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Bruce Springsteen unveils his 'lost albums' with the box set 'Tracks II'
The "dried-up prune," as Donald Trump described him in language hardly befitting a president of the United States, refuses to be intimidated. At 75, Bruce Springsteen remains one of the few American artists, alongside his friend Robert De Niro, to openly denounce the current administration, which he has condemned as "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous." He has repeated these criticisms at every stop on his European tour, which is set to conclude on Thursday, July 3, in Milan, denouncing attacks on freedom speech, workers' rights, universities, migrants and "abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators."
In response to Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again," the Democrat, who is close to Barack Obama, offers his own: "Land of Hope and Dreams," a vision of a hopeful, inclusive country. The title echoes "This Land is Your Land," the song written by American folksinger Woody Guthrie in 1940 as a rebuttal to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." First performed in the late 1990s and inspired by The Impressions' 1965 civil rights anthem, "Land of Hope and Dreams" now gives its name to Springsteen's current tour and a four-track live EP recorded on May 14 in Manchester. Springsteen stands by his words, as his diatribes against the occupant of the White House are included in the release.
