In November 2025, Bruce Springsteen spoke at the New York Public Library's annual gala, announcing that he wanted to write more political songs. “A writer is at his best when he has something to push against,” he said at the time (via jarts.net). “And these days, in this country, there is a lot for an American writer to push against, and that's what inspires me to do in the future.”
Not long after, Springsteen made good on his promise by releasing “Streets Of Minneapolis,” a new song inspired by the deaths of two local residents at the hands of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, commonly known as Icd. “It is dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors, and to the memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” he said in a statement. “Stay free. Bruce Springsteen.”
The magazine Ultimate Classic Rock has thus decided to dedicate a ranking to what it considers the best political songs by Springsteen, a singer-songwriter who “never backed down from political writing, having grown up admiring the work of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and others”.
“Of course – continues the magazine – there is no single definition of this type of music: you usually recognize it when you hear it. And there are many Springsteen songs that, depending on the interpretation, could be considered political”.
Here is the ranking of Springsteen's best political songs, according to Ultimate Classic Rock (full report here).
1. “Lost in the Flood” – from “Greetings From Asbury Park NJ” (1973)
2. “Born in the USA” – from “Born in the USA” (1984)
3. “Roulette” – B-side (1988)
4. “The Ghost of Tom Joad” – from “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (1995)
5. “Youngstown” – from “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (1995)
6. “American Skin (41 Shots)” – from “Live in New York City” (2001)
7. “Long Walk Home” – from “Magic” (2007)
8. “Jack of All Trades” – from “Wrecking Ball” (2012)
9. “We Take Care of Our Own” – from “Wrecking Ball” (2012)
10. “Death to My Hometown” – from “Wrecking Ball” (2012)
Recently, Bruce Springsteen made a surprise performance in Minneapolis during a fundraising event in memory of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, two citizens killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during recent tensions in the city. The initiative, promoted by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine in the historic First Avenue venue in downtown Minneapolis, had already fueled rumors about the rocker's possible participation in the hours preceding the evening. On stage, Springsteen played with a phrase clearly visible on his guitar: “Arrest the President”, accompanying the audience with an applauded and intense set. Among the songs proposed there were some of his best-known pieces, including “The Ghost of Tom Joad” performed together with Morello, and an evocative version in solo voice and guitar of the new protest song “Streets of Minneapolis”, dedicated precisely to the tragic results of the protests in the city.
Bruce Springsteen released “Streets Of Minneapolis” as a reaction to what he called “state terror being exercised on the city of Minneapolis.” The New Jersey artist dedicated it to the city itself, to our innocent immigrant neighbors and to the memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, the two citizens killed in the street by federal immigration agents.
Listen to the song below.
In a statement, Springsteen said he composed the song last Saturday, recorded it the following day and made it public immediately in response to “the state terror that is affecting the city of Minneapolis.” He wanted to dedicate it to the people of Minneapolis, “to our innocent immigrant neighbors and to the memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good”.
The song, partly acoustic, immediately brings to mind Springsteen's “Streets Of Philadelphia”, his famous song about AIDS used in the soundtrack of the film “Philadelphia”. Here too the setting is bare and painful, but the context is openly political and allows no extenuating circumstances. Springsteen makes no concessions to anyone and unambiguously chants “ICE out now”, transforming the refrain into a protest slogan.
In the text, Minneapolis is described as “a city on fire”, the scene of a clash between “fire and ice under the boots of an occupier”, identified as “King Trump's private army”, i.e. the Department of Homeland Security forces that arrived in the city “to enforce the law” (“A city aflame fought fire and ice/ 'Neath an occupier's boots, King Trump's private army from the DHS./ Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law”). The image is that of a militarized city, treated as hostile territory rather than as a civil community.
Springsteen explicitly mentions and pays homage to the two dead killed by ICE agents, inserting their names into a sung commentary that takes on the tone of an indictment: “Against the smoke and rubber bullets/ At the crack of dawn/ Citizens stood for justice/ Their voices rang out in the night/ And there were bloody footprints/ Where there should have been mercy/ And two dead men left to die on snowy streets/ Alex Pretti and Renee Good” (“Against smoke” and rubber bullets/ By the dawn's early light/ Citizens stood for justice/ Their voices ringing through the night/ And there were bloody footprints/ Where mercy should have stood/ And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets/ Alex Pretti and Renee Good”).
In the next step the target becomes the system and its official narrative. Springsteen dismantles the version of self-defense and contrasts the statements of political leaders with the evidence produced by citizens: “Their claim was self defense, sir/ Don't believe your eyes/ It's our blood and bones/ And these whistles and phones/ Against Miller and Noem's dirty lies.” Everyday technology, telephones and amateur filming become tools of resistance against power and its version of events.
The song ends with a declaration of memory and responsibility: “We'll remember the names of those who died/ On the streets of Minneapolis”).
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
