Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Books, and Steven Hyden for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

I’m a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. The first album I ever bought with my own money was Born To Run, and I still consider it a perfect album, not to mention my favorite of all time. I was eighteen years old when Born in the U.S.A. came out, so I remember that time very well.

I thought I would enjoy this book written by music critic Steven Hyden. I’ve often wondered how we went from giving of ourselves in the 1980s with events such as Live Aid, Farm Aid, and others to the attitude of “nothing matters unless it happens to me” that seems so prevalent in today’s day and age. Going by the title, I thought perhaps this book would provide some answers.

The problem is, there isn’t much of that in this book. Hyden writes a lot about Springsteen, most of which can be found in Springsteen’s own autobiography which Hyden cites repeatedly, as well as works about Springsteen by Peter Carlin. He doesn’t just cover Born in the U.S.A. but extensively covers the recording of the album Nebraska, Tunnel of Love, and to a lesser extent most of Springsteen’s catalog.

Hyden also writes about other “heartland rockers” of this time period. I could relate to his point about how people misinterpreted Tom Petty’s Southern Accents album, particularly the track Rebels. I was one of them. The difference is that once he talked about what he really meant, I knew it was “my bad” and didn’t try to stubbornly defend my position. The point Hyden makes is that these misinterpretations by the right-wing of songs like Rebels and Born in the USA were indicative of where our society in the United States is today. He gets some of this wrong, though, as he talks about Bryan Adams and his song Summer of 69, doubting that the song isn’t about the year 1969 as Adams has claimed. He jumps on the Bon Jovi train as well, criticizing Living on a Prayer as being a rip-off of Thunder Road. I can think of a number of songs that predate both that are about young lovers looking to escape – it’s a common theme in rock music. Some of what he writes just doesn’t add up.

Hyden was six when Born in the U.S.A. came out, so much of his writing is in the context of hearing that album at a young age and what it meant to him. For those of us that were adults during this time, we have a different memory of what it was like being a Springsteen fan at the time. He’s taking the context second-hand, rather than having lived through it and there are passages that made me wince a bit because I didn’t remember it happening that way.

Near the end of the book, around the last 10%, he does finally extrapolate how Springsteen’s populism of the 1980s falters after the turn of the century. He gives credit where credit is due with Springsteen releasing The Rising after 9/11. Even here, though, he doubts that story of a fan telling Springsteen “we need you” after the events of that day. I could easily see it, though. I’d be one of those people that would have told him that.

Hyden seems to miss that part of what made Springsteen so popular was the connection to fans in his music. People could see themselves in his songs. Thunder Road is my favorite because I feel the connection to “you ain’t no beauty but hey, you’re all right…” Out in the Street is one of the perfect Friday afternoon songs because it captures the feeling of walking out of work and feeling “free” for a few days (and this by a guy who admits he’s never had an honest job in his life!)

I didn’t dislike There Was Nothing You Could Do, but it’s not a book I’d advise people to rush out and buy. It reads more like a thesis on Springsteen himself and does have interesting parts. I found it hard to get through and at times painted a different picture of the last two decades of the 20th century than I remember. I’d say only someone looking for a well-rounded viewpoint on this era would be interested in it, especially in the context of Springsteen with other artists of the time who were playing the same type of music.