Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
War
1986 · CBS 650193 7 · Freehold, New Jersey
- Artist
- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
- Title
- War
- Release
- War / Merry Christmas Baby
- Year
- 1986
- Label
- CBS # 650193 7
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Freehold, New Jersey, USA
- Genre
- Rock · Rock
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
Springsteen took an anti-war stance towards US involvement in Central America in the 1980s, and drew comparisons to the Vietnam War experience, through the release of the cover song "War" (Columbia Records # 38-06432). Composed by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong of the soul group The Temptations (and released on their 1970 album Psychedelic Shack), Edwin Starr made it famous with his 1970 cover (discussed in the anti-war section). His version reached # 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100, depicting the anger of the anti-Vietnam War movement, and probably the first blatant anti-war song to top the charts. Springsteen recorded this live on 30 September 1985 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and subsequently released it as a single in 1986. The single reached # 8 in the US Billboard Hot 100 on 27 December 1986. (1) It also reached # 4 in the US rock tracks chart. (2) Released on the album Live / 1975-85 (Columbia # C5X 40558). The promotional video for the song started with the image of a father and son watching a news report about the Vietnam conflict on TV. Then it displayed a montage of shots from Nicaragua - where the Ronald Reagan administration provided financial and military…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Born Freehold, New Jersey, USA (23 September 1949). Currently Rumson, New Jersey.