Born In The U.S.A. is the album where Bruce Springsteen made the leap from a popular rock 'n' roller to megastar and cultural icon.  The songs were all over the radio in '84 & '85 and his concerts were four hour  marathons.  It produced 7 top ten singles (tied for the most in history  with Michael Jackson's Thriller & Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation) and  was in Billboard's top ten for 84 straight weeks.  People could relate to  him as he seemed to be just a regular hard-working, blue collar guy.  The  songs had the appearance of being about fulfilling the American Dream and  overflowing with American pride. They have an upbeat, radio-friendly sound  that helped it sell 15 million copies and become one of the most popular  and misunderstood in rock history.  Beneath the bouncy music and optimistic  titles they are actually tales of desperation, unfilled dreams and an  America that had let its characters down.  The title track typifies this as  it seems to be a ringing declaration of the pride to be from America, but  is about a Vietnam vet whose country has kept him down from birth and never  let him get up.  He questions why he fought and had a brother killed in a  war that he didn't understand and came back to country that welcome back as  a hero, but look down upon him. Despite risking his life for it, America  gave him nothing in return.  "Dancing In The Dark" is the most  pop-oriented song Bruce has ever recorded.  Behind the dancable synthes  lies a the story a man who is down and out.  He is desperately looking for  someone to pull him out of rut and appears to be suicidal.  "Glory  Days" is about life sliding away from you and failing to meet the  goals and high expectations of your youth. Not everything on the album is a  downer, Bruce tempers the desperation with hope.  "My Hometown"  tells of a man who sees a brighter future for his young son and "Bobby  Jean" is a farewell and good luck message to his band mate Little  Steven who was leaving the E Street Band and heading out on his own.  The  song that sits right in the middle of the album and pulls everything  together is "No Surrender".  The song says that no matter how  little that you start out with, how little life gives you, how much you get  kicked around, music can help save your soul and you must never stop trying  to reach your hopes and dreams.  In the end, even though he thinks the  country has written a lot of bad checks to its people, it is the promise  that it gives and possibility of fulfilling dreams, that still makes it the  best place to be.  Bruce Springsteen has always said that music helped save  him and before finding it he was just floating through life with no  purpose.  Whether you love him or hate him, his music has given many people  hope and a purpose to their own lives.  He, himself is an embodiment of  the American Dream and if Bruce can achieve it, maybe we all can.