Frankie

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Disc 3 track 4 of Tracks, 1998. Written in 1976 and recorded for Darkness On The Edge Of Town and Born In The U.S.A..

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Credits

• Tracks (1998)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Roy Bittan: piano
  • Clarence Clemons: saxophone, percussion
  • Danny Federici: organ, glockenspiel
  • Garry Tallent: bass
  • Steven Van Zandt: guitar, backing vocals
  • Max Weinberg: drums

Performances

Performed live 25 times (not including snippet performances). 2016-07-20 CASA Arena, Horsens, Denmark 2014-05-18 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT 2013-07-18 Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork, Ireland 2013-07-03 Stade De Genève, Geneva, Switzerland 2012-09-03 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA 2012-08-29 Vernon Downs Raceway, Vernon, NY 2012-08-15 Fenway Park, Boston, MA 2012-07-28 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2005-11-17 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ 2005-08-11 KeyArena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA 2005-08-10 Theater Of The Clouds, Portland, OR 2005-08-07 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI 2003-09-07 Fenway Park, Boston, MA 1999-08-09 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ 1976-04-24 Varsity Gymnasium, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 1976-04-22 Burruss Auditorium, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA 1976-04-17 Louis A. Alexander Palestra, University Of Rochester, Rochester, NY 1976-04-15 Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA 1976-04-13 Rec Hall, Penn State University, University Park, PA 1976-04-10 Paul Mellon Arts Center, Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT 1976-04-09 Reid Athletic Center, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY 1976-04-08 Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH 1976-04-07 Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH 1976-04-04 MSU Auditorium, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 1976-03-26 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA

Performances broken down by tour (not including rehearsals and snippet performances) Performed at 0 show(s) of 130 on the 2023-25 International Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 266 on the Springsteen On Broadway run. Performed at 0 show(s) of 14 on the Summer '17 Tour. Performed at 1 show(s) of 75 on the The River Tour 2016. Performed at 1 show(s) of 33 on the High Hopes Tour. Performed at 6 show(s) of 133 on the Wrecking Ball Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 83 on the Working On A Dream Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 99 on the Magic Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 56 on The Seeger Sessions Tour. Performed at 4 show(s) of 72 on the Devils & Dust Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 7 on the Vote For Change Tour. Performed at 1 show(s) of 120 on The Rising Tour. Performed at 1 show(s) of 132 on The Reunion Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 128 on The Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 102 on the World Tour 1992-93. Performed at 0 show(s) of 20 on the Human Rights Now! Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 67 on the Tunnel Of Love Express Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 156 on the Born In The U.S.A. Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 138 on The River Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 111 on the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 54 on The Lawsuit Tour. Performed at 11 show(s) of 116 on the Born To Run Tour. Performed at 0 known other show(s), plus 0 public tour rehearsal(s).

Released on Album

Released on Tracks (1998).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 4 official live downloads:

• 2016-07-20 CASA Arena, Horsens, Denmark
• 2014-05-18 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
• 2012-08-15 Fenway Park, Boston, MA
• 2012-07-28 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden

One of these recordings is also available on the playlist The Live Series: Songs Of Summer (2020).

On The Tracks

FRANKIE - V1	4:46	LM-3 / DDO / DO-2 / AM / UP / DDOC
FRANKIE - V2	5:46	DOT TAPE
FRANKIE - V3a take 10	7:23	private cdr
FRANKIE - V3b	7:41	THLRR / MI / THLBP / UH
FRANKIE - V3c	7:39	LM-19
FRANKIE - V3d	7:22	TRACKS

Note: "Frankie" was composed by Springsteen in early 1976, just after the 1975 Born To Run Tour. According to Christopher Sandford's Point Blank, a demo of "Frankie" was recorded in January 1976, along with a completed recording of "Darkness On The Edge Of Town". However the accuracy of this information is doubted, as early recordings of "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" from June 1977 indicate most of the words were still unwritten. However, "Frankie" was near completion when it was debuted live on the Chicken Scratch Tour in late March 1976.

When Springsteen returned to the studio after the litigation with Mike Appel was resolved, "Frankie" was recorded on June 3, 1977, and again on July 12, both at Atlantic Studios. V2 and V3 may be from those sessions. Apparently, "Frankie" did not fit Bruce's concept for the album, and it was set aside, not to be recorded again during the Darkness sessions. When writing "Candy's Room" a few months later, Bruce lifted some lyrics from "Frankie", specifically, "In the darkness, there'll be hidden worlds that shine." However, a take of "Frankie" was dubbed to a reel dated February 1, 1978 alongside "Rendezvous", indicating that the song hadn't entirely slipped Bruce's mind. Just over four years later, "Frankie" was recorded again on May 14, 1982 at the Power Station, New York, on the last day of three weeks of sessions for the Born In The U.S.A. album. Take 10 was chosen, and completed with several overdubs. Though it was not included on Born In The U.S.A., V3d was considered for Greatest Hits, again missing the cut, before being selected for the Tracks compilation in 1998. One other mix, V3a, has the same saxophone overdub during the instrumental outro as V3d. V3b and V3c were alternative mixes without sax. It is not known if the takes from 1977 were ever considered for Tracks.

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^{Studio Sessions: Darkness On the Edge of Town}

Lyrics

Frankie

Dark weekends in the sun out on Chelsea Road
Descending the stairs, ah Frankie, my one
Check your makeup in the mirror, come on babe let's go
We'll dance 'round this dirty town till the night is all done
Let all the finer things sleep alone tonight
Let all the minor kings lose their thrones tonight
Don't worry about us, baby, we'll be alright

Well everybody's dying, this town's closing down
They're all sitting down at the courthouse waiting for 'em to take the flag down
I see strange flashes in the sky up above
Gonna spend the night at the drive-in with the one that I love
At dusk the stars all appear on the screen
Yeah, just like they do each night in my dreams
But tonight's no dream, Frankie, I can feel myself too
Well now and forever, baby, my love is for you

Here we go, hey!
Walk softly tonight, little stranger
Yeah into these shadows we're passing through
Talk softly tonight, little angel
You make all my dream worlds come true
Whoa!

Well lately I've been standing out in the freezing rain
Reading them "want" ads out on Chelsea Road
I'm winging down the street in search of new games
Hustling through these nightlights' diamond glow
Well Frankie I don't know what I'm gonna find
Maybe nothing at all, maybe a world I can call mine
Shining like these streetlights down here on the strand
Bright as the rain in the palm of your hand

Walk softly tonight, little stranger
Into these shadows where lovers go
Talk softly to me, little angel
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Walk softly tonight, little stranger
Into these shadows where lovers go
Talk softly to me, little angel
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Walk softly tonight, little angel
Into these shadows where lovers go
Talk softly to me, little stranger
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Talk softly to me
Talk softly to me
Talk softly to me
Talk softly to me

Na na
Na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na
Da da da da da da

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

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