POINT BLANK

Album version

Do you still say your prayers little darling, do you go to bed at night
Praying that tomorrow everything will be alright
But tommorow's fall in number, in number one by one
You wake up and you're dying, you don't even know what from

Well, they shot you point blank
You been shot in the back, baby, point blank
You been fooled this time, little girl, that's a fact
Right between the eyes, baby, point blank
Right between the pretty lies that they tell

Little girl you fell

You grew up where young girls they grow up fast
You took what you were handed and left behind what was asked
But what they asked baby wasn't right
You didn't have to live that life
And I was gonna be your Romeo, you were gonna be my Juliet
These days you don't wait on Romeos, you wait on that welfare check
And on all the pretty things that you can't ever have
And on all the promises

That always end up point blank
Shot between the eyes, whoa, point blank
Like little white lies you tell to ease the pain
You're walking in the sights, girl, of point blank
And it's one false move and, baby, the lights go out

Once I dreamed we were together again, baby, you and me
Back home in those old clubs the way we used to be
We were standing at the bar, it was hard to hear
The band was playing loud and you were shouting something in my ear
You pulled my jacket off and as the drummer counted four
You grabbed my hand and pulled me out on the floor
You just stood there and held me and you started dancing slow
And as I pulled you tighter I swore I'd never let you go
Well I saw you last night down on the avenue
Your face was in the shadows but I knew that it was you
You were standing in the doorway out of the rain
You didn't answer when I called out your name
You just turned and then you looked away
Like just another stranger waiting to get blown away

Point blank, right between the eyes
Whoa, point blank, right between the pretty lies you fell
Point blank, you been shot right through the heart
Yeah, point blank, you've been twisted up till you've become just another part of it
Point blank, you're walking in the sights
Point blank, living one false move, just one false move away
They caught you in their sights
Point blank, did you forget how to love, girl, did you forget how to fight.
They must have shot you in the head
'Cause point blank, bang bang, baby you're dead

Page last updated: 17 Apr 2012

[PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Intro

Music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, POINT BLANK is the first track on side 3 of his 1980 double album The River. The above lyrics are for Springsteen's studio version of POINT BLANK as released on The River album.

Composition and Recording

[COMING SOON]

Circulating Takes

[COMING SOON]

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 March to late August 1979).

By the end of August, enough quality material had been recorded at The Power Station, and it was looking like an album might be released in Christmas 1979. A title, "The Ties That Bind", and tracks were selected 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". The producer was Jon Landau and the engineers were Neil Dorfsman and Bob Clearmountain. These selected tracks were as follows:

[Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce photo]

[Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce photo]

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, and for reasons never fully explained, The Ties That Bind 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).

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. Track list:

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

[COMING SOON]

Live History

[COMING SOON]

Covers

[COMING SOON]

Available Versions

List of available versions of POINT BLANK on this website:

• Album version
• Live 03 Jul 2009 version
• Live 13 Apr 2012 version

References

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