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Bruce Springsteen<\/a>, acknowledged master of the political song, admitted he can\u2019t write all the tracks he\u2019d like \u2013 because anger at the subject matter sometimes gets in the way.<\/p>\n Alongside anthems including \u201cBorn in the U.S.A.,\u201d<\/a> \u201cThe Ghost of Tom Joad\u201d<\/a> and \u201cLong Walk Home,\u201d<\/a> in 2026 he released \u201cStreets of Minneapolis\u201d<\/a> as a protest against I.C.E.\u2019s activities in the city, which resulted in the deaths of Ren\u00e9e Good and Alex Pretti.<\/p>\n Asked about the inspiration, Springsteen told Home of the Brave<\/a>: \u201cAnger, anger, anger at at what we at what is going on out there. You know, it\u2019s an American tragedy \u2013 and I\u2019ve written about America for 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Bruce Springsteen\u2019s Strongest Political Songs<\/a><\/p>\n But he noted that an emotional reaction to specific events didn\u2019t always result in the making of a song. \u201cYou\u2019ve still got to get your craft together and you got to make the art,\u201d he said. \u201cI’ve been angry about plenty of things I couldn\u2019t write about before. In this particular case I was able to write that song.\u201d<\/p>\n He went on: \u201cTo me, music and politics, on some level, have always been intertwined. Because what is rock \u2019n\u2019 roll or hip hop? It’s an expression of freedom.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like, we do plenty of music that\u2019s fun, but we want to make you think about what it means to be an American, about your responsibility to your community, to your country.\u201d<\/p>\n Stating that he\u2019d grown up with a \u201cdeep respect for what the country could be,\u201d he added: \u201cThat expression of freedom has implications \u2013 cultural implications, political implications, just by its nature. So, in my work, I’ve simply tried to follow those implications.\u201d<\/p>\n But Springsteen also argued that it wasn\u2019t beholden on all musicians to follow his example: \u201cI\u2019m not someone who necessarily believes every artist has to be political. I don’t think that’s so.<\/p>\n \u201cElvis<\/a>, James Brown<\/a>, Curtis Mayfield \u2013 you can make an argument that they changed the world as much as Woody Guthrie, just by what they exuded and what they performed. So I don\u2019t think every artist needs to use his voice that way.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if you\u2019re inclined to\u2026 I think [it\u2019s] of great benefit to your own search for identity. That\u2019s one of the things I\u2019ve done with it.\u201d<\/p>\n The next time you’re in the mood to watch a classic rock artist tear it up in front of a screaming crowd, reach for one of these movies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Jeff Giles<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBruce Springsteen Explains Benefit of Writing Political Songs \u2013 For Some<\/h3>\n
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