"It’s all these kids in the street that are inspiring the most hope"

June 23, 2020 4:04 PM

I’ve always felt everybody has this moral, spiritual geography, emotional geography, inside themselves. You may live in Barcelona, but you can feel you’re related to Asbury Park, some place you may never go. But if a songwriter is writing well and is writing about the human condition, you’ll take them there. They’ll get there. We have our greatest audience overseas—I think two-thirds to more of our audience now is in Europe. People are still captured by and deeply interested in America, what’s going on here and the American myth. The American story is a worldwide story, and it continues to have tremendous power. Bruce Springsteen talks to David Brooks about his Playlist for the Trump Era [via Dave Pell]

The Playlist (5 songs, 20 minutes)

Strange Fruit, Billie Holiday
The House I Live In, Paul Robeson
Made in America, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean
That's What Makes Us Great, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers
People Have The Power, Patti Smith

posted by chavenet (11 comments total)

With all due respect, its touched us all due to the proliferation of neoliberal capitalism as the ideal all around the world. Plus ye olde soft power projection. In the 1970s, the imagination of youth everywhere was captured by Levis and Coca Cola.
posted by Mrs Potato at 4:42 PM on June 23, 2020 [5 favorites]

Springsteen talking about the playlist can be found in The Atlantic. (Was this supposed to be in the post itself?)
posted by miguelcervantes at 5:03 PM on June 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

Americans, Janelle Monae on Colbert.

I watch it whenever I need joy in my moment.
posted by vverse23 at 5:20 PM on June 23, 2020 [6 favorites]

Feh. I don't hold up Springsteen as any sort of exemplar, but it's still disappointing that he'd waste time talking to David Brooks, one of the most useless people in American journalism.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 5:21 PM on June 23, 2020 [11 favorites]

As for the content of the list, I don't know how large of a playlist I'd have to make for any of his list to make it in my "Playlist for the Trump Era." A first attempt at a first five for me would be a bit more contemporary:

Chapter 319, clipping.
Walking in the Snow, Run the Jewels
This is America, Childish Gambino
Whitey on the Moon, Gil Scott-Heron
Satan is Real, Herzog
posted by miguelcervantes at 5:22 PM on June 23, 2020 [7 favorites]

What about This Land, Gary Clark Jr.?
posted by eviemath at 6:55 PM on June 23, 2020 [3 favorites]

Charles Bradley - The World (Is Going Up In Flames)
posted by kliuless at 9:26 PM on June 23, 2020

Whitey on the Moon, Gil Scott-Heron

I just discovered GSH a couple of years ago and I (a middle-aged, white, lifelong fan of human space exploration) love this song.

And now seeing "GSH" makes me want to watch Brian's Song. Why is it not on TV every day like it was in my youth?
posted by neuron at 9:49 PM on June 23, 2020

miguelcervantes: "Springsteen talking about the playlist can be found in The Atlantic. (Was this supposed to be in the post itself?)"

Er, yes it was. Thanks!
posted by chavenet at 11:43 PM on June 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

I thought Kanye was pro-Trump?
posted by ovvl at 8:22 AM on June 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

hey Brucie, five songs about your deep feelings against Trumpism, and you include Kanye? Where is your head at? Maybe inclusionary? Borm ima umash?
posted by ovvl at 6:41 PM on June 24, 2020