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
When I first heard it I loved the feel of this song. When Bruce started to sing Crazy Janey and her mission man, Were back in the alley tradin’ hands, ‘Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man, All duded up for Saturday night…I knew it was a winner.
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band covered this and it peaked at #40 in the Billboard 100 a few months after they peaked at #1 with Springsteen’s Blinded By The Light. Bruce’s version didn’t chart but I do like both songs better than their more successful covers.
This one is from Bruce’s great debut album Greetings from Ashbury Park released in 1973. For anyone first getting into Springsteen, I would recommend this one with the more obvious ones. This is an earlier post I had of the album. I had the album and cassette that I wore out in my car.
On a personal note. The band I was in many years ago covered this song at a club and I saw a guy standing on a chair with a lit lighter in his hand during this song. He came up and thanked us over and over for playing it… He was from Philadelphia and had seen Springsteen 17 times at that point.
From Songfacts
Greasy Lake is a lake near Howel NJ. It gets its name from the idea that homeless people living around the lake used it for bathing, washing dishes, etc. The homeless people were known as “Gypsy Angels” or the “Spirits In The Night.”
Part of Springsteen’s first album, it was a #40 US hit for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band when they covered it in 1977. They also covered “Blinded By The Light” and “For You” from Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
Springsteen wrote this after Columbia Records rejected his first attempt at an album, telling him to make some songs that could be played on the radio. He came up with this and “Blinded By The Light.”
This was Springsteen’s second single. It was released only in the US and did not chart.
The lyrics refer to “Route 88,” a road that runs through Ocean County, New Jersey. Springsteen would later sing about “Highway 9” in “Born To Run.”
Along with “Blinded By The Light,” this was one of 2 songs on Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. featuring Clarence Clemons on saxophone. Springsteen’s band didn’t have a name when this was recorded. By his next album, they were The E Street Band – named after the street where they used to rehearse.
This has been a popular live song throughout Springsteen’s career. He still occasionally plays it live.
The version on Live 1975-1985 was recorded at The Roxy in 1978.
Spirit in the Night
Crazy Janey and her mission man Were back in the alley tradin’ hands ‘Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man All duded up for Saturday night Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes And said, “Anybody want to go on up to Greasy Lake? It’s about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88 I got a bottle of rosé so let’s try it We’ll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe And I’ll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go They’re build like light And they dance like spirits in the night (all night), in the night (all night) Oh, you don’t know what they can do to you Spirits in the night (all night), in the night (all night) Stand up right now and let them shoot through you”
Well now, Wild Billy was a crazy cat And he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap He said, “Trust some of this, it’ll show you where you’re at Or at least it’ll help you really feel it” By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake I had my head out the window and Janey’s fingers were in the cake I think I really dug her ’cause I was too loose to fake I said, “I’m hurt.” She said, “Honey, let me heal it” And we danced all night to a soul fairy band And she kissed me just right, like only a lonely angel can She felt so nice Just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night), in the night (all night) Janey don’t know what she do to you Spirit in the night (all night), in the night (all night) Stand right up and let her shoot through me
Now, the night was bright and the stars threw light On Billy and Davy dancin’ in the moonlight They were down near the water in a stone mud fight Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn Well now, Hazy Davy got really hurt He ran into the lake in just his socks and his shirt Me and Crazy Janey was makin’ love in the dirt Singin’ our birthday songs Janey said it was time to go So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to Gypsy Angel Row Felt so right Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night), in the night (all night)…
This song was on the album “Born In The USA.” released in 1984. I was a Jr in high school and this song hit like a blast. Bruce had been huge when Born To Run was released in 1975 but since then he had been popular but this album placed him in the stratosphere. He was reluctant to release the album because Bruce had a clue on how big this album was going to be and he didn’t know how comfortable he would be with that.
When you are 17 years old and waiting for your life to start… then hear the lyrics Well, we busted out of class, Had to get away from those fools, We learned more from a three-minute record, baby Than we ever learned in school… it gets your attention.
I think every song on the album could have been released as a single. This one did not chart but remains a strong song. Steven Van Zandt convinced Springsteen to include this song on the album because Bruce was going to leave it off.
From Songfacts
Springsteen wrote this about the inspirational power of rock music. It came to represent his friendship with members of his band.
This was the last song chosen for the album. E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt had to convince Springsteen to put it on. Van Zandt had left the band, but remained close to Springsteen and would eventually play with him again.
The original title was “Brothers Under The Bridges.”
Part of the chorus provided the title for Jean-Claude Van Damme’s first movie, No Retreat, No Surrender.
Springsteen often performed a slower version of this at concerts. The version on the box set Live 1975-1985 is a slower, solo performance.
No Surrender
Well, we busted out of class Had to get away from those fools We learned more from a three-minute record, baby Than we ever learned in school Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound I can feel my heart begin to pound You say you’re tired and you just want to close your eyes And follow your dreams down
Well, we made a promise we swore we’d always remember No retreat, baby, no surrender Like soldiers in the winter’s night With a vow to defend No retreat, baby, no surrender
Well, now young faces grow sad and old And hearts of fire grow cold We swore blood brothers against the wind Now I’m ready to grow young again And hear your sister’s voice calling us home Across the open yards Well maybe we’ll cut someplace of our own With these drums and these guitars
‘Cause we made a promise we swore we’d always remember No retreat, baby, no surrender Blood brothers in the stormy night With a vow to defend No retreat, baby, no surrender
Now on the street tonight the lights grow dim The walls of my room are closing in There’s a war outside still raging You say it ain’t ours anymore to win I want to sleep beneath Peaceful skies in my lover’s bed With a wide open country in my eyes And these romantic dreams in my head
Once we made a promise we swore we’d always remember No retreat, baby, no surrender Blood brothers in a stormy night With a vow to defend No retreat, baby, no surrender No retreat, baby, no surrender
After posting about Blinded By The Light yesterday…I was commenting with jeremyjames (Jeremy in Hong Kong) and he mentioned this song which was on the Greetings From Asbury Park debut album by Bruce Springsteen. I started to listen to this album in the 80s and it has remained one of my favorite albums by Springsteen.
I wrote this about the album last summer and started to listen to the album again Saturday afternoon. This was one of the many songs off the album that I liked at first listen and was surprised that I remembered most of the words to the song right off the bat.
“Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?” is a journey through an enjoyable play of words. It was written about a bus journey to a girlfriend’s house. Here is a sample of a verse
“Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps Interstellar mongrel nymphs Rex said that lady left him limp Love’s like that (sure it is) Queen of diamonds, ace of spades Newly discovered lovers of the Everglades They take out a full-page ad in the trades To announce their arrival And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope She rides to heaven on a gyroscope The Daily News asks her for the dope She said, “Man, the dope’s that there’s still hope”
From Songfacts
This song is based on people and places Springsteen met in his early years as a songwriter. His father was a bus driver for a time, which helped inspire the song.
The barrage of images in the lyrics helped earn Springsteen the tag “The New Dylan,” a comparison he played down. He moved away from the Dylan style by writing less introspective, harder rocking songs on his next album, The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle.
This song started with the lyrics, something Springsteen did from time to time when he started out as a songwriter. Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. was his first album, and it marked a turning point in his songwriting: Instead of keeping the lyrics as simple and repetitive as possible to accommodate the bars he was playing with his bands, he started using elaborate wordplay to tell different stories, often within the same song – something you could do in a recording studio but not in a noisy club. This song makes passing reference to a number of characters but leaves the listener to decide their fates. Just what becomes of Mary Lou, the mongrel nymphs and the lucky, young matador who catches the rose is in the ear of the beholder.
Joan Fontaine pops up in the lyrics for no apparent reason:
Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine
advertiser on a downtown train
She was an actress who starred in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca.
Does This Bus Stop At 52nd Street?
Hey bus driver, keep the change Bless your children, give them names Don’t trust men who walk with canes Drink this and you’ll grow wings on your feet Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine Advertiser on a downtown train Christmas crier bustin’ cane He’s in love again
Where dock worker’s dreams mix with panther’s schemes To someday own the rodeo Tainted women in VistaVision Perform for out-of-state kids at the late show
Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps Interstellar mongrel nymphs Rex said that lady left him limp Love’s like that (sure it is) Queen of diamonds, ace of spades Newly discovered lovers of the Everglades They take out a full-page ad in the trades To announce their arrival And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope She rides to heaven on a gyroscope The Daily News asks her for the dope She said, “Man, the dope’s that there’s still hope”
Senorita, Spanish rose Wipes her eyes and blows her nose Uptown in Harlem she throws a rose To some lucky young matador
I know that the Manfred Mann version is more popular but I always listen to Bruce’s version of the song he wrote. It’s not as slick whatsoever…maybe that is the reason I like it so much. It’s raw and Bruce just pelts you with words over and over.
This song was the first cut of his album “Greetings From Ashbury Park” which is a very underrated album. The album peaked at #60 in the Billboard Album Charts.
This was Springsteen’s first single. It was released only in the US, where it flopped. It was, however, a #1 hit for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in February 1977, becoming the only #1 Hot 100 hit Springsteen ever wrote. The Manfred Mann version was much more elaborately produced, and Springsteen hated it at first. It ended up earning him a very nice payout.
From Songfacts
Springsteen talked about this song in detail on an episode of VH1 Storytellers.A lot of the references are personal, to include people he knew or had met on the Boardwalks, or had grown up around, or were just direct personal references to himself:
“Madman drummers bummers” – Vinnie “Mad dog” Lopez, the first drummer in the E Street Band.
“Indians in the summer” – Bruce’s little league baseball team as a kid.
“In the dumps with the mumps” – being sick with the mumps.
“Boulder on my shoulder” – a “chip” on his shoulder.
“Some all hot, half-shot, heading for a hot spot, snapping fingers clapping his hands” – Being a “know it all kid growing up, who doesn’t really know anything.”
“Silicone Sister” – Bruce mentions that this is arguably the first mention of breast implants in popular music – a dancer at one of the local strip joints in Asbury Park.
He wrote this song in his bedroom, primarily using a rhyming dictionary. Or as Bruce put it, “the rhyming dictionary was on fire.”
Manfred Mann’s version replaces the line “Cut loose like a deuce” with “Revved up like a deuce.” In their version, “Deuce” was commonly misheard as “Douche.” Springsteen’s original line makes a lot more sense – a deuce is a 1932 Ford hotrod. On his Storytellers special, Springsteen said (in a jesting manner): “I have a feeling that is why the song skyrocketed to #1.”
Talking about the barrage of images he used in his early songs, Springsteen told ZigZag: “I see these situations happening when I sing them and I know the characters well. I use them in different songs and see them in shadows – they’re probably based on people I know or else they’re flashes, that just appear there. There’s a lot of activity, a whole mess of people… it’s like if you’re walking down the street, my songs are what you see, only distorted. A lot of songs were written without any music at all, it’s just that I do like to sing the words.”
After eight years playing in bars where audiences usually didn’t listen to or couldn’t hear the words, Springsteen used his first album to unload a ton of lyrics. All these lyrics helped earn Springsteen the tag “The New Dylan.” Singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Kris Kristofferson also shared the comparison, and Bruce went out of his way to shed the tag by making his next album a true rock record.
This was the first song on Springsteen’s first album. Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. featured a postcard on the cover that fans would look for any time they were near the town.
Along with “Spirit In The Night,” this was one of two songs on the album featuring Clarence Clemons on saxophone. The E Street Band became a much bigger part of Springsteen’s songs on his next album.
Springsteen wrote the lyrics first and filled in the music later. The only time he wrote this way was on his first album.
The working title was “Madman’s Bummers,” taken from words in the first line.
This was one of the songs that prompted Columbia Records to market the album by claiming “This man puts more thoughts, more ideas and images into one song than most people put into an album.”
Manfred Mann’s cover is the only Bruce Springsteen song to top the Hot 100. Near misses for Bruce have been “Dancing In The Dark” (#2 in 1984) and The Pointer Sisters version of “Fire” (#2 in 1979).
Springsteen wrote this after Columbia Records rejected his first attempt at an album, telling him to make some songs that could be played on the radio. He came up with this song and “Spirit In The Night.”
Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin’ kinda older, I tripped the merry-go-round With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing, the calliope crashed to the ground Some all-hot half-shot was headin’ for the hot spot, snappin’ his fingers, clappin’ his hands And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover’s knot with a whatnot in her hand And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand And some bloodshot forget-me-not whispers, daddy’s within earshot, save the buckshot, turn up the band
And she was blinded by the light Oh cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night Blinded by the light She got down but she never got tight, but she’ll make it alright
Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the East He says, dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that’s where they expect it least And some new-mown chaperone was standin’ in the corner all alone, watchin’ the young girls dance And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin’ with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance
Yeah, he was blinded by the light Oh, cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night Blinded by the light He got down but he never got tight, but he’s gonna make it tonight
Some silicone sister with her manager’s mister told me I got what it takes She said, I’ll turn you on, sonny, to something strong if you play that song with the funky break And Go-Cart Mozart was checkin’ out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside And little Early-Pearly came by in her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer, playin’ backyard bombardier Yes, and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent some dude with a calling card, he said, do what you like, but don’t do it here Well, I jumped up, turned around, spit in the air, fell on the ground and asked him which was the way back home He said, take a right at the light, keep goin’ straight until night, and then, boy, you’re on your own And now in Zanzibar, a shootin’ star was ridin’ in a side car, hummin’ a lunar tune Yes, and the avatar said, blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar, we’re gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon And some kidnapped handicap was complainin’ that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night Well, I unsnapped his skull cap and between his ears I saw a gap but figured he’d be all right
He was just blinded by the light Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night Blinded by the light Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun Oh, but Mama, that’s where the fun is Ooh yeah I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded I was blinded
The first chords come in and start the powerful riff. I love the way Bruce phrases the lyrics with an urgency to be heard. As soon as I heard lyrics
I don’t give a damn For just the in-betweens Honey I want the heart, I want the soul I want control right now
I was hooked. Springsteen was one artist who lived up to the “new Dylan” title that was given to him by the press. They are quite different artists but Springsteen managed to live up to the hype.
This was the second single off Darkness On The Edge Of Town, the first album Springsteen released after a legal battle with his first manager, Mike Appel, kept him from recording for almost 3 years. The first single was #33 Prove It All Night.
The title came from a 1973 movie of the same name starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Springsteen got the idea from a poster in the theater lobby. Springsteen did not see the movie until after he wrote this.
The song peaked at #42 in the Billboard 100 in 1978.
From Songfacts
This was more mature songwriting from Springsteen, as much of Darkness On The Edge Of Town reflects the characters of his previous album, Born To Run, getting older and more pessimistic.
“Badlands” was considered for the name of the album. Around this time, Springsteen would come up with titles and try to come up with deserving songs for them. He told Rolling Stone in 2010: “Badlands, that’s a great title, but It would be easy to blow it. But I kept writing and I kept writing and I kept writing and writing until I had a song that I felt deserved that title.”
This is a concert favorite. It was featured on Springsteen’s 1999 reunion tour with The E Street Band, and on many of their subsequent tours.
Badlands is a US national park in South Dakota. It is famous for striking scenery and expansive prairie land.
The version on Live 1975-1985 was recorded in Arizona the night after Ronald Reagan was elected president. Bruce introduced the song by saying: “I don’t know what you guys thought of what happened last night, but I thought it was pretty terrifying.” Reagan would later misinterpret “Born In The U.S.A.” in a 1984 campaign speech.
Bill Murray and Paul Shaffer chose to open the 25th Anniversary Show of Saturday Night Live with this song, as sung by Murray’s character of Nick the Lounge Singer. According to the book Live From New York, they chose this song because Murray and Shaffer felt that there was a certain lyric in the song that best described their experience of growing up in life and in show business on Saturday Night Live in the ’70s. Murray was quoted as saying performing the harmony with Paul was one of the high points of his entire career.
Badlands
Lights out tonight Trouble in the heartland Got a head-on collision Smashin’ in my guts man I’m caught in a crossfire That I don’t understand I don’t give a damn For the same old played out scenes I don’t give a damn For just the in-betweens Honey I want the heart, I want the soul I want control right now Talk about a dream Try to make it real You wake up in the night With a fear so real Spend your life waiting For a moment that just don’t come Well don’t waste your time waiting
Badlands, you gotta live it every day Let the broken hearts stand As the price you’ve gotta pay We’ll keep pushin’ till it’s understood And these badlands start treating us good
Workin’ in the fields Til you get your back burned Workin’ ‘neath the wheel Till you get your facts learned Baby got my facts Learned real good right now Poor man want to be rich Rich man want to be king And a king ain’t satisfied Till he rules everything I want to go out tonight I want to find out what I got
I believe in the love that you gave me I believe in the hope that can save me I believe in the faith And I pray that some day it may raise me Above these badlands
Badlands, you gotta live it every day Let the broken hearts stand As the price you’ve gotta pay We’ll keep pushin’ till it’s understood And these badlands start treating us good
For the ones who had a notion A notion deep inside That it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive I want to find one face that ain’t looking through me I want to find one place I want to spit in the face of these badlands
Badlands, you gotta live it every day Let the broken hearts stand As the price you’ve gotta pay We’ll keep pushin’ till it’s understood And these badlands start treating us good
A great song with an R&B feel to it. Little Steven directed the horn section. Bruce sings it like it’s his last day on earth…like many of his other songs. Tenth Avenue runs through E Street in Belmar, New Jersey. The band got their name from the street, which is where they used to rehearse. Springsteen, however, has said that he has no idea what a “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out” is.
The song peaked at #83 in the Billboard 100 in 1976. It was off the Born To Run album that propelled him to stardom.
The “Big Man” in the third verse is Clarence Clemons…the saxophone player. Springsteen met him when Clemons came into a club in Asbury Park, N.J., where Bruce was playing. It was a stormy night, and the door flew off the hinges when Clemons opened it. Springsteen would talk about how he “Literally blew the door off the place.”
In Clemons’ autobiography Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales, he explained: “It was one of those nor’easters – cold, raining, lightning and thunder. Now, this is God’s honest truth. I open the door to the club and a gust of wind blew the door right out of my hand and down the street. So here I am, a big black guy, in Asbury Park, with lightning flashing behind me. I said to Bruce, ‘I want to sit in.’ He says, ‘Sure, anything you want.'”
From Songfacts
This tells the story of the E Street Band coming together. On Springsteen’s first album in 1973, he didn’t use a lot of backup musicians, but on his next one The E Street band was crucial to the sound. Later on, Springsteen released the albums Nebraska and The Ghost Of Tom Joad without the band, but they didn’t sell nearly as well as the ones they played on.
Clemons was working as a social worker at the time and playing in a Jersey Shore bar band when he got his big break with Bruce.
At many of their early shows, this was the first song in the set.
Springsteen used this to introduce the band on the 1999 E Street Band Reunion tour. He would explain what each member brought to the group (Roy Bittan – Foundation, Little Steven – Soul, etc.), ending with Clemons. Some nights the band members did short solos as they were introduced.
“Bad Scooter” in the opening line, “Teardrops on the city Bad Scooter searching for his groove” is Springsteen. Note the initials are the same.
While touring with “the other band” during his 1992/93 tour promoting the Human Touch and Lucky Town albums, Springsteen sometimes brought out Clarence “Big Man” Clemons to play his usual sax part in this song. When introduced, the crowd always gave the big man a huge ovation. >>
After imploring the audience to put down the guacamole dip and chicken fingers (we were actually eating chicken wings, but anyway…) Springsteen played this as the first song of his performance at halftime of the 2009 Super Bowl between the Cardinals and Steelers.
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
Tear drops on the city, Bad Scooter searching for his groove Seem like the whole world walking pretty and you can’t find the room to move Well, everybody better move over, that’s all ‘Cause I’m running on the bad side and I got my back to the wall Tenth Avenue freeze-out Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Well, I was stranded in the jungle trying to take in all the heat they was giving The night is dark but the sidewalk’s bright and lined with the light of the living From a tenement window a transistor blasts Turn around the corner, things got real quiet real fast I walked into a Tenth Avenue freeze-out Tenth Avenue freeze-out
And I’m all alone, I’m all alone (And kid, you better get the picture) And I’m on my own, I’m on my own And I can’t go home
When the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band From the coastline to the city, all the little pretties raise their hands I’m gonna sit back right easy and laugh When Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half With the Tenth Avenue freeze-out Tenth Avenue freeze-out Tenth Avenue freeze-out Tenth Avenue freeze I’m talking ’bout a Tenth Oh, nothing but a Tenth I’m talking ’bout a Tenth I’m talking bout a Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, I’m talking ’bout a Tenth Avenue freeze-out…
