Independence Day

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Disc 1, Track 5 of The River, 1980.

Credits
Performances
Released on Album
Released as Live Download
On The Tracks
Lyrics

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

^{Performed live 247 times.}

2016-08-23 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2016-07-28 Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway
2016-07-26 Granåsen Arena, Trondheim, Norway
2016-07-23 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2016-07-20 CASA Arena, Horsens, Denmark
2016-07-16 Circus Maximus, Rome, Italy
2016-07-13 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
2016-07-11 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
2016-07-03 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
2016-06-29 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
2016-06-27 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2016-05-29 Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
2016-05-17 Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, 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, 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
2014-04-26 Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
2012-07-04 Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
2009-08-23 Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
2008-07-04 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2008-04-13 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
2005-11-09 Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
2005-10-06 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
2003-08-28 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2000-06-20 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
2000-05-22 Arrowhead Pond Of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
2000-05-08 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
1999-11-15 Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
1999-10-28 Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
1999-10-23 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
1999-09-30 United Center, Chicago, IL
1999-09-24 First Union Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1999-09-20 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
1999-08-24 FleetCenter, Boston, MA
1999-08-11 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1999-08-06 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1999-08-01 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1999-07-20 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1999-04-11 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
1996-11-24 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
1985-07-04 Wembley Stadium, London, England
1984-09-17 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1984-08-29 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
1984-08-28 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
1984-07-30 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
1981-09-14 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
1981-09-13 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
1981-09-11 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
1981-09-10 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
1981-09-08 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
1981-09-02 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA
1981-08-28 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
1981-08-27 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
1981-08-24 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
1981-08-23 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
1981-08-21 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
1981-08-20 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
1981-08-17 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
1981-08-16 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
1981-08-12 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
1981-08-11 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
1981-08-07 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
1981-08-05 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
1981-08-04 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
1981-07-30 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
1981-07-29 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
1981-07-19 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1981-07-18 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1981-07-16 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1981-07-15 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1981-07-13 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
1981-07-09 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1981-07-08 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1981-07-06 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1981-07-05 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1981-07-03 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1981-07-02 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1981-06-07 Birmingham International Arena, Birmingham, England
1981-06-05 Wembley Arena, London, England
1981-06-02 Wembley Arena, London, England
1981-05-30 Wembley Arena, London, England
1981-05-29 Wembley Arena, London, England
1981-05-27 Brighton Centre (The), Brighton, England
1981-05-26 Brighton Centre (The), Brighton, England
1981-05-20 Bingley Hall, Stafford, England
1981-05-17 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland
1981-05-16 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland
1981-05-14 Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England
1981-05-13 Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England
1981-05-11 City Hall, Newcastle, England
1981-05-08 Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
1981-05-07 Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
1981-05-05 Drammenshallen, Drammen, Norway
1981-05-03 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
1981-05-02 Brøndbyhallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
1981-04-29 Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
1981-04-28 Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
1981-04-26 Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
1981-04-24 Palais Des Sports De Gerland, Lyon, France
1981-04-21 Palau Municipal D'Esports, Barcelona, Spain
1981-04-19 Palais Des Sports De Saint-Ouen, Paris, France
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
1981-04-07 Congress Centrum Hamburg, Hamburg, West Germany
1981-03-05 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN
1981-03-04 Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
1981-03-02 Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA
1981-02-28 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
1981-02-26 Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN
1981-02-25 Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN
1981-02-23 Omni (The), Atlanta, GA
1981-02-22 Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, SC
1981-02-20 Hollywood Sportatorium (The), Pembroke Pines, FL
1981-02-18 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL
1981-02-15 Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, FL
1981-02-13 Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, MS
1981-02-12 Municipal Auditorium, Mobile, AL
1981-02-07 Assembly Hall, Champaign, IL
1981-02-05 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO
1981-02-04 SIU Arena, Carbondale, IL
1981-02-02 Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, WI
1981-02-01 St. Paul Civic Center, Saint Paul, MN
1981-01-29 Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA
1981-01-28 Checkerdome, St. Louis, MO
1981-01-26 Athletic & Convocation Center, South Bend, IN
1981-01-24 Ottawa Civic Centre, Ottawa, ON
1981-01-23 Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC
1981-01-21 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON
1981-01-20 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON
1980-12-31 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
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
1980-12-15 Boston Garden, Boston, MA
1980-12-12 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
1980-12-11 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
1980-12-09 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
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
1980-10-10 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL
1980-10-09 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI
1980-10-07 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
1980-10-04 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
1978-12-31 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
1978-12-30 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI
1978-12-27 Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
1978-12-20 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA
1978-12-19 Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR
1978-12-16 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
1978-12-13 Tucson Community Center Arena, Tucson, AZ
1978-12-08 Summit (The), Houston, TX
1978-12-07 Special Events Center, Austin, TX
1978-12-05 LSU Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, LA
1978-12-03 SIU Arena, Carbondale, IL
1978-11-29 St. Paul Civic Center, Saint Paul, MN
1978-11-28 Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, WI
1978-11-27 Mecca Arena, Milwaukee, WI
1978-11-25 Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO
1978-11-21 McGaw Hall, Evanston, IL
1978-11-20 Assembly Hall, Champaign, IL
1978-11-18 Millett Hall, Oxford, OH
1978-11-17 Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI
1978-11-16 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON
1978-11-12 RPI Field House, Troy, NY
1978-11-10 Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure, NY
1978-11-08 Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC
1978-11-07 Barton Hall, Ithaca, NY
1978-11-05 UNH Fieldhouse, Durham, NH
1978-11-04 Patrick Gymnasium, Burlington, VT
1978-11-02 Capital Centre, Largo, MD
1978-11-01 Jadwin Gymnasium, Princeton, NJ
1978-09-30 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
1978-09-25 Boston Garden, Boston, MA
1978-09-21 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
1978-09-20 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
1978-09-19 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
1978-09-17 Palladium, New York City, NY
1978-09-16 Palladium, New York City, NY
1978-07-07 Roxy Theatre (The), West Hollywood, CA

Released on The River (1980), The River (Single, 1981), and The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015).

A live version is released on Live/1975–85 (1986) (recorded July 6, 1981).

Live versions are available on the following official live downloads:

2016-08-23 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2016-07-28 Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway
2016-07-26 Granåsen Arena, Trondheim, Norway
2016-07-23 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2016-07-20 CASA Arena, Horsens, Denmark
2016-07-16 Circus Maximus, Rome, Italy
2016-07-13 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
2016-07-11 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
2016-07-03 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
2016-06-29 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
2016-06-27 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
2016-05-29 Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
2016-05-17 Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, 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, 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
2014-04-26 Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
1999-10-23 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
1999-09-30 United Center, Chicago, IL
1996-11-24 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
1981-07-09 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
1981-06-05 Wembley Arena, London, England
1980-12-31 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
1980-12-29 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
1980-11-05 ASU Activity Center, Tempe, AZ
1978-12-16 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
1978-12-08 Summit (The), Houston, TX
1978-09-30 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
1978-09-20 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
1978-09-19 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
1978-07-07 Roxy Theatre (The), West Hollywood, CA

INDEPENDENCE DAY - V1 - take 3		uncirculating
INDEPENDENCE DAY - V2	6:17	LM-3 / AM / UP / LMEC2 / GT
INDEPENDENCE DAY - V3a - mix take #10	5:18	uncirculating
INDEPENDENCE DAY - V3b	5:27	DROC1 / RRR / ATMF
INDEPENDENCE DAY - V3c	4:39	RIVER

Note: In a phone interview with a CHOM-FM DJ after a show on November 8, 1978 at the Montreal Forum, Bruce said "Independence Day" was written "before a lot of the stuff recorded on Darkness." It also appears on a "New Songs" list generally attributed to the pre-Darkness era. It was first recorded on August 15, 1977, and take 3 was dubbed to a ruffs mix tape, the inlay of which was reproduced in The Promise facsimile book. V2 was a bootlegged take likely recorded on September 26–27 at Record Plant Studios. Springsteen must have completed the song to some extent, because it was slated to be track 4 on the October 'Badlands' album, until Bruce canceled the project. He went back to work on it on November 4, 7, and December 9, 1977. When a proposed track sequence was assembled on January 16, 1978, "Independence Day" was an alternate track, but it was soon dropped from consideration. Bruce played it live on July 7, 1978 at the Roxy, and over thirty times to the end of the Darkness Tour. Sessions resumed at Power Station studios on May 29 and October 11, 1979, with mixing and dubbing sessions on April 24 and 25, 1980. V3a is mix take #10, with slight alterations to the snare drums and vocals. V3b is the complete, uncut recording with the instrumental coda that was removed from the album version, V3c.

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

Independence Day

Well Papa go to bed now, it's getting late
Nothing we can say is gonna change anything now
I'll be leaving in the morning from St. Mary's Gate
We wouldn't change this thing even if we could somehow
'Cause the darkness of this house has got the best of us
There's a darkness in this town that's got us too
But they can't touch me now and you can't touch me now
They ain't gonna do to me what I watched them do to you

So say goodbye, it's Independence Day
It's Independence Day all down the line
Just say goodbye, it's Independence Day
It's Independence Day this time

Now I don't know what it always was with us
We chose the words and, yeah, we drew the lines
There was just no way this house could hold the two of us
I guess that we were just too much of the same kind

Well say goodbye, it's Independence Day
It's Independence Day, all boys must run away
So say goodbye, it's Independence Day
All men must make their way come Independence Day

Now the rooms are all empty down at Frankie's joint
And the highway she's deserted, clear down to Breaker's Point
There's a lot of people leaving town now, leaving their friends, their homes
At night they walk that dark and dusty highway all alone

Well Papa go to bed now, it's getting late
Nothing we can say can change anything now
Because there's just different people coming down here now and they see things in different ways
And soon everything we've known will just be swept away

So say goodbye, it's Independence Day
Papa now I know the things you wanted that you could not say
But won't you just say goodbye, it's Independence Day
I swear I never meant to take those things away

^{Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.}