4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)

Live 07 Apr 1976 version



[Spoken intro:] Oh, yeah. Ready, boys? Tonight and forever, here's something from Asbury Park to you with love.

One, two, three, four

Sandy, the fireworks are hailin' over Little Eden tonight
Forcin' a light into all them stoned-out faces left stranded on this fourth of July
Down in town the Circuit's full with switchblade lovers, so fast, and shiny, and sharp
Them wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark
And the boys from the casino dance with their shirts open like Latin lovers along the shore
Chasin' all them silly New York girls

Oh, Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
The pier lights our carnival life forever
Love me tonight, 'cause I may never see you again
Whoa, Sandy, girl

Yeah, well, now the greasers, they still tramp the streets or get busted for trying to sleep on the beach all night
Them boys in their spiked high heels, ah, Sandy, their skins are so white
And me, I just got tired of hangin' in them dusty arcades, bangin' them pleasure machines
Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk, where they all promise to unsnap their jeans
You know that tilt-a-whirl way down on the south beach drag
Got on it last night and my shirt got caught
And that Joey kept me spinnin'
I didn't think I'd ever get off

Whoa, Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
The pier lights our carnival life on the water
Running crazy 'neath the boardwalk with my old boss's daughter
He ain't my boss no more, Sandy!
Hey!

Now, Sandy, I guess the angels have lost their desire for us
Yeah, I spoke to 'em just last night and they said they won't set themselves on fire for us anymore
Every summer when the weather gets hot, they ride that crazy road down from heaven, on their Harleys they come and they go
You see 'em dressed like stars in all the cheap little seashore bars
And parked with their babies out on the Kokomo
Did you hear the cops finally busted Madame Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do
This boardwalk life for me is through
You know, you ought to quit this scene too

Oh, Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
The pier lights our carnival life forever
Love me tonight and I promise... I promise there'll be no promises
Yeah, hey, hey, Sandy, girl
Whoa, oh, oh
How 'bout it?


Info

The above lyrics are for the live 07 Apr 1976 performance of 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, during the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour. The song was played in a full-band arrangement.

This tour (35 know dates, March to May 1976) was nicknamed the "Chicken Scratch Tour" by the road crew because of the high proportion of secondary markets in the South.

The 07 Apr 1976 Show

During the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed two consecutive shows at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, on 07 and 08 Apr 1976. Soundboard recordings for both concert are in circulation among collectors. The recording from the second night is incomplete, but the one from the second night is complete and is of higher quality.

Ticket stub for the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
Ticket stub for the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
(Taken from Brucebase)

  1. NIGHT
  2. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
  3. SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT
  4. IT'S MY LIFE
  5. THUNDER ROAD
  6. SHE'S THE ONE
  7. BORN TO RUN
  8. INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET
  9. FRANKIE
  10. BACKSTREETS
  11. GROWIN' UP
  12. IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY[/SONG]
  13. BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
  14. JUNGLELAND
  15. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)
  16. 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)
  17. DETROIT MEDLEY
  18. QUARTER TO THREE

The 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre was commercially released in Europe. Since 2005 some enterprising record labels in Europe (mostly in the UK) have been releasing Bruce Springsteen radio and TV broadcasts (and some soundboard recordings) from the seventies, eighties, and nineties. Though these releases are not authorized by Bruce Springsteen or his record company, they are lawful due to a legal loophole in Europe.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Gap Year Broadcast – Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976
Bruce Springsteen -- The Gap Year Broadcast – Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976

2xCD - Sonic Boom (SON0345) - UK, 2017

This release contains the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Gap Year Broadcast - Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976 Vol. 1
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Gap Year Broadcast - Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976 Vol. 1

2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA158LP) - UK, 2019

This release contains part 1 of 2 of the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Gap Year Broadcast - Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976 Vol. 2
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Gap Year Broadcast - Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976 Vol. 2

2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA160LP) - UK, 2019

This release contains part 2 of 2 of the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre.

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) on this website:

4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Album version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Original studio version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Early draft]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 23 Jul 1973 (early show) version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 31 Jul 1973 (late show) version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 31 Oct 1973 (late show) version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 03 Mar 1974 (late show) version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 09 Apr 1974 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 29 Oct 1974 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 05 Feb 1975 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 02 Oct 1975 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 18 Nov 1975 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 31 Dec 1975 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 07 Apr 1976 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 04 Nov 1976 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 09 Aug 1978 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 29 Dec 1980 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 31 Dec 1980 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 30 Jul 1992 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 10 Aug 1992 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 24 Nov 1996 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 26 Nov 1996 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 15 Feb 1997 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 11 Aug 1999 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 12 May 2003 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 18 Jul 2005 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 20 Mar 2008 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 22 Apr 2008 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 04 Jul 2008 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 30 Aug 2008 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 07 Nov 2009 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Live 23 Feb 2014 version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [The Hollies' cover version]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [Ben E. King's cover version]

Page last updated: 18 Jan 2016