The soundtrack for Blinded by the Light, a must-see new film about a Pakistani Muslim teen growing up in England whose life is changed when he hears Bruce Springsteen, includes many of the Boss’ best-known songs. There’s the side one, track one from Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. that the movie is named after, as well as “Born to Run,” “Hungry Heart,” “Because the Night,” and “Prove It All Night.” And “Thunder Road,” and “Cover Me,” and… it keeps going. Nearly all of Springsteen’s hits between 1973 and 1984 are included (as well as his rejected Harry Potter song), with one major exception: “Born in the USA.”
It’s not Springsteen’s highest-charting hit — that’s “Dancing in the Dark,” which peaked at number two — but it’s, anecdotally, among the songs most associated with the New Jersey legend. So, why didn’t it make the cut, especially in a movie set in 1987, three years after the butt album came out?
“There was no place for it,” director Gurinder Chadha told Yahoo Entertainment. “Every song that was selected in the film had to be in the film because it referenced Javed’s journey. It was the narrative of the film. We could’ve played lots of other songs. There are songs that we both love that we wish were there.”
It’s admirable for Chadha, who also helmed Bend It Like Beckham, to not force “Born in the USA” into her movie just because radio listeners know it — if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit. It’s not as if Springsteen is lacking in well-liked songs from that era. Besides, if you’re going to be mad at a song not being in Blinded by the Light, make it “Brilliant Disguise.” It’s only Springsteen’s masterpiece!
(Via Yahoo Entertainment)
