ABSTRACT
Scholars and observers of classically liberal nations like the United States have often noted that these nations’ citizens are frequently beset by feelings of fear that arise from the conditions and arrangements of life in such societies. Two strains of fear are particularly common: fear of authority, and anxiety, or the feeling of insecurity and paranoia that one experiences as a result of living in a highly-competitive economic system that fosters atomization rather than social cohesion. Although it has rarely been a focus of discussion concerning his work, Bruce Springsteen has used his music to explore the theme of fear in American life. While Springsteen’s music does include references to a vague fear of authority, he finds such fears are most legitimate when attached to concerns about racial profiling and warmongering. Springsteen places a greater emphasis on anxiety and the psychological stress many Americans live with as they try to make ends meet in a competitive free market society, as evidenced on songs such as “Open All Night” and “Murder Incorporated.” Springsteen’s awareness of the powerful influence that fear exerts on the American psyche also heavily informed his response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the Great Recession.
