Open All Night (song) explained

Open All Night
Cover:OpenAllNight.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Bruce Springsteen
Album:Nebraska
B-Side:"The Big Payback"
Released:November 1982[1]
Recorded:June 23, 1982
Genre:Folk rock, rock and roll
Length:2:58
Label:Columbia
Prev Title:Atlantic City
Prev Year:1982
Next Title:Dancing in the Dark
Next Year:1984

"Open All Night" is a song written and recorded by rock musician Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on Springsteen's 1982 solo album Nebraska.

History

Of the 10 songs on Nebraska, "Open All Night" is the only one to feature an electric guitar. With a Chuck Berry-style guitar riff, the song tells the story of an unnamed narrator's all-night drive across industrial New Jersey to reach his girl, Wanda, whom he met when she was a waitress at the Route 60 Bob's Big Boy.

"Open All Night" was released as a single in the UK, backed by "The Big Payback",[2] but did not chart. It was also released as a single in The Netherlands and Spain.[2] Though never released as a single in the United States,[2] it garnered enough album oriented rock airplay to reach #22 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Springsteen performed this song infrequently until the Sessions Band Tour of 2006, when it was transformed into an eight-minute "show-stopping rave-up" whose already surreal lyrics[3] were made more strange by being rapped against a big band swing arrangement and a pseudo-Andrews Sisters female backing vocal trio.[4] [5] [6] This is the version that appears on the Live in Dublin CD and DVD.

Jay Farrar of Son Volt recorded a version which was released in 2005 on .

In November 2014 Pearl Jam covered the song in Lincoln, Nebraska.[7]

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Great Rock Discography. 773.
  2. Web site: Discography: Vinyl 7 in.: Alphab. sort . Killing Floor . 2008-07-22.
  3. News: Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band . Jeff Vrabel . . 2006-05-31 . 2006-06-30.
  4. News: Springsteen Speaks: The Music of Pete Seeger . Melissa Block . . . 2006-04-26 . 2006-06-30.
  5. News: The Boss pulls off celebrating Seeger . https://archive.today/20130131144700/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1061223581.html?dids=1061223581:1061223581&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+16,+2006&author=Greg+Kot,+Tribune+music+critic&pub=Chicago+Tribune&edition=&startpage=3&desc=The+Boss+pulls+off+celebrating+Seeger . dead . January 31, 2013 . Greg Kot . Greg Kot . . 2006-06-16 . 2006-06-30 . fee required.
  6. News: Boss' folksy party is a hit-and-miss affair . https://archive.today/20130131143236/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/1065632961.html?dids=1065632961:1065632961&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+24,+2006&author=GLENN+GAMBOA.+STAFF+WRITER&pub=Newsday&edition=Combined+editions&startpage=B.15&desc=MUSIC+REVIEW,+Boss'+folksy+party+is+a+hit-and-miss+affairNewsday . dead . January 31, 2013 . Glenn Gamboa . . 2006-06-24.
  7. Web site: Pearl Jam "Open All Night" Live in Lincoln Nebraska 10-9-2014 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/C3YU_JyTkNI . 2021-12-21 . live. . 2016-11-05.
  8. Book: Margotin . Philippe . Guesdon . Jean-Michel . Bruce Springsteen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track . 2020 . . London . 978-1-78472-649-2 . 214.