Working on the Highway

1984 song by Bruce Springsteen

"Working on the Highway"
Song by Bruce Springsteen
from the album Born in the U.S.A.
Released	June 4, 1984
Recorded	May 6, 1982^[1]
Studio	Power Station, New York City
Genre	Heartland rock
Length	3:11
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Bruce Springsteen
Producer(s)	Jon Landau Chuck Plotkin Bruce Springsteen Steve Van Zandt

"Working on the Highway" is a 1984 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It was released on the album Born in the U.S.A. and has remained a popular concert song for Springsteen and the E Street Band.

As with some of the other songs on the Born in the U.S.A. album, including "Downbound Train" and the title track, "Working on the Highway" was originally recorded on January 3, 1982, with the demo tracks that eventually became the Nebraska album.^[2]^[3] The acoustic version of the song had a working title of "Child Bride", and did not include the rock melody or the title refrain.^[2] The version of the song that was released on the album was recorded on May 6, 1982, at the Power Station, at the end of the "Electric Nebraska" sessions.^[1]^[3]^[4]

Although "Working on the Highway" was not one of the seven Born in the U.S.A. songs to be released as a single, it remained popular in concert, with 367 performances through 2016. It is nearly always paired with "Darlington County" in performance.

At a July 26, 1992 performance of the song, Springsteen's mother danced with her son towards the end of the song, prompting Springsteen to say "A boy's best friend is his mother," referencing a line from the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho.

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:^[5]

Bruce Springsteen – vocals, guitars, handclaps

E Street Band

Steven Van Zandt – guitars, handclaps
Danny Federici – organ, handclaps
Garry Tallent – bass, handclaps
Max Weinberg – drums, handclaps

References

^ ^a ^b Heylin, Clinton (2012). Song By Song. London: Penguin. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b Kirkpatrick, R. (2007). The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 82, 96–97. ISBN 978-0-275-98938-5.
^ ^a ^b Marsh, D. (2004). Two Hearts. Psychology Press. p. 341.
^ Sandford, C. (1999). Springsteen: Point Blank. Da Capo Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-306-80921-7.
^ Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2020). Bruce Springsteen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-78472-649-2.

External links

Lyrics & Audio clips from Brucespringsteen.net Archived 2008-02-24 at the Wayback Machine

Bruce Springsteen songs

1970s

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.	"Blinded by the Light" "Growin' Up" "Mary Queen of Arkansas" "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?" "Lost in the Flood" "The Angel" "For You" "Spirit in the Night" "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City"
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle	"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" "Incident on 57th Street" "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
Born to Run	"Thunder Road" "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" "Night" "Backstreets" "Born to Run" "She's the One" "Meeting Across the River" "Jungleland"
Darkness on the Edge of Town	"Badlands" "Adam Raised a Cain" "Racing in the Street" "The Promised Land" "Prove It All Night" "Darkness on the Edge of Town"

1980s

The River	"The Ties That Bind" "Sherry Darling" "Independence Day" "Hungry Heart" "Out in the Street" "The River" "Point Blank" "Cadillac Ranch" "Fade Away" "Stolen Car" "Ramrod" "Wreck on the Highway"
Nebraska	"Nebraska" "Atlantic City" "Johnny 99" "Highway Patrolman" "Open All Night"
Born in the U.S.A.	"Born in the U.S.A." "Cover Me" "Darlington County" "Working on the Highway" "Downbound Train" "I'm on Fire" "No Surrender" "Bobby Jean" "I'm Goin' Down" "Glory Days" "Dancing in the Dark" "My Hometown"
Tunnel of Love	"Tougher Than the Rest" "Spare Parts" "Tunnel of Love" "Brilliant Disguise" "One Step Up"

1990s

Human Touch	"Human Touch " "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" "Pony Boy"
Lucky Town	"Better Days" "If I Should Fall Behind"
The Ghost of Tom Joad	"The Ghost of Tom Joad" "Youngstown" "The New Timer"

2000s

The Rising	"Lonesome Day" "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" "The Rising" "My City of Ruins"
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions	"Old Dan Tucker" "Jesse James" "Mrs. McGrath" "O Mary Don't You Weep" "John Henry" "Erie Canal" "Jacob's Ladder" "Eyes on the Prize" "Shenandoah" "Pay Me My Money Down" "We Shall Overcome" "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" "Buffalo Gals" "How Can I Keep from Singing?" "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?"
Magic	"Radio Nowhere" "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" "Long Walk Home"
Working on a Dream	"Outlaw Pete" "My Lucky Day" "Working on a Dream" "The Wrestler"

2010s

Wrecking Ball	"We Take Care of Our Own" "Shackled and Drawn" "Death to My Hometown" "Wrecking Ball" "Rocky Ground" "Land of Hope and Dreams"
High Hopes	"High Hopes" "American Skin (41 Shots)" "Just Like Fire Would" "Hunter of Invisible Game" "Dream Baby Dream"
Western Stars	"Tucson Train" "Western Stars" "There Goes My Miracle" "Hello Sunshine"

2020s

Letter to You	"Letter to You" "The Power of Prayer" "Ghosts" "I'll See You in My Dreams"
Only the Strong Survive	"Only the Strong Survive" "Nightshift" "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" "Turn Back the Hands of Time" "When She Was My Girl" "Hey, Western Union Man" "I Wish It Would Rain" "Don't Play That Song" "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" "7 Rooms of Gloom" "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" "Someday We'll Be Together"