Songfacts®:

• Springsteen wrote this and gave it to filmmaker Paul Schrader for his 1987 movie starring Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett as a brother and sister who lead a garage band. In 1982 Schrader sent Springsteen a script for a movie called Born In The U.S.A., hoping he would take a role in the film. Bruce declined, but used the title and thanked Schrader on the album's liner notes.
• Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett performed this in the movie. The song was released as a single credited to "The Barbusters" (the name of the group in the film) and it hit #33 in the US. In the movie, the song is a duet with Fox and Jett, but the single was just Jett accompanied by her band, The Blackhearts. Some clever editing was done for the video to show Michael J. Fox but never see him sing.
  
  On this version, Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers played Hammond organ.
• This is one of Springsteen's live favorites. He often performs an inspirational extended version, preaching lines like "I can not offer you eternal life, but I can offer you life right now."
• Bruce performed this at a 1992 concert for MTV. Part of their "Unplugged" series, Springsteen insisted on playing electric and calling it "Plugged." The set was released as an album in England.
• The title was used as the name of a benefit concert Springsteen played at The Stone Pony, a small club in New Jersey, in 2000. Proceeds went to The Parkinson's Disease Foundation. Michael J. Fox, who starred in the movie Light Of Day, has Parkinson's.
• Springsteen performed this with Joan Jett at two benefit concerts in New Jersey in 2001. Proceeds from the shows went to victims of the September 11 attacks.
• In 2000, the Light of Day foundation was formed, taking its name from this song. Music impresario Bob Benjamin started the foundation after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, with proceeds going toward the search for a cure. Benjamin organized a series of concerts to raise money, which proved very successful. Springsteen has performed at many of these events to lend his support.