Bruce Springsteen was advocating for the rights of the common working-class man. The song was widely misinterpreted as jingoistic, and in connection with the 1984 presidential campaign became the subject of considerable folklore. In 1984, conservative columnist George Will attended a Springsteen concert and then wrote a column praising Springsteen's work ethic. Six days after the column was printed, in a campaign rally in Hammonton, New Jersey, Reagan said, "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts. It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire—New Jersey's own, Bruce Springsteen." Two
The River (Bruce Springsteen song) The River (Bruce Springsteen song) "The River" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, accompanied by the E Street Band, in 1979. It was the title track of his fifth album, "The River", and was a hit single in parts of Europe in 1981. It reached #25 in the Netherlands, and reached the top 10 in both Sweden and Norway. Its B-side was either "Independence Day" or "Ramrod", depending on the country. "The River" was originally intended to be included on an earlier, one-record version of "The River", tentatively called "The Ties That Bind". The song itself was