Someone once said to Paul McCartney that the Beatles were “anti-materialistic.” McCartney had to laugh.
“That’s a huge myth,” he replied. “John and I literally used to sit down and say, ‘Now, let’s write a swimming pool.’ ”
With the “Born in the U.S.A.” album, Springsteen combined political virtue and popular appeal, protest and party time. When he was writing the songs for the album that became “Born in the U.S.A.,” Landau told him that they had a great record, but they still didn’t have a swimming pool. They needed a hit.
“Look, I’ve written seventy songs,” Springsteen replied. “You want another one, you F**ing write it!” Then he sulkily retreated to his hotel suite and wrote “Dancing in the Dark.”
David Remnick, The New Yorker
Springsteen and Us 