Even as his fame and wealth have soared over the decades, Bruce Springsteen has retained the voice of the working class' balladeer, often weighing in on politics - most notably when he was a regular presence on Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
This month, though, his music and public statements have ended up as particularly pointed and contentious.
At a concert in Manchester, England, Springsteen denounced President Donald Trump's politics, calling him an "unfit president" leading a "rogue government" of people who have "no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American."
"The America I love, the America I've written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration," Springsteen said in words that he included on a digital EP he released a few days later. A few more days later, he began another gig with the nonpolitical but saliently titled track "No Surrender."
Trump shot back and called Springsteen highly overrated. "Never liked him, never liked his music or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy - just a pushy, obnoxious JERK," he wrote on social media.