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"My Hometown" is a single by Bruce Springsteen off his Born in the U.S.A. album as its closing track, that was the then-record-tying seventh and last top 10 single to come from it, peaking at #7 on the Cash Box Top 100^[4] and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It also topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart, making the song Springsteen's only #1 song on this chart to date.^[5] The song is a synthesizer-based, low-tempo number that features Springsteen on vocals.

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Transcription

Lyrics

The song's lyrics begin with the speaker's memories of his father instilling pride in the family's hometown. While it first appears that the song will be a nostalgic look at the speaker's childhood, the song then goes on to describe the racial violence and economic depression that the speaker witnessed as an adolescent and a young adult. The song concludes with the speaker's reluctant proclamation that he plans to move his family out of the town, but not without first taking his own son on a drive and expressing the same community pride that was instilled in him by his father.

Some of the song's images reference the recent history of Springsteen's hometown Freehold Borough, New Jersey, in particular the racial strife in 1960s New Jersey and economic tensions from the same times (such as the "textile mill being closed" was the A & M Karagheusian Rug Mill at Center and Jackson Streets of Freehold).^[6]

Reception

Cash Box called it a "tender and somber look at the real American hometown" that is "evocative in rare way."^[7] Billboard called it a "contemplative, insightful single."^[8]

Music video

The music video for "My Hometown" was a straightforward video filming of a performance of the song at a Springsteen and E Street Band concert late in the Born in the U.S.A. Tour, eschewing fast-paced cutting for slower montages of Springsteen and various band members. Despite its lack of visual excitement, it still managed substantial MTV airplay in late 1985 and early 1986.

Track listing

"My Hometown" - 4:33
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" - 4:27

The B-side of the single, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", was a semi-comical live recording of the Christmas favorite from a Springsteen and E Street Band concert on December 12, 1975, at C. W. Post College on Long Island, New York. Long familiar to Springsteen fans from its distribution years earlier to rock radio stations, it had previously been released on the fairly unknown 1981 children's album In Harmony 2; now in time for the Christmas season it was being issued again. Always a radio favorite, "Santa Claus" would benefit from the all-holiday-music-all-the-time formats of the 2000s, and during the 2005 holiday season "Santa Claus" would appear on the Billboard Top 40 Adult Recurrents and Hot Digital Songs charts.

Covers

U2 performed the song live at Croke Park ON JUNE 29TH 1985. on their 1985 The Unforgettable Fire Tour.
Cindy Kallet, Ellen Epstein & Michael Cicone performed the song on their 1993 album Only Human.
Neil Young recorded the song on his 2014 album A Letter Home.^[9]
Pavel Bobek performed the song as "Můj rodný dům" on his 1988 album Já při tom byl.
Mischief Brew, Erik Petersen recorded and digitally released the song on Thanks, Bastards.

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:^[10]

Bruce Springsteen – vocals, guitars

The E Street Band

Roy Bittan – keyboards
Clarence Clemons – tambourine
Danny Federici – organ
Garry Tallent – bass
Max Weinberg – drums
Ruth Jackson – backing vocals

Charts

Chart (1986)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	47
Canada (RPM Magazine)^[11]	16
Irish Singles Chart	6
Netherlands Music Chart	24
New Zealand Music Chart	28
Sweden Music Chart	21
UK Singles Chart	9
US Billboard Hot 100	6
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	1
US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)	6

Sales and certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[12]	Gold	35,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)^[13]	Gold	50,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[14]	Silver	250,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[15]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Heylin, Clinton (2012). Song By Song. London: Penguin. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
^ https://www.wordsandmusic.it/my-hometown-bruce-springsteen/
^ "Born In the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen". Classic Rock Review. October 29, 2014. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024. ...folk ballad
^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Joel Whitburn’s CashBox Pop Hits 1952-1996. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
^ Demasters, Karen (April 9, 2000). "A Factory That Wove Rugs and Bound a Town Together". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-03-28. The mill was referred to in the Bruce Springsteen song My Hometown; Mr. Springsteen's father worked there for a time. ...
^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. December 7, 1985. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
^ "Reviews". Billboard. December 7, 1985. p. 75. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
^ Greene, Andy (18 April 2014). "Neil Young's New Covers Album Available Right Now: Surprise!". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
^ Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2020). Bruce Springsteen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-78472-649-2.
^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 1, 1986" (PDF).
^ "Oct 2023 Single Accreds" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^ "Canadian single certifications – Bruce Springsteen – My Hometown". Music Canada. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
^ "British single certifications – Bruce Springsteen – My Home Town/Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
^ "American single certifications – Bruce Springsteen – My Hometown". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

External links

Lyrics & Audio clips from Brucespringsteen.net

Bruce Springsteen songs

1970s

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.	"Blinded by the Light" "Growin' Up" "Mary Queen of Arkansas" "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?" "Lost in the Flood" "The Angel" "For You" "Spirit in the Night" "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City"
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle	"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" "Incident on 57th Street" "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
Born to Run	"Thunder Road" "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" "Night" "Backstreets" "Born to Run" "She's the One" "Meeting Across the River" "Jungleland"
Darkness on the Edge of Town	"Badlands" "Adam Raised a Cain" "Racing in the Street" "The Promised Land" "Prove It All Night" "Darkness on the Edge of Town"

1980s

The River	"The Ties That Bind" "Sherry Darling" "Independence Day" "Hungry Heart" "Out in the Street" "The River" "Point Blank" "Cadillac Ranch" "Fade Away" "Stolen Car" "Ramrod" "Wreck on the Highway"
Nebraska	"Nebraska" "Atlantic City" "Johnny 99" "Highway Patrolman" "Open All Night"
Born in the U.S.A.	"Born in the U.S.A." "Cover Me" "Darlington County" "Working on the Highway" "Downbound Train" "I'm on Fire" "No Surrender" "Bobby Jean" "I'm Goin' Down" "Glory Days" "Dancing in the Dark" "My Hometown"
Tunnel of Love	"Tougher Than the Rest" "Spare Parts" "Tunnel of Love" "Brilliant Disguise" "One Step Up"

1990s

Human Touch	"Human Touch " "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" "Pony Boy"
Lucky Town	"Better Days" "If I Should Fall Behind"
The Ghost of Tom Joad	"The Ghost of Tom Joad" "Youngstown" "The New Timer"

2000s

The Rising	"Lonesome Day" "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" "The Rising" "My City of Ruins"
Magic	"Radio Nowhere" "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" "Long Walk Home"
Working on a Dream	"Outlaw Pete" "My Lucky Day" "Working on a Dream" "The Wrestler"

2010s

Wrecking Ball	"We Take Care of Our Own" "Shackled and Drawn" "Death to My Hometown" "Wrecking Ball" "Rocky Ground" "Land of Hope and Dreams"
High Hopes	"High Hopes" "American Skin (41 Shots)" "Just Like Fire Would" "Hunter of Invisible Game" "Dream Baby Dream"
Western Stars	"Tucson Train" "Western Stars" "There Goes My Miracle" "Hello Sunshine"

2020s

Letter to You	"Letter to You" "The Power of Prayer" "Ghosts" "I'll See You in My Dreams"
Only the Strong Survive	"Only the Strong Survive" "Nightshift" "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" "Turn Back the Hands of Time" "When She Was My Girl" "Hey, Western Union Man" "I Wish It Would Rain" "Don't Play That Song" "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" "7 Rooms of Gloom" "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" "Someday We'll Be Together"

Other singles

Other songs

v t e Freehold Borough / Freehold Township
Municipalities	Freehold Borough Freehold Township
Neighborhoods	East Freehold Burlington Heights West Freehold Stonehurst East Stonehurst West Raintree Adelphia Georgia Smithburg
Schools	Freehold Borough Schools Freehold Township Schools Freehold Regional High School District Freehold Borough High School Freehold Township High School Monmouth County Vocational School District Biotechnology High School
Colleges and universities	Brookdale Community College Freehold Campus Rutgers University Brookdale's Freehold Campus Seton Hall University College of Nursing at Brookdale's Freehold Campus
Economy	CentraState Medical Center Downtown Freehold Freehold Raceway Freehold Raceway Mall Manalapan EpiCentre Tomasello Winery
Parks and recreation	Henry Hudson Trail Lake Topanemus Monmouth Battlefield State Park Turkey Swamp Park
NRHP sites	Monmouth Battlefield Historic District Craig House Court Street School George Taylor House Hankinson–Moreau–Covenhoven House Walker-Combs-Hartshorne Farmstead St. Peter's Episcopal Church
History	Monmouth Tract Village of West Freehold Battle of Monmouth Legend of Molly Pitcher Bruce Springsteen "My Hometown"
Museums	Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County Monmouth County Historical Association
Houses of Worship	Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine Freehold Jewish Center Old Tennent Church
Roads and highways	Interstate 195 U.S. Route 9 Route 18 Route 33 Route 79 Freehold-Englishtown Road Monmouth Road ("Burlington Path") County Routes
Other points of interest	Freehold Public Library Karagheusian Rug Mill Maplewood Cemetery Monmouth County Courthouse
This list is incomplete.

This page was last edited on 27 June 2024, at 11:08

My Hometown

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