God have mercy on the man Who doubts what he’s sure of
I was 20 years old when I heard that lyric for the first time and a chill went through me. Brilliant Disguise I would play over and over again.
Springsteen sings this from the viewpoint of a man who is conflicted over a romantic relationship. Although he claims the song is not directly about him, Springsteen was having problems in his marriage to his first wife, Julianne Phillips, and they divorced soon after.
This was the first single off Tunnel Of Love, an album Springsteen recorded in his home studio in New Jersey. Tunnel of Love is one of my favorite albums by Springsteen. The album peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts, Canada, and the UK.
The song peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100, #9 in Canada, and #20 in the UK in 1987.
Bruce Springsteen: “I guess it sounds like a song of betrayal – who’s that person sleeping next to me, who am I? Do I know enough about myself to be honest with that person? But a funny thing happens: songs shift their meanings when you sing them, they shift their meanings in time, they shift their meanings with who you sing them with. When you sing this song with someone you love, it turns into something else.”
Brilliant Disguise
I hold you in my arms As the band plays What are those words whispered baby Just as you turn away I saw you last night Out on the edge of town I wanna read your mind To know just what I’ve got in this new thing I’ve found So tell me what I see When I look in your eyes Is that you baby Or just a brilliant disguise
I heard somebody call your name From underneath our willow I saw something tucked in shame Underneath your pillow Well I’ve tried so hard baby But I just can’t see What a woman like you Is doing with me So tell me who I see When I look in your eyes Is that you baby Or just a brilliant disguise
Now look at me baby Struggling to do everything right And then it all falls apart When out go the lights I’m just a lonely pilgrim I walk this world in wealth I want to know if it’s you I don’t trust ‘Cause I damn sure don’t trust myself
Now you play the loving woman I’ll play the faithful man But just don’t look too close Into the palm of my hand We stood at the alter The gypsy swore our future was right But come the wee wee hours Well maybe baby the gypsy lied So when you look at me You better look hard and look twice Is that me baby Or just a brilliant disguise
Tonight our bed is cold I’m lost in the darkness of our love God have mercy on the man Who doubts what he’s sure of
Bruce Springsteen wrote this and gave it to filmmaker Paul Schrader for his 1987 movie starring Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett as a brother and sister who lead a garage band.
Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett performed this in the movie. The song was released as a single credited to “The Barbusters” the name of the group in the film. The song is a duet with Fox and Jett, but the single was just Jett accompanied by her band, The Blackhearts.
Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played Hammond organ on this song. Light Of Day peaked at #33 in the Billboard 100 in 1987. From Songfacts
This is one of Springsteen’s live favorites. He often performs an inspirational extended version, preaching lines like “I can not offer you eternal life, but I can offer you life right now.”
Bruce performed this at a 1992 concert for MTV. Part of their “Unplugged” series, Springsteen insisted on playing electric and calling it “Plugged.” The set was released as an album in England.
The title was used as the name of a benefit concert Springsteen played at The Stone Pony, a small club in New Jersey, in 2000. Proceeds went to The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Michael J. Fox, who starred in the movie Light Of Day, has Parkinson’s.
Springsteen performed this with Joan Jett at two benefit concerts in New Jersey in 2001. Proceeds from the shows went to victims of the September 11 attacks.
In 2000, the Light of Day foundation was formed, taking its name from this song. Music impresario Bob Benjamin started the foundation after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, with proceeds going toward the search for a cure. Benjamin organized a series of concerts to raise money, which proved very successful. Springsteen has performed at many of these events to lend his support.
Light Of Day
Well I’ve been out of the woods for six days and nights now Well I’m a little hot wired, but I’m feeling alright I got some money in my pocket and a long lean ride I got to make it down to Galveston by Saturday night, now
Well I’m a little down under, but I’m feeling O.K. Got a little lost along the way
I’m just around the corner to the light of day Well, I’m just around the corner to the light of day
Been driving five hundred miles, got five hundred to go, yeah I got rock and roll music on the radio I got a brother on a rig just off the gulf coast He says the girls down there, well they’re really the most, man
Well I’m a little down under, but I’m feeling O.K. I got a little lost along the way
Just around the corner to the light of day Just around the corner to the light of day I’m just around the corner to the light of day I’m just around the corner to the light of day
Well I got thrown out of work on the Kokomo Don’t ask me what I’m doing, I don’t know I hope he wasn’t joking when he wrote me that letter Things can’t get any worse, they got to get better
Well I’m a little down under, but I’m feeling O.K. I got a little lost along the way
I’m just around the corner to the light of day Just around the corner to the light of day Just around the corner to the light of day Just around the corner to the light of day
It’s just nobody knows baby where love goes But when it goes it’s gone gone
I was reading posts a while back and Vinyl Burn reviewed the album Tunnel Of Love. That brought back a lot of memories of that album…and this song. This was the studio follow up to the huge Born in the USA album. Bruce had married actress Julianne Phillips in 1985 and she filed for divorce in 1988…a year after the release of Tunnel of Love. The album reflects some of the turmoil that was going on.
He later toured after the album was released and the E-Street Band backed him up as usual. After the tour, Bruce told the band that he would not need them for the foreseeable future. It wouldn’t be until 10 years later in 1999 that they would regroup and tour again.
I saw Bruce in 1996 on a solo acoustic tour and he played this song and it was the only song he played off of Tunnel of Love.
The album was released in 1987. Tunnel of Love peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Chart, #1 in Canada, #1 in the UK. It peaked at #6 in New Zealand.
The song was not released as a single.
When You’re Alone
Times were tough love was not enough So you said sorry Johnny I’m gone gone gone You said my act was funny But we both knew what was missing honey So you let out on your own Now that pretty form that you’ve got baby Will make sure you get along But you’re gonna find out someday honey
When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you ain’t nothing but alone
Now I was young and pretty on the mean streets of the city And I fought to make ’em my home With just the shirt on my back I left and swore I’d never look back And man I was gone gone gone But there’s things that’ll knock you down you don’t even see coming And send you crawling like a baby back home You’re gonna find out that day sugar
When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you ain’t nothing but alone
I knew someday your runnin’ would be through And you’d think back on me and you And your love would be strong You’d forget all the bad and think only of all the laughs that we had And you’d want to come home Now it ain’t hard feelings or nothin’ sugar That ain’t what’s got me singing this song It’s just nobody knows baby where love goes But when it goes it’s gone gone
When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you’re alone When you’re alone you ain’t nothing but alone
But they can’t touch me now And you can’t touch me now They ain’t gonna do to me What I watched them do to you
Great song by Bruce Springsteen that was written and recorded in 1977 for the Darkness on the Edge of Town album…but Bruce later included it on The River. They Ain’t Gonna Do To Me What I Watched Them Do To You. Lines like this keep me coming back to Bruce. This is one of the strongest songs on that album and one of my favorites of Springsteen.
According to Bruce’s autobiography and his song introduction, this song is about Springsteen’s relationship with his dad. They didn’t get along, but later in life, Bruce realized his father worked very hard to support his family and came to appreciate his efforts. Bruce can also thank his dad for inspiring the rebellious spirit that led him to follow his dreams. Determined not to work a typical factory type job like his dad, Springsteen followed his dreams and made music for a living.
Bruce Springsteen: “I could never talk to my old man, he could never talk to me, my mother couldn’t talk to him. So I was glad when I finally got old enough and I started to live alone. Then for about ten years I never saw my folks that much. And just recently we came back from Europe and I got a phone call a night or two later that my father had gotten sick.
I went out to California where he was in the hospital there. I started thinkin’ on the way about all the things that I always wanted to say to him and I never said and I always figured, well, someday we’ll sit down and we’ll talk about why it was the way it was when I was young, talk about why he felt the way he did. But the years go by and it never comes up. I guess it feels like a dangerous subject or something. But he got sick and I realized that he was gettin’ old and that if I had somethin’ to say to him, I should say it now.”
Independence Day
Well Papa go to bed now it’s getting late Nothing we can say is gonna change anything now I’ll be leaving in the morning from Saint Mary’s Gate We wouldn’t change this thing even if we could somehow ‘Cause the darkness of this house has got the best of us There’s a darkness in this town that’s got us too But they can’t touch me now And you can’t touch me now They ain’t gonna do to me What I watched them do to you
So say goodbye it’s Independence Day It’s Independence Day All down the line Just say goodbye it’s Independence Day It’s Independence Day this time
Now I don’t know what it always was with us We chose the words, and yeah, we drew the lines There was just no way this house could hold the two of us I guess that we were just too much of the same kind
Well say goodbye it’s Independence Day It’s Independence Day all boys must run away So say goodbye it’s Independence Day All men must make their way come Independence Day
Now the rooms are all empty down at Frankie’s joint And the highway she’s deserted down to Breaker’s Point There’s a lot of people leaving town now Leaving their friends, their homes At night they walk that dark and dusty highway all alone
Well Papa go to bed now it’s getting late Nothing we can say can change anything now Because there’s just different people coming down here now And they see things in different ways And soon everything we’ve known will just be swept away
So say goodbye it’s Independence Day Papa now I know the things you wanted that you could not say But won’t you just say goodbye it’s Independence Day I swear I never meant to take those things away
I bought the Nebraska album when it was released when I saw the video for this song. Bruce recorded this 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 just didn’t sound as good as the demo.
The album was only Bruce with an acoustic guitar with overdubs by him. It’s one of my favorite all-time favorite songs and albums by Bruce.
The Band covered this song in 1993, years after Robbie Robertson left. I like this version just as well as Bruce’s original. Levon Helm does a great job on the vocals.
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, 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.
The Nebraska album peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100, #3 in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand in 1982.
From Songfacts
Atlantic City is a very poor city in New Jersey where gambling is legal. When casinos were built there in the early ’80s, it was supposed to revitalize the city. The casinos made it a popular tourist destination, but the city itself continues to be very run-down. There is a stark contrast between the glamorous casinos on the boardwalk and the city itself. Atlantic City is also a haven for organized crime, and it’s implied that the narrator, who struggles with his finances and ruminates on the inevitability of death, as taken a job as a hit man.
This was the first Springsteen song to be made into a video (unless you count live performance clips), but Bruce does not appear in it. Springsteen had no interest in making concept videos, but an executive at his label, Columbia Records, named Arnold Levine knew that Bruce could benefit from exposure on MTV and put together the clip using footage of Atlantic City. MTV was based in New York and run by radio veterans who were big fans of Springsteen, so the video got some airplay on the network, which was trying to stick to a rock format in 1982.
This is the only track from Nebraska included on Springsteen’s Greatest Hits album.
The title and many of the images are shared with a 1981 Louis Malle movie starring Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon.
Springsteen recorded this as a demo on a 4-track tape recorder in his house. After trying it with the band, he decided this and the other songs that would make up Nebraska sounded best as he originally recorded them.
The version on the album is acoustic, but the plugged-in live version is a concert favorite.
Other songs Springsteen wrote about his home state of New Jersey towns include “Freehold” and “Fourth Of July, Asbury Park.” He is wildly popular there.
This was released as a single in Europe, but not the US.
Springsteen recorded three takes, each with slightly different lyrics, on the tape he gave his manager which became Nebraska.
Since Springsteen did not tour for Nebraska, the first time this was played in concert was on the Born In The U.S.A. tour two years later.
When Bruce Springsteen toured with The Seeger Sessions Band in 2006, they played a drastically different arrangement of this song with multiple outros. This can be heard on the 2007 album Live in Dublin.
Atlantic City
Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last Night now they blew up his house too Down on the boardwalk they’re gettin’ 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 out on the promenade and The gamblin’ commission’s hangin’ on by the skin of its teeth
[CHORUS:] Everything dies baby that’s a fact But maybe everything that dies someday comes back Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Well I got a job and tried to put my money away But I got in too deep and I could not pay So I drew what I had from the Central Trust And I bough us two tickets on that Coast City bus
[CHORUS:]
Now our luck may have died and out love may Be cold but with you forever I’ll stay We’re goin’ out where the sand’s turnin’ to gold So put on your stockin’s ’cause the night’s getting’ cold and maybe everything dies That’s a fact but maybe everything that dies Someday comes back
Now I been lookin’ for a job but it’s hard to find Down here it’s just winners and losers and Don’t get caught on the wrong side of that line Well I’m tired of comin’ out on the losin’ end So honey last night I met this guy and I’m Gonna do a little favor for him Well I guess everything dies baby that’s a fact But maybe everything that dies someday Comes back Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Yet another hit off of Born in the USA. It took me a little longer to get into this one. This was intially my least favorite song on the Born in the USA album. It grew on me because of the guitar.
Springsteen wrote this for Donna Summer, but decided to keep it for himself after recording the demo. A fan of the disco diva, Springsteen gave her a song called “Protection.”
Cover Me would have fit Donna Summer perfectly. The song peaked at #7 in the Billboard 100, #16 in the UK, #12 in Canada, and #7 in New Zealand in 1984.
Arthur Brown did a remix of Cover Me and Bruce liked it so much that he started to adapt parts of it live. This version peaked at #11 in the Billboard Dance/Club Charts in 1984.
The Arthur Baker Remix
Cover Me
The times are tough now, just getting tougher This whole world is rough, it’s just getting rougher Cover me, come on baby, cover me Well I’m looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me
Now promise me baby you won’t let them find us Hold me in your arms, let’s let our love blind us Cover me, shut the door and cover me I’m looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me
Outside’s the rain, the driving snow I can hear the wild wind blowing Turn out the light, bolt the door I ain’t going out there no more
This whole world is out there just trying to score I’ve seen enough I don’t wanna see any more, Cover me, come on in and cover me I’m looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me
Outside’s the rain, the driving snow I can hear the wild wind blowing Turn out the light, bolt the door I ain’t going out there no more
This whole world is out there just trying to score I’ve seen enough I ain’t gonna see any more, Cover me, wrap you arms around and cover me Well I’m looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me Ah looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me Yeah I’m looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me
This will close out the Born in the USA weekend but I’ll cover the other songs soon. This one I really think would have been a hit if they would have released it as a single…but that can be said about a few other ones also.
This song was really poignant when I heard it because I was about to graduate and I was starting to say goodbye to a lot of classmates that I knew I’d never see again.
This was written as a farewell message to guitarist Steven Van Zandt, who left the E Street Band during the recording of Born In The U.S.A. to pursue other projects. Van Zandt returned to the band years later.
From Songfacts
Springsteen called this “a good song about youthful friendship.”
In this song, Springsteen sings from the perspective of guy going to visit someone important to him, only to find that this person – Bobby Jean – has left town. Many assumed that Bobby Jean was a girl, which changes the storyline considerably. This interpretation plays out in the 1995 Nick Hornby book High Fidelity, where the main character, a record store clerk, says: “There’s this Springsteen song, ‘Bobby Jean,’ off Born In The U.S.A. About a girl who’s left town years before and he’s pissed off because he didn’t know about it, and he wanted to say goodbye, tell her that he missed her, and wish her good luck. Well, I’d like my life to be like a Springsteen song. Just once.”
The book was adapted into a movie in 2000, starring John Cusack. Springsteen appears in the film in a dream sequence; this was his first time acting in a movie. In this scene, he closes by telling Cusack, “Good luck, goodbye,” echoing the last line of this song. The song itself is not named in the film though.
Bobby Jean
Well, I came to your house the other day Your mother said you went away She said there was nothing that I could have done There was nothing nobody could say Me and you, we’ve known each other ever since we were sixteen I wished I could have known I wished I could have called you Just to say goodbye, Bobby Jean
Now, you hung with me when all the others Turned away, turned up their nose We liked the same music, we liked the same bands We liked the same clothes We told each other that we were the wildest The wildest things we’d ever seen Now I wished you would have told me I wished I could have talked to you Just to say goodbye, Bobby Jean
Now, we went walking in the rain, Talking about the pain that from the world we hid Now there ain’t nobody, nowhere, nohow Gonna ever understand me the way you did Maybe you’ll be out there on that road somewhere In some bus or train traveling along In some motel room there’ll be a radio playing And you’ll hear me sing this song Well, if you do, you’ll know I’m thinking of you And all the miles in between And I’m just calling you one last time Not to change your mind, but just to say I miss you, baby Good luck, goodbye, Bobby Jean
Glory Days is a true story. In this song, Springsteen sings about a chance encounter with an old friend who was a star baseball player in high school. The old friend is Joe DePugh, and the encounter really did happen.
Springsteen and DePugh were classmates at St. Rose of Lima School in Freehold, New Jersey and played baseball together in the Babe Ruth League. They were good friends but drifted apart as Springsteen pursued music while DePugh took a shot at sports (he tried out for the Los Angeles Dodgers). In the summer of 1973, DePugh was walking into a bar called the Headliner in Neptune, New Jersey while Springsteen was walking out.
Bruce went back in, where he and his old friend talked about the good old days until the bar closed. When “Glory Days” was released, DePugh was living in Vermont, where word got out that he was the subject of the song. Springsteen confirmed the story at his 30th high school reunion in 1997, but DePugh wasn’t there; they finally met up again in 2005 when they met for lunch and once again relived their glory days.
The song peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100, #17 in Canada, #34 in New Zealand, and #17 in the UK in 1985. The song was released in 1984 and really popular through 1985 and remains popular to this day.
If you want to read about Joe DePugh here is a link:
This is one of Springsteen’s favorites. He almost always plays it at the impromptu bar gigs he is famous for on the Jersey Shore.
In concert, Springsteen often extends this to over 10 minutes. Perhaps the most compact version he ever played was at halftime of the 2009 Super Bowl, when he squeezed four songs into a 12-minute set.
Springsteen: “The first verse actually happened, the second verse mostly happened, the third verse, of course, is happening now.”
Originally, this contained a fourth verse which mentioned Springsteen’s father working on the Ford assembly line.
Springsteen performed this June 25, 1993 on the last David Letterman Show on NBC. Letterman is a huge fan but had never had Springsteen on. Bruce did go on the show a few more times after it moved to CBS.
This was one of seven US Top 10 hits on Born In The U.S.A. The band first recorded it in 1982, but it was not released until the album came out.
The video was directed by John Sayles, who also did Springsteen’s promos for “Born In The U.S.A.” and “I’m On Fire.” In the video, Springsteen plays a cross between the character telling the story and the guy he’s singing about.
The full version of the video starts with Springsteen working construction (in real life he never had a job outside of music). In his reverie, he recalls his days playing baseball. Amid the scenes where the E Street Band is playing the song in a bar (Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey), we see him reminiscing with his glove and trophies from the glory days. At the end of the video Springsteen is on the field pitching to his son until his wife comes by in a station wagon to pick them up. It’s pretty clear that Springsteen was never much of a pitcher – his form is terrible. He was a right fielder when he played.
Julianne Phillips, who was Springsteen’s wife at the time, plays that role in the video, appearing in just one shot where she comes to get her boys. Patti Scialfa, who became the next Mrs. Springsteen in 1991, had joined the E Street Band in 1984 and gets a lot more face time in the clip.
On the day Springsteen released his album The Rising, he played a concert on The Today Show. This was the only song he played that was not on the new album.
Glory Days
I had a friend was a big baseball player Back in high school He could throw that speedball by you Make you look like a fool boy Saw him the other night at this roadside bar I was walking in, he was walking out We went back inside sat down had a few drinks But all he kept talking about was
Glory days, well, they’ll pass you by Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye Glory days, glory days
Well there’s a girl that lives up the block Back in school she could turn all the boy’s heads Sometimes on a Friday I’ll stop by And have a few drinks after she put her kids to bed Her and her husband Bobby well they split up I guess it’s two years gone by now We just sit around talking about the old times, She says when she feels like crying She starts laughing thinking about
Glory days, well, they’ll pass you by Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye Glory days, glory days
Think I’m going down to the well tonight And I’m going to drink till I get my fill And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it But I probably will Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture A little of the glory of, well time slips away And leaves you with nothing mister but Boring stories of
Glory days, well, they’ll pass you by Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye Glory days, glory days Yeah, they’ll pass you by Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye Glory days, glory days
A lot of memories connected with this song. Summer of 1985. I never got into much trouble in high school…never got caught making mischief anyway… but I did have this adventure after graduation. I was driving to Florida with 3 other guys with this song blasting out with 140 bucks in my pocket…to Cocoa Beach Florida…15 hours away. I was the rich one on this trip.
A bunch of guys that just graduated and acting stupid. We learned if you tilted a coke machine (those back then) cokes would stream out. Funny how you try things out when you are 18 and stupid. We filled a couple of coolers up with them. It’s a wonder we weren’t caught or crushed by all of those machines. We also halfway wrecked a hotel room (tv was bolted down thank goodness) and dreaded getting back home where we would have to begin…gulp…life. No, I never tilted another coke machine, wrecked a hotel room, or anything like it again. 4 guys in a Toyota Celica for 15 hours…not comfortable but when you are 18…fun all the same…now I’d be in traction after such a trip.
There are certain songs that take you back to a time. Walking On Sunshine, Glory Days, and Darlington County all connect me with that trip. Back to the song! This is one of the very few on the album that wasn’t a hit…but it’s just as good as many of the others.
Bruce originally wrote this for his 1978 album Darkness On The Edge Of Town, but it didn’t make the cut. The riff in the song reminds me of Cadillac Ranch that was on The River album.
The song resolves itself in the end with the narrater’s buddy in trouble.
Driving out of Darlington County My eyes seen the glory of the coming of the Lord Driving out of Darlington County Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford
Darlington County
Driving in to Darlington County Me and Wayne on the Fourth of July Driving in to Darlington County Looking for some work on the county line We drove down from New York City Where the girls are pretty but they just want to know your name Driving in to Darlington City Got a union connection with an uncle of Wayne’s We drove eight hundred miles without seeing a cop We got rock and roll music blasting off the T-top, singing
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Hey little girl, standing on the corner Today’s your lucky day for sure, all right Me and my buddy, we’re from New York City We got two hundred dollars, we want to rock all night Well girl, you’re looking at two big spenders Why, the world don’t know what me and Wayne might do Our pa’s each own one of the World Trade Centers For a kiss and a smile, I’ll give mine all to you Come on baby, take a seat on my fender It’s a long night, and tell me, what else were you gonna do? Just me and you, we could
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Little girl, sitting in the window Ain’t seen my buddy in seven days, play it boys County man tells me the same thing He don’t work and he don’t get paid
Little girl, you’re so young and pretty Walk with me and you can have your way And we’ll leave this Darlington City For a ride down that Dixie Highway
Driving out of Darlington County My eyes seen the glory of the coming of the Lord Driving out of Darlington County Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la Sha la la, sha la la la la Sha la la la, la la la
Get your bandanas ready…this weekend I’m going to cover some of the Born In The USA album by Bruce Springsteen. We will start off with the title track.
Springsteen wrote this about the problems Vietnam veterans encountered when they returned to America. Vietnam was the first war the US didn’t win, and while veterans of other wars received a hero’s welcome, those who fought in Vietnam were mostly ignored when they returned to their homeland.
The other song that has someone really ripping the vocals is “Twist and Shout” sung by John Lennon with the Beatles.
The song peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, #1 in New Zealand, #11 in Canada, and #5 in the UK in 1985. This is the first song and title track to one of the most popular albums ever…Born In The U.S.A. sold over 18 million copies.
I remember back in the 80s Chrysler offered Springsteen $12 million to use this in an ad campaign with Bruce… Springsteen turned them down so they used “The Pride Is Back” by Kenny Rogers instead. Springsteen has never let his music be used to sell products.
From Songfacts
The original title was “Vietnam.” The director Paul Schrader sent Springsteen a script for a movie called Born In The U.S.A., about a rock band struggling with life and religion. This gave Bruce the idea for the new title. Unfortunately for Schrader, when he was finally ready to make the movie in 1985, the title “Born In The U.S.A.” was too associated with the song. Springsteen helped him out however, providing the song “Light Of Day,” which became the new title for Schrader’s movie and the feature song in the film.
This is one of the most misinterpreted songs ever. Most people thought it was a patriotic song about American pride, when it actually cast a shameful eye on how America treated its Vietnam veterans. Springsteen considers it one of his best songs, but it bothers him that it is so widely misinterpreted. With the rollicking rhythm, enthusiastic chorus, and patriotic album cover, it is easy to think this has more to do with American pride than Vietnam shame.
The single was released in England as a double A-side with “I’m On Fire.” It was the first song Springsteen wrote for the album. He first recorded it on January 3, 1982 on the tape that became his album Nebraska later that year.
While campaigning in New Jersey in 1984, Ronald Reagan said in his speech: “America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts. It rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire: New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about.”
Springsteen talked about this in a 2005 interview with National Public Radio. Said Bruce: “This was when the Republicans first mastered the art of co-opting anything and everything that seemed fundamentally American, and if you were on the other side, you were somehow unpatriotic. I make American music, and I write about the place I live and who I am in my lifetime. Those are the things I’m going to struggle for and fight for.”
Speaking of how the song was misinterpreted, he added: “In my songs, the spiritual part, the hope part is in the choruses. The blues, and your daily realities are in the details of the verses. The spiritual comes out in the choruses, which I got from gospel music and the church.”
This song inspired the famous Annie Leibowitz photo of Springsteen’s butt against the backdrop of an American flag. Bruce had to be convinced to use it as the album’s cover. Some people thought it depicted Springsteen urinating on the flag.
Looking back on the cover in a 1996 interview with NME, Springsteen said: “I was probably working out my own insecurities, y’know? That particular image is probably the only time I look back over pictures of the band and it feels like a caricature to me.”
According to Max Weinberg, Bruce attempted to do the song in a rockabilly trio style, with a country beat.
The drum solo towards the end of the song was completely improvised. Drummer Max Weinberg said that the band was recording in an oval-shaped studio, with the musicians separated into different parts. Springsteen, at the front, suddenly turned towards Weinberg (at the back) after singing and waved his hands in the air frantically to signal drumming. Weinberg then nailed it.
Eight minutes were cut from the song, which Max Weinberg said went on into a psychedelic jam.
Bruce performed solo, acoustic versions on his tours in 1996 and 1999. He wanted to make sure the audience understood the song.
Springsteen allowed notorious rap group The 2 Live Crew to sample this for their song “Banned In The U.S.A.” in 1990, after the group was arrested for performing songs with obscene lyrics. Bruce felt they had a constitutional right to say whatever they wanted in their songs.
This was recorded live in the studio in three takes.
Richard “Cheech” Marin parodied this in the song “Born In East L.A.,” which came from his 1987 movie of the same name. Sample lyrics:
Next thing I know, I’m in a foreign land
People talkin’ so fast, I couldn’t understand
Born In The U.S.A. was the first CD manufactured in the United States for commercial release. It was pressed when CBS Records opened its CD manufacturing plant in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1984. Discs previously had been imported from Japan.
The children’s TV show Sesame Street reworked this as “Barn In The U.S.A.,” credited to Bruce Stringbean and the S. Street Band.
Springsteen’s fist-pumping recitations of this lament for the plight of the Vietnam War veterans during his 1984-85 Born In The USA tour contributed to its mis-reading as a patriotic song by US right-wingers. Critic Greil Marcus wrote: “Clearly the key to the enormous explosion of Bruce’s popularity is the misunderstanding… He is a tribute to the fact that people hear what they want to hear.”
The video was directed by John Sayles, who wrote the screenplay for the 1978 movie Piranha and later directed the films Lone Star, Honeydripper and Eight Men Out . Most of the video is footage of Springsteen performing the song in concert – he wore the same outfit for a few consecutive shows so Sayles could get the shots (Springsteen didn’t want to lip-synch). Other footage came from a Vietnamese neighborhood in Los Angeles and Springsteen’s old stomping ground, Asbury Park, New Jersey. The video stuck to the true meaning of the song, with shots of factory workers, regular folks walking the streets, soldiers training for combat, and a line of guys waiting for payday loans. Sayles said in the book I Want My MTV: “It was right around the time that Ronald Reagan had co-opted ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ and Reagan, his policies were everything that the song was complaining about. I think some of the energy of the performance came from Bruce deciding, ‘I’m going to claim this song back from Reagan.'”
This was not the first hit song to tell a story about a Vietnam veteran’s return to America. In 1982, The Charlie Daniels Band took “Still in Saigon” to #22 in America. That song was written by Dan Daley, who felt that only two artists were right for it. “Since it was such a political song, the strategy was there were only two artists that it would make sense to give it to,” Daley told us. “One was Bruce Springsteen and the other was Charlie Daniels. Because both had made public statements in support of Vietnam veterans.”
Springsteen has often reflected on the Vietnam War in his work. He didn’t serve because he dodged the draft, pretending to be a misfit high on LSD. He has expressed guilt, knowing someone else went in his place, and may not have returned.
When Springsteen performed a spare, acoustic version of the song during his Springsteen On Broadway run from 2017-2018, he would introduce it with a story about Walter Cichon (pronounced sha-shone), leader of a New Jersey rock band called the Motifs, who seemed destined for stardom. Cichon got drafted and in 1968 went missing in action (Springsteen’s 2014 song “The Wall” is about Cichon).
With this backdrop, “Born In The U.S.A.” tells the tragic story not just of soldiers who were neglected when they returned to Vietnam, but also to those who never made it home.
Jennifer Lopez incorporated a bit of this song into her set when she performed at halftime of the 2020 Super Bowl. Lopez honored both her homeland and her heritage by donning a feathered cape with the Puerto Rican flag on one side and the American flag on the other. When she revealed the Puerto Rican side, her daughter Emme sang the chorus of “Born In The U.S.A.” Lopez was born in New York City.
Springsteen left the song out of his set when he played the Super Bowl halftime show in 2009.
The opening line, “Born down in a dead man’s town,” is quoted in Stephen King’s It (1986) to introduce “Part 1: The Shadow Before,” which tells us all about the cursed town of Derry, Maine, and the children who came together to fight an evil clown.
Born In The USA
Born down in a dead man’s town The first kick I took was when I hit the ground End up like a dog that’s been beat too much ‘Til you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A
Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A
Come back home to the refinery Hiring man said “son if it was up to me” Went down to see my V.A. man He said “son, don’t you understand”
I had a brother at Khe Sanh fighting off the Viet Cong They’re still there, he’s all gone He had a woman he loved in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I’m ten years burning down the road Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go
Born in the U.S.A I was born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A I’m a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A Born in the U.S.A I’m a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A
Bruce makes it abundantly clear that he is not going to town, nor dinner, or in any way… up…nope he is going down, down, down etc… He repeats “down” over eighty times in this song…My word count counts 90 in the song. I don’t care…its a good song and as Bruce always does he sings it with conviction.
The reason I like this song is the overall sound that Bruce got on the guitar and the echo in his voice… it’s just perfect. I can hear the Sun Records influence in this one.
Born In The USA was the album I listened to endlessly in 1984-1985. You heard it everywhere you turned. A friend of mine (big Bruce fan from the old days) saw Bruce in 85 and he was depressed that Bruce was no longer a cult performer anymore. The horse was out of the barn so to speak…The public knew and knew him well. Bruce and that bandana were all over the news and any magazine you read.
Born in the USA had 7 top ten singles… I’m Going Down peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100 and #23 in Canada in 1985. The album was released on June 4, 1984… this song was at #9 over a year later on October 25, 1985. This was the 6th of the 7 singles to go to the top 10. My Hometown being the last in January of 1986…and it peaked at #6… within 5 months of two years after the release.
Lets fire up the Delorean and go back to 1985…please…
I’m Going Down
We sit in the car outside your house
I can feel the heat coming ’round
I go to put my arm around you
And you give me a look like I’m way out of bounds
Well you let out one of your bored sighs
Well lately when I look into your eyes
Down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
We get dressed up and we go out, baby, for the night
We come home early burning, burning, burning in some fire fight
I’m sick and tired of you setting me up yeah
Setting me up just to knock-a knock-a knock-a me down
Down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down, hey now
I pull you close now baby but when we kiss I can feel a doubt
I remember back when we started
My kisses used to turn you inside out
I used to drive you to work in the morning
Friday night I’d drive you all around
You used to love to drive me wild yeah
But lately girl you get your kicks from just driving me down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, down, down, down
I’m goin down, hey bopa d-d-down
Hey hey mmm bopa bopa well down
Hey babe mmm bopa bopa said down
Hey hey mmm bopa bopa well down
Hey hey mmm bopa bopa say
Hey unh say down, down, down, down, down
Hey down now, say down, down, down, down, down
Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack I went out for a ride and I never went back Like a river that don’t know where it’s flowing I took a wrong turn and I just kept going
It’s hard to beat that as an opening verse…once I heard that I was hooked. Springsteen met Joey Ramone in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Ramone asked Bruce to write a song for his band, The Ramones. Springsteen wrote “Hungry Heart” that night but decided to keep it.
Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (Flo and Eddie) of The Turtles sang backup.
The song was on the album The River. The album peaked a #1 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1980. Hungry Heart peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100 in 1980. This was Springsteen’s first top 10 hit.
Bruce Springsteen:“I saw the Ramones in Asbury Park,” “and we were talking for a while and I was like, ‘Man I’ve got to write the Ramones a song.’ So I went home and I sat at my table and I wrote it in about the time it took me to sing it. I brought it in and we went to make a demo for it or I played it for [Johnny Ramone], and he said, ‘Nah, you better keep that one.’ He was right about that. It did pretty well.”
From Songfacts
This was Springsteen’s first Top 10 hit. Born To Run was a big album five years earlier, but did not have any hit singles. This song proved that Springsteen could not just sell concert tickets and albums, but could record hit pop songs.
This song explores a man’s wanderlust contrasted with his desire for a stable family life. Many of Springsteen’s songs are about wanting to get away, and in this song the main character concludes that he does not want to be alone.
Springsteen’s voice was slightly sped up on the recording, producing a higher vocal. Bob Dylan did the same thing on “Lay Lady Lay.”
This was used in the Tom Cruise movie Risky Business. It was the first time a Springsteen song was used in a film.
In the 1981 Rolling Stone reader’s poll, this was voted best single. Springsteen also won for Best Artist, Album, and Male Singer.
Bruce has the audience sing the first verse and chorus when he performs this live.
The single was backed with “Held Up Without A Gun.” This started a tradition of using songs that did not appear on his albums as B-sides.
This went to #28 when it was Reissued in England in 1995. The first time it was released it only went to #44.
Springsteen performed this with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Young’s first annual Bridge School benefit concert in 1986.
Hungry Heart
Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack I went out for a ride and I never went back Like a river that don’t know where it’s flowing I took a wrong turn and I just kept going
Everybody’s got a hungry heart Everybody’s got a hungry heart Lay down your money and you play your part Everybody’s got a hungry heart
I met her in a Kingstown bar We fell in love I knew it had to end We took what we had and we ripped it apart Now here I am down in Kingstown again
Everybody’s got a hungry heart Everybody’s got a hungry heart Lay down your money and you play your part Everybody’s got a hungry heart
Everybody needs a place to rest Everybody wants to have a home Don’t make no difference what nobody says Ain’t nobody like to be alone
Everybody’s got a hungry heart Everybody’s got a hungry heart Lay down your money and you play your part Everybody’s got a hungry heart
Here is to better days to all of you…. in the New Year starting tomorrow.
On March 31, 1992, I purchased two albums by Bruce. Lucky Town and Human Touch…both albums released on the same day. I’ve always liked Lucky Town more than Human Touch. Better Days kicked off the album. It was originally released in the United States in March 1992 as a double A-side with “Human Touch”, and peaked at #16 on Billboard 100.
Bruce Springsteen: “With a young son and about to get married (for the last time) I was feelin’ like a happy guy who has his rough days rather than vice versa.”
From Songfacts
This was the only track from Lucky Town included on Springsteen’s 1995 Greatest Hits album.
This is the first track on Lucky Town, which was released the same day as Human Touch. Springsteen decided to do this after Guns N’ Roses simultaneously released their albums Use Your Illusion I and II.
Better Days
Well my soul checked out missing as I sat listening To the hours and minutes tickin’ away Yeah just sittin’ around waitin’ for my life to begin While it was all just slippin’ away I’m tired of waitin’ for tomorrow to come Or that train to come roarin’ round the bend I got a new suit of clothes a pretty red rose And a woman I can call my friend
These are better days baby Yeah there’s better days shining through These are better days baby Better days with a girl like you
Well I took a piss at fortune’s sweet kiss It’s like eatin’ caviar and dirt It’s a sad funny ending to find yourself pretending A rich man in a poor man’s shirt Now my ass was draggin’ when from a passin’ gypsy wagon Your heart like a diamond shone Tonight I’m layin’ in your arms carvin’ lucky charms Out of these hard luck bones
These are better days baby These are better days it true These are better days There’s better days shining through
Now a life of leisure and pirate’s treasure Don’t make much for tragedy But it’s a sad man my friend who’s livin’ in his own skin And can’t stand the company Every fool’s got a reason for feelin’ sorry for himself And turning his heart to stone Tonight this fool’s halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell And I feel like I’m comin’ home
These are better days baby There’s better days shining through These are better days Better days with a girl like you
These are better days baby These are better days it’s true These are better days Better days are shining through
I am amazed at how many covers there are to this song. I remember Kermit the Frog singing it long ago. I didn’t know whether to use Bob Dylan’s or others for today. Jimmie Rodgers did a great version of Froggie Went A-Courtin’.
It is on the Dylan album Good as I Been to You that was released in 1992.
Who covered it? Here is a partial list: Jimmie Rodgers, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Woody Guthrie, Elvis Presley, Tex Ritter, and Blind Willie McTell.
There is a reference in the Stationer’s Register of 1580 to “A Moste Strange Weddinge of the Frogge and the Mouse.” The oldest known musical version is in Thomas Ravenscroft’s Melismata in 1611.
This great old story song has quite a history. Some people claim that it goes back 400 years to England and that the frog is actually a French Duke while the mouse is Queen Elizabeth I. It has been popular in America since colonial times, and it seems to change a little with each person who performs it.
Alternative names for the song per Wiki
“A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go”
“Crambone”
“Die Padda wou gaan opsit” (Afrikaans version in South Africa)
“Frog in the Well”
“Froggie Went a-Courtin'”
“Froggy Would a-Wooing Go”
“The Frog’s Wooing”
“A Frog Went a-Walkin'”
“King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O”
“There Lived a Puddie in the Well”
“There Was a Puggie in a Well”
“Y Broga Bach” (Welsh)
“Yo para ser feliz quiero un camión”
Thanks to Observationblogger for helping me to think of this song again.
Froggie Went A-Courtin’
1. Frog went a-courtin’, and he did ride, Uh-huh, Frog went a-courtin’, and he did ride, Uh-huh, Frog went a-courtin’, and he did ride. With a sword and a pistol by his side, Uh-huh.
2. Well he rode up to Miss Mousey’s door, Uh-huh, Well he rode up to Miss Mousey’s door, Uh-huh, Well he rode up to Miss Mousey’s door. Gave three loud raps and a very big roar, Uh-huh.
3. Said, “Miss Mouse, are you within?” Uh-huh, Said he, “Miss Mouse, are you within?” Uh-huh, Said, “Miss Mouse, are you within?” “Yes, kind sir, I sit and spin,” Uh-huh.
4. He took Miss Mousey on his knee, Uh-huh, Took Miss Mousey on his knee, Uh-huh, Took Miss Mousey on his knee. Said, “Miss Mousey, will you marry me?” Uh-huh.
5. “Without my uncle Rat’s consent, Uh-huh “Without my uncle Rat’s consent, Uh-huh “Without my uncle Rat’s consent. I wouldn’t marry the president, Uh-huh
6. Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides, Uh-huh, Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides, Uh-huh, Uncle Rat laughed and he shook his fat sides,. To think his niece would be a bride, Uh-huh.
7. Uncle Rat went runnin’ downtown, Uh-huh, Uncle Rat went runnin’ downtown, Uh-huh, Uncle Rat went runnin’ downtown. To buy his niece a wedding gown, Uh-huh
8. Where shall the wedding supper be? Uh-huh, Where shall the wedding supper be? Uh-huh, Where shall the wedding supper be? Way down yonder in a hollow tree, Uh-huh
9. What should the wedding supper be? Uh-huh, What should the wedding supper be? Uh-huh, What should the wedding supper be? Fried mosquito in a black-eye pea, Uh-huh.
10. Well, first to come in was a flyin’ moth, Uh-huh, First to come in was a flyin’ moth, Uh-huh, First to come in was a flyin’ moth. She laid out the table cloth, Uh-huh.
11. Next to come in was a juney bug, Uh-huh, Next to come in was a juney bug, Uh-huh, Next to come in was a juney bug. She brought the water jug, Uh-huh.
12. Next to come in was a bumbley bee, Uh-huh Next to come in was a bumbley bee, Uh-huh Next to come in was a bumbley bee. Sat mosquito on his knee, Uh-huh.
13. Next to come in was a broken black flea, Uh-huh, Next to come in was a broken black flea, Uh-huh, Next to come in was a broken black flea. Danced a jig with the bumbley bee, Uh-huh.
14. Next to come in was Mrs. Cow, Uh-huh, Next to come in was Mrs. Cow, Uh-huh, Next to come in was Mrs. Cow. She tried to dance but she didn’t know how, Uh-huh.
15. Next to come in was a little black tick, Uh-huh, Next to come in was a little black tick, Uh-huh, Next to come in was a little black tick. She ate so much she made us sick, Uh-huh.
16. Next to come in was a big black snake, Uh-huh, Next to come in was a big black snake, Uh-huh, Next to come in was a big black snake. Ate up all of the wedding cake, Uh-huh.
17. Next to come was the old gray cat, Uh-huh, Next to come was the old gray cat, Uh-huh, Next to come was the old gray cat. Swallowed the mouse and ate up the rat, Uh-huh.
18. Mr. Frog went a-hoppin’ up over the brook, Uh-huh, Mr. Frog went a-hoppin’ up over the brook, Uh-huh, Mr. Frog went a-hoppin’ up over the brook. A lily-white duck come and swallowed him up, Uh-huh.
19. A little piece of cornbread layin’ on a shelf, Uh-huh, A little piece of cornbread layin’ on a shelf, Uh-huh, A little piece of cornbread layin’ on a shelf. If you want anymore, you can sing it yourself, Uh-huh.
I did Part 1 over a year ago and it was a fun post. I’ve been meaning to do this again. I remembered some of the lyrics suggested by my friends hanspostcard and allthingsthriller on the last post…I have added those to list. Thanks to both of you.
I saw her from the corner when she turned and doubled back, And started walkin toward a coffee colored Cadillac… Chuck Berry
Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose, And nothin’ ain’t worth nothin’ but it’s free… Janis Joplin/Kris Kristofferson
And I need you more than want you, And I want you for all time… Jimmy Webb
Doesn’t have a point of view / Knows not where he’s going to / Isn’t he a bit like you and me…The Beatles
Met myself a coming county welfare line,I was feeling strung out, Hung out on the line…Creedence Clearwater Revival
And you’ve got to learn to live with what you can’t rise above…Bruce Springsteen
He’d end up blowing all his wages for the week / All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek…Kinks
Well it’s too late, tonight, To drag the past out into the light, We’re one, but we’re not the same, We get to carry each other, Carry each other…U2
You can blow out a candle but you can’t blow out a fire…Peter Gabriel
Living is easy with eyes closed,misunderstanding all you see…The Beatles
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola, C-O-L-A Cola…Kinks
It was gravity which pulled us down and destiny which broke us apart…Bob Dylan
A drunkard’s dream if I ever did see one… The Band
And the sign said, The words of the prophets, are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls… Simon and Garfunkel
I lit up from Reno, I was trailed by twenty hounds, Didn’t get to sleep that night Till the morning came around…Grateful Dead
When I said that I was lying, I might have been lying…Elvis Costello
Though nothing will keep us together/We can be heroes/Just for one day…David Bowie
Lose your dreams and you. Will lose your mind…Rolling Stones
It’s a town full of losers, I’m pulling out of here to win…Bruce Springsteen
The motor cooled down, the heat went down, and that’s when I heard that highway sound…Chuck Berry
We were the first band to vomit at the bar, and find the distance to the stage too far…The Who
