Track 7 of Darkness On The Edge Of Town, 1978.
- Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
- Roy Bittan: piano, backing vocals
- Clarence Clemons: percussion, backing vocals
- Danny Federici: organ, glockenspiel
- Garry Tallent: bass
- Steven Van Zandt: guitar, backing vocals
- Max Weinberg: drums
Performed live 177 times.
- 2016-09-05 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
- 2014-02-19 AllPhones Arena, Sydney, Australia
- 2014-02-15 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
- 2013-06-22 Goffertpark, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- 2013-06-15 Wembley Stadium, London, England
- 2013-05-04 Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden
- 2013-03-27 Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
- 2012-09-03 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- 2009-10-14 Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
- 2009-10-02 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- 2009-09-13 BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, FL
- 2009-07-26 Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao, Spain
- 2009-07-03 Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany
- 2008-05-07 Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
- 2006-10-24 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
- 2006-10-13 Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- 2006-10-07 Arena Santa Giuliana, Perugia, Italy
- 2004-12-02 Heinz Hall For The Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, PA
- 2003-09-18 Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
- 2000-06-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-05-22 Arrowhead Pond Of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
- 2000-05-04 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
- 2000-04-26 Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- 2000-04-18 Compaq Center, Houston, TX
- 2000-04-09 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO
- 2000-03-31 Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
- 2000-03-19 New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
- 2000-03-14 Alltel Arena, Little Rock, AR
- 1999-11-29 Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
- 1999-10-26 Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
- 1999-10-23 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
- 1999-10-18 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
- 1999-09-28 United Center, Chicago, IL
- 1999-09-25 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 1999-09-21 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 1999-09-15 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 1999-09-09 Palace Of Auburn Hills (The), Auburn Hills, MI
- 1999-09-01 MCI Center, Washington, DC
- 1999-08-26 FleetCenter, Boston, MA
- 1999-08-22 FleetCenter, Boston, MA
- 1999-08-12 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1999-08-07 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1999-08-04 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1999-08-02 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1999-07-29 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1999-07-27 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1999-07-24 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1999-07-18 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1999-06-24 Stockholms Stadion, Stockholm, Sweden
- 1999-06-20 Gelredome, Arnhem, The Netherlands
- 1999-06-17 Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany
- 1999-06-13 Bruno-Plache-Stadion, Leipzig, Germany
- 1999-06-07 Estadio De La Comunidad De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- 1999-06-03 Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
- 1999-05-29 Parkbühne Wuhlheide, Berlin, Germany
- 1999-05-18 Earls Court, London, England
- 1999-05-16 NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
- 1999-05-01 Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, England
- 1999-04-28 Halle Tony Garnier, Lyon, France
- 1999-04-26 Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
- 1999-04-23 Donau Arena, Regensburg, Germany
- 1999-04-20 FilaForum, Milan, Italy
- 1999-03-18 Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ
- 1984-11-29 Summit (The), Houston, TX
- 1984-11-26 Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX
- 1981-09-13 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
- 1981-09-10 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
- 1981-08-23 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
- 1981-08-17 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
- 1981-08-11 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
- 1981-08-05 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
- 1981-07-19 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
- 1981-07-15 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
- 1981-07-05 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1981-06-07 Birmingham International Arena, Birmingham, England
- 1981-05-29 Wembley Arena, London, England
- 1981-05-26 Brighton Centre (The), Brighton, England
- 1981-05-20 Bingley Hall, Stafford, England
- 1981-05-17 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1981-05-13 Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England
- 1981-05-08 Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
- 1981-05-05 Drammenshallen, Drammen, Norway
- 1981-05-02 Brøndbyhallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 1981-04-29 Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- 1981-04-21 Palau Municipal D'Esports, Barcelona, Spain
- 1981-04-18 Palais Des Sports De Saint-Ouen, Paris, France
- 1981-04-16 Olympiahalle, Munich, West Germany
- 1981-04-14 Festhalle, Frankfurt, West Germany
- 1981-04-11 Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
- 1981-04-09 ICC Berlin, West Berlin, West Germany
- 1981-03-05 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN
- 1981-02-16 Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, FL
- 1981-01-20 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON
- 1980-12-29 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- 1980-12-28 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- 1980-12-19 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1980-12-18 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1980-12-16 Boston Garden, Boston, MA
- 1980-12-08 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
- 1980-12-06 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
- 1980-12-04 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY
- 1980-12-02 Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY
- 1980-12-01 Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- 1980-11-30 Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- 1980-11-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1980-11-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1980-11-24 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
- 1980-11-23 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
- 1980-11-20 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
- 1980-11-15 Summit (The), Houston, TX
- 1980-11-14 Summit (The), Houston, TX
- 1980-11-11 LSU Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, LA
- 1980-11-09 Special Events Center, Austin, TX
- 1980-11-08 Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX
- 1980-11-05 ASU Activity Center, Tempe, AZ
- 1980-11-03 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
- 1980-11-01 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
- 1980-10-31 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
- 1980-10-30 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
- 1980-10-28 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
- 1980-10-27 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
- 1980-10-25 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
- 1980-10-24 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA
- 1980-10-20 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO
- 1980-10-18 Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO
- 1980-10-17 Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO
- 1980-10-14 Mecca Arena, Milwaukee, WI
- 1980-10-13 St. Paul Civic Center, Saint Paul, MN
- 1980-10-11 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL
- 1980-10-10 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL
- 1980-10-09 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI
- 1980-10-07 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
- 1980-10-06 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
- 1980-10-04 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
- 1979-01-01 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
- 1978-12-28 Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
- 1978-12-15 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
- 1978-12-01 Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, OK
- 1978-11-18 Millett Hall, Oxford, OH
- 1978-11-14 Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY
- 1978-10-01 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
- 1978-09-29 Boutwell Memorial Auditorium, Birmingham, AL
- 1978-09-17 Palladium, New York City, NY
- 1978-09-16 Palladium, New York City, NY
- 1978-09-15 Palladium, New York City, NY
- 1978-09-13 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA
- 1978-09-12 Onondaga County War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, NY
- 1978-09-10 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
- 1978-09-09 Athletic & Convocation Center, South Bend, IN
- 1978-09-06 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL
- 1978-09-05 Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH
- 1978-09-03 Saginaw Civic Center, Saginaw, MI
- 1978-09-01 Masonic Temple Theatre, Detroit, MI
- 1978-08-30 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
- 1978-08-29 Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
- 1978-08-28 Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
- 1978-08-26 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
- 1978-08-25 New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT
- 1978-08-23 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1978-08-22 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1978-08-21 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 1978-08-19 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
- 1978-08-18 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
- 1978-08-15 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
- 1978-08-14 Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA
- 1978-08-12 Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, ME
- 1978-08-10 Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY
- 1978-08-09 Agora (The), Cleveland, OH
- 1978-08-05 Louisville Gardens, Louisville, KY
- 1978-08-04 Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, WV
- 1978-08-02 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
- 1978-08-01 Gaillard Municipal Auditorium, Charleston, SC
- 1978-07-31 Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC
- 1978-07-29 Bayfront Center Arena, St. Petersburg, FL
- 1978-07-28 Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, FL
- 1978-07-21 Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN
- 1978-07-19 Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, TN
Released on Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978) and Prove It All Night (Single, 1978).
Live versions are available on the following 14 official live downloads:
- 2016-09-05 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
- 2014-02-19 AllPhones Arena, Sydney, Australia
- 2014-02-15 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
- 2000-06-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2000-05-22 Arrowhead Pond Of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
- 1999-10-23 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
- 1999-09-25 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 1999-07-18 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 1980-12-29 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- 1980-12-28 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- 1980-11-05 ASU Activity Center, Tempe, AZ
- 1978-12-15 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
- 1978-10-01 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
- 1978-08-09 Agora (The), Cleveland, OH
COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) - V1 | uncirculating | |
COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) - V2 | 2:07 | DO-3 / UP / SC / LUTHER |
COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) - V3 | 2:12 | LM-3 / LMEC2 / AM / UP |
COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) - V4 | 2:09 | DDO / DO-1 / UP / DDOC / LES |
COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) - V5 | uncirculating | |
THE FACTORY SONG - V6a | 2:15 | ODM / HOD / UP / AM |
FACTORY - V6b | 2:15 | DARKNESS / PROMISE: DELUXE |
COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) - V7 | 2:16 | PROMISE |
Note: "Come On (Let’s Go Tonight)" was written in the Spring of 1977, and V1 was cut on June 1, 1977, complete with Vox [organ], at Atlantic Studios, on the first night of the Darkness sessions. V2 is the earliest take in circulation, a rough workout, probably from either July 2 or 13 at Atlantic Studios, but further progress was needed on the lyrics. At this point, Bruce had written, "Everybody wants heaven, but nobody wants to die, Come on, come on, let's go tonight." Two out of three verses had "death in their eyes." V3 represented a sudden shift as the song began its metamorphosis into "Factory"; though it retained its original name (Sony logs show all sessions to the end of 1977 under this name), the lyrics were radically rewritten to the story of Douglas Springsteen, Bruce's father, who worked at a machine factory under harsh conditions. An interview quoted Bruce: "I remember my old man was working in this plastics factory… and all I remember, when we used to go in that place, was him standing near 'em loud fucking machines." It is possible that Bruce worked with both ideas for a while, but after September, all energies went toward "The Factory Song", though it was not named this until January 2, 1978.
Sessions took place on August 23, 24 and 30, and September 8, 1977 at the Record Plant. Roy Bittan played his piano Floyd Cramer-style to give it a Chet Atkins-produced country feel, and an organ was not in the mix at this point. Further work was undertaken on November 2, 7, and 8, and December 9, 27, 1977 - a violin overdub by David Lindley was added, possibly on December 9. V7, released on the The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set in 2010, is the finished take of "Come On (Let's Go Tonight)". The vocal is vintage, but the recording date has not been determined. V6 was the result of overdub/mixing sessions on March 10 and 14, 1978, all at the Record Plant. The 1978 sessions were under the name "The Factory Song". Danny recorded new organ tracks, which featured prominently in the final album V6b. Bruce recorded new vocals over the "Come On (Let's Go Tonight) backing track and changed "Factory takes his hearing, but he understands" to "Factory takes his hearing, factory gives him life." V6c is mix take 28 from April 3, 1978, and it was pressed to metal acetate with the title "Factory Song" on April 12, 1978. By the time the album was released however, the title was simply "Factory".
What ever happened to "Come On (Let's Go Tonight)"? In March 1981, Bruce wrote new music and recorded a demo at his home in Colts Neck, NJ with the original name. However, he decided to rearrange it once more, combining several lines with new verses, and the first two lines from Chuck Berry's "Bye Bye Johnny", to create "Johnny Bye-Bye".
Studio Sessions: Darkness On the Edge of Town
Factory |
Early in the morning factory whistle blows
Man rises from bed and puts on his clothes
Man takes his lunch, walks out in the morning light
It's the working, the working, just the working life
Through the mansions of fear, through the mansions of pain
I see my daddy walking through them factory gates in the rain
Factory takes his hearing, factory gives him life
The working, the working, just the working life
End of the day, factory whistle cries
Men walk through these gates with death in their eyes
And you just better believe, boy, somebody's gonna get hurt tonight
It's the working, the working, just the working life
Cause it's the working, the working, just the working life
Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song. |
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