Music & Dance Discussion Post
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Chamberlain University College of Nursing *
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SPCH277N
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Arts Humanities
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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Uploaded by abbygayleblackwood
Music & Dance Discussion Post
Hello Class
The Social Politics of Bruce Springsteen's Rock and Roll
The rock and roll movement in the mid-20th century began with soft-rhythm versions
whose sounds were influenced by the jazz movement that had begun years before. However,
over time, it evolved into aggressive blues and rhythms that created more psychedelic, erotic,
thrilling, and illicit versions of the music than ever seen before. While this created a thirst for
artists such as the Beatles, it also created a loophole for artists to connect with emotions by
covering themes that resonate with people in their communities.
Springsteen's Born to Run music and purpose are different since it was the first to
prominently revive the boldness of rock and roll that openly criticized the system in subtle
nuances of romantics and metaphors that captured and held the audience's attention for some
time. According to David and Jacobus (2023), the classical alternative of rock and roll is
aided by the intervention of the electric guitar, which made great concerts possible (David &
Jacobus, 2023). This trait is present in Springsteen's song Born to Run. However, beyond
that, his endeavor is like no other in his era as he serves to question social norms with a social
critique footprint, associating himself directly with the deceptive romantic nuances in his
verse: "In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream (Springsteen,
2009). He introduces the famous line of the American Dream that the subsequent lyrics will
question. Critics argue that he articulated anti-establishment anger, angst, and despondency
that would draw people to their time's bleak realities (Cullen, 2005, p. 25). Additionally, he
evoked qualitative thinking in the subsequent lyrics and emphasized that in this society where
he and his lovers are runaways, their goal should be to stay alive in their situations; "together,
Wendy, we can live with sadness" (Springsteen, 2009. 2.3).
Bruce Springsteen is one of the most essential rock and roll artists who contributed to
the civil rights movements of his time through his themes. In "Born to Run," the audience
feels a certain nostalgia towards the need for social transformative conversion that broadens
the listener's perspective. Exploring the lyrics shows Springsteen depicts the circumstances
that passively subordinate others into pitiful states. Nevertheless, this rich intensity
aesthetically constructs social theories toward eliminating deplorable circumstances.
References
Cullen, J. (2005).
Born in the U.S.A.: Bruce Springsteen and the American tradition
.
Wesleyan University Press.
F David Martin, & Jacobus, L. A. (2023).
Humanities through the arts
. Mcgraw-Hill
Education.
Springsteen, B. (2009). Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (Official Music Video) [YouTube
Video]. In
YouTube
. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxuThNgl3YA
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