I love Springsteen and Steven Hyden is currently my favorite writer about music. So yes, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. If you are a Springsteen fan it's a no brainer. A wonderful recap of a seminal album. It also captures an interesting time in Bruce's career as he was simultaneously writing blockbuster songs that would appear on "Born in the USA" and quiet, darker songs that would end up on "Nebraska." I find it fascinating that he could produce such drastically different work.

Hyden also gives a great overview of what was going in music at the time of the recording. He writes thoughtfully about Prince, Michael Jackson, Tom Petty, The Replacements and REM.

I loved the book and my only complaint is that it ended far too soon. Get it for the Bruce fan in your life.

Netgalley provided me a free e-galley of the book in return for an honest review.

Hachette Books provided an early galley for review.

By the time I started classes for my sophomore year of college in the Fall of 1984, I most certainly had added the cassette of this album to collection. "Dancing In the Dark" and "Cover Me" had both already rocketed up the charts, with five more hit singles yet to come. While I was familiar with Springsteen's earlier albums, thanks to my older brother, this really was the first of the New Jersey rocker's records I had got into from the ground floor. It was a perfect starting point for me. And, based on the Preface chapter, this is also was true for Hyden.

I enjoyed the deep-dive into Springsteen's music before, through and after this album, as well as the context Hyden provides in relation to other artists, other albums, and the then-current events. It helps to add perspective and layers to twelve tracks from the album itself. After reading Springsteen's autobiography, I found this a nice counterpoint from an outside rock music journalist. Music fans of the 80's decade will certainly glean much from the study presented.

First, I’m a music fan. Second, I’m a Bruce Springsteen fan. And third, when I understood that this book would address the intersection of American culture and Bruce Springsteen’s Born In the USA album, I was ALL IN – and very eager to read an ARC copy of rock critic Steven Hyden’s There Was Nothing You Could Do, to be released in late May 2024.

This book is very well written, completely accessible, and utterly absorbing. It was also much more than I bargained for in terms of an analysis of not just the Born In the USA album, but also Bruce’s career “story arc,” rock music of the 1980s and its cultural significance – and how Born In the USA as a phenomena really did portend . . . where we are now.

My only critique is that . . . sometimes there was too much detail about the making of some albums (Nebraska comes to mind). But I think that may be because I am not as familiar with that album in the first place, so it felt like too much?????

An enjoyable read overall. Just have Spotify (or your album collection) nearby so you can create your own soundtrack while you read.

Thank you to Hachette and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on May 28, 2024.

4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen. That is why I was so excited to read this book.

Yikes.

I DNF’d this one at 27%. The author has made it very clear that his intended audience is specifically white American men and proceeds to write this book like Ken after he discovered the patriarchy. I couldn’t help but read this book in the voice of Patrick Bateman talking about Huey Lewis and the News in my head when certain sections droned on like poorly written Rolling Stone articles because that’s the vibe the author gives. The rest of the book is him talking about Bruce Springsteen like he is an actual god, borne of the former white male gods of America- Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. If I didn’t know better I would think this book had been written in the days before women could own their own bank accounts.

My reactions to this book were all over the place. That's not a criticism. That's also the way Springsteen himself seemed to approach his rise and myth like status. I've read his autobiography, so many of the personal details discussed, such as his relationship with his father, were not a surprise to me. What did come as a surprise, while not all that surprising, if that makes sense, is the general air of unease for lack of a better word that Hyden credits to him in this book. He wanted more, got what he wanted, then struggled to deal with the adoration and bigger than life image that became "The Boss". Like us, Springsteen emerges as a mere human, full of hopes and dreams but also the ability to make decisions that impacted many directly, such as the members of the E Street Band, and more indirectly and uncontrollable, those of us who listened to his music. While a fan, I have certainly never been an avid, obsessed with his music type fan, so I have to admit to not being aware of many of the more minute references author Hyden makes to songs, relationships, and the behind the scenes stories.

All that said, this was an absolutely fascinating read. While not a biography, it touches on just about every aspect of his life, including his family and close friendships. It doesn't dwell on any of those, however, simply using them as a springboard to dive into how they impacted his writings and actions. It's more of an effort to discuss why he made "Born in The USA" and it's impact on not just his audience but him, as well as those about him and its misinterpretations. While the author is obviously a genuine, long-time fan, he does manage not to slip too far into "fanboy" mode, to his credit. He can criticize as well as offer his own musings as to "what if" Springsteen had done this or that, or not done this or that. Other artists slip into and out of the narrative, from early influences to the likes of Elvis and Dylan, as well as comparing other artists of the same type towards the end. Even Taylor Swift gets a mention, albeit this seems to have largely been written before she became the almost mythical "Taylor Swift" that she is today. There is also political talk, be forewarned, but it's a respectful tone, And, oh, so much more. Heck, even Ticketmaster and how concert ticket prices gets discussed.

There is absolutely no way I can competently discuss everything that is covered. I'm neither a musical critic/historian or enough of a student of all things Springsteen to be worthy of trying, but fans and even those simply interested in the music and times will find much to ponder within. Hyden writes well, in a very readable fashion, which is plus given the wealth of info covered. I highly recommend this to not just Springsteen fans but all those who wish they knew more about how songs are conceived and brought to a potential audience and the rarely covered aspect of its potential impact on the artist. That both the artist and audience may grow and change is part of this and how his success changed and molded the Bruce Springsteen we see and hear today intrigued me. Thanks #NetGalley and #HatchetteBooks for allowing me this look at Hyden's take on this phenomenon. The title speaks volumes.

I may be the rare person who likes the author more than the subject of this book. I've read four books by Hyden and enjoyed all four. I enjoy reading about Springsteen, but I don't enjoy much of his music. Hyden is able to contextualize Born in the USA in interesting ways and has provocative thoughts about the lyrics of the songs on that album and many others. While Springsteen might be a personal favorite of Hyden's, I felt like he leaned away from making this book as personal as his past books. It has a really nice balance of music criticism, anecdotes, and lyrical analysis.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for an advanced copy of this book that looks at the impact that Bruce Springsteen's biggest album had on America, an America that seems like a glory days compared to the downbound train we seem to be on.

My cousin was from Jersey and being older was into music that I really know much about, or frankly cared about. I was a big top 40 person, or supersounds of the 70's listener, though I was into movie soundtracks because of Star Wars and Blade Runner. He kept pushing Bruce Springsteen, seeing something in me that I didn't know, mainly that someday I would love songs that told stories with lyrics that told so much. Two things happened. MTV and Born in the USA. That opening drum beat, the driving sound touched something in me. They lyrics too. They told a story. A big story, one that I didn't really understand, but as a person who read cereal boxes at breakfast, liner notes and lyric cards were my addiction. That and Columbia Record Club sending me albums for a penny, and who I still might owe money to. Suddenly music made sense, songs could touch the mind, and make the body move. This has been a love affair that might have dimmed over the years, but reading this book made that Grinch's heart of mine grow five times bigger. And made me listen to songs I haven't heard in years. And learn alot more about the era I grew up in. There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.” and the End of the Heartland by writer, critic and podcaster Steven Hyden is a look at this seminal album, the changes that followed in music, the country, and the man himself, and the legacy this most misunderstood of albums still casts in music.

The book is broken into different chapters looking at the creation of not only the album, but the man itself, along with its impact, influences, recording and the world that followed. Readers learn about Springsteen, how he got to where he was, and something I didn't know how much he needed Born in the USA to be a hit. I enjoyed the section on the creation of the songs, how so many make a mythology of their coming to be, the working in a garage, on a tape deck, the rerecording in the studio not working, songs promised to others singers coming back around. And the battle over the track listing, something that seemed so big at the time, but in the days of streaming not as important. Hyden looks at the reception, how the song Born in the USA was co-opted by republicans for a political them, without anyone listening to the lyrics. Hyden also does something I seldom see in music books, Hyden looks at the performances of the songs, through various bootlegs, and working in a record store I know there is a stupendous amount of Springsteen bootlegs, and how songs changed, were received, or only even played once. Hyden also looks at how Springsteen became lost for a while, though I too love Tunnel of Love, and how his return was canonized by fans and critics alike. Though the world he has returned to was far different even 14 years later.

I am a huge fan of Steven Hyden's music writing. I've read quite a few and while I have enjoyed them all, this I think is his best. Hyden is a fan, that is obvious not only of Springsteen, but of music in general. In addition he can look at music from the view of the world, which gives him a better understanding of what Springsteen meant, how the songs hit, and how people from all walks of life, not just from Jersey could enjoy Springsteen and his songs about an America that wasn't perfect, but was something recognizable. The feeling that America Love it or Leave it has gotten so much worse, that saying something bad about America, inadequate health care, disparity of rich against poor, overpolicing, can cause a fight. Or a shooting. Hyden does a good job discussing this, and the burden it puts on the artist.

At the end it is about the songs, and Hyden shows what makes them so good, and makes people want to copy the feeling behind them, from The Killers, to all the covers of I'm on Fire. One of the most interesting looks at a musical performer, and one of the best books on music I have read in awhile. I look very forward to Hyden's next work.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had everything that I was looking for when exploring the Bruce Springsteen album. It was a really interesting concept and I was glad it was so well written and researched. I enjoyed the way Steven Hyden wrote this and hope to read more from them.

Wow! I really enjoyed this one. Well written and I learnt a lot about Bruce Springsteen that I didn’t know. Easy to read. I got through this own quickly! Would absolutely recommend this one to anyone wanting to learn more about Bruce Springsteen.

If I have any criticism of Steven Hyden's excellent 'There Was Nothing You Could Do" it would be that it often feels disjointed. The obvious through line is "Born in the U.S.A." but otherwise, the book feels more like a series of essays than a fully coherent thesis on the album and the "death of the heartland" as the subtitle suggests. The chapters, or essays I'll call them, are fantastic though, and fortunately for both author and reader, Springsteen and his apex mountain album justify pretty much every page. There's so much myth to be discussed, and I really enjoyed the ways in which Hyden connected other parts of Springsteens career while always relating them back to his 1984 album. I was lucky enough to attend the now infamous Ticketmaster-dynamic-pricing tour Hyden ends the book talking about, and it was an experience I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Though the Ticketmaster debacle did keep me from seeing it with my Dad too which would've been even more special...

I enjoyed reading about how Bruce Springsteen's music affected the author throughout his life. When he discussed different times and songs, I remembered hearing those same songs for the first time. And sometimes I had almost the exact same introduction to them as he did. This was an interesting read, and I enjoyed it. It's was a 3.75 star read for me.

A very well-detailed and interesting look at how Born in the USA was not only made, but how it created Bruce and the myth that surrounded him after the whirlwind tour in 1984-85. Mr. Hyden explores a ton of themes and ever-changing social and musical landscape that Bruce and America go through as a direct and indirect result of his Album. As stated in the intro, this book wasn't a "Making of..." book, nor was it a Bruce Springsteen biography. What this book is a musical and cultural criticism of what Born in the USA was and is, and how it has left a mark on many Americans, especially in the age of Trump and populism. The book reads at first as if the contents of the chapters do not seem to match the title, but you need to read the book in whole to understand the entire message.

Overall, a good book that combines Bruce fandom and understanding his music with combining the commentary of what Born in the USA was, what Born in the USA was meant to be, and what Born in the USA can or cannot represent in Modern America. I have been listening to his songs in greater detail after reading this, trying to listen more closely to the message he is trying to say, rather than listen for the awesome tunes and jam out on my way to work.

Great book, and I hope many more people enjoy this book when it comes out.

There Was Nothing You Could Do; Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." and the End of the Heartland, by Steven Hyden, offers a refreshing take on the career of rock superstar Bruce Springsteen, and its place in a changing American musical and social landscape. Hyden's perspective on Springsteen's most commercially successful album is somewhat unusual, in that he was only six years old when the album was released in 1984 (the artist's earlier breakthrough album, Born To Run, had been released well before the author was born). He casts Springsteen as a "heartland" rocker who occupied a place at the center of America's cultural divides in ways that are thought-provoking, if not always entirely convincing to this baby-boomer reviewer. Hyden recounts the evolution of Springsteen's music, as well as his public persona, both before and after the 1980s, seeing in both a continuing attempt to unite his vast audience in the context of an increasingly fragmented political and cultural landscape. Recommended for admirers of Springsteen's work and others with an interest in how the arts both reflect and influence larger societal trends.

As a fan of Hyden's recent books, this delivers in the same way. Thoughtful, personal musings on Born in the USA, combined with some historical insight, research into contemporary reviews and reflections on how Bruce's career has evolved since. An elevated 33 1/3 that any Bruce fan would enjoy.

I’ve always known of Springsteen in the context of “Music that Shitty Conservative Dads™ love”, and I (wrongly) assumed Springsteen himself was of a similar genre of guy. I’ve since learned that was actually pretty far from the truth a few years back, so when I saw this book, I thought a-ha! A perfect opportunity to learn more about the full scope of my wrongness!

The blurb of this book, mentions things like how Vietnam and Watergate impacted the music Springsteen was making at the time, and then closing with “How did we lose Springsteen’s heartland? And what can listening to these songs teach us about the American decline that Born In The U.S.A. forecasted? [...]Hyden takes readers on a journey to find out.” which led me to believe this would be heavy on the history of the time, particularly the sociopolitical landscape of the 70’s and 80’s and how that connects to our current political landscape. I was excited to learn more about a genre of music that I have mostly negative associations with (the aforementioned Shitty Conservative Dad™), through this lens.

Unfortunately, that is not what the book spends most of its time on. What it does spend its time with is connecting different albums and songs across many artists with their similar themes, styles, or messages (or in some cases, their stark differences). I really struggled with this. Sometimes I was having to stop every couple of sentences to listen to yet another song I’ve never heard of, trying to follow along. I would have killed for a spotify playlist to go with the reading, or even just a tracklist at the start of each chapter with the highlights the author wanted me to have fresh in mind while I read.

As someone who reads a lot of political/history nonfiction, I found the discussion around ~what happened to the center~ be very milquetoast, and overall disappointing.

This book provides a lot of context of how popular rock artists from the 60’s – 90’s influenced each other in small and large ways, and the way that musical trends can be cyclical, and I think if you recognize a lot of the bands and songs, this is could be really fun to read.

(Seriously though, it desperately needs the chapter tracklist and/or playlist)

Loved this! I learned so much. I saw the Born in the USA tour when I was 12, after spending the night in line for tickets. I grew up on Springsteen’s music, with family in New Jersey, very close to where Bruce lives now. What drew me to this is how popular Born in the USA was among everyone at the time, though the message of the album was critical of the times. How did that come to pass? This was very lovingly researched and written by a critic who is obviously a fan. I enjoyed his insights.

I’ll read anything with the name “Bruce Springsteen” on the cover, but this was a really special book. This is an absolutely clear-eyed, if endearing, look at Springsteen’s career and, specifically, the choices he made in the overwhelming and no doubt frightening success of Born in the USA.

What’s striking about the book is, in analyzing Springsteen’s deliberate and strategic decision to scale back his ambition and popularity, author Hyden doesn’t take the hagiographic position that mega-stardom was always Springsteen’s choice to abdicate. Hyden places Bruce in a world that’s moved on, both musically and politically. The issue isn’t Springsteen’s greatness or even current and future relevance - the issue is whether Springsteen’s unifying vision of an ideal United States where we take care of each other with compassion was ever true, much less is currently true.

What I love best about this book is it’s written with love and affection, but the kind of love and affection that’s richer because you see the flaws and foibles of the affection’s object. Along the way, Hyden has time to have some fun with Bruce’s physique, his unfortunate hair choices, some of his musical choices, his self-seriousness and self-mythologizing. Springsteen has spent most of his career trying to take the wind out of that myth - this is the only recent work on Springsteen that has taken that effort to heart. Far from critical, the book acknowledges Bruce’s greatness by making it the life’s work of a man, not an icon. And places that man within the context of a similarly sober view of our troubled country.

Many thanks to Hachette and NetGalley for the advance review copy.