21 Years Ago Today, Starbucks Banned this Controversial CD

Before you could carry your curated playlists on the Spotify app, there were CDs and Starbucks sold the latest hits at the cash register alongside chocolate-covered espresso beans.

But the US coffee shop chain pulled Bruce Springsteen’s latest album, “Devils and Dust” off the shelf for a surprising reason; adult content.

Devils and Dust

Springsteen returned to his roots in acoustic guitar paired with piano and strings with songs about mothers and fathers, themes of hopes, dreams, and fears.

“All the songs are about people whose souls are in danger or at risk. They all have something eating at them. Some come through successfully and some come to a tragic end,” Springsteen said to Uncut magazine.

Reno

Reno is the song that got the “Adult content” sticker slapped on it. The controversial song includes lyrics set against acoustic strings that details an encounter with a prostitute, featuring explicit references to oral and anal sex, which may have driven sales, but Springteen’s less controversial album sold a lot more.

Born in the U.S.A, which came out in 1984 sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, and produced seven top-10 singles. Dust and Devils is estimated to have told nearly 1 million copies.

The rest of the songs are sentimental and continue powerful narratives. The song Leah includes aspirational ideals, “I wanna build me a house on higher ground. I wanna find me a world where love’s the only sound.

Some songs include a Mexican-sounding trumpet, which harkens back to Johnny Cash.

In the Hitter, Springsteen sings about a crooked boxer whose had a taste of success and then through bad choices, falls on bad times.

The Boss is currently on a North American tour.