This Week in Music History: June 3-9 -- Springsteen Gets Political, Prince Becomes a Symbol, Left Eye Torches Mansion

Posted on Jun 6th 2012 11:20AM by Aaron Brophy
Comments

Hulton Archive

Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. album is, and has always been, a big deal. The album had seven Top 10 singles in the U.S., a high water mark matched only by Michael Jackson's Thriller album.

More importantly, the album stirred up tremendous passions in Americans. Politicians like then-President Ronald Reagan and electoral adversary Walter Mondale would both try to claim the title song as their own in the lead-up to the pair's 1984 election battle. Springsteen endorsed neither candidate.

What they were missing about Born in the U.S.A. was the album, though full of danceable pop rock hits, wasn't about rah-rah patriotism, but was instead about the loss of American national pride and the deterioration of the working class' strength. Not quite Reagan's "Morning in America" shpiel.

Even back then Springsteen saw what's now clear -- there was a 99 percent, and there was a One percent -- and this album was for the 99.

To find out why Springsteen as well as 2 Live Crew, Prince, Alice Cooper and more made history this week, click to launch the gallery below.