Band – Atlantic City

I first heard this version on television with the Band playing this song from their new album on David Letterman. I knew right away they picked the perfect song for them. It’s probably the best track they had since Robbie’s departure.

A decade earlier I bought the Nebraska album when it was released after I saw the video for this song. Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded that album on a Tascam 4-track machine as a demo for the band. He tried to do the songs with the E-Street band, but they didn’t sound as good as the demo.

After carrying the cassette around in his pocket for weeks, they mastered it and made the Nebraska album…it was the demo. The album was only Bruce with an acoustic guitar with overdubs by him. It’s one of my all-time favorite songs and albums by Bruce… It’s a very powerful album. I didn’t ever think someone would cover any of those songs but The Band put their own spin on Atlantic City and it works.

On their album Jericho, The Band covered this song. This was The Band long after Robbie Robertson had left. Richard Manuel was dead by this point so you had Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson of the original band left. Levon’s voice fits this song so well that it’s a toss-up which version I like the best.

A book came out in 2021 claiming that someone offered The Band 3 million dollars to reunite with Robbie Robertson for 20 or so shows in 1993 when Jericho was released. The plan fizzled out but that would have been interesting.

The first line, “They blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night,” was taken from a newspaper article about a mob hit in Atlantic City. The “Chicken Man” was Phil Testa, the number two man in the Philadelphia Mob under Angelo Bruno.

After Bruno was murdered in his car, Testa was blown up by a bomb placed under his front porch. These hits were orchestrated by Nicky Scarfo, who took over the Philly boys so he could control the new Atlantic City gambling rackets. He made such a mess of things that he and most of his crew were either murdered or in jail within a few years.

Jericho peaked at #166 on the Billboard Album Charts and #50 in Canada in 1993. Atlantic City by the Band peaked at #37 in Canada.

Atlantic City

Well, they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night
And they blew up his house, too
Down on the boardwalk they’re ready for a fight
Gonna see what them racket boys can do

Now there’s trouble busin’ in from outta state
And the D.A. can’t get no relief
Gonna be a rumble on the promenade
And the gamblin’ commissioner’s hangin’ on by the skin of his teeth

Everything dies, baby, that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies some day comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Well, I got a job and I put my money away
But I got the kind of debts that no honest man can pay
So I drew out what I had from the Central Trust
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus

Everything dies, baby, that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies some day comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold
But with you forever I’ll stay
We’ll be goin’ out where the sand turns to gold
But put your stockings on, ’cause it might get cold

Oh, everything dies, baby, that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies some day comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Now I’ve been a-lookin’ for a job, but it’s hard to find
There’s winners and there’s losers and I’m south of the line
Well, I’m tired of gettin’ caught out on the losin’ end
But I talked to a man last night, gonna do a little favor for him

Well, everything dies, baby, that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies some day comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Oh, meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Oh, meet me tonight in Atlantic City

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

26 thoughts on “Band – Atlantic City”

  1. The crime activity was of course already alive and well in A/C when the casino approval made “team” leaders push all their chips to the middle as it was, and this song was quite appropriate.

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    1. Without Robbie it is different. From everything I’ve read…Robbie was actually interested in a 20 gig or so tour. That would have been interesting but you still would not have had Richard.
      They did this song justice i have to say.

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  5. Weird, I have no recollection of that album & didn’t know The Band covered it. It fits them, could well have been written by them & Bruce was probably pretty pleased to have The Band covering his song. But as Randy suggests, not QUITE the Band. It’s like the flip side to Robertson’s ’80s solo albums- good, a bit reminiscent of the Band but not quite the same without the others.

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  6. Seeing that live cut just makes me miss these guys more. Even though there were two original members missing Rick, Garth (that accordion just makes it) and Levon own this tune. Being a Bruce nut I thought it was so cool that these guys covered this tune. Perfect fit. It’s a Band song (and a Bruce song) now.
    Side note. I didnt find out until years later that the Chicken Man did get blown up in Philly. Pete Dexter one of my favorite authors wrote about it. Love that opening lyric. Dexter, Bruce and the Band. Winning combo in my circle.

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    1. You are right…it sounds like they could have done it on the Stage Fright album…it sounded like them…
      I to thought The Chicken Man was a figment of Bruce’s imagination until I saw a doc on youtube about the guy.

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  7. I understand “Nebraska” is a favorite among many Springsteen fans. For the longest time, this album didn’t speak to me. I’ve since started to appreciate it more, though I still wouldn’t put it among my favorites.

    I like the Band’s rendition of “Atlantic City”. To me, it has a bit of a Louisiana/Cajun flavor, which I find intriguing.

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    1. It’s not an album that you just listen to once and say…hey I love this! It’s depressing but the more you hear it the more it catches on.
      I do like this version a lot.

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      1. That’s for sure. I still remember when I checked out “Nebraska” for the first time and thought, ‘gee, why do all these Springsteen fans dig such a bleak album?’ The contrast to “Born to Run”, “The River” and “Born in the U.S.A.”, which to me were immediate winners, couldn’t have been bigger!

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      3. I think part of my challenge with “Nebraska” has been the way I traditionally approach music, which is focusing on melody, sound and groove before paying attention to lyrics. In the case of Nebraska, it seems to me the lyrics are key to the picture Springsteen wanted to paint.

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      4. It was basically a demo…on cassette tape…the songs are wonderful but yea…the production leaves a lot to be desired…but I do like it.

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  9. The backstory is fascinating here although Springsteen’s original can’t be touched IMHO by the band’s version. I think Nebraska was my least listened-to Bruce record in my youth. I should listen to it again. Perhaps I’ll find more there in my older-age. Cheers Max.

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  10. Pingback: Atlantic City (1982) – Bruce Springsteen | Observation Blogger

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