Racing in the Street

Bruce Springsteen

About Racing in the Street

"Racing in the Street" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. In the original vinyl format, it was the last song of side one of the album. The song has been called Springsteen's best song by several commentators, including the authors of The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.


Year:
1978
6:56
55 
#1

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I got a sixty-nine Chevy with a 396
Fuelie heads and a Hurst on the floor
She's waiting tonight down in the parking lot
Outside the Seven-Eleven store
Me and my partner Sonny built her straight out of scratch
And he rides with me from town to town
We only run for the money, got no strings attached
We shut 'em up and then we shut 'em down

Tonight, tonight the strip's just right
I want to blow 'em off in my first heat
Summer's here and the time is right
For racin' in the street

We take all the action we can meet
And we cover all the northeast state
When the strip shuts down we run 'em in the street
From the fire roads to the interstate
Some guys they just give up living
And start dying little by little, piece by piece,
Some guys come home from work and wash up,
And go racin' in the street

Tonight, tonight the strip's just right
I want to blow 'em all out of their seats
Calling out around the world, we're going racin' in the street

I met her on the strip three years ago
In a Camaro with this dude from L.A.
I blew that Camaro off my back,
And drove that little girl away,
But now there's wrinkles around my baby's eyes
And she cries herself to sleep at night
When I come home the house is dark
She sighs, "baby did you make it all right,"
She sits on the porch of her daddy's house
But all her pretty dreams are torn,
She stares off alone into the night
With the eyes of one who hates for just being born
For all the shut down strangers and hot rod angels,
Rumbling through this promised land
Tonight my baby and me, we're gonna ride to the sea
And wash these sins off our hands

Tonight, tonight the highway's bright
Out of our way, mister, you best keep
'Cause summer's here and the time is right
For racin' in the street

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Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949), nicknamed "The Boss", is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who records and tours with the E Street Band. Springsteen is widely known for his brand of heartland rock, poetic lyrics, Americana sentiments centered on his native New Jersey and his lengthy and energetic stage performances, with concerts from the 1970s to the present decade running up to an uninterrupted 250 minutes in length. more »

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Written by: Bruce Springsteen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Song Composition
"Racing in the Street" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1978 album "Darkness on the Edge of Town". It is the album's closing song.
Inspiration
The song was inspired by a line in "Racing in the Street," a song by Chuck Berry, one of Bruce's major influences.
Lyrics Theme
The song presents a very powerful, emotional narrative of a working-class man who finds his escapism and joy in car racing.
Pairing with another song
Bruce often pairs this song with "Promised Land," another song from the same album, in many of his live performances.
Live Performances
"Racing in the Street" is not one of Bruce's most often played songs live, but when performed, it typically includes an extended piano intro and outro, mostly performed by the E Street Band member Roy Bittan.
Relation to Songs
The song is considered as a sequel to Springsteen earlier song "Thunder Road". Some fans see it as an extension of the same story, with the characters and themes getting somewhat older and darker.
Song Duration
The original studio version of the song is almost seven minutes long, making it one of Springsteen’s longer songs.
Critical Acclaim
The Song has received critical acclaim, with many calling it one of Springsteen's best songs. It frequently appears on lists of his top songs.
Album Performance
Although "Racing in the Street" was not released as a single, it contributed to the success of the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album, which has been certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.
Reinterpretation
The song was reinterpreted by Bruce Springsteen with a slower, more somber arrangement for the compilation album "The Promise" in 2010. In this version, Springsteen altered the lyrics to make the song's narrative more hopeful.

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