Bruce Springsteen's iconic hit Born In The USA 'is censored by UK radio station for controversial lyric'
The 1984 song, which is considered to critique racism during the Vietnam War, contains the phrase 'yellow man', considered a derogatory term for an Asian person.
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By SEAN O'GRADY, SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER
Published: 09:50 GMT, 10 January 2026 | Updated: 20:00 GMT, 10 January 2026
Bruce Springsteen's beloved song Born In The USA has reportedly been censored on UK radio, with a controversial phrase removed.
The 1984 song, which is considered to critique racism during the Vietnam War, contains the phrase 'yellow man', seen as a derogatory term for an Asian person.
On the track, Springsteen sings: 'So they put a rifle in my hands, sent me off to a foreign land, to go and kill the yellow man, Born in the USA.'
According to The Sun, Absolute Radio will censor the phrase when the song is played on their station.
Born In The USA is one of Springsteen's best known songs and portrays a disillusioned Vietnam veteran's alienation after the war.
The track was ranked 275th on Rolling Stones' list of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.
Bruce Springsteen's beloved song Born In The USA has reportedly been censored on UK radio, with a controversial phrase removed
The 1984 song, which is considered to critique racism during the Vietnam War, contains the phrase 'yellow man', seen as a derogatory term for an Asian person
Springsteen's album of the same name has sold over 30million copies, making it one of the bestselling albums of all time.
The Daily Mail has contacted Bauer Media, which owns Absolute Radio, for comment.
The censoring of Born In The USA comes after BBC Radio 2 changed the Spice Girls' 1997 song Spice Up Your Life which contains the lyric: 'Yellow man in Timbuktu'.
The station removed the word 'yellow' when they played the song.
Last year, Jeremy Allen White starred as Springsteen in the film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere which follows the singer's struggles during the conception of his 1982 album Nebraska.
Springsteen had nothing but good things to say about Jeremy Allen White at a screening of Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere at the New York Film Festival.
The Boss took the stage following the showing of the biopic that details his struggle with depression while crafting the record.