- American Skin (41 Shots)
"American Skin (41 Shots)" is a
song written byBruce Springsteen , inspired by the police shooting death of Amadou Diallo. It features a slow build-up, an intense main section themed around the status of immigrants in theUnited States , and then a long slow-down.Springsteen first performed it in concert in
Atlanta onJune 4 ,2000 , the final concert before the tour's final 10-show run atNew York City 'sMadison Square Garden , where it was also featured. His performance of a song supposedly critical of theNew York Police Department (even though he never explicitly refers to Diallo, just to "41 shots", and portrays the emotions of one of the officers immediately after the shooting somewhat sympathetically) led to some controversy in New York City, where thePatrolmen's Benevolent Association called for aboycott of his shows. The song appears to be an even-handed attempt to explain the tensions between police and minorities, as shown in the lyrics (see External Links below). Police can get shot for the uniform they wear; minorities can get shot for the color of their skin. The lyrics note that "we're baptized in these waters / and in "each other's" blood" (emphasis added)."American Skin (41 Shots)" is featured on the
Emmy Award -winning album, "", and the associatedHBO special. Moments into the song, Springsteen says to the audience, "We need some quiet." Not surprisingly, the audience respected Springsteen's wishes and remained quiet throughout the song. The refrain "41 Shots" is sung exactly forty-one times in that performance.External links
* [http://www.springsteenlyrics.com/lyrics/a/americanskin.php American Skin (41 Shots)] - Lyrics (several versions) and detailed info
* [http://www.hypocritae.com/?ART=30 The Walkerville Weekly Reader:] Springsteen arrested in New York City (political satire)
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