On January 28, 2017, President Trump bullied, berated, and finally blew off Prime Minister Turnbull over Turnbull’s temerity to insist that the United States live up to its agreement to accept 1,250 refugees from an Australian detention center.
The phone call was supposed to last an hour; Trump hung up in frustration after 25 minutes, spurring widespread speculation of a diplomatic rift between two longtime allies.
It was only eight days into the 45th president’s term. We had no idea what was still to come.
Bruce Springsteen happened to be touring in Australia at the time, and like most Americans, he was mortified at the behavior of the new American president.
It took a few days for the details of the call to surface, and when they did on February 2, Bruce Springsteen was preparing to take the stage in Melbourne. Bruce had a particular song in mind to open that night, one that would “send a letter back home.”
The song was “Don’t Hang Up,” a 1962 Top Ten hit by The Orlons. (It peaked at #4.)
A comedic tale of mutual infidelity, the song’s subject matter wasn’t particularly relevant to the news of the day, but Bruce was counting on the chorus to do the talking.
With no time to work up a full-band arrangement, Bruce took the stage with his acoustic guitar, introducing the band as a group of “embarrassed Americans” before launching into a brief cover of The Orlons’ hit song.
And lest anyone think Bruce was more concerned with protocol than the urgent matter beneath it, Bruce immediately segued from “Don’t Hang Up” into “American Land,” introducing the latter as “an immigrant song.”
Even though it was barely a week into the Trump Administration, it wasn’t the first time Bruce had spoken out in resistance, and it would be far from the last.
Bruce’s comments would sharpen over time, but on this early day in 2017, Bruce chose humor to get his point across. It remains to this day his only performance of “Don’t Hang Up.”
Don’t Hang Up
First performed: February 2, 2017 (Melbourne, Australia)
Last performed: February 2, 2017 (Melbourne, Australia)
I was there! You could hear the recognition grow in the crowd
I was there too, from NJ. It was spectacular!
Great Ken. It was “funny as”. We love laughed.
Love your work. Cheers Terry