JOHNNY BYE-BYE

Official studio version



One, two, three

Well she drew out all her money from the Southern Trust
And put her little boy on the Greyhound Bus
Leaving Memphis with a guitar in his hand
On a one-way ticket to the promised land

Well hey little girl with the red dress on
There's a party tonight down in Memphis town
I'll be going down there if you need a ride
The man on the radio says Elvis Presley's died

We drove down into Memphis, the sky was hard and black
Up over the ridge came a white Cadillac
They'd drawn out all his money and they laid him in the back
A woman cried from the roadside, "Ah he's gone, he's gone"

They found him slumped up against the drain
With a whole lot of trouble, yeah, running through his veins
Bye-bye Johnny, Johnny bye-bye
You didn't have to die, you didn't have to die

Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Hmm hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm... [fades out]


Info

JOHNNY BYE-BYE is a song written by Bruce Springsteen. Chuck Berry is also given co-writing credits since Springsteen borrowed some lines from Berry's BYE BYE JOHNNY as well as the play on the title. See the "Composition and Recording" section below for more details.

The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's official studio version of JOHNNY BYE-BYE that was released on the b-side of I'M ON FIRE in 1985. See the "Single Release" section below for more details. This version was also included on the Tracks box set in 1998.


Writing and Recording

Passing through intermediate versions, JOHNNY BYE-BYE evolved from the 1977 outtake COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT). Three versions of the latter are in circulation. These are in chronological order the unofficial studio version, the official studio version, and the home demo. The lyrics for the three versions are not very different, though the first one does not reference Elvis Presley.

The home demo of COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) was recorded around late March or early April 1981. Soon after, Springsteen dramatically changed the song. He updated the lyrics and added two more verses, the first of which includes two lines from Chuck Berry's BYE BYE JOHNNY and the second of which includes the line "Bye-bye Johnny, Johnny bye-bye". The new song, JOHNNY BYE-BYE, premiered on 13 May 1981 during The River Tour (see the live 13 May 1981 version). During The River Tour (and later during Born In The U.S.A. Tour) Springsteen introduced the song as "Bye Bye Johnny", though the song would be listed under the title "Johnny Bye Bye" when released as a B-side in 1985 and under the title "Johnny Bye-Bye" when released on the Tracks box set in 1998. There are three copyright entries for the song at the Library Of Congress. The first two, from 1985 (registration no. PA0000352446) and 1986 (registration no. SR0000071011), use the title "Johnny bye bye". The third one, from 1998 (registration no. PA0000908569), uses the title "Johnny bye-bye".

According to Sony's logs of Bruce Springsteen's studio sessions, JOHNNY BYE-BYE was recorded on 27 Apr 1982 at The Power Station in New York City, NY, and again on 04 Jan 1983 (date not confirmed) and 09 and 24 Mar 1983 at Thrill Hill West, Springsteen's home studio in Beverly Hills, CA. Four of the studio versions are in circulation. The official studio version emanates from the January 1983 sessions according the Tracks box set liner notes. Unofficial studio version 1, unofficial studio version 2, and unofficial studio version 3 emanate (more probably) from the January 1983 sessions or (less probably) the March 1983 sessions. The studio version(s) from the April 1982 sessions at The Power Station has not surfaced.

The lyrics for these 1983 versions were again updated; the second and third verses from the live 1981 versions were merged into one and the fourth verse (now the third verse) was completely altered. The 1983 versions would be used in 1984 and 1985 during the Born In The U.S.A. Tour. Unofficial studio version 3 however features an additional fifth verse not found in any other known studio or live version.

Musically, the official studio version is considerably shorter than the remaining studio versions and is played on multi instruments in a relatively faster rock arrangement. Unofficial studio version 1, unofficial studio version 2, and unofficial studio version 3 are played on guitar and synthesizer in a slow acoustic arrangement and feature a "crickets chirping" effect at the beginning and at the end of the song.

Though they are the same take, the version released as a b-side in 1985 and the version released on Tracks in 1998 are two different mixes. The former features a different and more prominent drum overdub, while the latter features more prominent percussion. Three additional mixes of this same take can be found on bootlegs (see the "Bootleg Releases" section below). These mixes are more similar to the one released on Tracks.

JOHNNY BYE-BYE was planned for release in 1983 had a band album seen the light that year. See the next section for more details.

Unreleased 1982 and 1983 Albums

Bruce Springsteen recorded a bulk of solo demoes at his Colts Neck, NJ home studio in early January 1982. His intention was to demonstrate them to The E Street Band when they enter the studio later that month so that the recording sessions for their next album would progress faster. These studio sessions came to a halt in May when Springsteen decided to release Nebraska, an album consisting of the original solo demoes without the band treatment.

For the next month or two the focus turned to overseeing final preparations of Nebraska. However, Springsteen had already made up his mind that a few of the January home demoes should be on an E Street Band album, in addition to some more songs he recorded with the band when they were in studio. Mixing of the band material continued through June, alongside the Nebraska tracks. In fact, Springsteen even considered putting both albums out as a double record. "I had these two extremely different recording experiences going," Springsteen told Mark Hagen in an interview for Mojo magazine published in January 1999. "I was going to put them out at the same time as a double record. I didn't know what to do."

In his 2012 book E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Clinton Heylin revealed that the track sequence for the band album was compiled (see list below). These tracks were all recorded with the E Street Band between January and May 1982 at The Power Station and The Hit Factory in New York City, NY.

Side 1:

  • BORN IN THE U.S.A.
  • MURDER INCORPORATED (spelled "Murder Inc.")
  • DOWNBOUND TRAIN
  • I'M GOIN DOWN (titled "Down Down Down")
  • GLORY DAYS
  • MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN (titled "My Love")

Side 2:

  • WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY
  • DARLINGTON COUNTY
  • FRANKIE
  • I'M ON FIRE
  • THIS HARD LAND

In early October 1982, soon after the release of Nebraska, Springsteen moved to Los Angeles where he spent much of the following five months. He had recording engineer Mike Batlan install a home recording studio at his house in Los Angeles where he recorded more than an album's worth of songs over the early months of 1983, playing all the instruments himself except for a drum machine.

According to Brucebase, Springsteen has mentioned that sometime in early 1983 he also gave consideration to releasing the best of the Los Angeles home studio recordings as a thematic follow-up to Nebraska. This album concept is not known to have ever been given a working title because Springsteen quickly abandoned the concept.

A document from around March 1983 reveals that at the time Springsteen briefly considered releasing an album tentatively titled "Murder Incorporated" and consisting of eleven tracks. The document also lists six additional tracks that apparently were selected for B-sides. All these tracks were cut during two phases of recording sessions, the early 1982 sessions with the band and the early 1983 solo sessions.

Album:

  • BORN IN THE U.S.A.
  • MURDER INCORPORATED (spelled "Murder Inc.")
  • DOWNBOUND TRAIN
  • GLORY DAYS
  • THIS HARD LAND (titled "Hard Land")
  • MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN (titled "My Love")
  • JOHNNY BYE-BYE (titled "Bye Bye Johnny")
  • FRANKIE
  • I'M GOIN DOWN (titled "Down Down Down")
  • WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY (spelled "Workin' on the Highway")
  • I'M ON FIRE (written between parentheses)

B-sides:

Springsteen disregarded the album and opted for another round of recording session. These sessions took place between April and June 1983 at The Hit Factory in New York City, NY, and featured the E Street Band, apparently minus Steven Van Zandt who was busy at the time recording his second solo album and touring with his own group. Following this third phase of recording sessions major mixing sessions took place and some in CBS were talking of a possible of a pre-Christmas release. In his book, Clinton Heylin revealed a track sequence for a band album that was compiled on 26-27 Jul 1983 (see list below). This new track sequence comprised of three songs carried over from the 1982 sequence, four from the early 1983, sessions and five from the recent E Street Band sessions.

Side 1:

Side 2:

As had been the case in March, Springsteen disregarded the album again and opted for another round of recording session. This final round was scattered from autumn 1983 to the early months of 1984.

Single Release

JOHNNY BYE-BYE was released on the b-side of the I'm On Fire single in 1985. The single was released internationally and the EP was released in Europe.

Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

7" single - CBS (BA 3269) - Australia, 1985

Both sunburst label (commercial) and white label (promotional) versions were issued.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

7" single - Columbia (38 04772) - Canada, 1985

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

7" single - CBS (A 6148) - Holland, 1985
7" single - CBS (A 6148) - Germany, 1985

Both sunburst label and red label versions of the Dutch pressing were issued. The German pressing of this single was issued in Dutch picture sleeves. There are two different designs for the Dutch picture sleeve, one with large and one with small text for the B-side title on the front sleeve. This scan is for the picture sleeve with large text for the B-side title.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

7" single - CBS (A 6148) - Holland, 1985
7" single - CBS (A 6148) - Germany, 1985

Both sunburst label and red label versions of the Dutch pressing were issued. The German pressing of this single was issued in Dutch picture sleeves. There are two different designs for the Dutch picture sleeve, one with large and one with small text for the B-side title on the front sleeve. This scan is for the picture sleeve with small text for the B-side title.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

12" EP - CBS (A 12.6148) - Holland, 1985

Both sunburst label and red label versions were issued.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
A2- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
B1- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT
B2- JERSEY GIRL [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

7" single - CBS (A 6148) - Italy, 1985

Promotional copies are regular stock copies with with "Campione Gratuito" ("Free Sample") text punched into the lower right corner of the picture sleeve.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

7" single - CBS / Sony (07SP 875) - Japan, 1985

Comes with a picture insert. Promotional copies are identical to the commercial ones with the exception of "NOT FOR SALE / SAMPLE" (in Japanese) imprint above the catalogue number on the labels.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- "I'm On Fire / Johnny Bye-Bye"
Bruce Springsteen -- "I'm On Fire / Johnny Bye-Bye"

7" single - CBS (BA 223269) - New Zealand, 1985

Comes in a die-cut CBS company sleeve.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

7" single - CBS (SSC 5786) - South Africa, 1985

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

12" EP - CBS (TA 6342) - UK, 1985

Both sunburst label and red label versions were issued.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
A2- ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)
B1- BORN IN THE U.S.A. [The Freedom Mix]
B2- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire
Bruce Springsteen -- I'm On Fire

7" single - Columbia (38-04772) - USA, 1985

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- "I'm On Fire / Johnny Bye-Bye"
Bruce Springsteen -- "I'm On Fire / Johnny Bye-Bye"

7" single - Columbia (13-08411) - USA, 1986

Columbia's "Hall Of Fame" series reissue, comes in a die-cut "Hall Of Fame" company sleeve.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- "I'm On Fire / Johnny Bye-Bye"
Bruce Springsteen -- "I'm On Fire / Johnny Bye-Bye"

7" single - Columbia (13-08411) - USA, late 1980's

Collectables reissue, comes in a die-cut Collectables company sleeve.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
Bruce Springsteen -- "I'm On Fire / Johnny Bye-Bye"
Bruce Springsteen -- "I'm On Fire / Johnny Bye-Bye"

7" single - Columbia (13-08411) - USA, mid-1990's

Mid-1990's reissue, comes in a die-cut white paper sleeve.

A1- I'M ON FIRE
B1- JOHNNY BYE-BYE

Tracks

In the liner notes of his Tracks box set, Bruce Springsteen introduces the box set as follows:

During long intervals between my record releases, as I was spending more and more time in the studio, when I met a fan out on the street I was often asked, "What are you guys doing in there?" I regularly pondered that question myself.

What we were doing in there was making a lot of music, a lot more music than I could use at any one time. As a result, my albums became a series of choices — what to include, what to leave out? I based my decisions on my creative point of view at the moment — the subject I was trying to focus on, something musical or emotional I was trying to express. In certain instances, as on Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska, and The Ghost of Tom Joad, these choices crystallized the album I was making. On some of my other records the reasons I had for choosing one song over another, in hindsight, feel a good deal less significant. One of the results of working like this was that a lot of music, including some of my favorite things, remained unreleased.

This collection contains everything from the first notes I sang in the Columbia recording studio, my early and later work with the E Street Band, through to my music in the 90s. It's the alternate route to some of the destinations I travelled to on my records, an invitation into the studio on the many nights we spent making music in search of the records we presented to you. I'm glad to finally be able to share this music; here are some of the ones that got away.

- Bruce Springsteen, September 1998

Bruce Springsteen's albums were thematically linked even if they were not strictly concept albums; so some tracks that didn't fit the theme of the album ended up orphaned, not necessarily because they didn't meet his high standards, but because, he says, they didn't fit in with the tone or themes he mined for each set. Many of these unreleased studio outtakes got under the hands of bootleggers. Discussing that issue in 1984, Springsteen told Rolling Stone's Kurt Loder, "We record a lot of material, but we just don't release it all. [...] I always tell myself that some day I'm gonna put an album out with all this stuff on it that didn't fit in. I think there's some good material there that should come out. Maybe at some point, I'll do that."

During a break in The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour, Springsteen thought that "if it's gonna be a year or longer in between records, I have all this music that I know is very good that I never released and I should release some of it whether it was just a CD or something. In that period of time, I should put something out because people would like to have it and I'd like to see it get out." He told Toby Scott (his audio archivist and recording engineer), "send me all the archives, send everything that we recorded". Scott then went to work gathering the potential material from Springsteen's massive audio library (located, along with Sony's sound archives, in the high-tech Iron Mountain facility near Buffalo, NY). "For a week or so," he told Billboard in a Nov 1998 interview, "I just listened to everything that I'd done that we hadn't put out. I made some very brief notes in a notebook, and then I just put it away. It was something that I could do at some point when I get to that place in a new project where I'm not sure how long it's going to take and it would be nice to sort of fill the gap so the fans wouldn't be so long without hearing any music from me".

Springsteen told Mark Hagen in an interview for Mojo magazine published in January 1999, "So it began just with that idea and we listened to about 250 songs, maybe more, I made quick notes in a notebook and put it away. A year went by, more maybe, and I came off the Tom Joad tour and I began to write acoustically again and I wrote about half a record. Then I got stuck and said, 'Well, I'm going to put this aside for a while.' Then I wrote half of an electric record, and hit the same place. So I thought, instead of waiting for another year to put something out I'll put some of this music together. So once again I went back to the archives." According to interview comments made by engineer Toby Scott (Springsteen's audio archivist and recording engineer), it was in February 1998 during solo sessions being conducted at Thrill Hill Recording (Springsteen's home studio) in Colts Neck, NJ, that Springsteen told Scott that the time was right to proceed with the long-anticipated box set of archived, unreleased studio takes. Thrill Hill Recording served as the main operational center for all Tracks project activities. Note that the "Thrill Hill Recording" name is used for whatever home studio Springsteen is recording at, whether it's in Rumson, NJ, Colts, NJ, or Beverly Hills, CA.

Springsteen told Billboard that the songs were culled from between 200 and 300 tunes. According to Toby Scott, the number was down to about 128 songs by late June 1998. It was then narrowed down yet again in July to about 100 songs that were prepped for the Tracks release. Although the project was originally projected to be a 6-disc set, there was a commercial decision made later in the summer to reduce the size of the release to a 4-disc (66-track) set. The package was delivered to Sony in mid-September in order to facilitate the mid-November 1998 release schedule.

Unreleased songs from the Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ sessions were not included on the box set due to ongoing and still-unresolved court proceedings involving most of these unreleased 1972 recordings. The court battle wasn't resolved until in 2001 (April 2001 in the UK and June 2001 in the U.S.), and those recordings are now free for release at any time. The opening four tracks of the box set — which were culled from Springsteen's 03 May 1972 Columbia Records audition — were not part of the court proceedings.

On 16 Jul 1998, Springsteen attended a convention for Sony Music Entertainment Inc. in Miami, FL, where he officially announced that a box set was the works and he played a tape of three songs: WHERE THE BANDS ARE, LOOSE ENDS, and I WANNA BE WITH YOU.

The Tracks box set was released on Columbia Records on 10 Nov 1998. It was issued on both compact disc and audio cassette formats. It's a 4-disc (or 4-cassette) set consisting of a total of 66 tracks (almost 4.5 hours long), 10 of which were heretofore unavailable single B-sides, 6 were demos and alternate versions of already-released material, and 50 (48 studio and 2 live) were never-before-released songs recorded during the sessions for Springsteen's many albums. Some tracks were treated with a recent touch-up here or there to give the older recordings a fresh polish.

  • Disc 1 consists of material from 1972 to 1980, including Springsteen's very first Columbia Records audition for legendary A & R executive John Hammond. This disc also features additional songs most of which recorded for (but never released on) Springsteen's first four albums.
  • Disc 2 consists of material from 1979 to 1983, taken primarily from the recording sessions of The River, Nebraska, and Born In The U.S.A.. Springsteen describes this disc as "almost the completely other album from 'The River'."
  • Disc 3 consists of material from 1982 to 1987, taken primarily from the recording sessions of Born In The U.S.A. and Tunnel Of Love.
  • Disc 4 consists of material from 1989 to 1998, taken primarily from the recording sessions of Human Touch.
Bruce Springsteen -- Tracks
Bruce Springsteen -- Tracks

Disc 1 (CD format):

1.MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSASRecorded on 03 May 1972 at CBS Studios, New York City, NY
2.IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITYRecorded on 03 May 1972 at CBS Studios, New York City, NY
3.GROWIN' UPRecorded on 03 May 1972 at CBS Studios, New York City, NY
4.DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET?Recorded on 03 May 1972 at CBS Studios, New York City, NY
5.BISHOP DANCEDRecorded live on 31 Jan 1973 at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY
6.SANTA ANARecorded on 28 Jun 1973 at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY
7.SEASIDE BAR SONGRecorded on 28 Jun 1973 at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY
8.ZERO AND BLIND TERRYRecorded on 28 Jun 1973 at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY
9.LINDA LET ME BE THE ONERecorded on 28 Jun 1975 at The Record Plant, New York City, NY
10.THUNDERCRACKRecorded on 28 Jun 1973 at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY
11.RENDEZVOUSRecorded live on 31 Dec 1980 at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
12.GIVE THE GIRL A KISSRecorded on 10 Nov 1977 at The Record Plant, New York City, NY
13.ICEMANRecorded on 27 Oct 1977 at The Record Plant, New York City, NY
14.BRING ON THE NIGHTRecorded on 13 Jun 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
15.SO YOUNG AND IN LOVERecorded on 06 Jan 1974 at The Record Plant, New York City, NY
16.HEARTS OF STONERecorded on 14 Oct 1977 at The Record Plant, New York City, NY
17.DON'T LOOK BACKRecorded on 02 Jul 1977 at The Record Plant, New York City, NY

Disc 2 (CD format):

1.RESTLESS NIGHTSRecorded on 11 Apr 1980 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
2.A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (PITTSBURGH)Recorded on 05 May 1982 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
3.ROULETTERecorded on 03 Apr 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
4.DOLLHOUSERecorded on 21 Aug 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
5.WHERE THE BANDS ARERecorded on 09 Oct 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
6.LOOSE ENDSRecorded on 18 Jul 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
7.LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLDRecorded on 07 Dec 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
8.WAGES OF SINRecorded on 10 May 1982 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
9.TAKE 'EM AS THEY COMERecorded on 10 Apr 1980 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
10.BE TRUERecorded on 21 Jul 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
11.RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWNRecorded on 16 Jul 1979 at The Record Plant, New York City, NY
12.I WANNA BE WITH YOURecorded on 31 May 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
13.MARY LOURecorded on 30 May 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
14.STOLEN CARRecorded on 26 Jul 1979 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
15.BORN IN THE U.S.A.Recorded in January 1983 at Thrill Hill Recording, Colts Neck, NJ
16.JOHNNY BYE-BYERecorded in January 1983 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, CA
17.SHUT OUT THE LIGHTRecorded in January 1983 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, CA

Disc 3 (CD format):

1.CYNTHIARecorded on 20 Apr 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
2.MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWNRecorded on 05 May 1982 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
3.THIS HARD LANDRecorded on 11 May 1982 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
4.FRANKIERecorded on 14 May 1982 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
5.TV MOVIERecorded on 13 Jun 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
6.STAND ON ITRecorded on 16 Jun 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
7.LION'S DENRecorded on 25 Jan 1982 at The Power Station, New York City, NY
8.CAR WASHRecorded on 31 May 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
9.ROCKAWAY THE DAYSRecorded on 03 Feb 1984 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
10.BROTHERS UNDER THE BRIDGES ('83)Recorded on 04 Sep 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
11.MAN AT THE TOPRecorded on 12 Jan 1984 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
12.PINK CADILLACRecorded on 31 May 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
13.TWO FOR THE ROADRecorded in February 1987 at Thrill Hill Recording, Colts Neck, NJ
14.JANEY, DON'T YOU LOSE HEARTRecorded on 16 Jun 1983 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
15.WHEN YOU NEED MERecorded on 10 Jan 1987 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
16.THE WISHRecorded on 22 Feb 1987 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
17.THE HONEYMOONERSRecorded on 22 Feb 1987 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
18.LUCKY MANRecorded on 04 Apr 1987 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY

Disc 4 (CD format):

1.LEAVIN' TRAINRecorded on 27 Feb 1990 at Oceanway Studios, Los Angeles, CA
2.SEVEN ANGELSRecorded on 29 Jun 1990 at Oceanway Studios, Los Angeles, CA
3.GAVE IT A NAMERecorded on 24 Aug 1998 at Thrill Hill Recording, Colts Neck, NJ
4.SAD EYESRecorded on 25 Jan 1990 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles, CA
5.MY LOVER MANRecorded on 04 Dec 1990 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles, CA
6.OVER THE RISERecorded on 07 Dec 1990 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles, CA
7.WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUTRecorded on 06 Dec 1990 at The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA
8.LOOSE CHANGERecorded on 31 Jan 1991 at Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA
9.TROUBLE IN PARADISERecorded on 01 Dec 1989 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles, CA
10.HAPPYRecorded on 18 Jan 1992 at A & M Studios, Los Angeles, CA
11.PART MAN, PART MONKEYRecorded in January 1990 at Soundworks West, Los Angeles, CA
12.GOIN' CALIRecorded on 29 Jan 1991 at A & M Studios, Los Angeles, CA
13.BACK IN YOUR ARMSRecorded on 12 Jan 1995 at The Hit Factory, New York City, NY
14.BROTHERS UNDER THE BRIDGERecorded on 22 May 1995 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, CA

Other Official Releases

In addition to its release as a B-side and its inclusion on Tracks, JOHNNY BYE-BYE also appears on one Bruce Springsteen promo-only sampler.

Bruce Springsteen -- Killer Bs (From The USA)
Bruce Springsteen -- Killer Bs (From The USA)

MC - CBS (CDNT 239) - Canada, 1985

Canada-only promotional cassette tape sampler compiling 10 Springsteen single B-sides.

A1- HELD UP WITHOUT A GUN
A2- PINK CADILLAC
A3- SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
A4- JOHNNY BYE-BYE
A5- BE TRUE
B1- JERSEY GIRL [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
B2- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT
B3- TRAPPED [Live 06 Aug 1984 version]
B4- STAND ON IT
B5- JANEY, DON'T YOU LOSE HEART

Other versions of JOHNNY BYE-BYE were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Wembley Arena June 5, 1981
The live 05 Jun 1981 version of JOHNNY BYE-BYE was released on the Wembley Arena June 5, 1981 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Brendan Byrne Arena 1981
The live 09 Jul 1981 version of JOHNNY BYE-BYE was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena 1981 official live download in 2020.

Bootleg Releases

Before its official release on the Tracks box set in 1998, three different mixes (but same recording) of this official studio version of JOHNNY BYE-BYE appeared on The Lost Masters Vol. 16 (Labour Of Love) [track 10] and The Lost Masters Vol. 18 (Labour Of Love) [track 10 and track 13] bootlegs.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Lost Masters Vol. 16 (Labour Of Love)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Lost Masters Vol. 16 (Labour Of Love)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Lost Masters Vol. 18 (Labour Of Love)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Lost Masters Vol. 18 (Labour Of Love)

Note that The Lost Masters Vol. 16 (Labour Of Love), The Lost Masters Vol. 17 (Labour Of Love), and The Lost Masters Vol. 18 (Labour Of Love) bootlegs include a total of six versions of JOHNNY BYE-BYE. Three of these six (the first one on The Lost Masters Vol. 16 and the two on The Lost Masters Vol. 18), however, are the same take; the same vocals with the same backing track. They are practically identical, but the mix may be slightly different.

Live History

JOHNNY BYE-BYE is was performed 32 times during The River Tour (138 dates, October 1980 to September 1981). On this tour, the song was played in a stripped down band arrangement and featured lyrics different from the known studio versions. The live 05 Jun 1981 version of JOHNNY BYE-BYE was released on the Wembley Arena June 5, 1981 official live download in 2018. The live 09 Jul 1981 version of JOHNNY BYE-BYE was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena 1981 official live download in 2020.

  1. 13 May 1981 at Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England
  2. 17 May 1981 at Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland
  3. 20 May 1981 at New Bingley Hall, Stafford, England
  4. 26 May 1981 at The Brighton Centre, Brighton, England
  5. 29 May 1981 at Wembley Arena, London, England
  6. 30 May 1981 at Wembley Arena, London, England
  7. 01 Jun 1981 at Wembley Arena, London, England
  8. 04 Jun 1981 at Wembley Arena, London, England
  9. 05 Jun 1981 at Wembley Arena, London, England
  10. 08 Jun 1981 at Birmingham International Arena, Birmingham, England
  11. 02 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  12. 03 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  13. 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  14. 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  15. 09 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  16. 13 Jul 1981 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  17. 16 Jul 1981 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  18. 18 Jul 1981 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  19. 29 Jul 1981 at Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
  20. 04 Aug 1981 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
  21. 07 Aug 1981 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
  22. 11 Aug 1981 at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
  23. 12 Aug 1981 at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
  24. 16 Aug 1981 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
  25. 20 Aug 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  26. 21 Aug 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  27. 24 Aug 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  28. 27 Aug 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  29. 02 Sep 1981 at San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA
  30. 08 Sep 1981 at Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
  31. 13 Sep 1981 at Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
  32. 14 Sep 1981 at Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH

JOHNNY BYE-BYE was performed 39 times during the Born In The U.S.A. Tour (156 dates, June 1984 to October 1985). On this tour, the song was played in a full-band rock arrangement very similar to the official studio version and ending with a line from Junior Parker's (and Elvis Presley's hit) MYSTERY TRAIN.

  1. 16 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  2. 02 Nov 1984 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  3. 04 Nov 1984 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  4. 08 Nov 1984 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
  5. 11 Nov 1984 at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO
  6. 12 Nov 1984 at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO
  7. 15 Nov 1984 at St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, MO
  8. 16 Nov 1984 at Iowa State University, Ames, IA
  9. 18 Nov 1984 at University Of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
  10. 19 Nov 1984 at Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO
  11. 23 Nov 1984 at University Of Texas, Austin, TX
  12. 25 Nov 1984 at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX
  13. 30 Nov 1984 at The Summit, Houston, TX
  14. 02 Dec 1984 at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
  15. 06 Dec 1984 at Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Arena, Birmingham, AL
  16. 07 Dec 1984 at Leon County Civic Center, Tallahassee, FL
  17. 09 Dec 1984 at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
  18. 11 Dec 1984 at Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
  19. 13 Dec 1984 at Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN
  20. 14 Dec 1984 at Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN
  21. 16 Dec 1984 at The Omni, Atlanta, GA
  22. 17 Dec 1984 at The Omni, Atlanta, GA
  23. 04 Jan 1985 at Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA
  24. 05 Jan 1985 at Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA
  25. 07 Jan 1985 at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN
  26. 08 Jan 1985 at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN
  27. 10 Jan 1985 at Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY
  28. 13 Jan 1985 at Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, SC
  29. 15 Jan 1985 at Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
  30. 16 Jan 1985 at Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
  31. 18 Jan 1985 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
  32. 23 Jan 1985 at Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
  33. 24 Jan 1985 at Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
  34. 26 Jan 1985 at Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
  35. 21 Mar 1985 at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia
  36. 23 Mar 1985 at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia
  37. 27 Mar 1985 at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia
  38. 31 Mar 1985 at QEII Sports Centre, Brisbane, Australia
  39. 03 Apr 1985 at Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, Australia

Covers

At least 4 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's JOHNNY BYE-BYE.

Bob And Bob -- Yesireebob!
Bob And Bob -- Yesireebob!

MC - Warped Records (C712041) - USA, 1988
Joe D'Urso & Stone Caravan -- Mirrors, Shoestrings & Credit Cards
Joe D'Urso & Stone Caravan -- Mirrors, Shoestrings & Credit Cards

CD - SCR/Schoolhouse (SHR 0002) - USA, 1996

JOHNNY BYE-BYE is titled "Bye Johnny Bye (Dead Rock Stars)" on this release. Joe D'Urso & Stone later recorded an "Alt. Cajun Version" of the song for the 1997 various artists tribute album One Step Up / Two Steps Back: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen.
Mark Wright -- Sun Studio - 21st April 2004
Mark Wright -- Sun Studio - 21st April 2004

CD EP - Baggsong (BAGGSONG CD0003) - UK, 2004

This is a 6-track EP.
Various artists -- For You 2: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
Various artists -- For You 2: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen

2xCD - Route 66 Music (DTCDA005-2) - Italy, 2010

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. JOHNNY BYE-BYE is performed by Brando.

Request

Please contact me if you have scans for or info about any official release containing JOHNNY BYE-BYE that's not mentioned on this page. Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: .

Available Versions

List of available versions of JOHNNY BYE-BYE on this website:

JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Official studio version]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Unofficial studio version 1]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Unofficial studio version 2]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Unofficial studio version 3]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Live 13 May 1981 version]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Live 05 Jun 1981 version]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Live 24 Aug 1981 version]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Live 13 Sep 1981 version]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Live 16 Aug 1984 version]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Live 02 Nov 1984 version]
JOHNNY BYE-BYE [Live 14 Dec 1984 version]

Page last updated: 09 Sep 2018