Poll of the week: The fireworks are hailin'
4th of July is a very special day to most Americans. Barbecue, family, relaxation, fireworks on a bright summer night. It is of course also a celebration of American freedom and independence and everything that implies. It's a day full of symbolism and show, and as such, it's the perfect backdrop for artistic expression. And for someone like Bruce, who embodies America like few other artists, 4th of July is a slamdunk. It's no wonder that one of his songs has "4th of July" in the title and it's no wonder another one is called "Independence Day" or that those two songs topped last week's poll. That was to be expected.
Perhaps more interesting was how the other songs in the poll fared. "American Land", despite no mention of 4th of July, came in third, always a good accomplishment for a song that's less than five years old. "Land of Hope and Dreams" doesn't even mention America by name, but it is apparently still seen by many in an American context.
On 4th of July 2008, Bruce performed a show in Gothenburg, Sweden, and did several of the songs included in this poll. He opened the show with "Born in the USA" - no doubt in reference to the special day - but despite its title, that song, surprisingly, only received 6% of the poll votes.
Another small surprise perhaps was that "Darlington County" only received 2% of the votes. Except for "Sandy" and "Independence Day", it's the only song that takes place on 4th of July, and unlike those, it's actually a happy party song.
Here's the final result of the poll:
What's Bruce's most appropriate song for 4th of July?
| 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) |  41.4% |
| Independence Day |  16.5% |
| American Land |  11.4% |
| Land of Hope and Dreams |  11.1% |
| Born in the USA |  6.2% |
| Long Walk Home |  5.1% |
| The Promised Land |  4.0% |
| This Hard Land |  2.4% |
| Darlington County |  2.0% |
Total votes: 551
This week it's time to take a look at Bruce's pop songs. The songs where Bruce obviously tried to write a hit and where both music and lyrics are easily accessible. Often disliked by real fans, but loved by the masses. Which one is his best? Hopefully I didn't forget any important ones.