Bruce Springsteen has hit out at the people who have branded him a “phony patriot”.

In an interview with The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart for

Rolling Stone, Springsteen spoke out against critics who persist on putting labels on his music.

The singer, who recently celebrated his ninth Number One album with ‘Wrecking Ball’, said he wouldn’t conform or baulk under the pressure from others to change what he writes about or tone down his political views.

Springsteen told Jon Stewart: “Lately, it seems as if the polarisation of the country has gotten so extreme that people want to force you into being either a phony ‘patriot’ or an ‘apologist’.”

He added: “Nuanced political dialogue or creative expression seems like it’s been hamstrung by the decay of political speech and it’s infantilised our national discourse. I can’t go for that and I won’t write that way.”

Speaking about ‘We Take Care Of Our Own’, the first single to be taken off Wrecking Ball’, Springsteen said it was written to “challenge and ask questions”. He also admitted his new album was a continuation of the themes and philosophy’s he’s advanced over the last 30 years.

Last week Bruce Springsteen gave the keynote speech at SXSW, where he told the crowd that he first picked up a guitar after being inspired by “the passion in Elvis’ pants”.