Decades after its release, the track is once again at the center of debate. This time, the controversy comes from across the Atlantic. A UK radio station has reportedly decided to censor one of the song’s most discussed lyrics.
ALSO READ: The world’s tallest skyscraper rising in Jeddah to beat Burj Khalifa — here are its top features
Why is ‘Born in the USA’ being censored?
According to The Sun, Absolute Radio will censor a specific phrase when airing Born in the USA. The lyric in question includes the term “yellow man,” which is now widely viewed as a derogatory reference to an Asian person, as per a report by the Daily Mail.
On the track, Springsteen sings, “So they put a rifle in my hands, sent me off to a foreign land, to go and kill the yellow man, Born in the USA.”
The song, released in 1984, is often misunderstood as a patriotic anthem. In reality, it portrays the alienation and disillusionment of a Vietnam War veteran returning home after serving his country, as per a report by the Daily Mail.
How has the song been viewed historically?
Born in the USA remains one of Bruce Springsteen’s most recognizable and enduring tracks. It was ranked 275th on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and remains a defining piece of his career.
The album of the same name has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, placing it among the best-selling albums of all time. Despite its commercial success, the song’s lyrics have always carried a darker, more critical message about war, race, and American identity.
Is this part of a wider radio trend?
The reported censorship follows a similar decision made by BBC Radio 2. The station altered the Spice Girls’ 1997 hit Spice Up Your Life, removing the word “yellow” from the lyric: “Yellow man in Timbuktu.”
That move reignited debate around how older songs are handled under modern broadcasting standards, especially when language once common is now considered offensive, as per a report by the Daily Mail.
What has Springsteen said recently?
While Springsteen has not commented on the radio censorship, he has been in the spotlight for other reasons. Last year, actor Jeremy Allen White portrayed him in the film Deliver Me From Nowhere, which explores Springsteen’s struggles during the creation of his 1982 album Nebraska, as per a report by the Daily Mail.
At a screening at the New York Film Festival, Springsteen praised White for “playing a much better looking version of me.”
He also reflected on his career, saying, “I spent my life on the road, moving around the world as kind of a musical ambassador for America, you know … trying to measure the distance between American reality, where we’ve often fallen short of our ideals. But for a lot of folks out there, she continues to be a land of hope and dreams, not of fear or divisiveness or government censorship or hatred.”
ALSO READ: Donald Trump to get Nobel Peace Prize next week? Here’s what the US President says
FAQs
Why is Absolute Radio censoring the song?
Because the lyric includes a phrase now viewed as racially offensive.
Is ‘Born in the USA’ meant to be patriotic?
No, it critiques the treatment of Vietnam veterans after the war.