Bruce Springsteen has, just days after a triumphant performance at the inauguration, been criticized for selling his greatest hits CD exclusively at Walmart.

In an interview with The New York Times, Bruce Springsteen says he shouldn’t have made a deal with Wal-Mart. This month, the store started exclusively selling a Springsteen greatest-hits CD.

Some fans were critical because Springsteen has been a longtime supporter of worker’s rights, and Wal-Mart has faced criticism for its labour practices. Springsteen’s team didn’t vet the issue as closely as it should have, and that he “dropped the ball on it,” he told the Times for a story to be published in Sunday editions and previewed on its Web site.

Springsteen went on to say: “It was a mistake. Our batting average is usually very good, but we missed that one. Fans will call you on that stuff, as it should be.”

“Millions of Springsteen fans have counted on Wal-Mart over the years to deliver his music into their lives, and we will continue to offer those fans this ‘Greatest Hits’ exclusive and his other popular albums at unbeatable prices,” Wal-Mart said in a statement, adding: “We are proud of the good jobs, benefits and career opportunities we provide to more than 1.4 million U.S. associates who choose to work at Wal-Mart and serve our customers every day.”

AP via New Zealand Herald

Walmart has been criticized for its refusal to recognize unions, and generally bad treatment of low waged employees, particularly by not providing health insurance. They have also been accused of discriminating against women/gays/non-Caucasians. So, generally, they aren’t a popular company to go through. Bruce Springsteen, because of the theme of many of his songs and his background, is considered a voice of the American worker.

While I know Wal-Marts employer-employee relations have much to be desired, should that stop you from selling your product in their stores? Plenty of working class people shop at Wal-Mart, because it offers low prices, often to the detriment of suppliers and local businesses. Kudos to Bruce though – he has admitted that it probably wasn’t the right choice, but there’s little he can do about it now. I guess if you want to protest the best way would be to not shell out the $10.99 for his 12-track greatest hits CD.

In the same interview Bruce talks about singing at Obama’s inauguration.

At a New York City Obama fund-raiser in October that Mr. Springsteen attended, Mr. Obama said, “The reason I’m running for president is because I can’t be Bruce Springsteen.” Mr. Springsteen played “The Rising” at campaign events in battleground states, including a rally in Cleveland two days before the election.

“Once you start doing that kind of writing, it feeds off itself,” Mr. Springsteen said. “You write ‘The Rising’ for this, it gets picked up and used for that, so you end up here. If someone had told me in 2001 that ‘you’re going to sing this song at the inaugural concert for the first African-American president,’ I’d have said, ‘Huh?’ ” He laughed.

“But eight years go by, and that’s where you find yourself. You’re in there, you’re swimming in the current of history and your music is doing the same thing.”

New York Times

If someone had told me while I worked night shift and watched the twin towers fall, that in eight years conservative George Bush would lose to a young (well, young for politics) African-American Democrat, I would have had much the same reaction.

Bruce Springsteen is shown performing at a campaign rally for Obama in Philadelphia on 10/5/08. Credit: WENN

Bruce Springsteen is shown at a Superbowl halftime press conference in Tampa on 1/29/09. Credit: PRPhotos