The rock king Bruce Springsteen should almost be 55 before he made the decision of his life. For this definitely seems to be what he has done by participating in the socalled Vote for Change concerts, a political happening that is set to take place shortly before the American presidential election and will enjoy participation from famous rock names like R.E.M., Pearl Jam, John Mellencamp and John Fogerty. Off course, there is nothing new in rock concerts having a certain political tendency. But the Vote for Change project is unusual because it implies a totally outspoken intervention in partisan politics: The stars are to perform at declared support concerts for John Kerry, and the politization of the music goes so far that the effort will even be focused on the states where the voters are split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.
To all appearence Bruce Springsteen's participation is the political trump card in the project. Not only is he probably its greatest name, but Springsteen is also a figure whose attitude must gain a peculiar weight because he has always been highly chary of mixing his role as an artist with partisan politics. In spite of his well known, moderately left-wing views - expressed for example by his participation in shows against nuclear power in 1979 and for Amnesty International in 1988 as also by numerous donations, e. g. to striking mineworkers - Springsteen has always maintained a unique position as mouthpiece for a broadly founded American self-understanding. By incorporating his many social realistic songs in a context of American patriotism, ethical values of universal significance and a solid tradition for simple and light-hearted rock and roll Springsteen has been able to function as a cultural rallying point for something, which looks like the very national mind of America.
This became clear with the record phenomenon Born in the USA (1984), which in those day was attempted used in Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign and is now being used in John Kerry's. But you saw it again i 2002, when Springsteen with the album The Rising delivered his contribution to the Americans' struggle to regain their foothold after the terror attack on September 11. By a subtle balancing of the grief and the anger over against an almost religiously accentuated message of love Springsteen found a voice that was as designed to unify the nation. It cannot have fallen him easy only two years after to set his music in on splitting it.
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