SHUT OUT THE LIGHT

Official studio version



The runway rushed up at him as he felt the wheels touch down
He stood out on the blacktop and took a taxi into town
He got out down on Main Street and went into a local bar
He bought a drink and found a seat in a corner in the dark

Well she called up her mama to make sure the kids were out of the house
She checked herself out in the dining room mirror and undid an extra button on her blouse
He felt her lying next to him when the clock said 4 AM
He was staring at the ceiling, he couldn't move his hands

Oh mama mama mama come quick
I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick
Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night
Hey now mama don't shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light

Well on his porch they stretched a banner that said "Johnny Welcome Home"
Bobby pulled his Ford out of the garage and he polished up the chrome
His mama said "Johnny oh Johnny, I'm so glad to have you back with me"
His pa said he was sure they'd give him his job back down at the factory

Now mama mama mama come quick
I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick
Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night
Hey now mama don't shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light

Well deep in a dark forest, a forest filled with rain
Beyond a stretch of Maryland pines there's a river without a name
In the cold black water now Johnson Lineir stands
He stares across the lights of the city and dreams of where he's been

Oh mama mama mama come quick
I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick
Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night
Hey now mama don't shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light


PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Info

SHUT OUT THE LIGHT is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and first released as the non-album B-side of BORN IN THE U.S.A. in 1984. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's official studio version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT as released in 1984.


The official studio version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT was included on the Tracks compilation in 1998.

Writing and Recording

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Single Release

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Bruce Springsteen -- Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen -- Born In The U.S.A.

7" single - CBS / Sony (07SP 850) - Japan, 1984

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- BORN IN THE U.S.A.
B1- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT

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:

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:

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:

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:

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

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen

12" EP - CBS (SAMPLER 93) - Australia, 1984

Promotional EP. The Australian pressing comes in a unique picture sleeve totally different from the remaining pressings of this EP. It also has two tracks on side A and three tracks on side B instead of one track and four tracks respectively as on the remaining pressings.

A1- BORN IN THE U.S.A.
A2- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT
B1- PINK CADILLAC
B2- JERSEY GIRL [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
B3- SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen

12" EP - Columbia (CDN 178) - Canada, 1984

Promotional EP.

A1- BORN IN THE U.S.A.
B1- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT
B2- PINK CADILLAC
B3- JERSEY GIRL [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
B4- SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen

12" EP - CBS (SAMP 89) - Holland, 1984

Promotional EP.

A1- BORN IN THE U.S.A.
B1- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT
B2- PINK CADILLAC
B3- JERSEY GIRL [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
B4- SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen

12" EP - Columbia (AS 1957) - USA, 1984

Promotional EP.

A1- BORN IN THE U.S.A.
B1- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT
B2- PINK CADILLAC
B3- JERSEY GIRL [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
B4- SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
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 -- Cover Me
Bruce Springsteen -- Cover Me

12" EP - CBS (QTA 4662) - UK, 1985

Both sunburst label and red label versions were issued.

A1- COVER ME [Undercover Mix]
A2- COVER ME [Dub]
A3- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT
B1- DANCING IN THE DARK [Dub]
B2- JERSEY GIRL [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Leap Of Faith
Bruce Springsteen -- Leap Of Faith

CD EP - Columbia (COL 658369 5) - UK, 1992

This EP was pressed in Austria for the UK market.

01- LEAP OF FAITH
02- THE BIG PAYBACK
03- SHUT OUT THE LIGHT

In addition to its release as a B-side and its inclusion on Tracks, the official studio version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT also appears on one Bruce Springsteen promo-only sampler and was included on one various artists album.

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
Various artists -- Vietnam Long Time Coming
Various artists -- Vietnam Long Time Coming

CD - Columbia (CK 69723) - USA, 1998

Other versions of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen -- Asbury Park 11/24/96
The live 24 Nov 1996 version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT was released on the Asbury Park 11/24/96 official live download in 2019.

Bootleg Releases

Before its official release on the Tracks box set in 1998, a different mix (but same recording) of this official studio version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT appeared on The Lost Masters Vol. 18 (Labour Of Love) [track 16]. This mix lacks the Soozie Tyrell's violin part.

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

Live History

SHUT OUT THE LIGHT was performed 23 times during the Born In The U.S.A. Tour (156 dates, June 1984 to October 1985). On this tour, Springsteen played the song on acoustic guitar, accompanied by Nils Lofgren also on acoustic guitar.

  1. 22 Oct 1984 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
  2. 26 Oct 1984 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  3. 29 Oct 1984 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  4. 02 Nov 1984 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  5. 04 Nov 1984 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  6. 08 Nov 1984 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
  7. 11 Nov 1984 at McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO
  8. 15 Nov 1984 at St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, MO
  9. 17 Dec 1984 at The Omni, Atlanta, GA
  10. 08 Jan 1985 at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN
  11. 10 Jan 1985 at Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY
  12. 16 Jan 1985 at Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
  13. 18 Jan 1985 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
  14. 23 Jan 1985 at Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
  15. 26 Jan 1985 at Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
  16. 21 Mar 1985 at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia
  17. 03 Apr 1985 at Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, Australia
  18. 04 Apr 1985 at Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, Australia
  19. 05 Jun 1985 at St James' Park, Newcastle, England
  20. 09 Jun 1985 at Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
  21. 13 Jun 1985 at Stadion Feyenoord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  22. 18 Jun 1985 at Olympiastadion, Munich, West Germany
  23. 29 Jun 1985 at Parc De La Courneuve, Paris, France

SHUT OUT THE LIGHT was performed 11 times during The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour (128 dates, November 1995 to May 1997). On this tour, Springsteen played the song solo on acoustic guitar and harmonica. At the three shows in Asbury Park, NJ, (24-26 Nov 1996), the song additionally featured special guests Danny Federici on accordion, Patti Scialfa on backing vocals, and Soozie Tyrell on violin and backing vocals. At the show in Nashville, TN, (12 Dec 1996), the song featured special guests Patti Scialfa on backing vocals and Soozie Tyrell on violin and backing vocals. The live 24 Nov 1996 version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT was released on the Asbury Park 11/24/96 official live download in 2019.

  1. 25 Sep 1996 at E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, Akron, OH
  2. 26 Sep 1996 at Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MI
  3. 03 Oct 1996 at Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN
  4. 17 Oct 1996 at Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO
  5. 26 Oct 1996 at Event Center Arena, San Jose, CA
  6. 20 Nov 1996 at The Louisville Palace, Louisville, KY
  7. 24 Nov 1996 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
  8. 25 Nov 1996 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
  9. 26 Nov 1996 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
  10. 03 Dec 1996 at Sunrise Musical Theatre, Sunrise, FL
  11. 12 Dec 1996 at Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN

SHUT OUT THE LIGHT was performed once during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour (72 dates, April to November 2005), on 07 Aug 2005 in Milwaukee, WI. The song was played solo on pump organ.

  1. 07 Aug 2005 at Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

Appearance in Movies

Bruce Springsteen's official studio version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT appears in one movie.

Promotional poster for the film "Vietnam Long Time Coming"
Vietnam Long Time Coming

It was used in the 1988 film Vietnam Long Time Coming, directed by Jerry Blumenthal, Peter Gilbert, and Gordon Quinn and narrated by Joe Mantegna. The song was also included in the film's soundtrack album.

This is a documentary film that chronicles a group of American and Vietnamese veterans, some of them disabled, on a bicycle trip from Hanoi in Northern Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh City (the former Saigon) in Southern Vietnam. The 16-day, 1100 mile bicycle expedition was organized by World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports. A portion of the proceeds went to groups promoting medical and educational programs in Vietnam.

Covers

At least 4 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's SHUT OUT THE LIGHT.

The Tom Russell Band -- "The Road To Bayamon / Shut Out The Light"
The Tom Russell Band -- "The Road To Bayamon / Shut Out The Light"

7" single - End Of The Trail (SPAR 3) - Norway, 1986

The song was later included on Tom Russell's 2002 compilation album Museum Of Memories 1972-2002.
Accademia Dei Folli -- Monografie In Musica
Accademia Dei Folli -- Monografie In Musica

CD - no label (no catalog number) - Italy, 2004

Includes three Bruce Springsteen covers: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, SHUT OUT THE LIGHT, and STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA.
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. SHUT OUT THE LIGHT is performed by Miami & The Groovers.
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. SHUT OUT THE LIGHT is performed by Kingsley Flood.

Available Versions

List of available versions of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT on this website:

SHUT OUT THE LIGHT [Official studio version]
SHUT OUT THE LIGHT [Original studio version]
SHUT OUT THE LIGHT [Live 24 Nov 1996 version]

Page last updated: 02 Nov 2019