 At other times, Springsteen dropped the upbeat chorus, singing only the verses and forcing his audience to hear the dark story of the veteran. When the U.S. invasion of Iraq loomed in 2003, he told his audience the song was a prayer for peace. NPR's Lauren Onke says the complexity of Born in the USA is why it endures. Born in the USA is an anthem for me in that it describes the ambiguities and challenges of the country that I have grown up in.