How does “American Skin (41 Shots)” address the death of Amadou Diallo?

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Bruce Springsteen plays an acoustic guitar and sings into a microphone on stage at the New York Film Festival Spotlight Gala. — Bruce Springsteen American rock musician Bruce Springsteen performs at the New York Film Festival Spotlight Gala at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, 2025. The gala featured a screening of *Deliver Me from Nowhere* (2025), a biopic centering on the making of Springsteen's 1982 album *Nebraska*.

"American Skin (41 Shots)" is a complex exploration of the 1999 death of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed Guinean immigrant who was shot repeatedly by New York City police officers who mistakenly believed he was reaching for a gun when he was actually reaching for his wallet.1

The song serves as a poignant examination of the incident, highlighting the tragic consequences of racial tension and police violence. Its themes gained renewed relevance following the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager, in Florida.1