For those of you who are afraid of trying the album, fearing a pro-USA propaganda work, funded by the American government, fear not. Like, the title track, Born in the USA, is actually not really a patriotic song. Here’s an excerpt from the occasionally misguided wikipedia:
"The song was in part a tribute to Springsteen’s buddies who had experienced the Vietnam War, some of whom did not come back; it also protests the hardships Vietnam veterans faced upon their return from the war.
The song’s narrative traces the protagonist’s lower-status origins, induction into the armed forces, and disaffected return back to the States. An anguished lyrical interlude is even more jolting, describing the fate of the protagonist’s (literal or figurative) brother (in some recordings or live shows, the word brother is replaced with buddy):
“I had a brother at Khe Sanh
Fighting off them Viet Cong
They’re still there, he’s all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now”
The Battle of Khe Sanh involved the North Vietnamese Army, not the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam heard in the song lyrics. Eventually the Americans prevailed and broke the siege, only to withdraw from the outpost a couple of months later. Khe Sanh thus became one of the media symbols of the futility of the whole war effort in the States."
So I say, try out the album if you want to try something new. Bruce Springsteen is a really great artist, my favourite, one who has an amazing discography, around 10-12 amazing albums. I could go on about how, if Columbus hadn’t sailed across the sea, we wouldn’t have America, but I’m not in the mood for anything like that, about risks/rewards. All I am saying, is listen to this album. You will not regret it.