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 Ties That Bind (Bruce Springsteen song) has been a reasonably popular song in concert over the years, with about 200 performances through 2008. An encyclopedia about Bruce Springsteen took its name from the title of this song. The Ties That Bind (Bruce Springsteen song) "The Ties That Bind" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It is the opening song on his fifth album, "The River". It was recorded at The Power Station in New York in May or June 1979. It was one of the earlier songs Springsteen wrote for "The River", as it was written on the road during his 1978 tour.