Live 19 Aug 1985 version
[Spoken intro:] How you doing tonight, New Jersey? (cheers) Alright!
Whoa! I'm gonna get you. Alright. ???
[P]Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month
Ralph went out looking for a job but he couldn't find none
He came home too drunk from mixing Tanqueray and wine
He got a gun, shot a night clerk, now they call him Johnny 99
Down in the part of town where when you hit a red light you don't stop
Johnny's waving his gun around, threatening to blow his top
When an off-duty cop snuck up on him from behind
Out in front of the Club Tip Top they slapped the cuffs on Johnny 99
Well the city supplied a public defender but the judge was Mean John Brown
He came into the courtroom and stared young Johnny down
Said the evidence is clear, gonna let the sentence son fit the crime
Prison for 98 and a year and we'll call it even, Johnny 99
]Spoken:] ??? gonna like that!
Well a fistfight broke out in the courtroom, they had to drag Johnny's girl away
His mama stood up and shouted, "Judge, don't take my boy this way"
Well son you got any statement you'd like to make
Before the bailiff comes to forever take you away
Well judge, judge, I had debts no honest man can pay
The bank was holding my mortgage, they were gonna take my house away
Well now I ain't saying that makes me an innocent man
But it was more and all this, judge, that put that gun in my hand
Now your honor I do believe I'd be better off dead
So if you can take a man's life for the thoughts that's in his head
Then sit back in that chair and think it over, Judge, one more time
Let 'em shave off my hair and put me on that killing line
[Spoken outro:] Come on let's do it now!
The above lyrics are for the live 19 Aug 1985 performance of JOHNNY 99 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, during the Born In The U.S.A. Tour. This live 19 Aug 1985 performance of JOHNNY 99 was included on the Live/1975-85 box set in 1986. The spoken intro is edited out on the official release.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed six concerts at Giants Stadium between 18 Aug and 01 Spe 1984. These shows later became one of the main sources for the Live/1975-85 box set which includes five recordings from these shows: four from 19 Aug 1985 and one from 21 Aug 1985.
With the Born In The U.S.A. album and tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band reached the highest level of rock stardom. Columbia Records was expecting a follow up studio album and tour that would, like it's predecessor, achieve a huge commercial success. Instead, Springsteen released Live/1975-85, an over-three-hours-and-a-half-long live compilation album consisting of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985.
The set was produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and Bruce Springsteen, and hit the stores on 10 Nov 1986. It was released as a box set with either five vinyl records, three cassettes, or three CDs. Live/1975-85 is the first album to be credited to "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band" instead of "Bruce Springsteen" only.
The highly-anticipated live album generated advance orders of more than 1.5 million copies, making it the largest dollar-volume pre-order in the history of the record business at the time. Record stores around the country found fans waiting in line on Monday morning before opening and one New York store reportedly sold the album right off the back of the delivery truck. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart and also became the first five-record set to reach the top 10 and the first to sell over a million copies. Live/1975-85 is the second-best-selling live album in U.S. history based on RIAA certification. It has been certified by the RIAA for 13 times platinum, trailing only Garth Brooks' Double Live.
Side 1:
| 1. | THUNDER ROAD | Recorded live on 18 Oct 1975 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 2. | ADAM RAISE A CAIN | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 3. | SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 4. | 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) | Recorded live on 31 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
Side 2:
| 1. | PARADISE BY THE "C" | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 2. | FIRE | Recorded live on 16 Dec 1978 at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA |
| 3. | GROWIN' UP | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 4. | IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
Side 3:
| 1. | BACKSTREETS | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 2. | ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 3. | RAISE YOUR HAND | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
Side 4:
| 1. | HUNGRY HEART | Recorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 2. | TWO HEARTS | Recorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 3. | CADILLAC RANCH | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH) | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 5. | INDEPENDENCE DAY | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Side 5:
| 1. | BADLANDS | Recorded live on 05 Nov 1980 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ |
| 2. | BECAUSE THE NIGHT | Recorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 3. | CANDY'S ROOM | Recorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 5. | RACING IN THE STREET | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Side 6:
| 1. | THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 2. | NEBRASKA | Recorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 3. | JOHNNY 99 | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | REASON TO BELIEVE | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Side 7:
| 1. | BORN IN THE U.S.A. | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2. | SEEDS | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 3. | THE RIVER | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
Side 8:
| 1. | WAR | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2. | DARLINGTON COUNTY | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 3. | WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | THE PROMISED LAND | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
Side 9:
| 1. | COVER ME | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2. | I'M ON FIRE | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 3. | BOBBY JEAN | Recorded live on 21 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | MY HOMETOWN | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
Side 10:
| 1. | BORN TO RUN | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 2. | NO SURRENDER | Recorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 3. | TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT | Recorded live on 20 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | JERSEY GIRL | Recorded live on 09 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Disc 1:
| 01. | THUNDER ROAD | Recorded live on 18 Oct 1975 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 02. | ADAM RAISE A CAIN | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 03. | SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 04. | 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) | Recorded live on 31 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 05. | PARADISE BY THE "C" | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 06. | FIRE | Recorded live on 16 Dec 1978 at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA |
| 07 | GROWIN' UP | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 08. | IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 09. | BACKSTREETS | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 10. | ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 11. | RAISE YOUR HAND | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 12. | HUNGRY HEART | Recorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 13. | TWO HEARTS | Recorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Disc 2:
| 01. | CADILLAC RANCH | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 02. | YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH) | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 03. | INDEPENDENCE DAY | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 04. | BADLANDS | Recorded live on 05 Nov 1980 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ |
| 05. | BECAUSE THE NIGHT | Recorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 06. | CANDY'S ROOM | Recorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 07. | DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 08. | RACING IN THE STREET | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 09. | THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 10. | NEBRASKA | Recorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 11. | JOHNNY 99 | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 12. | REASON TO BELIEVE | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 13. | BORN IN THE U.S.A. | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 14. | SEEDS | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
Disc 3:
| 01. | THE RIVER | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 02. | WAR | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 03. | DARLINGTON COUNTY | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 04. | WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 05. | THE PROMISED LAND | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 06. | COVER ME | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 07. | I'M ON FIRE | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 08. | BOBBY JEAN | Recorded live on 21 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 09. | MY HOMETOWN | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 10. | BORN TO RUN | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 11. | NO SURRENDER | Recorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 12. | TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT | Recorded live on 20 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 13. | JERSEY GIRL | Recorded live on 09 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED
List of available versions of JOHNNY 99 on this website:
JOHNNY 99 [Album version]
