Song title: Dancing in the dark
Dancing in the dark
I get up in the evening,
and I ain’t got nothing to say
I come home in the morning,
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain’t nothing but tired,
man I’m just tired and bored with myself
Hey there baby, I could use just a little help
You can’t start a fire, you can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Message keeps getting clearer,
radio’s on and I’m moving round the place
I check myself out in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes my hair my face
Man I ain’t getting nowhere
just sitting in a dump like this
There’s something happening somewhere
baby I just know that there is
You can’t start a fire...
You sit around getting older
there’s a joke here somewhere and it’s on me
I’ll shake this world off my shoulders
come baby this laughs on me
Stay on the streets of this town
and they’ll be carving you up alright
They say you got to stay hungry
hey baby I’m just about starving tonight
I’m dying for some action
I’m sick of sitting ‘round here
trying to write this book
I need a love reaction
come on now baby give me just one look
You can’t start a fire..
Published on the following official releases:
- DANCING IN THE DARK (STEREO / STEREO) (7 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / PINK CADILLAC (7 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK (ONE SIDED) (7 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / BORN IN THE USA (7 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO (7 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / MY HOMETOWN (7 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY (7 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK (BLASTER / RADIO - DUB) (12 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO (12 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / LAURA BRANNINGAN SONG (12 in.,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK EP (STEREO / STEREO) (12 in.,1984)
- BORN IN THE USA (Album,1984)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / PINK CADILLAC (12 in.,1984)
- BITUSA - COVER ME / DANCING - NO SURRENDER (7 in.,1984)
- COVER ME - JERSEY GIRL / DANCING IN THE DARK (12 in.,1984)
- COVER ME + DANCING IN THE DARK - TWIN PACK (7 in.,1984)
- BORN IN THE USA 12 SINGLES COLLECTION (12 in.,1985)
- CBS - AYLESBURY (LP,1985)
- DANCING IN THE DARK / OTHERS ("FOUR SUPER ROCKS") (7 in.,1985)
- LEVI'S PROMO (12 in.,1985)
- LIGUE - SE NO ROCKY (LP,1985)
- COVER ME (2 MIXES) - SHUT OUT … / DANCING - JERSEY (12 in.,1985)
- GREATEST HITS (Album,1995)
- THE ESSENTIAL BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (Album,2003)
- LIVE IN BARCELONA (Album,2004)
- SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY (Album,2018)
First known live performance: 26/05/1984 XANADU, Asbury Park,NJ ,USA
Last known live performance: 15/12/2018 Walter Kerr Theatre, New York,NY ,USA
Song 'history':
One only performance during the 1982-1984 period, during which Bruce played, with various small groups or guesting, in a number of bars and small clubs of the New Jersey area (26/05/1984 XANADU, Asbury Park,NJ ,USA)
Published on BORN IN THE USA, in 1984
Played each night of the Born in the U.S.A. tour
Played at the Bridge Benefit show, 13-Oct-1986.
Bruce 'forgot' it only 4 nights in the Tunnel of Love tour
Performed 9 times during the 1988 Amnesty International tour
The Human Touch tour counted 15 apparitions of this song
The song was then included in the GREATEST HITS compilation, released in 1995.
Bruce gave this song only two shots through the Reunion tour (30/04/2000 Firstar Center, Cincinnati,OH ,USA and 12/06/2000 Madison Square Garden, New York,NY ,USA)
Largely (113 times) played during the Rising tour
The Barcelona show of the Rising tour was broadcast and released on DVD 'LIVE IN BARCELONA', which included also this song
The song was then included in the ESSENTIAL compilation, released in 2003.
In the Devils and Dust tour, the song was only practiced (16/07/2005 Pepsi arena, Albany,NY ,USA, during the soundcheck.)
but never played in the regular set.
Perfomed in a large number of shows (72) of the Magic tour
Widely used in the Working on a Dream tour, as it was performed 62 times
A stable inclusion in each Wrecking Ball tour show
During the High Hopes tour, the song was regularly included in every show
During the 2016 The River tour, the song was regularly included in every show
Published in live soundtrack of 'Springsteen on Broadway' show
Performed 14 times during the 2017 Summer tour
Played each night of the Springsteen on Broadway tour
The song was also played in informal happenings or off-tour appearances
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database