(Saturday, January 19, 1985) — “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen peaked at #9 on today’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for one week.

“Born in the U.S.A.” has been widely misunderstood. It has been treated as a flag-waving paean to America by politicians like Ronald Reagan, Pat Buchanan, and Donald Trump, reacting to the patriotic tone of the song’s chorus, without seeming to acknowledge the bitter critique of American policy and society present in the lyrics.

The song presents a disillusioned Vietnam veteran as a tragic figure alienated upon his return from the war.

Rolling Stone ranked the song 275th on their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”