Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. (33 1/3) [Paperback]

Geoffrey Himes (Author)

Book Description

Series: 33 1/3 | Publication Date: August 19, 2005

When Bruce Springsteen went back on the road in 1984, he opened every show by shouting out, “one, two, one, two, three, four,” followed by the droning synth chords of “Born in the U.S.A.” Max Weinberg hit his drums with a two-fisted physicality that cut through the swelling chords. With a rolled-up red kerchief around his head and heavy black boots under his faded jeans, Springsteen looked like the character of the song, and from the very first line (“Born down in a dead man’s town”) he sang with the throat-scraping desperation of a man with his back against the wall. When he reached the crucial lines, though, the guitars and bass dropped out and Weinberg switched to just the hi-hat. Springsteen’s voice grew a bit more private and reluctant as he sang, “Nowhere to run. Nowhere to go.” It was as if he weren’t sure if this were an admission of defeat or the drawing of a line in the sand. But when the band came crashing back at full strength—building a crescendo that fell apart in the cacophony of Springsteen’s and Weinberg’s wild soloing, paused and then came together again in the determined, marching riff—it was clear that the singer was ready to make a stand.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Himes does an excellent job with Born in the U.S.A. Shedding a lot of light on the artist's self-doubt and concerns during the album's creation, Himes has dug up evidence of Springsteen's mindset at the time and provides invaluable insight into his songwriting process. It's not too much a stretch to believe that the authors of the 33 1/3 series books are fans of the artists and albums they're writing about as well as talented music journalists. Less critical than anecdotal, the series is designed to set an archival benchmark for the albums covered. In this, Himes excels, forever capturing in print the spirit and energy that went into the creation of Born in the U.S.A.—Alt.Culture.Guide, 2006

“…Himes does an excellent job with Born in the U.S.A. Shedding a lot of light on the artist’s self-doubt and concerns during the album’s creation, Himes has dug up evidence of Springsteen’s mindset at the time and provides invaluable insight into his songwriting process. It’s not too much a stretch to believe that the authors of the 33 1/3 series books are fans of the artists and albums they’re writing about as well as talented music journalists. Less critical than anecdotal, the series is designed to set an archival benchmark for the albums covered. In this, Himes excels, forever capturing in print the spirit and energy that went into the creation of Born in the U.S.A.—Alt.Culture.Guide, 2006

About the Author

Geoffrey Himes has written about music on a weekly basis in the Washington Post since 1977. During that time he has also written about pop music for Rolling Stone, Paste, the New York Times, Jazz Times, the Nashville Scene, the Oxford American and other outlets. He won ASCAP/Deems Taylor Awards for Music Feature Writing in 2002 and 2005. His stage musical, "A Baltimore Christmas Carol," was produced in 2005, and his songs have been recorded by Edge City, Billy Kemp and the Kinsey Report.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (August 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826416616
• ISBN-13: 978-0826416612
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative read, October 12, 2005

By 

Paul D. Evans "paul evans" (london, ont. Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. (33 1/3) (Paperback)

Geoffrey Hime's tome on Born in the U.S.A. is a must buy for any serious music fan. I had forgotten how good it was. Reading it brought back lots of pleasant memories. Himes makes a number of good points about the album particularly his insight how he pared down his lyrics making them more effective. Also, he makes note of Springsteen's use of humour in songs like Glory Days. He really delves into the genesis of some songs like the title track. Also as an added bonus there's lots of information here on the making of Nebraska. There is a very valuable disography at the back of the book. Reading the book brought back a lot of amusing memories how right-wingers such as Ronald Reagan and George Will embraced this album and artist. They didn't quite get Springsteen and his work. Overall, this is a valuable addition to any music fanatic's library.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected, July 9, 2007

By 

D. Cross "D_Cross" (Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. (33 1/3) (Paperback)

I was excited at the prospect of the entire 33 1/3 series and decided to start with this one. What a train wreck!

One, this has very little to do with the actual recording of the album. It is almost entirely the author's opinion of Springsteen's songwriting. In essence, a critical review of his songwriting. And a critical review that comes off like a college freshman's term paper.

Two, the book goes all over in place and time with no rhyme or reason. The author will go off on a tangent about something and then repeat what was already said 3 or 4 pages back. It really should have been told chronologically.

Three, the author dissects more unreleased songs and previously recorded songs than songs that actually ended up on the album. It doesn't help to review songs that the reader has never had a chance to hear and then compare them to the album cuts. Totally ludicrous.

So, overall, not a total waste of time, as there was some interesting things sprinkled about, but a very, very frustrating read. And if you're really interested in hearing about the band in the studio, the engineers, how everything is set up, how it is recorded, what equipment was used, et cetera - forget it. None of that information is here.