Bruce Springsteen: Born In The U.S.A.

I had the opportunity to see Bruce Springsteen on the fourth leg of the “Born in the U.S.A.” tour. The show was at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on August 11, 1985. The album struck a chord and it raced up the charts to the number one slot. It also produced a record seven top 10 singles with two of those, “Dancing in the Dark” and “Glory Days” appearing in the top five.

While not a patriotic song, “Born in the U.S.A.” chronicles the struggles of a Vietnam War soldier and veteran. It reminds us that these men, who often died or at most risked their lives, were not given the due respect because of their connection to an unpopular war. On this Memorial Day, let us not forget the sacrifices that our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have made – even in wars that did not receive the support of public opinion.

Selling over a million copies, the single “Born in the U.S.A.” was certified gold. It peaked at #9 on the American singles charts and at #8 on the rock charts in 1984. Interestingly enough, although the singles garnered more sales in the America, the song charted higher outside of the U.S.A. In the UK and The Netherlands, “Born in the U.S.A.” charted at the #5 position and it was #2 record in Australia. In Ireland, it was a double sided #1 along with its flip “I’m on Fire.”

In addition, the “Born in the U.S.A.” album received the following original certification awards:

• 15 times platinum in the US (for 7.5 million sales),
• 10 times platinum in Canada (800 thousand sales),
• 16 times platinum in New Zealand (240 thousand sales),
• 13 times platinum in Australia (910 thousand sales),
• Triple platinum in the UK (300 thousand sales), and
• Double platinum in Germany (400 thousand sales).

Later certifications were issued at the diamond level occurred in the US (10 million) and Canada (800 thousand). In addition, the LP reached the number one slots in Australia, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the UK.