TWO HEARTS

Album version



I went out walking the other day
Seen a little girl crying along the way
She'd been hurt so bad, said she'd never love again
Someday your crying, girl, will end

And you'll find once again
That two hearts are better than one
That two hearts, girl, get the job done
That two hearts are better than one

Once I spent my time playing tough guy scenes
But I was living in a world of childish dreams
Someday these childish dreams must end
To become a man and grow up to dream again

I believe in the end
That two hearts are better than one
That two hearts, girl, get the job done
That two hearts are better than one

Sometimes it might seem like it was planned
For you to roam empty hearted through this land
Though the world turns you hard and cold
There's one thing, mister, that I know

That's if you think your heart is stone
And that you're rough enough to whip this world alone
Alone, buddy, there ain't no peace of mind
That's why I'll keep searching till I find

My special one
'Cause two hearts are better than one
'Cause two hearts, girl, get the job done
'Cause two hearts are better than one

And I believe
That two hearts are better than one
That two hearts, girl, get the job done
That two hearts are better than one

Woah woah woah


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Info

TWO HEARTS is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 1980 album The River. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of TWO HEARTS as released in 1980.


Writing and Recording

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The River

Bruce Springsteen wrapped up the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour on the first day of 1979. For the next few months, he altered between composing and practicing solo demos at his home in Holmdel, NJ (between January and June 1979), rehearsing with the band at his Telegraph Hill Road property in Holmdel, NJ (between March and May 1979), and recording in studio at The Power Station in New York City, NY (from late March to late August 1979).

By early August 1979, enough quality material had been recorded at The Power Station. According to The Ties That Bind documentary, a total of twenty-four songs had been recorded. According to Clinton Heylin's 2012 book It was looking like Springsteen's fifth album might be released in Christmas 1979. E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Springsteen's initial track sequence for the album was as follows:

Side 1:

  1. THE TIES THAT BIND
  2. THE PRICE YOU PAY
  3. BE TRUE
  4. RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN
  5. STOLEN CAR

Side 2:

  1. I WANNA MARRY YOU
  2. LOOSE ENDS
  3. HUNGRY HEART
  4. THE MAN WHO GOT AWAY
  5. RAMROD

By mid-September 1979, Springsteen replaced RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN, LOOSE ENDS, and THE MAN WHO GOT AWAY by CINDY and THE RIVER. Soon after, he removed RAMROD, restored LOOSE ENDS, and added YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH). A title, "The Ties That Bind", was selected for the album and wheels put in motion to produce artwork for the cover. Around September, at least ten tracks were mixed to completion. On 04 Oct 1979, the ten selected tracks were dubbed to two half-track reel-to-reel tapes at The Power Station, and labeled "side one" and "side two". As written on the reels, the producer was Jon Landau and the engineers were Neil Dorfsman and Bob Clearmountain, assisted by Jeff Hendrickson. The new track sequence for the album was as follows:

Reel #1:

  1. THE TIES THAT BIND [take #8]
  2. CINDY [take #3]
  3. HUNGRY HEART [take #2]
  4. STOLEN CAR [take #3]
  5. BE TRUE [take #2]

Reel #2:

  1. THE RIVER [take #5]
  2. YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH) [take #3]
  3. THE PRICE YOU PAY [take #1]
  4. I WANNA MARRY YOU [take #4]
  5. LOOSE ENDS [take #2]
Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind (reel #1, front)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind (reel #1, front)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind (reel #2, front)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind (reel #2, front)

Mock covers with "The Ties That Bind" title were roughed out early in the planning. The cover shot was to be a picture of Bruce Springsteen in front of a barn, with the back cover being a shot of his face behind a screen door. In late September 1979, The Ties That Bind single album was scrapped as Springsteen's writing process continued.

A second phase of recording sessions was scheduled. Again, for the next few months, Springsteen altered between composing and practicing solo demos at his home in Holmdel, NJ (between September 1979 and February 1980), rehearsing with the band at his Telegraph Hill Road property in Holmdel, NJ (between September 1979 and February 1980), and recording in studio at The Power Station in New York City, NY (from October 1979 to June 1980).

The combined sessions from March 1979 to June 1980 produced the double album The River that was eventually released in October 1980. The studio sessions to some extent extended into August 1980 due to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's involvement in the recording of Gary U.S. Bonds' album Dedication, which was released April 1981).

Bruce Springsteen -- The River
Bruce Springsteen -- The River

The album features 20 new Springsteen compositions and clocks at 83:47. It was produced by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, and Steven Van Zandt, engineered by Neil Dorfsman, and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, Chuck Plotkin, and Toby Scott.

According to recording engineer Neil Dorfsman, about 50 songs were recorded to a completed state during The River sessions. 20 were released on The River and 14 were released as B-sides and on official compilations. 14 songs are circulating via the unofficial route, but the majority of them are poor recordings of band rehearsals at the Telegraph Hill Road property, though it is likely that most of them exist as completed takes from The Power Station.

Other Official Releases

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Other versions of TWO HEARTS were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind: The River Collection
The live 05 Nov 1980 version of TWO HEARTS was released on The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Nassau Coliseum, New York 12/29/80
The live 29 Dec 1980 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Nassau Coliseum, New York 12/29/80 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Nassau Coliseum, New York 1980
The live 31 Dec 1980 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Nassau Coliseum, New York 1980 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Wembley Arena June 5, 1981
The live 05 Jun 1981 version of TWO HEARTS 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 TWO HEARTS was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena 1981 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Brendan Byrne Arena, NJ August 20, 1984
The live 20 Aug 1984 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Brendan Byrne Arena, NJ August 20, 1984 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen -- Freehold, NJ 1996 Saint Rose Of Lima School Gym
The live 08 Nov 1996 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Freehold, NJ 1996 Saint Rose Of Lima School Gym official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen -- Asbury Park 11/24/96
The live 24 Nov 1996 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Asbury Park 11/24/96 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Nice, France 1997
The live 18 May 1997 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Nice, France 1997 official live download in 2021.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999
The live 25 Sep 1999 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Chicago September 30, 1999
The live 30 Sep 1999 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Chicago September 30, 1999 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Los Angeles October 23, 1999
The live 23 Oct 1999 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Los Angeles October 23, 1999 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Madison Square Garden, New York 06/27/2000
The live 27 Jun 2000 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Madison Square Garden, New York 06/27/2000 official live download in 2021.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live In New York City
The live 01 Jul 2000 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Live In New York City album and home video in 2001.
Bruce Springsteen -- Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005
The live 31 Jul 2005 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen -- Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005
The live 03 Aug 2005 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- MSG Nov 08, 2009
The live 08 Nov 2009 version of TWO HEARTS was released on the MSG Nov 08, 2009 official live download in 2018.

Live History: on-tour

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TWO HEARTS was performed once during Springsteen On Broadway (268 dates, October 2017 to December 2018 and June to September 2021), on 27 Sep 2018 in New York City, NY.

  1. 27 Sep 2018 at Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, NY

Live History: off-tour

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Covers

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At least 7 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's TWO HEARTS.

The Roulette Rockers -- State Trooper
The Roulette Rockers -- State Trooper

CD-R EP - no label (no catalog number) - Holland, 1996

This is a live Bruce Springsteen tribute EP, issued by the Bruce Springsteen Dutch fanclub for their annual "Springsteen Day". Only fifty copies were pressed. The songs were recorded on 05 Oct 1996 at Flint in Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Various artists -- Downbound Train
Various artists -- Downbound Train

CD EP - The Right Stuff (72438-58691-2-9) - USA, 1998

This is the second of two 5-track EPs released from the One Step Up / Two Steps Back: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen various artists tribute album. TWO HEARTS is one of the four non-album bonus tracks included on this EP. The song is performed by Billy Mann.
Various artists -- Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
Various artists -- Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen

2xCD - Schoolhouse Records / Big Daddy (SHR0022-2) - USA, 2003
2xCD - Good Sounds / DiscMedi Blau (DM 797E-02) - Spain, 2003
3xCD - Good Sounds / DiscMedi Blau (DM 797-02) - Spain, 2003
2xCD - Schoolhouse Records / Revolver (REV XD244) - UK, 2004
2xCD - Revolver / Sony (MHCP 928-9) - Japan, 2005

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. There are five issues of this album (with three track configurations) and this track was included on all five issues listed above. TWO HEARTS is performed by Mark Wright.
Hungry Hearts -- Live In My Hometown
Hungry Hearts -- Live In My Hometown

CD-R - no label (no catalog number) - Italy, 2015

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, recorded live on 09 Jan 2015 at Inferno Di Dante in Tortona, Italy.
The Cheap Dates -- Loose Springsteen
The Cheap Dates -- Loose Springsteen

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2015

This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Lorenzo "FullG" Bianchi -- Via Emilia Shuffle
Lorenzo "FullG" Bianchi -- Via Emilia Shuffle

CD - no label (no catalog number) - Italy, 2016

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
David Furtado -- Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
David Furtado -- Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - Portugal, 2020

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

References

Some of the above info about the studio recording and the live performances is taken from Brucebase.

Available Versions

List of available versions of TWO HEARTS on this website:

TWO HEARTS [Album version]
TWO HEARTS [Outtake version 1]
TWO HEARTS [Outtake version 2]
TWO HEARTS [Live 01 Jul 2000 version]

Page last updated: 08 Feb 2016