Track 11 of Born In The U.S.A., 1984.
- Credits
- Performances
- Multiples
- Released on Album
- Released as Live Download
- On The Tracks
- Media
- Lyrics
- Links
- Born In The U.S.A. (1984)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
- Roy Bittan: piano, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Clarence Clemons: saxophone, percussion, backing vocals
- Danny Federici: organ, glockenspiel
- Garry Tallent: bass, backing vocals
- Max Weinberg: drums, backing vocals
- Arthur Baker Remixes (1984)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
- Tina B: backing vocals
- Roy Bittan: piano, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Jocelyn Brown: backing vocals
- Clarence Clemons: saxophone, percussion, backing vocals
- Danny Federici: organ, glockenspiel
- Cindy Mizelle: backing vocals
- John Robie: electronic percussion, keyboards
- Garry Tallent: bass, backing vocals
- Max Weinberg: drums, backing vocals
Performed multiple times during the following shows:
Released on Born In The U.S.A. (1984), Dancing In The Dark (Single, 1984), Greatest Hits (1995), The Essential (2003), Collection:1973–2012 (2013), Blinded By The Light (Soundtrack, 2019), and Best Of (2024).
A live version is released on Springsteen On Broadway (2018) (recorded July 17/18, 2018).
Live versions are available on the following 259 official live downloads:
- 1988-04-23 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
- 1988-03-28 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
- 1986-10-13 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, 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 Friendship (2019), The Live Series Collection: Stripped Down (2020), The Live Series: Songs Of Celebration (2024), and The Born In The U.S.A. Tour '84-'85 (2024).
| DANCING IN THE DARK - V1a | 4:31 | BUERM / 1984AC |
| DANCING IN THE DARK - V1b | 3:57 | BITUSA / GREATEST / ESSENTIAL / GREATEST: 2009 / BESTOF |
| DANCING IN THE DARK - V2a blaster mix | 6:09 | 1984 EP |
| DANCING IN THE DARK - V2b radio mix | 4:50 | 1984 EP |
| DANCING IN THE DARK - V2c dub mix | 5:30 | 1984 EP |
Note: The last song on Born In The U.S.A. to be recorded. Written after Jon Landau convinced Bruce that the album needed a single. According to Dave Marsh in Glory Days, Bruce was not impressed with Landau's approach. "Look," he snarled, "I've written seventy songs. You want another one, you write it." Despite this reaction, Bruce sat in his hotel room and wrote the song in a single night, essentially writing about his frustrations, sick of "trying to write this book." Six takes were cut on February 14, 1984 at The Hit Factory, utilizing a new Yamaha synthesizer, but the track was not completed until March 8, after 58 mixes. Just the one outtake of "Dancing In The Dark" circulates, V1a, that contains a longer sax solo and a hard-ending (no fade-out) at the end that was cut short for the official album version. Curiously, the final synthesizer note is held for a few seconds at the conclusion of the song. This take is sourced from a March 1984 rough cut of the album. The 7" and 12" singles were released on May 9, 1984, and the 12" finished as the biggest seller in the U.S.A. that year.
V2a thru V2c are extended, radio friendly dance/disco remixes cut at the Power Station in April or early May 1984 by Arthur Baker, at the request of Columbia Records. The recording engineer for the remixes was Chris Lord-Alge. Providing the backing female vocals are Cindy Mizelle, Jocelyn Brown, and Baker's then-wife Tina B. Mizelle would later join the Sessions Band in 2006, and then become an E Street regular as a member of the E Street Choir between 2009 and 2014. These remixes were released on June 29, 1984.
Studio Sessions: Born In The U.S.A.
Dancing In The Dark |
I get up in the evening and I ain't got nothing to say
I come home in the morning, I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain't nothing but tired, man I'm just tired and bored with myself
Hey there baby, I could use just a little help
You can't start a fire, you can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark
Message just keep getting clearer, radio's on and I'm moving 'round my place
I check my look in the mirror, I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man, I ain't getting nowhere, I'm just living in a dump like this
There's something happening somewhere, baby I just know that there is
You can't start a fire, you can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark
You sit around getting older, there's a joke here somewhere and it's on me
I'll shake this world off my shoulders, come on baby this laugh's on me
Stay on the streets of this town and they'll be carving you up alright
They say you gotta stay hungry, hey baby, I'm just about starving tonight
I'm dying for some action, I'm sick of sitting 'round here trying to write this book
I need a love reaction, come on now baby gimme just one look
You can't start a fire sitting 'round crying over a broken heart
This gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark
You can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart
This gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Hey baby!
| Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song. |
- MusicBrainz
- Bruce Springsteen's powerful isolated vocals on 'Dancing In The Dark' (FarOutMagazine)
- The Untold Story (GoldenAgeOfMusic)
- Cover Me Round-up (EStreetShuffle)
- Cover Me Round-up (#2) (EStreetShuffle)
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