Rock star Bruce Springsteen accompanies himself on the guitar while singing the hit song "Born in the U.S.A." as he completed his world tour at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in late September 1985. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)

It's Fourth of July weekend, and if you're not at a barbecue where The Boss is blasting on the stereo, you're: 1. Definitely not in New Jersey and 2. At the wrong party.

Now, before we go full throttle into a Bruce Springsteen love fest, let's get one thing out of the way. While "Born In The U.S.A." may sound like a patriotic ode to 'Merica, it's actually much darker than that. Springsteen wrote the song about a working-class Vietnam veteran who feels isolated from the government and his fellow countrymen. In a 1984 Rolling Stone interview, Springsteen revealed that he thought "the country took advantage of their [Vietnam Veterans'] selflessness."

Buuuuut that's pretty heavy for a July Fourth celebration, so let's resume with 10 times Bruce made us feel proud to be born in the U.S.A:

When he absolutely crushed his performance at our nation's favorite unofficial holiday, the Super Bowl, in 2009:

And did a full on knee-slide into the camera, because he just doesn't care:

When he bestowed upon us the hottest Americana album cover this world has ever seen in 1984:

And again with the hottest Rolling Stone cover, on which he was named the voice of the decade:

When he casually chilled with President Obama and Jay Z like it was no biggie before a rally in Columbus:

When he carried the weight of a child on his shoulders (no, really):

When he most literally inspired this girl's entire life:

When he auctioned the shirt and guitar off his back and raised $160,000 for injured veterans:

When he proved he's still got it by crowd surfing into the audience:

And then chugging a fan's beer because, well, he can: