Renegades: Born in the USA

President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen discuss how their friendship began. They share how race and racism in their hometowns defined their feelings of belonging and what it was like growing up as teenagers in the 1960s and 1970s. Bruce sings some of "My Hometown."

President Obama and Bruce Springsteen discuss protest songs, reparations, and their relationships with John Lewis and Clarence Clemmons. They reflect on their early experiences with race and racism and the uncomfortable conversations we need to have.

President Obama and Bruce sit down to talk popular music, their early musical influences and memories, and the inspiration behind Springsteen’s Broadway show. They share some of their favorite artists (think: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, and more).

President Obama and Bruce Springsteen discuss the loss of American innocence during the 1960s. They relate on the romance of the open road when young Bruce traveled to see concerts and President Obama road-tripped across the US when he first visited the mainland. They discuss the moments when they settled down, faced domestication, and defined their definition of home.

President Obama and Bruce discuss the relationship between money and economic class, growing up with income inequality. They unpack what it meant to not be aware of your lack of economic privilege/wealth prior to a US economic and cultural shift in the 1980s.

President Obama and Bruce open up about their complicated relationships with their fathers, what it means to be a man, father figures, and role models.

President Obama and Bruce discuss starting their families, the feelings experienced when their children were born, and balancing fatherhood with their careers. They reflect on what they’ve learned from becoming fathers and husbands.

President Obama and Bruce discuss the hope for American unification, they ask themselves what defines cultural appropriation, and Bruce shares memories from when he was writing "Born in the USA."