 | American Skin (41 Shots)Bruce Springsteen |
Writer(s): Bruce Springsteen (see lyrics here) Released: April 24, 2001 (live version) and January 14, 2014 (studio version) Recorded: June 4, 2000 (live version) Peak: 1 DF Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 4.6 video, 8.86 streaming |
Awards:Click on award for more details. 
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About the Song:On the morning of February 4, 1999, Arnadou Diallo was shot 41 times by four New York City plainclothes officers. The 23-year-old student from Guinea was unarmed; the offices claimed they thought he was a rape suspect and going for a weapon when he reached in his pocket for his wallet. Controversy about issues such as police brutality and racial profiling erupted after the four officers were acquitted on February 25, 2000, for second-degree murder. “Bruce Springsteen’s defining quality…as America’s rock icon is the way he integrates his towering rock and roll energies and innate musicality with his humanitarian vision and passion for life. Sometimes the passion boils over into a cold fury at injustice.” SS Like many, he “felt the shooting was an egregious over-reaction by the police, who killed an innocent man.” SF He wrote “American Skin (41 Shots)” as a protest in response to the incident. “The genius of the song is in moving from the specific details of a young man’s life and the fateful night to the overarching theme of racism and the tragedies that still occur on urban streets.” SS The song “is also balanced with compassion for the cop who must make lightning-swift decisions that can mean life or death. When one officer realizes the horrifying mistake and kneels over the inert body, it’s an unforgettable and moving image.” SS Springsteen premiered the song in concert on June 4, 2000 in Atlanta during his 1999-2000 reunion tour with the E Street Band. The song was recorded live for the band’s Live in New York City album, released in 2001. The song was also featured on The Essential Bruce Springsteen compilation. Springsteen commented in the liner notes that he felt the song was amongst the best he’d ever written and deserved a proper studio recording. He did, in fact, record it in the studio in April 2001 and released it as a rare radio promo-only single. A studio version also appeared on Springsteen’s 2014 album High Hopes, a collection of covers, outtakes, and re-recordings. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) honored Springsteen for the song while the New York City Police Department and the Police Benevolent Association protested against the song with some cops refusing to work security at Springsteen’s shows. He said the song was “not anti-police, but anti-tragedy.” SF Living Colour and Jackson Browne have both performed the song live. Mary J. Blige recorded a studio version of the song with rapper Kendrick Lamar. Resources:
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First posted 6/16/2022; last updated 2/25/2024. |
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