It goes without saying that Born To Run, released in the midst of 1984's synth popularity, contains most of Springsteen's most well known singles, also his most commercially successful ones too. It is, however, worth mentioning that the album was one which the Boss has a strange relationship with, thanks largely to the general misuse of the title track as a patriotic anthem (it couldn't be further from that). But make no mistake, this album is one of the finest in rock and pop history. For me, Born In The U.S.A. contains some of Springsteen's finest story-telling song writing, as every song simply captivates you. Instantly, you believe that you're either in the story being told, or that the characters being described are in fact telling you their tale in a New Jersey bar. Yes, it's commercial, and yes it's guilty of being overplayed, but put in the most simple of terms, Born In The U.S.A. features: Dancing In The Dark, Glory Days, No Surrender, I'm On Fire and the title track. If that's not an impressive collection for a twelve-tracked album, I don't know what is.
