NEW YORK CITY SERENADE

Live 31 Jul 1973 (late show) version



[Spoken intro:] We're gonna bring our band, band on stage now and do, do some more. I gotta say though that the folks out there in Radioland don't know what's going on. Yeah. Yeah! Don't matter. This is a song called, uh, New York City Serenade. David!

Well, Billy, he's down by the railroad tracks
Sitting low in the back seat of his Cadillac
Diamond Jackie, she's so intact
She falls so softly beneath him
Jackie's heels are stacked
And Billy's got cleats on his boots
Together they're gonna boogaloo down Broadway
And come back on home with their loot
It's midnight in Manhattan, this is no time to get cute, it's a mad dog's promenade
So walk tall
Or, baby, don't walk at all

Fish lady, oh, fish lady, oh, fish lady, oh, she baits them tenement walls
She don't take corner boys, because they got no money, and they're so easy
Well, baby, I'm easy and I'm proud
Take my arm and waltz with me down Broadway
Take my hand, girl, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,
and waltz with me down Broadway
Oh, you gotta shake your crazy life, shake away your rotten life, shake away that horrid life,
shake away that horrid life
And ride on
But I know she won't even say it
Oh, she's afraid to take my hand
She's afraid
And I know she won't take the train, no, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train, no, she won't take the train
Oh, she won't take the train, no, she won't take the train
Oh, she won't take the train, no, she won't take the train
She's afraid them tracks are gonna slow her down
And when she turns, I'll be gone
Well, walk on
Sometimes you gotta walk on

Oh, vibes man, oh, jazz man in the alley, play me your New York City serenade
Any deeper blue, you'll be playin' in your grave
Save your notes: spend 'em on your blues boys
Save your notes: spend 'em on your darlin' yearlin' blues boy
Hit the church note, ring it, vibes man sting a trash can
Listen to your junkman
Listen to your junkman
Listen to your junkman
Listen to your junkman
He's singin', (singin')
He's singin', (singin')
(Singin', singin')
He's singin', (singin')
Oh, singin', singin', singin', yeah, sing, yeah, he's singin', he's singin', sing, yeah, sing, yeah
Singin' for you, man, singin'
Watch out for your junkman
Watch out for your junkman
Ah, watch out for your junkman
Watch out for your junkman


Info

The above lyrics are for the live 31 Jul 1973 (late show) performance of NEW YORK CITY SERENADE at My Father's Place in Roslyn, NY, during what is considered the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour. The song was played in a full-band, album-esque version with early/developing lyrics and featured David Sancious playing the string part on a Mellotron that the band rented from Carroll Music in Manhattan.

The 31 Jul 1971 Late Show

Bruce Springsteen and his band played three sold-out nights, two shows each night, on 31 Jul, 01 Aug, and 02 Aug 1973 at My Father's Place in Roslyn, NY. These were double-bill shows, with Nashville-based country singer-songwriter Alex Harvey opening and Springsteen and his band headlining.

Promotional ad for the Jul-Aug 1973 three-night residency at My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY
Promotional ad for the Jul-Aug 1973 three-night residency at My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY
(Taken from Brucebase)

Springsteen's second show on the opening night was broadcast live on WLIR-FM as part of the station's weekly Tuesday evening simulcast from the venue. A very good quality audio was taped off the airways and represents the entire broadcast, although the performance almost certainly included two to four additional songs that never went to air due to time limitations. The show has also circulated from the radio station master tape.

  1. 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)
  2. NEW YORK CITY SERENADE
  3. SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT
  4. DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET?
  5. IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY
  6. YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME
  7. THUNDERCRACK

The 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place 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 E Street Band -- Live At My Father's Place In Roslyn 1973
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live At My Father's Place In Roslyn 1973

LP - DOL (DOR2042H) - Russia, 2015

This release contains the 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live At My Father's Place In Roslyn, July 31, 1973
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live At My Father's Place In Roslyn, July 31, 1973

CD - Broadcasting Radio Records (BRR6035) - UK, 2016

This release contains the 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live At My Father's Place In Roslyn, July 31, 1973
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live At My Father's Place In Roslyn, July 31, 1973

Digital album - Lilith Records (no catalog number) - UK, 2016

This is a download-only digital album. It contains the 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place.
Bruce Springsteen -- Live NYC 1973
Bruce Springsteen -- Live NYC 1973

CD - Rox Vox (RVCD2085) - Europe, 2018

This release contains the 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place.
Bruce Springsteen -- Live NYC 1973
Bruce Springsteen -- Live NYC 1973

LP - Rox Vox (RVCV2085) - Europe, 2018

This release contains the 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place.
Bruce Springsteen -- The Great American Road Trip
Bruce Springsteen -- The Great American Road Trip

10xCD - Evolution Music (EMG01) - UK, 2020

This release contains the 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place, the 03 Mar 1974 late show broadcast from Georgetown University, the 09 Mar 1974 KLOL-FM radio broadcast, the 05 Feb 1975 broadcast from The Main Point, the 30 Sep 1978 broadcast from Fox Theatre, plus some various TV performances from 1992-1995.
Bruce Springsteen -- Thunder Road - Live
Bruce Springsteen -- Thunder Road - Live

20xCD - KP Music (SPRING01) - Europe, 2020

This release contains the 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place, the 03 Mar 1974 late show broadcast from Georgetown University, the 09 Mar 1974 KLOL-FM radio broadcast, the 05 Feb 1975 broadcast from The Main Point, the 15 Aug 1975 early show broadcast from Bottom Line, the 17 Oct 1975 early show broadcast from The Roxy Theatre, the 09 Aug 1978 broadcast from The Agora, the 30 Sep 1978 broadcast from Fox Theatre, the 05 Jun 1992 broadcast from Hollywood, the 20 Aug 1994 show with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers at Marz American Style, plus some various TV performances from 1992-1995.

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help. Some of the above info is taken from Brucebase.

Available Versions

List of available versions of NEW YORK CITY SERENADE on this website:

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Album version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Original studio version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 23 Jul 1973 (early show) version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 31 Jul 1973 (late show) version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 17 Nov 1973 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 06 Jan 1974 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 03 Mar 1974 (late show) version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 09 May 1974 (early show) version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 13 Jul 1974 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 29 Oct 1974 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 05 Feb 1975 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 22 Jul 1975 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 25 Sep 1999 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 20 Jun 2000 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 03 Oct 2003 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 07 Nov 2009 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 11 Jul 2013 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Live 26 Feb 2014 version]
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Pete Yorn's cover version]

Page last updated: 03 Jun 2012