CHAINS

Live 17 Jul 1970 version

I said chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains
But they ain't the kind that you can see
Oh-whoa these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah

I said chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains
But they ain't the kind that you can see
Woah-whoa these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah

[Spoken:] Alright. Take it from here.

Well I would like to tell you now that I think that you're fine
I wanna hold you, darling got me

Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains
But they ain't the kind that you can see
Woah-whoa these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah

[Spoken:] Alright. Take it Bruce.

[Instrumental break]

I'd like to tell you honey, I think you're fine
I'd like to hold baby, my woman's got me locked up in these

Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains, she sure does
But they ain't the kind that you can see
Woah-whoa these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah

[Spoken:] Ah take your time.

[Instrumental break]

Well I said chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains
But they ain't the kind that you can see
Woah-whoa these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah

[Instrumental break]

I said chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains
But they ain't the kind that you can see
Woah-whoa these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah

Now it's chains, chains of love
Chains, chains, chains
I said chains, chains of love
Woah-whoa these chains of love got a hold on me

Info

CHAINS is a 1962 song by The Cookies. See the original The Cookies version for more details.

Bruce Springsteen performed live CHAINS in 1970 with his 1969-1971 band Steel Mill. See the "Live History" section below for more details.

Live 17 Jul 1970 version

The above lyrics are for the live 17 Jul 1970 performance of CHAINS at Sunshine In in Asbury Park, NJ. On the soundboard tape, drummer and background vocalist Vini Lopez's voice microphone is abnormally dominant in the mix, sounding like he was a co-lead singer. The parts above in bold correspond to Vini Lopez joining in on vocals. The parts in bold italic are by Vini Lopez alone.

The 17-18 Jul 1970 Shows

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Steel Mill performed on 17 and 18 Jul 1970 at Sunshine In in Asbury Park, NJ. These were double-bill shows, with Steel Mill headlining and Lotus opening. A good quality 58-minute soundboard recording of one of the two nights is in circulation among collectors. The tape does not represent the complete show; it seems to include the first three and last two songs of the night. Brucebase has attributed this audio to 17 Jul 1970, but it could also be from the following night's show.

In the banter during GIRLFRIEND BLUES, Springsteen referenced the 1970 Asbury Park race riots that happened between 04 Jul and 10 Jul 1970. The seven days of rioting, looting, and destruction were a major civil disturbance in Asbury Park, NJ. He joked: "From what I've seen there must've been a bargain sale in Asbury. Run in as fast as you can, take what you can get, and split." He also tells a story about an encounter with the state troopers and policemen that happened "about in the middle of last week some time." All this evidence supports the belief that this audio recording is from the two-night residency at Sunshine In.

Promotional poster for the 17-18 Jul 1970 shows at Sunshine In, Asbury Park, NJ
(Taken from Lelands)

Live History

CHAINS is known to have been performed at least once in Bruce Springsteen's early years (pre-October 1972). Very little is known about shows from this early period, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates.

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Available Versions

List of available versions of CHAINS on this website:

Page last updated: 06 Jan 2019