Over the course of his prolific career, Bruce Springsteen has spoken out on numerous issues related to social justice and political policy in America. His most poignant thoughts in song however, have been related the struggles of soldiers seeking to acclimate back into society after stints overseas in the United States’ foreign wars. The most obvious example is his anthemic 1984 hit “Born In The U.S.A.,” but he’s apparently decided to add to that particular canon with a brand new cut titled “Freedom Credence.”
The new song was recorded for the film Thank You For Your Service, which, in broad strokes, is about veterans of the Iraq War and the trauma of PTSD that plagues them after they make it back home. In the song, Bruce shares his thoughts about the cost of war, singing rather plaintively that “Some say freedom is free / But I tend to disagree / I say freedom is won / Through the blood of someone’s son.”
Back in the ’80s, when Springsteen first debuted “Born In The U.S.A.” a song about Vietnam vets returning home to a land without jobs, and without sympathy for the very serious and deeply misunderstood mental issues, many conservative politicians misunderstood the content of the song; confused because of its upbeat, bombastic sound. “I had a brother at Khe Sanh fighting off the Viet Cong /They’re still there, he’s all gone.” President Ronald Reagan famously played it during campaign rallies.
You can check out Bruce’s new song “Freedom Credence” in the video above.
