Song 12: Youngstown
Written: 1995
Subject Matter:
Youngstown, Ohio was a city in Northeastern Ohio that, from the 1920s to the 1960s, was a major steel producer. However, after 1960, cities such as Youngstown found that, to survive, they must be economically diverse. Unlike other industrial centers of the time, Youngstown had virtually no other source of income than the steel industry. Many people, like the narrator of the song, lost their jobs when the steel plants closed because of economic problems.
Storytelling: Springsteen is another, like Seal, who's good at feeling a story they're not really intimately involved in. The song was written way after the decline of the steel industry, but Springsteen sings as if nothing ever affected him like this. An interesting note: "Sweet Jenny" in the song is actually the Jeanette Blast Furnace in the Youngstown Steel and Tube Company. Apparently, the fact that Springsteen is singing to a furnace rather than a girl changes the meaning of the song, but I'm really not sure how.
My Thoughts:
This song is one of the more difficult to understand out of the pack. I'm still not sure I really understand it, but I like it a lot.
What can we learn?: As globalization reached America, cities like Youngstown faced the challenge of diversification. In a world where one can order steel from many different places, the industry in Youngstown may have been outsourced. With no other great source of revenue, the city stagnated. In this light, it's easy to see that globalization directly affected the lives of many Americans.
Sources:
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