Born in the U.S.A: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition [Hardcover]

Jim Cullen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Bruce Springsteen's status as a pop icon is indisputable, but, as Born in the U.S.A. demonstrates trenchantly and convincingly, Springsteen is a potent cultural icon as well. With an inventiveness and rigor worthy of Garry Wills, Jim CulIen establishes Springsteen as a symbol of what's right in America and as an heir to Whitman, Lincoln, Steinbeck, King, and other key influences on our national consciousness.

Cullen is as much a fan as he is a scholar, and this book hums with a devotee's visceral appreciation, gracefully expressed through accounts of the Boss in unguarded moments and of CulIen's most memorable encounters with Springsteen's music (he has never met his subject). What sets Born in the U.S.A. apart from any other book on Springsteenand from almost any other book on popular cultureis CulIen's assertion that Springsteen is as influential a figure for our time as Thoreau, Whitman, and Steinbeck were for theirs. As a chronicler of his society and as a catalyst for social change, Springsteen is every bit the equal of his illustrious antecedents. Like them, Springsteen is a "good conservative" who preserves the traditional values of hard work, family, and compassion for the less fortunateideas long co-opted or corrupted by disingenuous politicians and corporate barons.

Through cogent examinations of Springsteen's work and personal life, Cullen further explores how Springsteen shapes the ideals of good conservatism to best fit our uncertain times. As his life and lyrics repeatedly reveal, there are ways to retain our dignity and ethics in a world where our very foundations family, religion, job security, gender rolesquake beneath our feet.

Born in the U.S.A. is an ambitious, myth-shattering appraisal of one of America's great musicians and thinkers by one of America's most incisive, broadminded cultural critics.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

There already exists a surfeit of Spingsteen books, but maybe this tome, arriving as he rapidly approaches spent-force status, is the cornerstone of a subgenre devoted to assessing his precise position in rock history. The issue of a former Rolling Stone editor, it displays the usual good and bad features of such spawn. Depth and documentation are excellent: quotes attributed, dates given, references traced. The writing is, uh, expressive. The typical RS tendency to find complexity everywhere is either a strength or a weakness, depending on your attitude; this time, at least, it is exercised relatively gently. No doubt Springsteen is a complex man; his lyrics and utterings suggest as much. But is he, as Cullen asserts, more important than Walt Whitman? Does he really offer "an unusually vivid picture of manhood" ? To those who enjoy this sort of minute intellectualization about a music that is often as much about rhythm as lyric content, Cullen's book is highly recommended. Other pop fans may find it valuable if occasionally numbing. Mike Tribby

From Kirkus Reviews

Cullen's study of Bruce Springsteen is a full-fledged cultural critique, examining how ``the Boss's'' music has been influenced by the society around him. The author covers a lot of ground but rarely spreads himself thin. Harvard historian Cullen's perspective is initially historic, using Reagan's evocation of the song of the title during his 1984 reelection bid. While Springsteen is no Republican, Cullen maintains that he is a ``republican'' in the Jeffersonian and Lincolnian sense of believing in the ideals of representative democracy. Widening his focus, Cullen follows the well-traveled link between American government and the works of Emerson, Twain, and Steinbeck to suggest Springsteen as the heir to this tradition. A close reading of the lyrics of ``Thunder Road'' serves as an example. Cullen treats Springsteen's relationship with the Vietnam War and its veterans (having lost a friend in the war, Springsteen deprived himself of sleep to earn a 4-F classification but has since worked extensively with veterans). More sociological sections of the book look at Springsteen's preoccupation with working-class values and his own strong work ethic, demonstrated by his legendary four- to five-hour live shows. The book's final sections look at Springsteen's development from a ``boy culture'' singer of male bonding to a mature husband and father--these latter roles brilliantly mined on his album Tunnel of Love--and the lapsed Catholicism of this self-described ``failed altar boy.'' Cullen quotes Jesuit novelist and sociologist Rev. Andrew Greeley, who claims that Tunnel of Love may be more significant from a Catholic perspective than a papal visit to the US. Cullen is perhaps overly idealistic in his historical depictions (Lincoln was certainly less of an egalitarian than Cullen would seem to believe), but his parting words, ``When I listen to Bruce Springsteen, I remember how to be an American,'' finally ring true. (8 pages b&w photo, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060187808
• ISBN-13: 978-0060187804
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,464,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Cullen was born in Queens, New York, and attended public schools on Long Island. He received his B.A. in English from Tufts University, and his A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in American Civilization from Brown University. He has taught at a number of colleges and universities, including Harvard and Brown. He is currently a teacher at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City. Jim's articles and reviews appear at the History News Network and Common-Place, among other online publications; he blogs at "American History Now." He is married to historian Lyde Cullen Sizer and has four children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Interpretations, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Born in the U.S.A.: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition (HARPERPERENNIAL) (Paperback)

This is the kind of book that makes you think; sure, some of the conclusions are far fetched, but at least Jim Cullen offers an interesting and original perspective. Cullen firmly places Springsteen in an American tradition; puts the man and his music in a broader perspective, and he does this convincingly. The book is obviously a continuation of the article on Springsteen he published before, read this first. To say that his comparisons and his analyses are tenuous is easy; you really need to read the book carefully to be able to appreciate Cullen's interpretations, that is what they are, interpretations. Cullen doesn't seem to pretend otherwise and rightfully so because the assumptions he makes cannot be empirically proven, they don't have to be, art cannot be dissected mathematically. Therefore, if you are a more experienced reader, preferably in academic writings, AND a fan of Bruce Springsteen, this book is food for thought and well worth the money.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, November 2, 1999

By 

ADAM DAVID (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Born in the U.S.A.: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition (HARPERPERENNIAL) (Paperback)

Whether you're a fan of springsteen's or a student of american history, this is a must-read. This book is by no means a biography, it is a study of his work and its' meaning and context. I have no idea what this fella from spain is talking about calling these essays overblown and that Cullen has no right to compare someone of springsteen's stature to whitman. Cullen does an excellent job of discussing his theses - two of the most intriguing being how springsteen's viewpoints on parenthood and women grow and mature throughout his body of work (how many other rock stars work have that degree of sophistication?). Well-written, well-executed, anove all, SMART. More books about like this - serious studies on a musician's work and not his/her life and lifestyle - should exist.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful and a bit esoteric. Rewards your close reading., March 17, 2001

By 

G. Anderson (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Born in the U.S.A.: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition (HARPERPERENNIAL) (Paperback)

Jim Cullen's book carries a weighty premise: Bruce Springsteen is the cultural heir of Emerson, Whitman, Lincoln, and The American Kings (Martin Luther King and Elvis Presley). Cullen divides Springsteen's themes into useful categories and explores them in the context of America's great artists, thinkers, and cultural movements. Although it reads a little like a dissertation in places, I found Cullen a credible Springsteen expert. His discussions illuminated dimensions of Springsteen's work for me, as well as provided interesting but arguable perspectives on other American artists and cultural figures. This isn't a pop biography, but it rewards the thoughtful reader.