When the nation cries out in anguish, anger, and frustration, Bruce Springsteen has a penchant for meeting the moment in song.<\/p>\n
“American Skin (41 Shots)” is still tragically relevant today, but Bruce wrote it in response to the 1999 shooting of Amadou Diallo and debuted it a year later.<\/p>\n
When America was attacked on September 11, 2001, Bruce responded with\u00a0The Rising,\u00a0<\/em>which offered catharsis to fans around the world.<\/p>\n But Bruce’s history of commenting on national tragedy goes back a lot further–further, in fact, than even his professional recording career.<\/p>\n On the afternoon of May 4, 1970, a student anti-war protest at Kent State University turned violent, and over the course of only thirteen seconds, twenty-eight National Guard soldiers fired 67 rounds into the crowd, killing four students, permanently paralyzing one, and injuring eight others.<\/p>\n