OPEN ALL NIGHT

Album version



Well I had the carburetor baby cleaned and checked
With her line blown out she's humming like a turbojet
Propped her up in the backyard on concrete blocks
For a new clutch plate and a new set of shocks
Took her down to the carwash, checked the plugs and points
Well I'm going out tonight, I'm gonna rock that joint

Early North Jersey industrial skyline
I'm an all-set cobra jet creeping through the night time
Gotta find a gas station, gotta find a payphone
This turnpike sure is spooky at night when you're all alone
Gotta hit the gas, baby, I'm running late
This New Jersey in the morning like a lunar landscape

Now the boss don't dig me, so he put me on the night shift
It takes me two hours to get back to where my baby lives
In the wee wee hours your mind gets hazy
Radio relay towers, won't you lead me to my baby
Underneath the overpass, trooper hits his party light switch
Good night good luck, one two power shift

I met Wanda when she was employed
Behind the counter at Route 60 Bob's Big Boy Fried Chicken
On the front seat, she's sitting in my lap
We're wiping our fingers on a Texaco road map
I remember Wanda up on scrap metal hill
With them big brown eyes that make your heart stand still

Hoo hoo, whoa!
Ha!
Oh, hey

Well at 5 a.m. oil pressure's sinking fast
I make a pit stop, wipe the windshield, check the gas
Gotta call my baby on the telephone
Let her know that her daddy's coming on home
Sit tight, little mama, I'm a-coming around
I got three more hours but I'm covering ground

Your eyes get itchy in the wee wee hours
Sun's just a red ball rising over them refinery towers
Radio's jammed up with gospel stations
Lost souls calling long distance salvation
Hey mister deejay won't you hear my last prayer
Hey ho rock 'n roll deliver me from nowhere

Hey da da di da, di da da
Oh hey da da di da, di da da
Oh hey da da di da, di da da
Oh hey da da di da, di da da
[Fades out]


PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Info

OPEN ALL NIGHT is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 1982 album Nebraska. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of OPEN ALL NIGHT as released in 1982.


Studio Recording

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Nebraska

Following The River Tour, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band were scheduled to start recording the next album in New York City in February 1982. Springsteen felt that the upcoming band studio sessions would progress faster than they had for his previous three albums if he first records finished demos and demonstrates them to the band. He decided to record multi-channel, professional sounding, finished demos of some songs he had written during the period.

To achieve his goal, Springsteen asked his guitar technician, Mike Batlan, in December 1981 to set up a recording facility in a spare room at his home in Colts Neck, NJ. Some modification work was done to the room making it more receptive to achieving a decent sound. Batlan purchased a Teac Tascom Series 144 4-track cassette recorder, two Shure SM57 microphones, and two microphone stands. The sound was mixed through an old Gibson Echoplex and an old Panasonic boom box acted as the mix-down deck.

The four-track cassette recorder that Bruce Springsteen used to record his famous Nebraska demo tape of January 1982
The four-track cassette recorder that Bruce Springsteen used to record his famous Nebraska demo tape of January 1982

Batlan told journalist David McGee, "Springsteen began organizing his work for Nebraska during the first week of December 1981 — that's when I was directed to buy the four-track... actual recording began on 17 or 18 December and ended around January 3." Some of the songs were recorded two or three times in slightly different arrangements. A cassette tape was compiled and edited at the end of the sessions, likely on 03 Jan 1982. It contained fourteen songs recorded during these late December 1981 / early January 1982 sessions plus what is almost certainly a live recording of a fifteenth song, JOHNNY BYE-BYE. It also included seven alternate takes and five alternate mixes. The first person to listen to the tape was Jon Landau. Two or three months later, Springsteen recorded two additional songs (MY FATHER'S HOUSE and THE BIG PAYBACK) at home on the same equipment — thus making a total of 17 different songs.

  1. NEBRASKA (released on Nebraska)
  2. ATLANTIC CITY (released on Nebraska)
  3. MANSION ON THE HILL (released on Nebraska)
  4. BORN IN THE U.S.A. (released on Tracks)
  5. JOHNNY 99 (released on Nebraska)
  6. DOWNBOUND TRAIN (unreleased)
  7. LOSIN' KIND (unreleased)
  8. STATE TROOPER (released on Nebraska)
  9. USED CARS (released on Nebraska)
  10. OPEN ALL NIGHT (released on Nebraska)
  11. PINK CADILLAC (unreleased)
  12. HIGHWAY PATROLMAN (released on Nebraska)
  13. REASON TO BELIEVE (released on Nebraska)
  14. CHILD BRIDE (unreleased)
  15. MY FATHER'S HOUSE (released on Nebraska)
  16. THE BIG PAYBACK (released as a B-side)
  17. JOHNNY BYE-BYE (unreleased live version)

The solo demo tape was never conceived to result in a commercially released album, as the songs were recorded by the E Street Band with multi-instrument arrangements, during what's known by fans as the "Electric Nebraska Sessions". It should be noted that most of the songs were not recorded in "rock" arrangements. Instead, Springsteen and Max Weinberg just added light percussion, or Roy Bittan added a synth pad.

During the E Street Band sessions it became apparent to Springsteen that a majority of these songs did not lend themselves well to a full band arrangement. He later wrote in his 1998 book Songs, "I went into the studio, brought in the band, rerecorded, remixed, and succeeded in making the whole thing worse." At one point he even went back into the studio with an acoustic guitar to try and re-record the songs solo, but the result lacked the atmosphere and feeling of isolation only found on the original home demos. According to Toby Scott, Springsteen handed him the original solo demo tape in April 1982 and asked him if it was possible to just master off the tape, with the intention to release some of the songs as a solo album. It took Scott a few weeks before eventually saying yes and in May a decision was taken to release a solo album ahead of the still-in-progress E Street Band album.

Most of the E Street Band arrangements of these songs were discarded and ten of the original solo demos from the tape were released on the Nebraska album. Max Weinberg revealed to Rolling Stone in June 2010 that the recording of the "Electric Nebraska Sessions" does exist. He said that "the E Street Band actually did record all of Nebraska and it was killing [...] It was all very hard-edged. As great as it was, it wasn't what Bruce wanted to release. There is a full band Nebraska album, all of those songs are in the can somewhere."

"Open All Night" and "January 3, 1982" were considered as titles for the album, but ultimately "Nebraska" was chosen. The album was produced by Bruce Springsteen and was commercially released on 20 Sep 1982 by Columbia Records.

Bruce Springsteen -- Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen -- Nebraska

Nebraska features 10 new Springsteen compositions and clocks at 40:50.

Single Release

The OPEN ALL NIGHT single was only released in Europe, where it was pressed in Holland, Spain, and the UK.

Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night

7" single - CBS (A 2969) - Holland, 1982

Comes in a picture sleeve.

A1- OPEN ALL NIGHT
B1- THE BIG PAYBACK
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night

7" single - CBS (A 2969) - Spain, 1982

Comes in a picture sleeve. The Spanish pressing of this single was reissue several time in the eighties. The last of these reissues has red labels while earlier issues have orange/yellow labels.

A1- OPEN ALL NIGHT
B1- THE BIG PAYBACK
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night

7" single - CBS (A 2969) - Spain, 1982

One-sided promotional issue, comes in a picture sleeve.

A1- OPEN ALL NIGHT
B1- [blank]
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night

7" single - CBS (A 2969) - UK, 1982

Comes in a picture sleeve. Two versions of the UK pressing exist, one with paper labels and one with plastic label.

A1- OPEN ALL NIGHT
B1- THE BIG PAYBACK
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night
Bruce Springsteen -- Open All Night

7" single - CBS (A 2969) - UK, 1982

Promotional issue, comes in a die-cut CBS company sleeve.

A1- OPEN ALL NIGHT [Mono]
B1- OPEN ALL NIGHT [Stereo]

Other Official Releases

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Bruce Springsteen -- Tougher Than The Rest
Bruce Springsteen -- Tougher Than The Rest

CD - Columbia (BOSS1) - Sweden, 1992

Sweden-only promotional CD sampler used for both radio promotion and as a VIP giveaway item at the opening shows of Springsteen's 1992 tour in Stockholm. It contains 14 tracks from the first nine albums only. Two different pressings exist: the first comes in a standard jewel case with title front inlay and back insert (cover art on the left), and the second comes in a plain slimline case with no inlays.

Other versions of OPEN ALL NIGHT were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Brendan Byrne Arena August 6, 1984
The live 06 Aug 1984 version of OPEN ALL NIGHT was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena August 6, 1984 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen -- Meadowlands July 25, 1992
The live 25 Jul 1992 version of OPEN ALL NIGHT was released on the Meadowlands July 25, 1992 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen -- Freehold, NJ 1996 Saint Rose Of Lima School Gym
The live 08 Nov 1996 version of OPEN ALL NIGHT was released on the Freehold, NJ 1996 Saint Rose Of Lima School Gym official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen -- Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans April 30, 2006
The live 30 Apr 2006 version of OPEN ALL NIGHT was released on the Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans April 30, 2006 official live download in 2017.
Bruce Springsteen -- Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006
The live 11 Nov 2006 version of OPEN ALL NIGHT was released on the Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band -- Live In Dublin
The live 18 Nov 2006 version of OPEN ALL NIGHT was released on the Live In Dublin album and home video in 2007.

Live History: on-tour

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Live History: off-tour

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Bruce Springsteen has been performing on almost all the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefits since 2007. OPEN ALL NIGHT was performed during the fourth (2010) and fifth (2011) annual benefits. The song was played solo acoustic.

  1. 03 Nov 2010 at Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY (during the fourth annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit)
  2. 09 Nov 2011 at Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY (during the fifth annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit)

Covers

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At least 12 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's OPEN ALL NIGHT.

Various artists -- Badlands - A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska
Various artists -- Badlands - A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska

CD - Sub Pop (SPCD 525) - USA, 2000
CD - Sub Pop (9878-70525-2) - Germany, 2000
CD - Sub Pop (WPCR-10845) - Japan, 2000

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. OPEN ALL NIGHT is performed by Son Volt.
The Bruceband -- Nebraska Electric
The Bruceband -- Nebraska Electric

CD - no label (88690-2) - Holland, 2008

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Jon Bingham -- Deliver Me From Nowhere
Jon Bingham -- Deliver Me From Nowhere

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2012

This is a free download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Various artists -- Long Distance Salvation: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska
Various artists -- Long Distance Salvation: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska

LP - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2012
Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2012

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, available in downloadable digital form and on limited edition colored vinyl. The digital version contains three tracks not found on the LP issue. OPEN ALL NIGHT is performed by Trampled By Turtles.
Various artists -- Return To Nebraska
Various artists -- Return To Nebraska

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - Holland, 2012

This is a free download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album. OPEN ALL NIGHT is performed by MiRco.
Various artists -- The Nebraska Sessions - A Tribute
Various artists -- The Nebraska Sessions - A Tribute

CD - Clubhouse Records (no catalog number) - UK, 2012
Digital album - Clubhouse Records (no catalog number) - UK, 2012

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, available in downloadable digital form and on CD. The digital version contains two tracks not found on the CD issue. OPEN ALL NIGHT is performed by Mad Staring Eyes.
Pony Face -- Pony Face Presents Nebraska
Pony Face -- Pony Face Presents Nebraska

2xLP - Cobra Snake Necktie Records (unknown catalog number) - Australia, 2014
CD - Love & Theft Recording Co. (LNT022) - Australia, 2014

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Jim DiBattista -- Nebraska - A Tribute
Jim DiBattista -- Nebraska - A Tribute

Digital album - Big Lump Records (no catalog number) - USA, 2019

This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album. It can be streamed on YouTube and Soundcloud.
Stormy Mondays -- Nebraska
Stormy Mondays -- Nebraska

CD - Electric Satellite Records (ESR 002) - Spain, 2019
LP - Electric Satellite Records (ESR 002-LP) - Spain, 2021

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Aoife O'Donovan -- Aoife O'Donovan Plays Nebraska
Aoife O'Donovan -- Aoife O'Donovan Plays Nebraska

Digital album - Yep Roc Records (no catalog number) - USA, 2021

This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album. It was recorded live on 09 May 2020 at Aoife’s home in New York City, NY.
Leonardo And Riccardo Sgavetti -- Nebraska Replayed
Leonardo And Riccardo Sgavetti -- Nebraska Replayed

CD - Esagono Dischi (ED 2021/01) - Italy, 2021

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Ryan Adams -- Nebraska
Ryan Adams -- Nebraska

Digital album - Pax Americana Record Company (no catalog number) - USA, 2022

This is a free download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

Available Versions

List of available versions of OPEN ALL NIGHT on this website:

OPEN ALL NIGHT [Album version]
OPEN ALL NIGHT [Early home demo version]
OPEN ALL NIGHT [Live 25 Jul 1992 version]
OPEN ALL NIGHT [Live 18 Nov 2006 version]

Page last updated: 19 Dec 2015