THIS LITTLE GIRL

Gary U.S. Bonds' album version

Here she comes, walking down the street
You know she's walking just like she's walking to come and see me
Oh, she's so young
And she's so fine
I know what's on your mind, know what you want to do
But if you mess with her, I'm gonna mess with you
You better watch your step, you better stay in line

A-this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine

Well if the world were mine to do with what I want to do, sir
Well I'd wrap it up in a bow and give it all to her
Yeah, and all my love, all of the time
You know I'd hold her tight, I'd never let her go
And late at night you know I'd love her so
Yeah I'd treat her right, so she'd never mind
That

This little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine, mine, mine, mine

Hey!
You better watch out
I'm telling you the score
Or you're gonna be sweeping your broken heart up off the floor
Oh, and that ain't all
I'm telling you my friend

I know what's on your mind, know what you want to do
But if you mess with her, I'm gonna mess with you
You like the way she moves, you like to watch her walk
You better listen up, 'cause man, this ain't just talk
You better watch your step, you better stay in line

Now baby, I said
This little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
This little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine
Yeah yeah yeah
This little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine, all mine, now
This little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
I said, this little girl, this little girl, this little girl is mine mine mine mine
This little girl is mine

Page last updated: 17 Oct 2012

Info

THIS LITTLE GIRL is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and donated to Gary U.S. Bonds.

Gary U.S. Bonds recorded THIS LITTLE GIRL for his 1981 album Dedication. It's one of four songs on the album that were arranged and produced by Bruce Springsteen with Steven Van Zandt. It was recorded sometime between June and August 1980 at The Power Station in New York City, NY, during Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band sessions for Gary U.S. Bonds undertaken in the immediate aftermath of the final recording sessions for The River.

The 1991 reissue of Dedication on the Razor Edge label includes album liner note by Gary U.S. Bonds himself. He wrote, "One night, Bruce woke me up at four in the morning to play 'This Little Girl', a new song he had written for the album I told him that it would sound just as good if he played it for me the next morning." He also recounts that they made a music video for THIS LITTLE GIRL, but he made them pull it because, as he said, "I thought we looked stupid mouthing the words. I didn't want to be seen chasing some girl through the street of New York City or having a make believe fist fight with some guy while I was lip synching 'If you mess with her, I'm gonna mess with you. The music speaks for itself. You don't need to dress it up."

The above lyrics are for Gary U.S. Bonds' album version of THIS LITTLE GIRL.

Other Studio Versions

According to Brucebase, a Bruce Springsteen vocal rendition of THIS LITTLE GIRL was likely recorded at The Power Station in New York City, NY, during the June-August 1980 recording sessions with Gary U.S. Bonds.

Dedication

Gary U.S. Bonds released two studio albums and several hit singles in 1961 and 1962, three of which were top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Success was short-lived and Bonds relegated to playing the oldies circuit. In the early eighties, his career resurrected with two collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, and the E Street Band: Dedication in 1981 and On the Line in 1982.

Dedication is Gary U.S. Bonds' third studio album, released in April 1981 on EMI America Records (catalogue number SO-17051). The musicians backing Bonds on the album include many members of the E Street Band and the Asbury Jukes. The album includes three songs written by Bruce Springsteen, one written by Steve Van Zandt, and several covers of songs from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, and others. It also features a duet between Bonds and Springsteen on the track JOLE BLON. Four of the album's songs were arranged and produced by Bruce Springsteen with Steven Van Zandt.

According to a May 1981 article by Rolling Stone's Kurt Loder, the initial plan was to record an EP for Gary U.S. Bonds consisting of three songs that Springsteen had written for him: THIS LITTLE GIRL, YOUR LOVE, and DEDICATION. Loder wrote that "Bruce had a lot of wild ideas, and pretty soon teh EP started looking more like an LP. Fifteen days later, they emerged with a whole album."

Dedication reached #27 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tapes chart and #34 on the Top R&B Albums chart and produced several singles, including THIS LITTLE GIRL which was a hit. Music writer Dave Marsh called Dedication "one of the most successful comeback albums in rock & roll history".

Dedication was re-released in 1991 on the Razor Edge label (catalogue number RE-1986-2).

Dedication track list:

1. JOLE BLON
2. THIS LITTLE GIRL
3. YOUR LOVE
4. DEDICATION
5. DADDY'S COME HOME
6. IT'S ONLY LOVE
7. THE PRETENDER
8. WAY BACK WHEN
9. FROM A BUICK 6
10. JUST LIKE A CHILD

Single Release

THIS LITTLE GIRL was released as a single in 1981. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #5 on Billboard's Top Tracks chart. The single was issued in North and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and Japan.

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (8079) - USA, 1981 Comes in a picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Jole Blon" 7-inch - EMI America (X-7102) - USA, 1981 No picture sleeve. Silver Spotlight Series release. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: JOLE BLON

Gary U.S. Bonds / Russ Ballard -- "This Little Girl / Voices" 7-inch - Columbia (060927) - USA, 1993 No picture sleeve. Collectibles Series release. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL [by Gary U.S. Bonds] Side B: Voices [by Russ Ballard]

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (8079) - Canada, 1981 No picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (8555) - Mexico, 1981 No picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (31C 006 86362) - Brazil, 1981 No picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - Capitol (21514) - Chile (1981) No picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (16424) - Peru, 1981 No picture sleeve. Available with both grey and green labels. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (EA 122) UK, May 1981 Comes in a picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "It's Only Love / This Little Girl" 7-inch - EMI America (EA 128) UK, Sep 1981 Comes in a picture sleeve. Includes alive recording of THIS LITTLE GIRL. Side A: IT'S ONLY LOVE Side B: THIS LITTLE GIRL [live]

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (1C 006-86 362) - Germany, 1981 Comes in a picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (10C 006-086.362) - Spain, 1981 Comes in a picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (3C 006-86362) - Italy, 1981 Comes in a picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (2C 008-86.362) - France, 1981 Comes in a picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (1C 006-86362) - Sweden, 1981 Comes in a picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (AMI-471) - Australia, 1981 No picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (F 8079) - New Zealand, 1981 No picture sleeve. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" 7-inch - EMI America (EYS-17150) - Japan, 1981 Comes with a picture insert. Side A: THIS LITTLE GIRL Side B: WAY BACK WHEN

Other Official Releases

In addition to it's release on Dedication and as a single, THIS LITTLE GIRL was also included on a few other official releases.

Various artists -- Pop Pix 12-inch flexi-disc - Flexi (no catalogue number) - UK, 1981 4-track EP. No picture sleeve. Copies exist with black and orange vinyl as far as I know. A1- Red Alert [by Our Daughters Wedding] A2- Talk To Ya Later [by The Tubes] B1- THIS LITTLE GIRL [by Gary U.S. Bonds] B2- Miss You Tonite [by Kim Carnes]

Kim Carnes / Gary U.S. Bonds -- "Bette Davis Eyes / This Little Girl" 12-inch - EMI America (PRP-8184) - Japan, 1981 Promo-only release. A-side: Bette Davis Eyes [Kim Carnes] B-side: THIS LITTLE GIRL [by Gary U.S. Bonds]

Gary U.S. Bonds -- Gary U.S. Bonds 12-inch - EMI America (SPRO-9666) - USA, 1981 4-track promotional EP. Comes in a picture sleeve. A1- JOLE BLON A2- THE PRETENDER B1- THIS LITTLE GIRL [live] B2- DEDICATION

Various artists -- 20 Aerobic Dance Hits 2-LP - Parade (PA-101) - USA, 1981

Various artists -- 1981... Rocks On LP - EMI (GIVE-2003) - Australia, 1981

Various artists -- Twenty With A Bullet LP - EMI (EMTV 32) - UK, 1982 LP - EMI (14C 062-78084) - Greece, 1982 LP - EMI (10C 064-021.871) - Spain, 1982 Audio cassette - IMD (IMD 7911) - Saudi Arabia, 1982 The Spanish issue is titled "Twenty With A Bullet: 20 Impactos" and features a slightly different artwork.

Various artists -- Hits LP - EMI (7C 062-78082) - Sweden, 1982

Various artists -- Radio Active LP - K-Tel (TC 272) - Canada, 1982

Various artists -- Hitexplosion No. 14 LP - EMI (IA 058-26667) - Holland, 1982

Various artists -- Summer Fun Volume 1 LP - GSA (TU 2910) - UK, 1983

Various artists -- Cover Me LP - Rhino (RNIN 70700) - USA, 1986 Audio cassette - Rhino (RNIC 70700) - USA, 1986 This is a various artists Bruce Springsteen tribute album. THIS LITTLE GIRL is performed by Gary U.S. Bonds.

Various artists -- Cover me CD - Rhino (R2 70700) - USA, 1989 This is the CD reissue of the above various artists Bruce Springsteen tribute album. THIS LITTLE GIRL is performed by Gary U.S. Bonds. This reissue contains two additional tracks not available on the LP and audio cassette releases of this album.

Various artists -- Songs From The Boss LP - Dover Records (ADD 3) - UK, 1988 CD - Dover Records (CCD 3) - UK, 1989 Audio cassette - Dover Records (ZDD 3) - UK, 1988 This is a various artists Bruce Springsteen tribute album. THIS LITTLE GIRL is performed by Gary U.S. Bonds.

Various artists -- Rock Of America LP - Trax Music (MODEM 1088) - Germany, 1989 CD - Trax Music (MODCD 1036) - Germany, 1989

Various artists -- East Coast Rock CD - Castle (CCSCD 324) - UK, 1991

Various artists -- Near Legends And Soon-To-Be Household Names CD - Razor & Tie (no catalogue number) - USA, 1992

Various artists -- Rock In The USA CD - Stardust (STACD 020) - UK, 1992

Various artists -- Blood, Sweat amp; Beers: Best Of The Bar Bands CD - Risky Business / Sony (AK 53920) - USA, 1993

Various artists -- Ocean Drive Volume III CD - Ripete (S21 17343) - USA, 1993

Various artists -- EAMS Compilation Volume 1 CD - EAMS (74321-13188-2) - Germany, 1993

Various artists -- Hits From The 80's 3-CD - MFP / EMI Trio (CDTR BOX 152) - UK, 1994

Various artists -- Sounds Of The Eighties: 1981 CD - Time Life / Polygram (988-08) - USA, 1995

Various artists -- Open Top Cars: New Frontiers CD - Temple Records (TMPCD017) - UK, 1995

Various artists -- The Heat Is On 2 CD - Disky (DCD 5477) - Holland, 1995

Gary U.S. Bonds -- The Best Of Gary U.S. Bonds CD - EMI (37812) - USA, 1996 This is a Gary U.S. Bonds compilation album.

Various artists -- The Music Magazine: 1980's Edition CD - Music For Pleasure (unknown catalogue number) - UK, 1996

Various artists -- The Power Of Love 3-CD - EMI America (unknown catalogue number) - UK, 1997

Various artists -- A Time To Remember: 20 Original Chart Hits From 1981 CD - Arabe (ATTR 1981) - UK, 1997

Various artists -- Open Road: 48 Original Hits 3-CD - EMI (unknown catalogue number) - UK, 1997

Various artists -- The Best Of The 80's: 48 Original Hits Of The 80's 3-CD - EMI (unknown catalogue number) - UK, 1997

Various artists -- 100 Non Stop Party Hits 4-CD - Disky (HR 877362) - Holland, 1997

Various artists -- Camelot Rules CD - EMI Capitol (72438-23236-2-4) - USA, 1997

Gary U.S. Bonds -- Club Soul City CD - Disky (DC 881852) - Holland, 1998 This is a Gary U.S. Bonds compilation album consisting of 20 tracks from the Dedication (9 of the album's 10 tracks) and On The Line (all of the album's 11 tracks).

Various artists -- More Greatest Hits Of The 80's 8-CD - Disky (DB 854902) - Holland, 2000 9-CD - Disky (DB 996122) - Holland, 2000 This 8-disc box set was reissued with a bonus disc. The font artwork remained the same.

Various artists -- More Greatest Hits Of The 80's - Vol.4 2-CD - Disky (DO 994662) - Holland, 2000

Various artists -- The 80's Collection: Made In The USA 2-CD - Time-Life (unknown catalogue number) - ???, 2000

Various artists -- 1000 Original Hits 80's, Vol. 1 5-CD - EMI Plus (unknown catalogue number) - Germany, 2001

Various artists -- Love Parade: 60's 70's 80's 3-CD - Disky (CB 647222) - Holland, 2001

Various artists -- C'est La Fête 4-CD - Disky (unknown catalogue number) - Holland, 2002

Various artists -- 100% Rock 6-CD - Disky (DB 905560) - Holland, 2003

Various artists -- Best Of 80's: 1980-1981 2-CD - Disky (DO 905512) - Holland, 2003

Various artists -- 54 Hits Of The 80s 3-CD - EMI Gold (unknown catalogue number) - UK, 2003

Various artists -- Disco Hits 3-CD - EMI Gold (7243 8 63193 2 6) - UK, 2004

Various artists -- More Complete Eighties 5-CD - EMI (0946 357244 2 4) - Australia, 2006

Various artists -- On Air: Rock Radio 3-CD - Disky (CB 903312) - UK, 2006

Various artists -- 1981: Where Were You? CD - EMI (50999 5 03656 2 3) - Australia, 2008 THIS LITTLE GIRL is not available on the 2007 release with the same title.

Various artists -- 80s: 123 Original Hits 6-CD - EMI Gold (694 6822) - UK, 2009

Various artists -- Complete Eighties: 100 Original Artists / 100 Original Hits 5-CD - EMI (50999 632138 2 9) - Australia, 2010

Live History

THIS LITTLE GIRL is known to have been performed at least twice during the 138-date-long The River Tour, both in July 1981 in East Rutherford, NJ. A few setlists from that period are incomplete, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during The River Tour, but that's very unlikely. The song featured a guest appearance by Gary U.S. Bonds on both nights.

[Click here to display/hide detailed known The River Tour performances list]

THIS LITTLE GIRL was performed off-tour on 15 Jun 1981 at Old Waldorf in San Francisco, CA, where Bruce Springsteen made a guest appearance with Gary U.S. Bonds, playing a five-song set. No audio recording of this show is known to exist.

[Click here to display/hide detailed 1981-1982 off-tour performances list]

THIS LITTLE GIRL was performed off-tour on 02 Jul 1989 at The Cafe Bar in Long Branch, NJ, where Bruce Springsteen made a guest appearance with Gary U.S. Bonds, playing a six-song set. No audio recording of this show is known to exist.

[Click here to display/hide detailed 1989 off-tour performances list]

THIS LITTLE GIRL was performed on 29 Apr 2003 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ, during "The Hope Concert" benefit. The song was played with Gary U.S. Bonds.

[Click here to display/hide detailed 2003 off-tour performances list]

THIS LITTLE GIRL was performed twice during the Wrecking Ball Tour, on 21 and 22 Sep 2012 in East Rutherford, NJ. The song featured a guest appearance by Gary U.S. Bonds on both nights.

[Click here to display/hide detailed Wrecking Ball Tour performances list]

Covers

Very few other artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's THIS LITTLE GIRL, including:

The Persuasions -- Live In The Whispering Gallery CD - Hammer 'N' Nails (HNCD-1988) - USA, 1994 This is a live album, recorded on 10 Apr 1988 in New York City.

East Coast Band -- Time Will Tell CD - Ripete (2239) - USA, 1996 The song is titled "This Little Girl Is Mine" on this release.

Graham BLVD -- Hit Parade 1981 Digital album - Suite 102 (no catalogue number) - USA, 2008 This is a download-only digital release.

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics.

Some of the above info about the studio recordings is taken from Brucebase. Info for some of the above releases is taken from the Nebraska website.

Request

Please contact me if you have scans or info about any official release containing THIS LITTLE GIRL that's not mentioned on this page. I also need scans for the following releases:

• Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" || 7-inch - EMI America (8079) - Canada, 1981
• Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" || 7-inch - EMI America (8555) - Mexico, 1981
• Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" || 7-inch - EMI America (31C 006 86362) - Brazil, 1981
• Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" || 7-inch - Capitol (21514) - Chile (1981)
• Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" || 7-inch - EMI America (3C 006-86362) - Italy, 1981
• Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" || 7-inch - EMI America (1C 006-86362) - Sweden, 1981
• Gary U.S. Bonds -- "This Little Girl / Way Back When" || 7-inch - EMI America (F 8079) - New Zealand, 1981
• Various artists -- Hits || LP - EMI (7C 062-78082) - Sweden, 1982
• Various artists -- Near Legends And Soon-To-Be Household Names || CD - Razor & Tie (no catalogue number) - USA, 1992
• Various artists -- Open Top Cars: New Frontiers || CD - Temple Records (TMPCD017) - UK, 1995
• Various artists -- The Power Of Love || 3-CD - EMI America (unknown catalogue number) - UK, 1997
• Various artists -- The Best Of The 80's: 48 Original Hits Of The 80's || 3-CD - EMI (unknown catalogue number) - UK, 1997
• Various artists -- The 80's Collection: Made In The USA || 2-CD - Time-Life (unknown catalogue number) - unknown country, 2000
• Various artists -- Love Parade: C'est La Fête || 4-CD - Disky (unknown catalogue number) - Holland, 2002

As far as I know, Bruce Springsteen shared lead vocals on JOLE BLON and produced JOLE BLON, THIS LITTLE GIRL, YOUR LOVE, and DEDICATION. Did he also also play guitar and/or sing backing vocals on any of these tracks? Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: . You will be credited. Thanks in advance.

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