American Skin

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"American Skin (41 Shots)" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen, inspired by the police shooting death of Amadou Diallo. The song was written following the band's reunion tour during the Spring 2001 sessions, the first studio sessions for Springsteen and the E Street Band since 1995.

Springsteen first performed it in concert in Atlanta on June 4, 2000, the final concert before the tour's final 10-show run at New York City's Madison Square Garden, where it was also featured. The performance led to some controversy in New York City, where the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association called for a boycott of Springsteen's shows. It was most recently played in Tampa, Florida; Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC; Buffalo,NY; San Jose and once again at Madison Square Garden;and at the Palace of Auburn Hills near Detroit, Michigan in the longest show of his 2012 tour, allegedly responding to the shooting of Trayvon Martin. ^[1]

The song was first released as a live version on Live in New York City album and appeared a few years later on The Essential Bruce Springsteen however in April 2001, a studio version of the song was released as a very rare U.S.-only 1-track radio promotional single on CD-R.^[2]A music video featuring the performance from the New York City show was released in 2001 and directed by Jonathan Demme.

References

External links

• American Skin (41 Shots) - Lyrics on Bruce Springsteen's site
• American Skin (41 Shots) - Lyrics (several versions) and detailed info
• "American Skin (41 Shots)" Live in Tampa, FL 03/23/12

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