"Born in the U.S.A." Anti-American, Propaganda: Beck

"Born in the U.S.A." is a 1984 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, taken from the album of the same name. It is one of his best-known songs. Rolling Stone ranked the song 275th on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Glenn Beck, however, calls it "anti-American," and "propaganda."

To be sure, Bruce Springsteen certainly wouldn't be on Beck's list of fans, and vice-versa. Springsteen has endorsed a number of Democrats, including President Obama. He also put on a show at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and did so for Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) near the end of the 2004 presidential campaign.

Here's what Beck said on his March 11th radio show (he starts by reading the lyrics to "Born in the U.S.A.," not singing them):

Born down in a dead man's town. The first kick I took is when I hit the ground. You end up like a dog that's been beat too much. Until you spend half your life just covering up. Born in the USA. I got in a little hometown jam and somebody put a rifle in my hands, sent me off to Vietnam: Go kill the yellow man. Born in the USA. Come back home to the refinery. Hiring man says, son, if it were up to me. I go down to see the VA man. He said, son, you don't understand. Born in the USA. I have a buddy at Khe Sahn inviting off the Vietcong. They're still there; he's all gone. He had a little girl in Saigon. I got a picture of him in her arms. Down in the shadow of the penitentiary, out by the gas fires of the refinery, I'm ten years down the road, nowhere to run. Ain't got nowhere to go. I'm a long gone daddy in the USA. Born in the USA. I'm a cool rocking daddy in the USA. Born in the USA. Hmmm. [...]

See, here's the thing that I think people don't understand yet. I think you do. That it is time for us to wake. People who have come from the Soviet bloc or Cuba, they are all saying, how do you guys not hear this? How are you not seeing this? Well, because we don't ever expect it.

The Boss, un-American? Say it ain't so! That's bound to earn Beck the ire of Springsteen fans.

Here's the song, by the way: