Official studio version
One girl, one love
One dream in our hearts
Two hearts as one
One hope never to be torn apart
Yeah, come on, baby, rock me way down low
Shake me, darling, shake me, don't let me go
You're the one, yeah, you're the one for me
One dream, one dream
Is all, is all I need
One reason to believe
In you I've found the thing I need
Yeah, comе on, baby, rock me way down low
Shake me, darling, comе on, don't let me go
You're the one, yeah, you're the one for me
Once I was alone
So alone, so all alone
Then you came along
With a love you said I could call on
Yeah, come on, baby, rock me way down low
Shake me, darling, come on, don't let me go
You're the one, yeah, you're the one for me
Come on, baby, rock me all night long
I've been searching for you for so long
You're the one, yeah, you're the one for me
Ooh-oohhh
Ooh-oohhh, ooh-ooh-oohhh
Ooh-oohhh, ooh-ooh-oohhh
Ooh-oohhh...
[Fades out]
ONE LOVE is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on the Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set in 2025. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's official studio version of ONE LOVE as released in 2025.
The song was considered for release as a B-side in 1983 had an album seen the light that year. See the "Unreleased 1982 and 1983 Albums" section below for more details.
The song appeared in a 2022 filing at the United States Copyright Office. See the "Copyright Filings" section below for more details.
It's unknown when ONE LOVE was written. According to Sony's logs of Bruce Springsteen's studio sessions, the song was recorded on 19 Jan 1983 at Thrill Hill West, Springsteen's home studio in Los Angeles, CA. The studio take in circulation was most probably cut on 19 Jan 1983.
Springsteen recorded more than an album's worth of songs by himself during this period. He played all the instruments himself, with the help of a drum machine only, and overdubbing was used to create the final product.
Track credits:
Bruce Springsteen: vocals, drum programming, all instruments
Mike Batlan: drum programming
Bruce Springsteen: producer
Ron Aniello: producer
Mike Batlan: recording engineer, mixing engineer
Bob Ludwig: mastering engineer
Rob Lebret: mastering engineer, additional engineering
Prior to its official release on Tracks II: The Lost Albums, this version of ONE LOVE (same take) has been circulating on bootlegs since 1996. See the unofficial studio version. The officially released version, however, is over a minute shorter than the unofficially released one ─ it kicks in about 20 seconds later and fades out about 45 seconds earlier. Moreover, the mix may be slightly different, but the apparent difference in the mix is more likely due to the lower quality of the tape bootleggers used for the unofficially released version.
Bruce Springsteen recorded a bulk of solo demoes at his Colts Neck, NJ home studio in early January 1982. His intention was to demonstrate them to The E Street Band when they enter the studio later that month so that the recording sessions for their next album would progress faster. These studio sessions came to a halt in May when Springsteen decided to release Nebraska, an album consisting of the original solo demoes without the band treatment.
For the next month or two the focus turned to overseeing final preparations of Nebraska. However, Springsteen had already made up his mind that a few of the January home demoes should be on an E Street Band album, in addition to some more songs he recorded with the band when they were in studio. Mixing of the band material continued through June, alongside the Nebraska tracks. In fact, Springsteen even considered putting both albums out as a double record. "I had these two extremely different recording experiences going," Springsteen told Mark Hagen in an interview for Mojo magazine published in January 1999. "I was going to put them out at the same time as a double record. I didn't know what to do."
In his 2012 book E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Clinton Heylin revealed that the track sequence for the band album was compiled (see list below). These tracks were all recorded with the E Street Band between January and May 1982 at The Power Station and The Hit Factory in New York City, NY.
Side 1:
Side 2:
In early October 1982, soon after the release of Nebraska, Springsteen moved to Los Angeles where he spent much of the following five months. He had recording engineer Mike Batlan install a home recording studio at his house in Los Angeles where he recorded more than an album's worth of songs over the early months of 1983, playing all the instruments himself except for a drum machine.
According to Brucebase, Springsteen has mentioned that sometime in early 1983 he also gave consideration to releasing the best of the Los Angeles home studio recordings as a thematic follow-up to Nebraska. This album concept is not known to have ever been given a working title because Springsteen quickly abandoned the concept.
A document from around March 1983 reveals that at the time Springsteen briefly considered releasing an album tentatively titled "Murder Incorporated" and consisting of eleven tracks. The document also lists six additional tracks that apparently were selected for B-sides. All these tracks were cut during two phases of recording sessions, the early 1982 sessions with the band and the early 1983 solo sessions.
Album:
B-sides:
Springsteen disregarded the album and opted for another round of recording session. These sessions took place between April and June 1983 at The Hit Factory in New York City, NY, and featured the E Street Band, apparently minus Steven Van Zandt who was busy at the time recording his second solo album and touring with his own group. Following this third phase of recording sessions major mixing sessions took place and some in CBS were talking of a possible of a pre-Christmas release. In his book, Clinton Heylin revealed a track sequence for a band album that was compiled on 26-27 Jul 1983 (see list below). This new track sequence comprised of three songs carried over from the 1982 sequence, four from the early 1983, sessions and five from the recent E Street Band sessions.
Side 1:
Side 2:
As had been the case in March, Springsteen disregarded the album again and opted for another round of recording session. This final round was scattered from autumn 1983 to the early months of 1984.
In 2022, a "Recorded Document" consisting of 539 Bruce Springsteen "musical works" was filed at the United States Copyright Office. The two filings are related to Springsteen's late 2021 deal with Sony Music in which he sold the masters of his entire catalog and the coinciding music publishing rights. They show the transfer of the songs from Bruce Springsteen to Thrill Hill Music LLC and then from Thrill Hill Music LLC to Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC and Asbury Boss LLC. Thrill Hill Music LLC and Asbury Boss LLC are limited liability companies incorporated in September 2021 and October 2021 respectively and likely created for the deal.
Copyright entry #1:
Type of Work: Recorded Document
Document Number: V15007D317
Date of Recordation: 2022-05-13
Entire Copyright Document: V15007 D317 P1-13
Date of Execution: 01Nov21; 01Mar22
Title: 100 Miles From Jackson & 538 other titles; Musical Work.
Notes: Assignment.
Party 1: Bruce Springsteen
Party 2: Thrill Hill Music LLC
Links: List of titles
Names: Springsteen, Bruce | Thrill Hill Music LLC
Copyright entry #2:
Type of Work: Recorded Document
Document Number: V15007D318
Date of Recordation: 2022-05-13
Entire Copyright Document: V15007 D318 P1-14
Date of Execution: 22Nov21; 22Nov21
Title: 100 Miles From Jackson & 538 other titles; Musical Work.
Notes: Exhibit 10.1 Assignment
Party 1: Thrill Hill Music LLC
Party 2: Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC; Asbury Boss, LLC
Links: List of titles
Names: Thrill Hill Music LLC | Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC | Asbury Boss, LLC
Tracks II: The Lost Albums is Bruce Springsteen's follow-up to his 1998 box set Tracks, released on 27 Jun 2025. The box set consists of seven "lost albums" recoded between 1983 and 2018, totaling 83 songs, of which 74 have never been officially released in any form. The seven albums are: L.A. Garage Sessions '83, Streets Of Philadelphia Sessions, Faithless, Somewhere North Of Nashville, Inyo, Twilight Hours, and Perfect World.
Tracks II: The Lost Albums, along with its companion Lost And Found: Selections From The Lost Albums, was officially announced on 03 Apr 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (1:00 p.m. GMT). The announcement was accompanied by a "trailer" for the upcoming set, posted on Bruce Springsteen's YouTube channel and other online services. The previous day, Springsteen released a teaser on his social media accounts, linking to a new website, lostalbums.net, created for the two upcoming releases.
The box set is available in limited edition as a seven-disc CD set and a nine-disc LP set, as well as digital download and streaming. The physical releases will include original packaging for each of the previously unreleased records, with a 100-page cloth-bound, hardcover book featuring rare archival photos, liner notes on each lost album from essayist Erik Flannigan and a personal introduction on the project from Springsteen himself.
Disc 1: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Disc 2: (Streets Of Philadelphia Sessions)
Disc 3: (Faithless)
Disc 4: (Somewhere North Of Nashville)
Disc 5: (Inyo)
Disc 6: (Twilight Hours)
Disc 7: (Perfect World)
Side 1: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Side 2: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Side 3: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Side 4: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Side 5: (Streets Of Philadelphia Sessions)
Side 6: (Streets Of Philadelphia Sessions)
Side 7: (Faithless)
Side 8: (Faithless)
Side 9: (Somewhere North Of Nashville)
Side 10: (Somewhere North Of Nashville)
Side 11: (Inyo)
Side 12: (Inyo)
Side 13: (Twilight Hours)
Side 14: (Twilight Hours)
Side 15: (Twilight Hours)
Side 16: (Twilight Hours)
Side 17: (Perfect World)
Side 18: (Perfect World)
As far as it's known, Bruce Springsteen has never performed ONE LOVE live.
As far as it's known, no artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's ONE LOVE.
If you have any corrections or additions, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of ONE LOVE on this website:
ONE LOVE [Official studio version]
