Track 2 of Nebraska, 1982.
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- Nebraska (1982)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin
- Nebraska '82: Electric Nebraska (2025)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, harmonica, electric guitar
- Garry Tallent: bass
- Steven Van Zandt: 12-string acoustic guitar, harmony vocals
- Max Weinberg: drums
Released on Nebraska (1982), Atlantic City (Single, 1982), Greatest Hits (1995), The Essential (2003), Collection:1973-2012 (2013), Best Of (2024), and Nebraska '82: Electric Nebraska (2025).
Live versions are released on In Concert: MTV XXPlugged (1992) (recorded September 22, 1992), Live In New York City (2001) (recorded July 1, 2000), Live In Dublin (2007) (recorded November 17, 2006), Atlantic City (Zach Bryan, Single, 2025) (recorded July 20, 2025), and Nebraska '82: Nebraska Live (2025) (recorded April 22, 2025 without an audience).
Live versions are available on the following 70 official live downloads:
- 2025-06-30 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
- 2025-06-24 Reale Arena, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- 2025-06-18 Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt, Germany
- 2025-06-04 Anfield, Liverpool, England
- 2025-05-17 Co-op Live, Manchester, England
- 2024-11-22 Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
- 2024-11-19 Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
- 2024-11-16 Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
- 2024-11-13 Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MB
- 2024-10-31 Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
- 2024-09-15 Beach, Surf Stage, Asbury Park, NJ
- 2024-09-13 Oriole Park At Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
- 2024-09-07 Nationals Park, Washington, DC
- 2024-08-23 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- 2024-08-21 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- 2024-08-15 PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- 2024-07-25 Wembley Stadium, London, England
- 2024-07-21 Dokken, Bergen, Norway
- 2024-07-18 Strawberry Arena, Solna, Sweden
- 2024-06-22 Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain
- 2024-06-17 Cívitas Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain
- 2024-05-22 Stadium Of Light, Sunderland, England
- 2024-05-16 Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork, Ireland
- 2024-04-18 JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
- 2024-04-15 MVP Arena, Albany, NY
- 2024-03-28 Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
- 2023-09-03 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- 2023-08-30 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- 2023-08-26 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
- 2023-04-05 Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, OH
- 2017-02-02 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- 2017-01-25 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- 2016-08-30 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- 2016-07-31 Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland
- 2016-06-22 Telia Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2016-05-25 Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
- 2016-05-19 Bela Vista Park, Lisbon, Portugal
- 2016-05-14 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
- 2016-02-12 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 2016-01-31 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
- 2014-04-24 PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
- 2014-04-17 Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
- 2014-03-01 Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
- 2014-02-07 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- 2014-01-26 Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town, South Africa
- 2013-07-24 First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
- 2013-05-08 HK Areena, Turku, Finland
- 2012-11-15 CenturyLink Center, Omaha, NE
- 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2008-04-22 St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
- 2006-11-11 Wembley Arena, London, England
- 2006-10-10 PalaLottomatica, Rome, Italy
- 2000-07-01 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1999-10-28 Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
- 1999-09-30 United Center, Chicago, IL
- 1999-09-25 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 1997-05-18 Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France
- 1997-02-12 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- 1996-11-26 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
- 1996-11-24 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
- 1996-09-25 E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, Akron, OH
- 1993-06-24 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1993-05-14 Waldbühne, Berlin, Germany
- 1990-11-16 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA
- 1985-09-27 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
- 1985-08-22 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1984-08-20 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1984-08-19 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1984-08-06 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1984-08-05 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
One of these recordings is also available on the playlists The Live Series: Songs Of Location (2022), The Live Series: Songs Of New Jersey (2023), and The Reunion Tour '99 (2024).
| FIST FULL OF DOLLARS - V1 | 3:44 | FFOD / HNWB / MT2 |
| FIST FULL OF DOLLARS - V2 | 2:24 | FFOD / HNWB |
| ATLANTIC CITY - V3 | 1:40 | FFOD / HNWB |
| ATLANTIC CITY - V4 take 1 | uncirculating | |
| ATLANTIC CITY - V5 - take 4 | 4:00 | LM-1 |
| ATLANTIC CITY - V6a - take 3 | 3:56 | NEBRASKA / GREATEST / ESSENTIAL / BESTOF |
| ATLANTIC CITY - V6b - take 3 - stereo mix | 3:43 | NEBRASKA |
| ATLANTIC CITY - V7 | 4:46 | NEBRASKA82: ELECTRIC |
Note: Two demos (V1 and V2) were recorded in April 1981, under the title "Fist Full Of Dollars", but they also had quite a few verses written, all about Atlantic City. You can hear him turning pages of his notebook as he worked on them. Some lyrics would remain for "Atlantic City", including the opening lines "Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night / Now that town sets in for a fight."
The story continues in late 1981, at Springsteen's Colts Neck home with V3. The lyrics are getting into shape; the rest is Bruce trying variations of the chorus. V4, V5, and V6 were recorded on his Portastudio at Colts Neck during a two-week period, December 17 to January 3, 1982, with V6 take 3 chosen for Nebraska. Take 1, V4 is the only known outtake from this session. In a letter to Jon Landau, Springsteen noted that "this song should probably be done with the whole band really rockin' out." And indeed, Bruce went into the studio for two weeks from late April 1982 and spent the first day working on "Atlantic City", and a number of takes were cut at the Power Station over three days on April 26–28, 1982. The result is officially released in October 2025 on Electric Nebraska in an arrangement very similar to that played live for many years with some lyrical variation, particularly in the closing verses. The released take was recorded on April 27.
Studio Sessions: Nebraska / Born In The U.S.A.
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 getting ready for a fight
Gonna see what them racket boys can do
Now there's trouble busting in from outta state
And the D.A. can't get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade
And the gambling commissions hanging on by the skin of its teeth
Well now 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 debts that no honest man can pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus
Now baby 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
Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold
But with you forever I'll stay
We're going out where the sand's turning to gold
So put on your stockings, baby, 'cause the night's getting cold
And maybe everything dies, that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Hoo hoo
Now I've been looking 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 coming out on this losing 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 hair up nice and set up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
| Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song. |
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