the Boss, would have been capable of, transfiguring the piece in the studio and making it pure rock dynamite. To keep them company, among the grooves of a vinyl with one of the most recognizable and iconic covers of all time, another handful of classics.
Sony Music's translucent red vinyl packaging for the reissue also includes a gatefold cover and an exclusive booklet enriched with archive material from the time, new liner notes written by Erik Flannigan and a four-color lithograph print.
“Born in the USA” perfectly captured the pop-rock culture zeitgeist of a generation. It holds the unbeaten record of 7 singles from the album's tracklist in the Top Ten Singles, has sold 17 million copies and the related tour recorded 156 sold-out live performances around the world.
