THE BROKENHEARTED

Official studio version

Well darling, oh won't you come a little closer
I promise pretty darling, I didn't know what I was saying
And now I'm praying that you won't say it's over
Come here pretty baby and rest your head upon my shoulder
Just one kiss and we started
Now don't leave me to the brokenhearted, the brokenhearted, the brokenhearted
And tell me that you need me

Well now baby, the lonely nights keep growing longer
And my love for you just keeps growing stronger
Like a wheel of chance so endlessly turning
My fate lay in your hands, my heart forever burning
In a sweet fire your kiss started
Now don't leave me to the brokenhearted, the brokenhearted, the brokenhearted
And tell me that you love me
Tell me that you want me, girl

The cruel mistakes I've made, the hard price that I've paid
For the good times and for laughter
Girl, I should've known for the indifference that I've shown
I'd pay forever after

And darling, now all I'm trying to say is passion
And love, they have a way of slipping into blackness
Uncared for of slipping away
The deck is cut, the cards turned, the hand is played
And all we ever hope for burns to ashes and drifts away
Now don't let our love slip into this darkness
Don't leave me to the brokenhearted, the brokenhearted, the brokenhearted
And tell me that you love me
Tell me that you need me
Tell me that you love me
Tell me that you want me
Tell me that you need me
Tell me that you want me
Tell me that you love me
Yeah tell me that you love me
Tell me that you love me
Tell me that you want me
And come on now daring
Say it right now baby
Say it right now darling
Tell me that you love me
[fades out]

Page last updated: 29 May 2011

Intro

THE BROKENHEARTED is a Bruce Springsteen song that was released in November 2010 on The Promise, an album of previously-unreleased songs from the Darkness On The Edge Of Town recording sessions. The above lyrics are for that officially released studio version of the song.

The previously unreleased song premiered on 15 Oct 2010 on "Live from the E Street Nation", a program hosted by Dave Marsh and airing on Sirius XM's E Street Radio channel.

Recording

The 22 tracks found on The Promise are "from the 'Darkness' recording sessions" as stated on the press release, but THE BROKENHEARTED was dubbed (and some parts probably re-recorded) prior to the release of the album, in summer 2010. The track features a newly recorded horn section: Barry Danielian on trumpet, Stan Harrison on tenor sax, Dan Levine on trombone, Ed Manion on baritone sax, and Curt Ramm on trumpet.

The Promise

The Promise is a Bruce Springsteen album that was released on 16 Nov 2010 as part of The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set, and separately as a 2-CD set. The album was also issued on a limited edition 3-LP set pressed on 180-gram vinyl.

The Promise is a collection of 22 previously-unreleased songs from the Darkness On The Edge Of Town recording sessions. Depending on their level of completion back in 1977-1978, some were only remastered, some were overdubbed with 2010 vocals or music, and some were completely re-recorded in 2010. The album is mixed by Bob Clearmountain.

Notes:

• RACING IN THE STREET ('78) is an alternate take to the version found on the Darkness On The Edge Of Town album.
• THE PROMISE is a different version from the one found on 18 Tracks.
• CANDY'S BOY and COME ON (LET'S GO TONIGHT) are early versions of CANDY'S ROOM and FACTORY.
• BECAUSE THE NIGHT, FIRE, and TALK TO ME are songs that Springsteen donated to other artists.
• BECAUSE THE NIGHT, RENDEZVOUS, and FIRE were previously released by Springsteen in live versions.
• THE WAY is a hidden/bonus track and has been circulating on bootlegs in a slightly different mix.
• GOTTA GET THAT FEELING, SOMEDAY (WE'LL BE TOGETHER), WRONG SIDE OF THE STREET, AIN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, and CITY OF NIGHT have been circulating on bootlegs in different versions and under different titles.
• OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, ONE WAY STREET, and SPANISH EYES have been circulating on bootlegs in different versions.
• THE BROKENHEARTED is known from the 1978 tour rehearsals.
• SAVE MY LOVE, IT'S A SHAME, THE LITTLE THINGS (MY BABY DOES), and BREAKAWAY are songs that have never circulated or been documented.

Live History

In preparation for the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour, THE BROKENHEARTED was practiced on 19 May 1978 at Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ, during the only known/confirmed private rehearsal prior to the tour's start. That was the only appearance of the song prior to its release on The Promise in 2010. See the live 19 May 1978 version for more details.

[Click here to display/hide detailed Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour rehearsals performances list]

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed THE BROKENHEARTED twice on 07 Dec 2010 during a gig in front of a small crowd at Carousel House in Asbury Park, NJ. The gig was videotaped for a future webcast, but none of three takes of the song was included in the webcast. In a Backstreets.com review, Flynn McLean wrote: "Bruce performed it in a soulful manner very similar to 'Back in Your Arms,' 'Fade Away,' and 'Dark End of the Street' from the 2009 tour, with mournful vocals pleading to a lost lover. Bruce repeated 'Say it right now, darlin'' over and over during the fade out of the song to great effect. Between the first and second takes, Steve gave the horns specific direction, and both Bruce and Steve gave further directions after the second take. Bruce also had a specific idea for lighting, wanting a backlight during the fade out of the song, and they worked through the ending several more times until he got what he wanted. 'The Brokenhearted' was a highlight of the evening, and its absence from the webcast alone makes us cross our fingers for some kind of extended DVD release in the future."

[Click here to display/hide list of 2010 live performances]

Covers

As far as it's known, no artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's THE BROKENHEARTED.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THE BROKENHEARTED on this website:

• Official studio version
• Live 19 May 1978 version

Credits

Thanks Tom-Joad (at Greasy Lake), J (at Greasy Lake), and Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

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