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Live Aug 1972 version
[Spoken intro:] [cut] ...about, becoming a man, which everybody's supposed to be on the way to be in. That is all you guys... it could be a song about becoming a woman too, but I don't know. For ya... a song 'bout growing up.
Well I stood stone-like at midnight suspended in my masquerade
And I combed my hair till it looked just right and commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch
I strode all alone into a fallout zone and came out with my soul untouched
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I stood up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Well the flag of piracy flew from my mast, my sails were set wing to wing
I had a jukebox graduate for first mate, she couldn't sail but she sure could sing
I pushed B-52 and bombed 'em with the blues with my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, I never once gave thought to landing
I hid in the clouded warmth of the crowd, but when they said "come down" I threw up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere, and you know it's really hard to hold your breath
Swear I lost everything I ever loved or feared, was the cosmic kid in full costume dress
But my feet they finally took root in the earth though I got me a nice little place in the stars
And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car
Whoa, I hid in the mother breast of the crowd, but when they said "pull down" I pulled up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Oh, ah
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
[Spoken outro:] Thank you. Thank you very much.
The above lyrics are for a live August 1972 performance of GROWIN' UP at Max's Kansas City in New York City, NY. The song is performed solo on acoustic guitar.
Bruce Springsteen was booked for a 6-nights/12-shows (two shows each night) residency at Max's Kansas City in New York City, NY, from 09 to 14 Aug 1972. The shows were triple bills, with the bottom-billed Bruce Springsteen (solo) opening for headliner Dave Van Ronk and the second-billed folk stylist Doris Abrahams. Each of Bruce's shows was limited to about 30 minutes / 3-to-5 songs. These were Springsteen's first series of "official" public performances after signing with Columbia Records, although there was absolutely no CBS-sponsored promotion of the event.
The club's earliest promotional material for this residency only mentions Dave Van Ronk and not the two then-unknown acts. A later advertisement mentions Van Ronk and Abrahams, but not Springsteen. However an ad from the middle of the residency mentions Bruce Springsteen. It is likely that Bruce was a last-minute addition to the billing but performed at all the shows.
Springsteen's inclusion on the bill may have been arranged by John Hammond, a good friend of Van Ronk. Springsteen has briefly mentioned opening for Van Ronk, with his most well known comments coming during the 1990 Christic Benefit gigs. Shortly before Van Ronk died he also acknowledged letting Bruce open for him during his 1972 residency at Max's Kansas City; these wese Van Ronk's only appearances at the club in 1972. Promoter Victor "Igor" Wasylczenko has commented to Brucebase that he attended one of these Van Ronk dates, Bruce definitely was the opener, and he ended up giving Bruce a ride home to Asbury Park after the show (they lived near each other at the time).
Definitely one, probably two, and possibly several of Springsteen's shows during this residency were audio and video recorded in their entirety, utilizing the club's in-house video camera. It is believed the recording was carried out at the bequest of Columbia who wanted footage of Springsteen for potential promotional use.
Very brief audio-video excerpts of both HENRY BOY and GROWIN' UP from one of the 12 shows during this August 1972 residency at Max's Kansas City first surfaced on the 1990 documentary John Hammond: From Bessie Smith To Bruce Springsteen. The documentary was first broadcast via PBS stations across the United States on 20 Aug 1990 and was subsequently released on VHS and LaserDisc (see the "Official Releases" section below).
The complete audio-video of both songs has since leaked out and is now in circulation among collectors. These complete takes represent what was originally supplied to the Hammond film producers by CBS. The producers were only allowed to use brief excerpts of the two songs in the documentary and were not supplied any footage of the rest of the show. HENRY BOY is the opening song of Springsteen's show and GROWIN' UP is the closing song. The remainder of the show (probably only a couple of more songs) exists in CBS's vault but has never surfaced.
The John Hammond: From Bessie Smith To Bruce Springsteen documentary, which includes excerpts of Bruce Springsteen's live Aug 1972 versions of HENRY BOY and GROWIN' UP and an edit of his live 23 Oct 1987 version of FOREVER YOUNG, was released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1990.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
Most of the above info about Springsteen's 6-nights residency at Max's Kansas City is taken from Brucebase.
The John Hammond: From Bessie Smith To Bruce Springsteen was also released on VHS in the UK and Japan. If you have these two releases (or scans of them), or any other release of this documentary not mentioned on this page, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of GROWIN' UP on this website:
GROWIN' UP [Album version]
