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
…