The song was the final one recorded on Born In The U.S.A., and it served as a method for Springsteen to quiet his manager, Jon Landau. Landau had previously complained to The Boss about the album’s lack of a knockout single that might be a commercial smash.
After Springsteen refused to compromise his values in pursuit of financial achievement, the both got into an altercation. The Boss then returned to his house, dissatisfied with existence as a musician, but coped with his misery in the only thing he knows how – via songs.
When you realize what was going across Springsteen’s mind when he wrote ‘Dancing In The Dark,’ the songs bring on new beginning, and it’s difficult not to experience every syllable he screams all through the isolated version.
On the chorus, The Boss takes aim at the industry, singing fiercely, “You can’t start a fire, You can’t start a fire without a spark, This gun’s for hire, Even if we’re just dancing in the dark.”
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