After the success of A complete unknown in 2024, the biopic of Bob Dylan starring Timothée Chalamet, Disney has tried to snag Oscars in 2025 with Springsteen: Deliver me from Nowhere, which tells the moment in Bruce Springsteen’s life when he made his Nebraska album amid a terrifying depression. And swapping Chalamet for Jeremy Allen White. Yes, it all sounds like a generic brand, but you never know. After all, the Boss’s legacy practically began when he was offered, like White, to star in a movie he wasn’t entirely convinced about. No one remembers the movie, but we can all hum Born in the USA, right?
Nacido en el pueblo de un hombre muerto
The story of Born in the USA begins much earlier, around the same time as Springsteen’s first album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. It was then that Paul Schrader sold his first script, Yakuza, and became a heavyweight in Hollywood. Over the years, he signed his name in golden letters: Taxi Driver, Fascination, American Gigolo, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ… Everyone in the industry knew him, and there was no one who didn’t wish that one of those projects would end up in their hands.
Surprisingly, the one who stumbled upon it was Bruce Springsteen, who in the early 80s came across one of his scripts: he was famous enough to move crowds and, therefore, to star in his own movie, titled… Born in the USA. Moreover, the title of the movie came from another song by the group The Generators. The Boss never got around to reading the script, but the title wouldn’t leave his mind, and he used it for a song he was writing about a Vietnam veteran… And when he informed them of his decision, the project was immediately halted. They needed a star, no matter what.
Michael J. Fox, who had already starred in Back to the Future, decided to take the lead role, the project was set in motion again and Springsteen decided not to leave them hanging: instead of Born in the USA, which had already become a hit, the singer composed another song called Light of Day and gifted it to Schrader as compensation for stealing his previous title. Without hesitation, they decided to give that title to the movie, which was performed by Joan Jett in its soundtrack. The nice part is that, even now, the Boss often sings it at his concerts.
Light of Day, which was called Rock Star in Spain (subtle as always), did not receive very good reviews, but it managed to gross 10.5 million dollars in the United States and Canada. Interestingly, both Schrader and Springsteen are still active doing their thing, at 79 and 76 years old respectively. Neither of them seems to be in a hurry to retire, although their careers have never reunited. Things of rock and roll geniuses: better a successful concert than a hundred mediocre ones.
