For some Born in the USA is the greatest the Boss ever delivered, for others it's the start of a steady decline. Often mistaken for an overly patriotic statement this album found Bruce suddenly among the ranks of eighties superstars as Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson. Born in the USA is the reason why some place the Boss in the same category as Jon Bon Jovi, Born in the USA sounds as a stadium blow-out. Yet lyrics as "Born down in a dead man's town, The first kick I took was when I hit the ground, You end up like a dog that's been beat too much, Till you spend half your life just covering up" could hardly be called patriotic or shallow.