Bruce Springsteen wore Levi’s 501 jeans on the cover of his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A.
The album cover, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, shows Springsteen from behind in front of an American flag. His jeans became an instantly recognizable part of the image, linking the 501’s workwear heritage with a major moment in popular music and American cultural imagery.
Born in the U.S.A. was released in 1984 and became Springsteen’s best-selling studio album. The cover is often discussed for its deliberate use of national symbols and for the way the red cap and denim reinforce the album’s visual identity.
The jeans are sometimes casually described simply as Levi’s, but the documented model is the 501. The image is also frequently misread as a straightforward patriotic portrait, even though the album’s songs include complex and critical views of American life.