I Wanna Marry You

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Disc 1 track 10 of The River, 1980.

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Credits

• The River (1980)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
  • Roy Bittan: piano, backing vocals
  • Clarence Clemons: saxophone, maracas, backing vocals
  • Danny Federici: organ
  • Garry Tallent: bass
  • Steven Van Zandt: guitar, backing vocals
  • Max Weinberg: drums

Performances

Performed live 92 times (not including snippet performances). 2016-07-28 Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway 2016-07-23 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2016-07-13 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France 2016-05-25 Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England 2016-05-17 Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain 2016-05-14 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain 2016-04-25 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY 2016-04-23 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY 2016-04-20 Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD 2016-04-18 Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State University, University Park, PA 2016-04-14 Palace Of Auburn Hills (The), Auburn Hills, MI 2016-04-12 Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH 2016-04-07 Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO 2016-04-05 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX 2016-04-03 Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK 2016-03-31 Pepsi Center, Denver, CO 2016-03-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2016-03-24 KeyArena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA 2016-03-22 Moda Center, Portland, OR 2016-03-19 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 2016-03-17 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 2016-03-15 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 2016-03-13 Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA 2016-03-10 Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ 2016-03-06 Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO 2016-03-03 BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI 2016-02-29 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN 2016-02-27 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY 2016-02-25 First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY 2016-02-23 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH 2016-02-21 KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY 2016-02-18 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA 2016-02-16 BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL 2016-02-12 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA 2016-02-10 XL Center, Hartford, CT 2016-02-08 Times Union Center, Albany, NY 2016-02-04 TD Garden, Boston, MA 2016-02-02 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON 2016-01-31 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ 2016-01-29 Verizon Center, Washington, DC 2016-01-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2016-01-19 United Center, Chicago, IL 2016-01-16 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA 2015-04-30 Mount Auburn Cemetery, Story Chapel, Cambridge, MA 2014-04-29 BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2009-10-19 Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 2005-11-19 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, FL 2005-11-17 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ 2005-11-13 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ 2005-11-08 Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 2005-11-04 St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL 2005-10-30 TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA 2005-10-20 DCU Center, Worcester, MA 2005-10-12 Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN 2005-10-09 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 2005-10-07 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT 2005-10-04 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 1996-11-25 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 1981-09-11 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL 1981-06-08 Birmingham International Arena, Birmingham, England 1981-06-07 Birmingham International Arena, Birmingham, England 1981-06-05 Wembley Arena, London, England 1981-02-07 Assembly Hall, University Of Illinois, Champaign, IL 1980-12-16 Boston Garden, Boston, MA 1980-12-08 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 1980-12-04 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY 1980-11-30 Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA 1980-11-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 1980-11-23 Capital Centre, Largo, MD 1980-11-20 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL 1980-11-14 Summit (The), Houston, TX 1980-11-08 Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX 1980-11-05 ASU Activity Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 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 1980-10-03 Crisler Arena, University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

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 43 show(s) of 75 on the The River Tour 2016. Performed at 1 show(s) of 33 on the High Hopes Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 133 on the Wrecking Ball Tour. Performed at 2 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 11 show(s) of 72 on the Devils & Dust Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 7 on the Vote For Change Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 120 on The Rising Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 132 on The Reunion Tour. Performed at 1 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 33 show(s) of 138 on The River Tour. Performed at 1 known other show(s), plus 0 public tour rehearsal(s).

Released on Album

Released on The River (1980) and The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 46 official live downloads:

• 2016-07-28 Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway
• 2016-07-23 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2016-07-13 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
• 2016-05-25 Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
• 2016-05-17 Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
• 2016-05-14 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
• 2016-04-25 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• 2016-04-23 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• 2016-04-20 Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD
• 2016-04-18 Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State University, University Park, PA
• 2016-04-14 Palace Of Auburn Hills (The), Auburn Hills, MI
• 2016-04-12 Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
• 2016-04-07 Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
• 2016-04-05 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• 2016-04-03 Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
• 2016-03-31 Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• 2016-03-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 2016-03-24 KeyArena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
• 2016-03-22 Moda Center, Portland, OR
• 2016-03-19 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• 2016-03-17 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• 2016-03-15 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• 2016-03-13 Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
• 2016-03-10 Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ
• 2016-03-06 Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO
• 2016-03-03 BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• 2016-02-29 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
• 2016-02-27 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
• 2016-02-25 First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY
• 2016-02-23 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• 2016-02-21 KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
• 2016-02-18 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• 2016-02-16 BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL
• 2016-02-12 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• 2016-02-10 XL Center, Hartford, CT
• 2016-02-08 Times Union Center, Albany, NY
• 2016-02-04 TD Garden, Boston, MA
• 2016-02-02 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
• 2016-01-31 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
• 2016-01-29 Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• 2016-01-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 2016-01-19 United Center, Chicago, IL
• 2016-01-16 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
• 2014-04-29 BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL
• 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 1981-06-05 Wembley Arena, London, England

One of these recordings is also available on the playlist The Live Series: Songs Of Love (2019).

On The Tracks

I WANNA MARRY YOU - V1a	3:29	LM-5 / LMEC2 / ATMF
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V1b - track 12	3:30	LM-5
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V1c - track 16	3:28	LM-5
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V1d - track 22	3:26	LM-5
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V1e - track 24	3:20	LM-5
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V2a - track 8	3:27	DROC2 / RO / ATMF
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V2b	3:24	DROC2 / RO / LUTHER
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V2c	3:22	DROC2 / RO / RRR / LUTHER
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V3 take 4	3:22	RIVER: SINGLE / DROC2 / TTTBJ / ATMF
I WANNA MARRY YOU - V4	3:23	RIVER

Note: Studio logs show takes were recorded at Power Station studios on July 5, 11, and 12, 1979, V1a is the earliest mix. V3 was mixed in September by Bob Clearmountain for the abandoned The Ties That Bind album, and later issued in 2015 on The River: Single Album. Additional sessions for The River were logged on April 12 and May 6 and 7, 1980. The final mix was by Toby Scott at Clover Recorders in Los Angeles, between May and July.

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^{Studio Sessions: The River}

Lyrics

I Wanna Marry You (The River)

I see you walking baby down the street
Pushing that baby carriage at your feet
I see that lonely ribbon in your hair
Tell me am I the man for whom you put it there

You never smile girl you never speak
You just walk on by darling week after week
Raising two kids alone in this mixed up world
Must be a lonely life for a working girl

Little girl I wanna marry you, oh yeah
Little girl I wanna marry you, yes I do
Little girl I wanna marry you

Now honey I don't wanna clip your wings
But a time comes when two people should think of these things
Having a home and a family
Facing up to their responsibilities

They say in the end true love prevails
But in the end true love can be some fairy tale
To say I'll make your dreams come true would be wrong
But maybe darling I could help them along

Little girl I wanna marry you, oh yeah
Little girl I wanna marry you, yes I do
Little girl I wanna marry you

Ohhh, my daddy said right before he died
That true true love was just a lie
He went to his grave a broken heart
An unfulfilled life girl makes a man hard

Oh darling, there's something happy and there's something sad
'Bout wanting somebody oh so bad
I wear my love darling without shame
I'd be proud if you would wear my name

Oh my girl
Ooh my girl
My girl
Oh girl, girl
Yeah
Ooh-ooh

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

I Wanna Marry You (The River Collection)

I see you walking baby down the street
Pushing that baby carriage at your feet
I see that lonely ribbon in your hair
Tell me am I the man for whom you put it there

You never smile girl you never speak
You just walk on by darling week after week
Raising two kids alone in this mixed up world
Must be a lonely life for a working girl

Little girl I wanna marry you, oh yeah
Little girl I wanna marry you, yes I do
Little girl I wanna marry you

Now honey I don't wanna clip your wings
But a time comes when two people should think of these things
Having a home and a family
Facing up to their responsibilities

They say in the end true love prevails
But in the end true love can be no fairy tale
To say I'll make your dreams true would be wrong
But maybe darling I could help them along

Little girl I wanna marry you, oh yeah
Little girl I wanna marry you, yes I do
Little girl I wanna marry you

My daddy said right before he died
That true true love was just a lie
He went to his grave a broken heart
An unfulfilled life girl makes a man hard

Oh darling, there's something happy and there's something sad
'Bout wanting somebody oh so bad
I wear my love darling without shame
I'd be proud if you would wear my name

Ooh hoo hoo

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

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