Disc 2 track 1 of The River, 1980.
- Credits
- Performances
- Released on Album
- Released as Live Download
- On The Tracks
- Lyrics
- Media
- Gallery
- Links
- The River (1980)
- 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, percussion
Released on The River (1980), Point Blank (Single, 1980), and The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015).
Live versions are available on the following 69 official live downloads:
- 2016-07-28 Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway
- 2016-07-23 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
- 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
- 2016-06-22 Telia Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2016-06-01 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
- 2016-05-29 Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
- 2016-05-25 Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
- 2016-05-21 Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain
- 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
- 2014-04-26 Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
- 2014-04-17 Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
- 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
- 2005-06-25 Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden
- 1999-09-25 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 1981-06-05 Wembley Arena, London, England
- 1980-12-29 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- 1980-12-28 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
- 1980-11-05 ASU Activity Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
- 1978-12-16 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
- 1978-12-15 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
- 1978-12-08 Summit (The), Houston, TX
- 1978-10-01 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
- 1978-09-30 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
- 1978-09-21 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
- 1978-09-20 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
- 1978-09-19 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
- 1978-07-07 Roxy Theatre (The), West Hollywood, CA
One of these recordings is also available on the playlists The Darkness Tour '78 (2023) and The Reunion Tour '99 (2024).
POINT BLANK - V1 | 1:00 | LMEC1 |
POINT BLANK - V2 - take 3 | 5:39 | DROC1 / RO |
POINT BLANK - V3 - take 9 | 5:50 | DROC1 / RO |
POINT BLANK - V4 - take 11 | 5:20 | DROC1 / RO |
POINT BLANK - V5 - take 12 | 5:17 | DROC1 / RO / ATMF |
POINT BLANK - V6 | 5:59 | RIVER |
Note: Initially written in early 1978 after the conclusion of the Darkness sessions, and completed during the early stages of the Darkness Tour. Bruce confirmed in a 1978 interview that "Point Blank" was composed during the soundcheck at the Music Hall in Boston in late May. Unfortunately, there were no studio sessions at this time, so no recordings exist. Premiered live at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood on July 7, 1978 and played regularly once the song returned to the setlist two months later. Both the lyrics and arrangement used on the Darkness Tour are quite different to the final take on The River.
V1 is an acoustic demo from around January–June 1979 and consists of harmonies and guitar practice. V2–V5 are takes 3, 9, 11, and 12 respectively, all recorded on the same night at the Power Station on May 29 and 30, 1979. These four takes feature a completely different, faster, rocking arrangement with alternative lyrics to both the 1978 live versions and the eventual River release. The mid-section includes a searing guitar solo. When Springsteen performed "Point Blank" in 1995 during the Solo Acoustic Tour, he used an arrangement that was clearly inspired by the abandoned rock version. V6, the final arrangement, contains a new second verse taken from the opening section of "Party Lights", as well as a newly written, extended narrative middle section. It was recorded some months later, possibly on August 23 and 25, 1979, or February 16, 1980.
Studio Sessions: The River
Point Blank |
Do you still say your prayers little darling, do you go to bed at night
Praying that tomorrow everything will be alright
But tomorrow's fall in number, in number one by one
You wake up and you're dying, you don't even know what from
Well, they shot you point blank
You been shot in the back, baby, point blank
You been fooled this time, little girl, that's a fact
Right between the eyes, baby, point blank
Right between the pretty lies that they tell
Little girl you fell
You grew up where young girls they grow up fast
You took what you were handed and left behind what was asked
But what they asked baby wasn't right
You didn't have to live that life
And I was gonna be your Romeo, you were gonna be my Juliet
These days you don't wait on Romeos, you wait on that welfare check
And on all the pretty things that you can't ever have
And on all the promises
That always end up point blank
Shot between the eyes, whoa, point blank
Like little white lies you tell to ease the pain
You're walking in the sights, girl, of point blank
And it's one false move and, baby, the lights go out
Once I dreamed we were together again, baby, you and me
Back home in those old clubs the way we used to be
We were standing at the bar, it was hard to hear
The band was playing loud and you were shouting something in my ear
You pulled my jacket off and as the drummer counted four
You grabbed my hand and pulled me out on the floor
You just stood there and held me and you started dancing slow
And as I pulled you tighter I swore I'd never let you go
Well I saw you last night down on the avenue
Your face was in the shadows but I knew that it was you
You were standing in the doorway out of the rain
You didn't answer when I called out your name
You just turned and then you looked away
Like just another stranger waiting to get blown away
Point blank, right between the eyes
Whoa, point blank, right between the pretty lies you fell
Point blank, you been shot right through the heart
Yeah, point blank, you've been twisted up till you've become just another part of it
Point blank, you're walking in the sights
Point blank, living one false move, just one false move away
They caught you in their sights
Point blank, did you forget how to love, girl, did you forget how to fight.
They must have shot you in the head
'Cause point blank, bang bang, baby you're dead
Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song. |
Disclaimer | © 1996 - 2024 | Brucebase