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Permalink Reply by dan brown on August 10, 2012 at 3:46am

here is another take on this subject .... (from NYC)

 

Intro

Music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) is a scathing comment on the New York City police fatal shooting (with 41 shots) of the unarmed Bronx resident Amadou Diallo in February 1999. The song debuted in concert in Atlanta on 04 June 2000, the last concert before The Reunion Tour's final 10-show run at New York City's Madison Square Garden, where it was also performed on all ten. The live 01 Jul 2000 version was released on Live In New York City, while a studio recording of the song only appeared on a radio promotional CD-R single.

The Story behind the Song

AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) was inspired from the incident that took place on 04 Feb 1999, when four white New York City plainclothes police officers (Richard Murphy, Kenneth Boss, Sean Carroll, and Edward McMellon) shot dead Amadou Diallo, a 22 year old black West African immigrant. The four men suspected Diallo to match the profile of a rapist that had committed crimes in the area (Bronx) then, and when he tried to pull out what they later found out to be his wallet (which they presumed to be a gun), they opened fire, "41 shots", 19 of which hit the target. The officers were later tried for murder, but were found innocent by the jury. The verdict was not welcomed by many groups which created an atmosphere of tension in the city.

Debut and Controversy

Bruce Springsteen unveiled AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) on 04 Jun 2000 when he performed it live at Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA. He wrote the song during The Reunion Tour and after thorough checking with the band, he premiered it in Atlanta. It was promptly posted on file-sharing internet sites, with the media picking up on it as well. The song pushed "a lot of buttons in America," as Bruce later commented. It sparked a wave of controversy, and it was even accused by some of being written in support of Hillary Clinton's race for mayor against Giuliani.

Police Reactions

The first comeback against the song was made by Patrick Lynch, the president of the 27,000-member Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA) in New York City, who sarcastically hadn't even heard the song. He posted a letter on the PBA's website on 08 June accusing Springsteen of "trying to fatten his wallet by reopening the wounds of this tragic case". He also encouraged officers to neither attend nor work as moonlighting security guards at Springsteen's upcoming ten-show stand at Madison Square Garden. Howard Safir, New York City Police commissioner, told the New York Daily News that he personally didn't care for Bruce Springsteen's song or music, while Bob Lucente, president of the New York State Fraternal Order of Police, called Springsteen a "fucking dirtbag" and declared that he goes on the boycott list.

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Not all police fractions were out to kill; some spoke in Springsteen's defense. On 10 June, Rev. Al Sharpton praised The Boss and ripped into the PBA for urging a boycott of the concerts. "We were all born in the USA. [...] No one can tell us we can't stand for what is right," Sharpton said. He added that the Jersey rocker "can come up here anytime," and that he's invited "to march with us to Washington where we all will stand up against police brutality."

Lt. Eric Adams, spokesman for a group called 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, told the Association Press that they "commend Bruce Springsteen, and we believe that he is courageous in the position that he is taking." Police lieutenant Michael J. Gorman wrote a letter to the New York Times noting, "trying to muzzle those who refer to this tragedy is wrong. Mr. Springsteen has generally been a supporter of police officers, giving generously to police charities. Attacks on him are not only unfair but also counterproductive." A notable incident was when a New York patrolman at one of Springsteen's shows in the city brought along a sign that said "Here sits a NYC policeman who still loves Bruce!!" Springsteen, spotting it from the stage, said, "Now there's a sign I like!"

Reception

AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) was described as "astonishing" by the New York Post's Jack Newfield. Jon Pareles of New York Times praised it as "a resonant elegy and a reflection on how fear can become deadly." Elysa Gardner of USA Today pointed out in her review of Springsteen's performance, "Those who would cast 'Skin' as an anti-police diatribe were off the mark. The song is more elegiac than angry in tone, expressing sorrow for all parties involved in the incident and, on a larger scale, asking what we can do to overcome the lack of communication that leads to such tragedies."

Springsteen played the haunting song, without comment, on the last 11 shows of The Reunion Tour (the last show in Atlanta and all ten shows in New York City) and he even included it on his Live In New York City album and home video in 2001. After the first New York show, on 12 June, he met with Diallo's parents who expressed their appreciation for the song. It seems that the boycott on Bruce Springsteen's New York shows went unnoticed; each of the ten Madison Square Garden shows was sold-out, and scalpers were able to sell tickets at multiples of the face value.

Springsteen's Comments

"Because a lot had been written about the case in magazines and newspapers," Springsteen explained later, "I was just setting out to basically continue writing about things that I'd written about for a long period of time, which is, who we are? What's it mean to be an American? What's going on in this country we live in? It was asking some questions that were hanging very heavy in the air... And it was an extension of just a lot of my other work." He added, however, "I think it dealt very directly with race, and that's a subject that pushes a lot of buttons in America." For his part, Springsteen said he was "surprised... there were so many people willing to comment so quickly about something they've never heard. That was just somewhat puzzling to me, because we'd only played the song once, in Atlanta, and there was no recorded version of it... There was a lot of misinterpretation and comment about something that I don't thing a lot of people had heard, and the song wound up being misrepresented by quite a few people."

Springsteen writes about AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) in the new edition of his book Songs, "Though the song was critical, it was not 'anti-police' as some thought." As he also points out, the first verse is from the point of view of a police officer, "kneeling over his body in the vestibule, praying for his life." Rather than being an indictment of police, if the song points a finger at anyone, Springsteen suggests that it points at all U.S. citizens, the singer included. "The idea was here," he writes: "Here is what systemic racial injustice, fear, and paranoia do to our children, our loved ones, ourselves. Here is the price in blood."

The Live In New York City DVD includes a bonus 15-minute documentary titled New York City Serenade that contains footage of some other songs not included on the DVD in addition to segments of an interview by HBO's Bob Costas with Springsteen and the members of the E Street Band. Costas asks, "'American Skin', the story of Amadou Diallo, the West-African immigrant who was slain by police fire. What is about you do you think that makes you go in that direction?" Bruce replies, "Sort of writing about what's in the air. I didn't think that song's particularly different from things I'd written in the past. It was just a part of the continuing work that I've done. It's sort of trying to figure out who am I, and who are we as Americans, what is Americaness. I think that my point of view with the song is that the Diallo's case ended of being a metaphor for a lot of people about feeling they don't have full citizenship..." He adds, "That was the essence of the title."

During The Rising Tour Springsteen opened his 12 Nov 2002 show at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH, with AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS). He preceded the song with the an introduction addressing racial tensions in the city: "Before we start the show tonight, I'd just like to say -- I don't know if you've read about it in the newspapers at all out here but we've been contacted by several organizations here in the city who are trying to combat the segregation and the economic apartheid and the racism that exists not just here in Cincinnati but everywhere in our country. As a young man, I saw it up close in my own hometown, and while there've been many improvements since then, the core fact of racism continues to this day at all levels of our society. Well, I wrote a song a couple years ago about what happens when we stop communicating with one another, and how that non-communication becomes systematic, when injustice becomes ingrained in institution -- the consequences, the violence, the human cost, and life cut short, that comes with it. So I wanna open our show here tonight with a song, not just for Cincinnati but for the country we'd like to see our children brought up in. And we're gonna send it out tonight to the people, and the organizations here in the city that are working for a just Cincinnati and a just America. Thank you."

Studio Recording

After The Reunion Tour, Springsteen entered the studio with the E Street Band in March 2001. These were their first studio sessions together since January 1995. The spring 2001 sessions were produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin and recorded by Toby Scott. Several songs (titles unconfirmed) were recorded during these sessions, but only AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) has been released.

The song was recorded on 02 Mar 2001 at The Hit Factory in New York City, NY, and produced by Springsteen and Plotkin. The studio recording of the song (clocking at 5:14) was never available commercially and only appeared on a radio promotional CD-R single (see below). This studio take is only slightly different to the released live version, lacking the "41 shots" intros sung by various band members, and fading out during Clarence Clemons' sax solo. The above lyrics are transcribed from that studio version.

Bruce and the band shot a video for AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) during the pre-show rehearsal prior to their 26 Jun 2000 show in New York City. According to sources, the shoot was directed by Jonathan Demme.

Official Releases

The studio version of AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) was released on an extremely rare US-only 1-track radio promotional CD-R single in 2001.

The live 01 Jul 2000 version of AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) was officially released in 2001 on Live In New York City, both the album and the home video.

Live History

AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) was performed 11 times during the 132-date-long The Reunion Tour. It debuted on 04 Jun 2000 in Atlanta, GA, and was then performed on each show till the end of the tour (the 10-night stand in New York). Note that prior to its 04 Jun 2000 live debut in Atlanta, GA, the song was reportedly sound-checked three times on the tour: 22 Apr 2000 in Raleigh, NC, 29 May 2000 in Salt Lake City, UT, and 03 Jun 2000 in Atlanta, GA.

[Click here to display/hide detailed The Reunion Tour performances list]

1. 04 Jun 2000 at Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
2. 12 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
3. 15 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
4. 17 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
5. 20 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
6. 22 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
7. 23 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
8. 26 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
9. 27 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
10. 29 Jun 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY
11. 01 Jul 2000 at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, NY

In preparation for The Rising Tour, AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) was performed during 3 of the tour's five public warm-up rehearsal shows that took place in July and August 2002 in Asbury Park and East Rutherford. The song is also known to have been practiced during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in July 2002 in Fort Monmouth and Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg.

[Click here to display/hide detailed The Rising Tour rehearsals performances list]

1. 23 Jul 2002 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)
2. 26 Jul 2002 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (public rehearsal for contest winners and guests)
3. 30 Jul 2002 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (public rehearsal)
4. 05 Aug 2002 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (public rehearsal)

AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) was performed 12 times during the 120-date-long The Rising Tour, including the tour's first six consecutive shows.

[Click here to display/hide detailed The Rising Tour performances list]

1. 07 Aug 2002 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
2. 10 Aug 2002 at MCI Center, Washington, DC
3. 12 Aug 2002 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
4. 14 Aug 2002 at Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
5. 15 Aug 2002 at The Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
6. 18 Aug 2002 at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
7. 24 Aug 2002 at The Forum, Inglewood, CA
8. 27 Aug 2002 at Compaq Center At San Jose, San Jose, CA
9. 12 Nov 2002 at U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
10. 14 Sep 2003 at Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
11. 16 Sep 2003 at Rentschler Field, Hartford, CT
12. 01 Oct 2003 at Shea Stadium, New York City, NY

In preparation for the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour, AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) is known to have been practiced during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in March and April 2005 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg. The song was sound-checked twice (first on guitar, and then on piano) prior to the 11 Aug 2005 show in Seattle, WA, but it was not performed on any of the tour's regular shows.

[Click here to display/hide detailed Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour rehearsals performances list]

1. 11 Apr 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)

AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) was performed 7 times during the 83-date-long Working On A Dream Tour.

[Click here to display/hide detailed Working On A Dream Tour performances list]

1. 12 Jul 2009 at RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
2. 19 Jul 2009 at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
3. 21 Jul 2009 at Stadio Olimpico Di Torino, Turin, Italy
4. 23 Jul 2009 at Stadio Friuli, Udine, Italy
5. 28 Jul 2009 at Estadio Olimpico De La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
6. 01 Aug 2009 at Estadio José Zorrilla, Valladolid, Spain
7. 19 Aug 2009 at Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT

Springsteen performed AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) off-tour on 25 Sep 2009 in New York City, NY, during the taping of "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With Bruce Springsteen". The song was played solo. The 25 Sep 2009 show was released on the Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... season 2 DVD and Blu-ray in 2011.

[Click here to display/hide detailed 2009 off-tour performances list]

1. 25 Sep 2009 at Apollo Theater, New York City, NY

Covers

Three artists have recorded Springsteen's AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS).

Svante Karlsson -- Autograph CD - Leco Music (LMD 7 391872 200326) - Sweden, 2003

Jen Chapin & Rosetta Trio -- Light Of Mine CD+DVD - Purple Chair Music (PCM 1129) - USA, 2008 Includes a live video of AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS)

The Gibbons -- Live On WVKR And Then Some... Audio cassette - Tapes Not Bombs (TNB04) - USA, 2008

Available Versions

List of available versions of AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) on this website:

• Studio version
• Live 17 Jun 2000 version
• Live 01 Jul 2000 version
• Live 30 Jul 2002 version
• Live 23 Mar 2012 version

References

Some of the above info about the studio recording and the live performances is taken from Brucebase. Scans and info for the above promotional CD-R single are taken from the Lost In The Flood website. Info for some of the above AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) cover releases is taken from the Nebraska website.

Request

Please contact me if you have scans or info about any official release containing AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) that's not mentioned on this page. I also need a scan for The Gibbons' Live On WVKR And Then Some... audio cassette. I'm also looking for a better/larger scan of the above New York Post cover page. Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: webmaster@springsteenlyrics.com. You will be credited. Thanks in advance.

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Permalink Reply by NYC (7.0 mi) on August 10, 2012 at 4:02am

You try to run, you get the gun.

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