Go on.
Hey, kid.
Daddy?
Mom said it's time to go home.
Wait outside.
You're a bully!
You don't even know it!
I don't even recognize you.
You're destroying yourself. You're destroying this family.
I'm not gonna let you do it. I just won't.
The yelling and the screaming
- Bruce! - Enough!
He's got school tomorrow. You leave him alone!
I'm not going to let him grow up in a
One, two, three!
♪ The highway's jammed With broken heroes ♪
♪ On a last-chance Power drive ♪
♪ Everybody's out On the run tonight ♪
♪ But there's no place left To hide ♪
♪ Together, Wendy We can live with the sadness ♪
♪ I'll love you with All the madness in my soul ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ Someday, girl I don't know when ♪
♪ We're gonna Get to that place ♪
♪ We really want to go We'll walk in the sun ♪
♪ But 'til then Tramps like us ♪
♪ Baby, we were born to run ♪
♪ Tramps like us Baby, we were born to run ♪
♪ Oh, tramps like us Baby, we were born to run ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
Thank you.
Hey, hey.
Fantastic.
I mean, just fantastic.
Thanks, Jon.
Hell of a way to end the tour.
You need anything? You got some water?
No, I'm good.
Uh, local radio is here. They'd love a minute.
And a writer from Creem.
You know, tell 'em give me five.
- You bet. - Okay.
Okay. Just crack the door when you're ready.
Thanks, Jon.
The keys to the new rental,
they're under a planter outside the front door.
Okay? The phone should be working.
You know, I still think it's worth considering,
like, a change of scenery.
Maybe a place in the city or something.
You dog.
Hard to pry me out of my small town, Jonny.
You know the city scares me.
Just need to get home. Slow things down a little.
All right.
Crack the door when you're ready.
Okay.
This got to be it. Home sweet home.
Looks nice and quiet.
Once you're settled, you should come by the garage.
Bike's almost done.
Yeah. It's a deal.
All right, you need a hand or you got it?
No, no. I'm all good. Thanks, Matty.
All right. I'll see you soon.
Hmm.
Never owned a new car before.
Whoo!
That's a 305 V8, 145 horses.
You know, it might not look like it,
but these are updated Lear seats.
Positraction rear end. T-tops.
And top-of-the-line cassette player.
Pure class.
I might like it better if it had a record player.
It's a little flashier than I'm used to.
But it's awfully fitting for a handsome-devil rock star.
I do know who you are.
Well, that makes one of us.
Come to the world's most thrilling theme park,
Action Park.
With over 60 spectacular rides, shows and attractions.
Folks, you know him, you love him.
The Boss is riding high after his sold out River Tour.
This one's still burning up the airwaves.
From The River, here's Springsteen's "Hungry Heart."
Turn it up.
No.
No, no, no.
Jon. Hey, my man.
Do we have a meeting or something?
-I'm forgetting. -How you doing, Al?
No, I'm popping up to see Yetnikoff.
The big guy's still trying to convince Bruce
to release his outtakes, huh?
Right. That'll be the day.
No, I imagine he wants to know what's next.
And, I mean, we've only been off tour,
what, a week now?
Five days. But who's counting?
No, what is next?
Al, come on.
Well, I mean, listen. While I have you here,
I don't have to tell you we've got more momentum
than ever before.
We've got the one top ten on The River.
And we think that's just the beginning.
We think that he's gonna hit it out of the park
with the next one.
You're right. You don't have to tell me.
I'm just saying, man. The iron's hot.
Our man's on a rocket ship,
and we don't want to miss that window.
I'll tell him you send regards.
-Please do. -Okay.
Thank you.
♪ Lucille ♪
♪ You won't do Your sister's will? ♪
- ♪ Yeah, Lucille ♪ - ♪ Lucille ♪
♪ You won't do Your sister's will? ♪
♪ You ran off and married You know I love you still ♪
- ♪ Yeah, Lucille ♪ - ♪ Lucille ♪
♪ Please come back Where you belong ♪
- ♪ Yeah, Lucille ♪ - ♪ Lucille ♪
♪ Please come back Where you belong ♪
♪ I've been good to you, baby Please, don't leave me alone ♪
♪ I woke up this morning Lucille was not in sight ♪
♪ I asked my friends About her ♪
♪ But all their lips Were tight ♪
♪ Lucille ♪
♪ Please come back Where you belong ♪
♪ I've been good to you Baby ♪
♪ You gave me such A wonderful start ♪
♪ I played fair with you Baby ♪
♪ You gave me such A wonderful start ♪
Whoo!
Stone Pony!
Yeah!
Bruce! Bruce! Bruce! Bruce!
Oh, man, you guys took 'em to the Delta.
Thanks for having me.
Gotta take them to church, man.
You know we love having you.
Hey, we're playing next Sunday, Bruce.
-Come join us, man. -Yeah, I'll be there.
Yeah, don't miss it.
-Hey, Bruce. Hey, man. -Hey.
-It's Joey. -Hey.
Romano. We had gym class together.
-Joey. Joey, hey. Yeah. -Yeah.
-Yeah, it's been a long time. -Yeah.
-How you been? -Good, good.
Good, you know.
Not as good as you, but come on. Who is, right?
Who'd have thunk Springy would be a superstar?
Hey, how are your folks?
They seem to be getting by.
They moved out to California
-Oh, shit. -after we graduated.
You remember my sister, Faye?
Come on. Don't be shy.
- No. - Hi.
-No, sorry. Not really. -Yeah.
Faye was a few years behind us in school.
High school is a bit of a blur.
Sure. I mean, you meet so many people nowadays.
Right.
Romano, we're leaving.
Give me a fucking minute. I'm talking to Bruce.
Jesus.
-I can't wait for your next record, man. -Oh, thanks, man.
Next thing you know, it's, "Elvis is in the building."
No, no. Never.
All right.
-I'll catch you. -Mmm.
-Keep doing your thing, man. -Thanks.
I'm coming!
I'm sorry. We actually haven't met.
He's been saying he'd introduce me
for a while, but
Like, since I graduated.
I didn't believe he actually knew you.
I loved your version of "Lucille."
You really let all the stops out.
Oh, yeah. Cool.
You like Little Richard?
Yeah.
I mean, no offense,
he's the real king of rock and roll.
That's true.
I know this is weird.
I told Joey he probably shouldn't bother you,
but if you ever wanna hang out or grab a coffee or
It's not weird at all. I, uh
I've met a few sisters.
- I bet you have. - I just
I gotta be honest with you. I-- I'm kinda seeing somebody.
You know, just kinda.
And I'm sure me and you could have a lot of fun.
I'm just not sure I'd be a lot of fun.
-I get it. I'm just a fan. -Okay.
I know you got a lot of those, so
Right.
Well, if you do change your mind,
and you wanna meet up
Yeah. Maybe someday.
-That would be great. -Okay.
Bruce, you suck!
Ooh.
Another satisfied customer.
Clearly not a Little Richard fan.
The yelling and the screaming
- Bruce! - You should be ashamed
You're a bully. You don't even know it!
I don't even recognize you.
You don't know what the hell's going on.
I'm not gonna let him grow up in a house
where he is terrified of his father.
Get up.
Put your hands up.
I'm tired.
You're too young to be tired.
Daddy, you know I don't like to fight.
Well, sometimes you have to. Come on.
It'll be fun. Hands up.
Up. Protect your face.
There you go. That's it.
Good. This way.
Jab.
No. This hand. Jab.
No. This hand. This hand. Look.
Huh?
Jab.
No. This hand. Come on.
Be a man. Hit me.
Here. Harder. Huh? Come on.
-Harder. -Douglas! Enough!
I was telling Walter about that night in Hamburg.
We start the show,
and it's like Night of the Living Dead.
Everybody's sitting on their hands.
Then Max hits the drum intro,
and bam, everybody's up on their feet.
Yeah, they were in.
They were all in.
You know, I'll never forget it.
It was like a tidal wave.
I mean, they'd have you back tomorrow if they could.
We're very well set up over there.
Hmm.
But, you know, I think it's the next record
that's gonna situate all of it.
You know how it goes.
Once you have your first top ten,
you know, they want three for the next.
You gotta feed the machine.
That's not us, Jon.
We've never been about singles, but the album.
Right? The whole story.
No, I know.
I mean, they're not thinking about albums.
They're just thinking about momentum.
Right.
You know? The big picture.
Hey, they're just excited.
You know, they wanna make sure we don't lose steam.
It's hard coming home.
Quiet can get a little loud.
But that's, you know
Coming off the road has never been easy for you.
Yeah.
You just need to give it some time.
It'll pass.
Yeah. Yeah.
You know, I've been, um thinking about what you said.
Next time we go in the studio, you know,
don't waste all the time and money writing in there.
We wanna come ready with the material.
That's smart.
You finished The River with only 20K in the bank.
Right.
You spent all your money in the studio
finishing the record.
You don't need to do that again.
I read about these machines. You know, they're new.
You can multitrack at home, you know, for cheap.
They record on quarter-inch?
No, cassettes.
Cassettes? How many tracks?
Four. You can get basic arrangement down.
You know, a little bit more than guitar, vocal demo.
They don't sound great,
but, you know, it's not about capturing sounds
so much as ideas.
Look into it.
Oh, I am.
Love you, Bruce! "Hungry Heart"!
See that?
I'm telling you, hit singles aren't so bad.
Right?
one, two, three, four.
of Family Feud, Richard Dawson.
This final note.
Now, once you started to get MTV,
I bet you thought you had all--
My girl Holly and I decided to kill ourselves.
The same way I did her daddy. Big decision.
Kit left a record playing over and over
for the district attorney to find.
He was gambling for time.
But one thing though.
He was provoking me when I popped him.
Well, that's what it was like. Pop.
Suppose I shot you.
How'd that be?
Huh?
Wanna hear what it sounds like?
♪ He saw her standing On her front lawn ♪
♪ Twirling her baton ♪
♪ Him and her went ♪
♪ For a ride, sir ♪
♪ Ten innocent people died ♪
- Kit! Kit! - Hey, where are you going?
Daddy!
Daddy?
This is Holly.
Are you gonna be okay?
I can't take it anymore.
Day after day it's the same thing.
And I won't sit back and watch you--
You terrified him tonight!
-No. -Yes, you did!
-You saw the look on his face. -No.
You come home, you're a completely different person.
- No, I'm not. - You're a bully. Yes, you are!
You're a bully! You don't even realize it.
Night after night,
I have to send our 8-year-old son into that bar
to pull you out.
Aren't you ashamed of yourself?
Do you even realize? Look at yourself.
You don't even realize what a disgrace you are.
Yeah, a disgrace! I said, a disgrace!
That's right.
Don't ever let anybody hurt your mother.
-Are you okay? -Mm-hmm.
Coming! I'll be right there!
Will somebody get the door?
Hi. Happy New Year.
Hi. Happy New Year. Um
- Does Faye live here? - Who are you?
I'm Bruce. Who are you?
I'm Haley. I just had a hot dog.
I love hot dogs. You have mustard or ketchup?
Mustard.
That's my favorite too.
- Hi. - Hi.
We weren't sure you were gonna show up. Were we, baby?
I'm sorry I'm so late.
I got caught up with something.
It's okay. We're used to men not keeping their word.
Haley, come on.
I'm joking. I'm sorry. Sort of.
-Let's finally get you to bed. -I love you. Goodbye.
Good night. Be good for Nana and Poppy.
-When are you gonna be back? -Don't wait up.
-Hi. -Hi.
I'm just staying here until I can get another job,
and then I can get my own place.
-Okay. -I'm really glad you came.
Me too.
-Let's go have some fun. -Yeah.
Where are we going?
-Just go for a drive. -Yeah?
Hope we don't get into trouble.
We get in trouble, I'm doing something wrong.
In this town, I'm king.
No way.
-That's cool. -Come on.
-Are we getting on? -Oh, yeah.
Do you bring all your dates here?
Well, not at 2:00 a.m.
Well, I don't care what time it is.
It's one of my favorite places.
You smile a lot.
Is smiling illegal?
Not in Asbury.
What's Faye like to do in her free time?
Well, Faye doesn't have free time.
Faye has Haley.
Right.
But when she does,
Faye plays chess.
Chess?
Yeah, what's wrong with that?
There's nothing wrong with that.
It's cool as hell.
I listen to a lot of music.
Well, who's in Faye's rotation?
You know, Lou Reed. Debbie Harry.
Patti Smith, of course.
-Sure. -Um
This guy Bruce Springsteen.
I don't know if you've heard of him.
-That guy? -Yeah.
You have good taste.
- Oh, yeah? - Hmm.
Hey, that night we met
That your first time at the Pony?
I've been going to Pony since they've been letting me into the Pony.
And if I'm being honest, I don't think I've ever been there when you haven't.
If I'm being honest,
I can't believe I never noticed you.
Happy New Year.
I hope I'm not making a mistake.
I'm definitely making a mistake.
Susie Jenkins kept me busy till about 11:58,
that's when slick Billy McCluster decided to swoop in.
You know how he is, that little asshole.
Let's just say, I still can't close.
You gotta close, Mikey.
Don't I know it.
But not closing allowed me to go
to the record shop, see Pete.
He suggested this TEAC 144 Portastudio.
He says that you can use it as a multitrack,
but do not expect studio quality.
Says you may not even want people to hear it.
That's okay. It's just me. I'm not making a record.
Just roughing on some ideas.
You know, and the acoustics are great in there.
-Nice and dead. -Oh.
Sounds like you got some songs.
I don't know what I got.
But if I got anything good,
we'll recut it in the studio with the band.
Anything else you need?
- A couple of mics. - Shit.
I already got the J-200 acoustic and harmonicas.
-I could use a 12-string. -You use a glockenspiel?
Definitely the glock.
Set it down.
Aren't you gonna wanna, you know
Well, Mikey
Oh. I meant sleep. But hey, I'm not judging.
I think you just did.
Nice carpet, Boss.
Some candles or bourbon might take the sting off.
God, man. At least let me hang a poster or something.
Maybe over this. This thing's creeping me out.
I'm just singing in the shower.
"Singing in the shower."
-You know I'm not a mixer. -Yeah, course I know.
I don't know shit about recording or whatever.
I'm not making a record, Mikey.
I don't want an engineer or producer judging this stuff.
I just want it to feel like I'm in the room by myself.
Then you've found your man.
♪ Now, the jury Brought in a guilty verdict ♪
♪ And the judge He sentenced me to death ♪
♪ Midnight In a prison storeroom ♪
Hey!
Jump in.
But what about school?
No school today.
Really?
Just you and me.
Speak.
Speak or I'll cut your throat
and leave you to drip like a hog
hung up in butchering time.
Pearl, shut up! Pearl, you swore!
You could save him, little bird.
Inside my doll! Inside my doll!
The doll!
Why, sure!
The last place anybody'd think to look.
♪ They declared me Unfit to live ♪
♪ Said into that great void My soul'd be hurled ♪
♪ They want to know Why I did what I did ♪
♪ Sir, I guess There's just a meanness ♪
♪ In this world ♪
I think we got that.
Oh, yeah, we got that one.
So this song got a name?
I was gonna call it "Starkweather."
But now I'm thinking "Nebraska."
Imagine that.
Must be a small fortune for that sucker.
Live in something like that
and all your problems will disappear.
All right, kids. Go run about.
Look at that!
♪ There's a place ♪
♪ Out on the edge Of town, sir ♪
Wait for me, Bruce!
You're going too fast!
Wait up!
Yeah!
Let's go!
Whoo!
Bruce!
Yeah! Wait up!
Wait up!
♪ In the day ♪
♪ You can see The children playing ♪
♪ On the road that leads ♪
♪ To those gates Of hardened steel ♪
♪ Steel gates that Completely surround, sir ♪
♪ The mansion on the hill ♪
I'm riding it.
Do you remember what noise a horse makes?
Yep.
Can you do it?
That's it.
Uh!
You really didn't have to do that.
Hope she can have some fun with it.
Oh, yeah. She's gonna have fun with it.
-Thank you. -Yeah.
-Okay, I'm gonna get our stuff. -Okay.
-Wanna hang out with Bruce? -Sure.
-All right, let's do it. -I'm gonna take this upstairs.
-You want it in your room? -Uh, sure.
All right. You wanna sit in the front
or you wanna go in the back?
-What do you think? -The front!
-The front? -Yes!
All right, you got it.
Is that that guitar player fella?
Yes, Daddy. That's Bruce Springsteen.
Careful, huh? Your Uncle Dave played guitar.
Right, well, Uncle Dave didn't sing.
At least not like Bruce.
Yeah, but I don't want it right now.
Okay.
What did we decide?
Dancing.
- Dancing. - That's dancing.
-One, two, three! -Three!
Whoo!
Wow!
She is too fast.
- She is too fast. - She's catching up.
Baby, you won!
- Haley. - Congratulations.
What's that?
See right there.
Press the buttons.
Just keep pressing them, huh?
Yeah, never not be pressing those buttons.
Go Bruce. Go Bruce. Go Bruce.
-Press that one. -Press that one? No, no.
-Higher up. Just a little bit. -So we can go over the green.
But don't go all the way to the top, remember?
♪ I'm on fire ♪
Very serious.
Hey!
-Mommy got it, huh? -Yay!
There you go. Go ahead. Yes.
She looks like an angel.
She's out cold.
She's been running around all day.
I can take her to the office. It's quiet back there.
Oh, no, no. It's fine. Thank you, though.
All right.
Well, let me know if you need anything.
I will.
That's Viv. She's my manager.
She's the sweetest.
So how long you worked here?
-It's a little over a year. -Hmm.
I mean, it's a paycheck, but they make me feel at home.
I can tell.
We had a really nice time.
She really needed it.
And honestly, so did I.
You heard from her father lately?
Hardly ever.
Turns out we weren't his first rodeo.
I'm sorry.
It's okay,
'cause I no longer have to worry about what I should eat
or what I should wear
or whether my neck is long enough for hoop earrings.
It's a hard thing
realizing people aren't who you want them to be.
Hmm.
I would say I'm a natural. Wouldn't you?
Yeah, definitely a natural.
Yeah.
I don't know, I think I found my true calling.
Yeah, I think you just might have.
I've been thinking about giving you this.
What's that?
It's my Saint Christopher.
It's kept me safe.
It's beautiful.
Trust that it will protect you
and guide you where you're meant to go.
Thank you.
- I got a call from Jann. - Mmm.
And he wants to do a feature on you,
which I think could be great.
Right.
And then The Tonight Show,
you know, Carson's team, they reached out again.
So they're really pushing hard for you to come on the show.
I told 'em we'd think about it.
It's all piling up, huh?
You're not a bar band musician anymore.
It's the big time.
-Big time. -Big pile.
Big pile.
On that subject
-You know Paul Schrader? -The writer?
He wrote Taxi Driver. Great movie.
He sent this over.
Thought you'd might like it.
"Born in the U.S.A."
He wants me to write a song for it?
Write a song and star in it. You know, act in it.
Star in it?
Yeah. You and De Niro.
No shit.
-That's what he says. -Wow.
Okay.
Yeah, I'll give it a read. I'll give it a read.
-Great. -Okay, Jon.
- Thanks for coming in. - Good to see you.
Hang on a second. I got one more thing.
- We're scheduled to record "Cover Me" - Ah.
for Donna Summer around January 25th.
-Okay. -Do you feel good about that?
'Cause Geffen keeps calling
and I assured him it's happening.
Yeah, yeah, no.
Honestly, I haven't given it too much thought.
I think I got something to work from,
but I'm on that other wave right now, you know?
Those other songs, they're feeling good. So
Great. Well, you ride that wave.
But Dave is telling Quincy
they'll have something by February,
so we got a little time. Just not a lot.
-Okay. -Hey.
Hey, if this is all too much, let's just pull back.
You say the word.
Oh, no. I'm okay.
Just trying to find something real in all the noise.
You always do. Okay?
But don't push it. We'll let it find you.
Okay.
You find something real, I'll deal with the noise.
- You deal with the noise. - It's my job.
Thanks, Jon.
♪ My little sister's In the front seat ♪
♪ With an ice cream cone ♪
This little bastard's wonky.
Yeah.
I tested it and it mixed down,
but I don't know about the sound quality.
What do you think?
Eh, it's not a surprise.
You know, Gary and I took it out boating,
hit some rough waters and a wave got it.
And it was dead for a couple of months.
Then it dried out,
came back to life, scared the hell out of me.
I believe it.
That's some weird Exorcist shit.
Its head might start spinning.
Listen, Mikey, I, uh
I want us to run everything through this Echoplex.
All right? On all the tracks we're mixing.
You know, just like Elvis's early Sun records.
Elvis, yeah.
You're sure though, Boss?
I know that once you put the echo on it,
you can't undo it.
Yeah, I'm sure, Mikey.
♪ Now, mister The day the lottery I win ♪
♪ I ain't ever gonna ride In no used car again ♪
♪ Now the neighbors come From near and far ♪
Are you hearing that, Boss?
The tape's speed is off.
It's playing back slower.
I don't know.
Whatever's off sounds just right to me.
Man, I really love it.
♪ Listen To my last prayer ♪
Well, it's different.
Definitely not "Hungry Heart."
♪ Deliver me from nowhere ♪
♪ Whoo! ♪
♪ Seemed kinda funny, sir To me ♪
♪ Still at the end Of every hard day ♪
♪ People find Some reason to believe ♪
Man.
I love the short echo.
I don't know what Jon's gonna think,
but there's something I can't quite grasp.
I think it's the distance that we're hearing.
You know, it's like it's from the past or something.
So how's it going with Faye?
It's going good, I guess.
But you know me
I'm not gonna make it easy on her.
Come on. Don't tell me she's another drive-by?
Ah, she's a great gal,
but I can feel I'm getting in my own way.
Being with you can be painful business.
Thanks for the morale boost.
Are you saying I can't change?
No.
I'm just saying I'd like to see it.
I don't know, Matty.
When I'm deep in my work,
I'm just not much good for anything else.
At least we're not breaking up
on a weekly basis like you and Teresa.
That's my future wife
you're talking about right there.
You watch your mouth.
Seriously, if she's worth it to you,
make the effort.
Don't half-ass it.
So when is this thing gonna be done?
I don't know.
How about your wedding day?
Hey. What do you think you're doing?
Two feet away, please. Come on.
-This is a work of art here. -All right.
All right? Do I come into your studio and pick up your guitar?
Come on.
That's Ahmet. That's That's his genius.
You know, he shaped the uh
What's it Phil Collins. "In the Air Tonight."
You know, that's that's
That's that's why
Come on in.
Let me You know, let me call you back.
Great.
-Hey, Jon. -How we doing?
Didn't trust the delivery service.
Where's the case?
-For the tape? -For the tape.
No case, but he did give me this letter.
-Okay. Thanks, Mike. -Yeah.
Jon, I know this is a first,
but there's all sorts of stuff here.
A lot of ideas, just not sure where they're going.
So I put anything I thought would be good for you to hear.
♪ Well, they blew up The chicken man ♪
♪ In Philly last night ♪
♪ Now they blew up His house too ♪
♪ Down on the ♪
Many might need editing.
Some lines changed. Arrangements changed.
These words are not completely worked out or finished.
And so the singing is occasionally awkward.
I don't know if this song is a keeper or not,
but I thought you'd get a kick out of it.
This little ditty is from the Schrader script.
Never got around to reading it. Just liked the title.
♪ Born down In a dead man's town ♪
♪ The first kick I took Was when I hit the ground ♪
If we even record this number,
it should be done hard rockin'.
♪ Spend half your life Just a-coverin' up ♪
♪ Born in the U.S.A. ♪
I worked a long time on this one.
Always had the feeling I was coming up short, though.
Not really finished,
but it's as good as I can get it.
♪ I catch him When he's strayin' ♪
Don't think the ending is quite strong enough yet.
♪ Teach him How to walk that line ♪
♪ Man turns his back On his family ♪
♪ He ain't no friend of mine ♪
Just trying to break a little new ground.
I dug deep.
But I think they have potential.
It's not what I was expecting.
Well, so? It's just a demo.
It's not just that.
It's like he's channeling something deeply personal
and
quite frankly, you know, dark.
These songs about somebody who feels condemned.
Well, it sounds like he's pushing boundaries
you need to acknowledge.
And you need him to help you understand
what's driving him so hard.
The truth is I don't know how to help him right now.
I don't know what to do with this.
I think I'm not gonna say anything now.
I'll see what the songs become when we cut 'em with the band.
I mean, that's always been the way.
♪ Boom, boom, boom, boom ♪
♪ I'm gonna shoot you Right down ♪
♪ Take you in my home ♪
♪ I'm in love with you ♪
♪ Know that it's true ♪
♪ Boom, boom, boom, boom ♪
♪ I like the way you walk ♪
♪ I like the way you talk ♪
♪ When you walk that walk ♪
♪ And you talk that talk ♪
♪ You knocked me out ♪
♪ Right off of my feet ♪
♪ Shake it, baby ♪
-♪ All right ♪ - ♪ Shake it, baby ♪
♪ I don't mean maybe ♪
♪ Shake it, baby ♪
♪ You drive me crazy ♪
♪ Shake it, baby ♪
♪ All right, child ♪
♪ Shake it, baby ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
Bravo.
Loved that John Lee Hooker number you played for me.
It's really cool.
I didn't know you were here.
I didn't see you.
Well, sometimes you miss the things
that are right in front of you.
I've been trying to reach you.
I thought maybe you'd gone out on the road
and forgot to tell me.
No, no, no. I just thought--
I don't need to know. I just didn't know where you'd disappeared to.
You don't call me back.
Faye, I just
I don't want this to be more than I can live up to.
I knew what the risks were with you.
I just wish that you'd let me in.
I don't wanna be like everybody
who just wants something from you.
But I do need a ride home.
-I can do that. -Yeah?
-Yeah, come on. -Okay.
I wish you didn't have to go.
You could stay.
I want to, but I can't.
Is everything okay?
Yeah.
I'll see you soon.
Was there a murder in here?
What are you even listening to?
Suicide.
Most amazing record I've ever heard.
It's kinda hard to dance to.
These are from Landau.
You've been to that guy's office? Quite a view.
So, all your gear to the Power Station?
Except the recording stuff, just the normal setup.
I'll be there in the next day or so.
Hey, Bruce.
Maybe don't play it on repeat.
Hey, it's me.
Leave me a message.
Bruce!
Honey, he's lost somewhere in Los Angeles.
We can't find him. It's been three days now.
He got arrested out in the desert over a traffic ticket
- with this thing. -Hey. Ma.
- I don't know. -Ma.
-Hey. - Oh, honey, thank God.
Hey, what's going on? What's going on?
Your father, he's been arrested.
Something about a traffic ticket.
And they took him to the LA County jail.
Arrested?
The last thing I heard, they let him out
and he was in an alley in Chinatown.
Can you come find him?
I'm gonna get on a plane.
It's just too awful thinking about
what your father's been dealing with
after such a long time. But--
Oh, honey, he lost his job at the airport
and he's been hearing voices.
I don't know what to do.
He's not taking his medication
and I can't control him anymore, honey.
He won't listen.
Hey, Pop.
Hey, bud.
Hi.
Am I late for work?
You know, I drive a bus these days.
Yeah, I know you do.
But not today. No work today.
No.
You hungry?
You wanna get some breakfast?
Egg McMuffin sounds good.
Egg McMuffin. Good.
That's what we'll get.
No, no. It's my treat.
He's a very nice man.
Thank you.
Am I?
Let's get out of here.
There you go.
Is he
Is he gonna be all right?
I don't know if he'll ever be all right, you know.
But I got him to the hospital.
And I got him back on his meds.
So he's good.
We can push the session tonight
if you're not up for it.
-No, no. -The guys would understand.
I'm good. I'm good.
You sure?
Yeah.
You know, I was
I was standing here, waiting for you.
I was thinking about us up there in Studio A.
You know, eating takeout
and watching reruns of The Honeymooners on WPIX.
And after everything that's happened,
sometimes it feels like we're still there. You know?
Heads full of dreams.
Looking for that $99,000 answer.
It sure as hell does.
Hey, the boys up there?
Let's burn this place down, Jonny.
Come on.
-Let's do it. -All right.
♪ Born down In a dead man's town ♪
♪ The first kick I took Was when I hit the ground ♪
♪ End up like a dog That's been beat too much ♪
♪ 'Til you spend Half your life ♪
♪ Just a-coverin' up, now ♪
♪ Born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ I was born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ Born in the U.S.A. now ♪
♪ Got in a little Hometown jam ♪
♪ So they put a rifle In my hand ♪
♪ Sent me off To a foreign land ♪
♪ To go and kill The yellow man ♪
♪ Born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ I was Born in the U.S.A. now ♪
♪ Born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ I was born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ Come back home To the refinery ♪
♪ Hirin' man says, "Son, if it was up to me" ♪
♪ Went down to see my VA man ♪
♪ He said, "Son, Don't you understand?" now ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, God, no ♪
♪ No, no, no, no ♪
♪ No, no, no, no, no ♪
♪ Oh, my God, no ♪
Hell of a day, Boss.
You know, I think
I think the muse came down
and kissed you on the mouth.
Wow. I mean, you tapped into something
incredibly powerful,
and I'm excited to see where it takes us.
Yeah, no, I never would've guessed
we would've gotten that off that demo.
No. I know.
I mean, it's just two chords, Jonny, you know?
Two chords.
You know what?
Jimmy's in town with Stevie Nicks.
He said he wanted to drop by.
You okay if I play it for him?
-Iovine? -Yeah.
Sure. Yeah, no. We'll see what he thinks.
But tomorrow I really wanna try
to get "Nebraska" with the boys.
You know, see what it sounds like
with the band on.
We gotta get that one right.
Yeah. And we will get it.
-We'll get it. -Okay.
Hey.
We burned it down.
Yeah, we burned it down.
Yeah, how's Pop doing?
He's okay.
He's sleeping right now.
You know.
Honey, some days are harder than others,
but we're just fine.
Tell him I say hello.
Oh, I sure will.
He always perks up when he hears from you.
Okay. Good night.
Good night, sweetheart.
♪ From the town Of Lincoln, Nebraska ♪
♪ With a sawed-off .410 On my lap ♪
♪ Through the badlands Of Wyoming ♪
No, it's all wrong.
I mean, the synth, mandolin, electric guitar.
We're losing everything I like about the demo.
It's getting buried under these layers.
You know, I mean, this, this has something, all right?
It's got the atmosphere, rawness.
It's got the right kinda echo, and this just doesn't have it.
The band's overpowering the material,
and we're losing what makes it special to me.
I think we gotta strip it back.
-Okay, but -Just let it breathe, right?
Let's move on. Right.
We got something great yesterday.
Really powerful.
We just, you know, we didn't get "Nebraska,"
but we'll get there.
-Yeah. -Okay?
We just-- We keep at it like we always do.
Keep going.
Stay in the saddle.
You know, maybe we give it a shot
with just you on acoustic, Roy on piano.
I can't, Jon.
No, I can't I can't even listen to it.
It just makes me nauseous.
It's a process.
All right? We're getting a lot of what we're after.
Maybe not everything, but a lot.
I know, Jon. I know.
I know we got good stuff, right?
But it's these songs, "Nebraska," "Mansion"
What they're doing with "Atlantic City," it's just
It's not working. Right?
And these songs, you know, they matter to me.
Okay, hear me out.
Just hear me out.
Let's Let's put that tape aside for now.
Okay? We revisit it.
It ain't going anywhere and neither are we.
We've got an incredible take on "Cover Me"
which, thankfully, we didn't give to Donna Summer.
We have "Glory Days," "I'm Goin' Down,"
and a knockout "I'm on Fire."
And don't forget, we've got "Born in the U.S.A."
Did I tell you what Iovine said
about "Born in the U.S.A."?
He was blown away.
Blown away. He said the album's done.
That it could be "Born in the U.S.A."
and ten other tracks, and nobody would care.
He said with that song leading, nothing else matters.
At this rate,
we'll have an album mixed and mastered in no time.
Maybe even a month.
That's a record for us.
And this stuff, you know, it's an evolution, Bruce.
♪ My name is Joe Roberts ♪
♪ I work for the state ♪
Okay, baby, I think we gotta go.
♪ I'm a sergeant Out of Perrineville ♪
♪ Barracks number eight ♪
♪ I always done An honest job ♪
♪ As honest as I could ♪
Hey, it's me. Leave me a message.
♪ I got a brother Named Franky ♪
Hey, Bruce. Would you pick up?
♪ And Franky ain't no good ♪
Where were you today?
♪ Now ever Since we was young kids ♪
Bruce, I know you're there.
♪ It's been The same come down ♪
♪ I get a call On the short-wave ♪
♪ Franky's in trouble Downtown ♪
♪ Well, if it was Any other man ♪
That's it.
That's the sound, Jon. I wanna get Batlan over here.
We transfer everything directly from this tape.
All right? No No changes. No nothing. Exactly as it is.
All right?
Okay.
♪ Franky laughin' And drinkin' ♪
We're really doing this?
I mean
unless you want us all to look for a new job,
yes, you're really doing it.
♪ I can't say that I'm sorry ♪
♪ For the things ♪
Nah, it's not the same.
♪ That we done ♪
It's not the same.
We're in one of the best recording studios
in the world trying to make it better.
We're just making it worse.
♪ At least For a little while, sir ♪
I don't wanna make it better, Jon.
♪ Me and her We had us some fun ♪
I just I just wanna get back to
what happened in the bedroom.
That's it.
♪ brought In a guilty verdict ♪
Gonna put the others on the shelf.
"Born in the U.S.A."
"I'm On Fire," "Glory Days."
This is what we're putting out, okay?
These songs, just as they are.
♪ prison storeroom ♪
♪ With leather straps Across ♪
Chuck, you just
master directly off the tape. Please.
Directly off the tape.
Man, I love "Born in the U.S.A."
This is nuts, Jon.
You know it. I know it.
And somewhere deep inside, Bruce knows it.
-All right. - That's what he's doing.
I'm not going there, Jimmy. But, you know, I
Yeah, I don't understand putting this stuff aside.
Bruce knows how good it is.
And as his former engineer,
you understand how good it is. You know what it is.
"Born in the U.S.A." is exactly
what he needs right now.
The only shelf he should put this on
is a shelf in a record store,
- not in his recording studio. -I told him.
-He's not-- - That's it.
Jimmy, listen to me.
Right now, he's doing this other stuff. Okay?
What other stuff?
Well, you know, the acoustic stuff.
The songs he recorded in his bedroom.
The folk album?
He's gonna put out a fucking folk album?
Jimmy, Jesus.
That's insane.
I think he's afraid
of what's coming.
You know, how big it could get.
You know, success, it's complicated for Bruce.
And these
these songs are about someone who is guilty.
And he feels guilty of leaving behind
the world he comes from.
The world he knows.
Losing that connection.
-Mm-hmm. -It's eating him alive.
You know, I can't
I can't reach him.
♪ Well, they blew up The chicken man ♪
♪ In Philly last night ♪
♪ Now they blew up His house too ♪
♪ Down on the boardwalk They're getting ready ♪
I know.
The distortion is still there. I I can't get rid of it.
Look,
Bruce, you cut this on equipment
that doesn't exactly meet our usual standards.
I can keep trying,
but this is a very unconventional situation.
I don't care how unconventional it is, Chuck.
But it it wasn't recorded properly,
and the distortion is a result of that--
-I -Hey, hey, hey.
That's it. Okay?
Everybody
We're done for the night, guys.
Everybody out.
What are we dealing with here?
You know, they do want hits
and not a not a breakdown.
I mean, is this about the record? Or is this
Because I'm I'm out of my depth on this one.
Yeah, well, something just doesn't feel right.
You know?
-Right. -But those songs,
they're the only thing making sense to me right now.
It's the only thing I can still believe in.
Then we'll get it.
Whatever it takes.
Okay?
We'll get it.
I'll have to adjust the depth and the distance
between the grooves by hand, the old way,
and cut it at an incredibly low level,
so the needle doesn't dig too deeply into the vinyl.
But people have knobs, right?
They can turn it up themselves.
Well, I'd rather they didn't have to, Dennis,
but we have no choice.
And, when I say that, we have no choice.
Look, as long as Bruce knows I only have old gear.
Let's give it a shot.
Yeah, great.
Where's the case for this?
I have no idea.
There you go.
You want me to top that?
-Thank you, sweetheart. -Enjoy.
Anybody else?
♪ Hey, little girl Is your daddy home? ♪
♪ Did he go away And leave you all alone? ♪
♪ I got a bad desire ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, I'm on fire ♪
♪ Tell me now, baby Is he good to you? ♪
♪ Can he do to you The things that I do? ♪
♪ No, no ♪
♪ I can take you higher ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, I'm on fire ♪
♪ Sometimes it's like Someone took a knife ♪
♪ Baby, edgy and dull ♪
♪ And cut a six-inch valley ♪
♪ Through the middle Of my skull ♪
Hey, it's me.
Leave me a message.
If you're there, pick up.
Just give me a call when you can
'cause I'm getting a bit worried here.
♪ Oh, I'm on fire ♪
Okay, amigo.
♪ Oh, oh, oh, I'm on fire ♪
♪ Oh, oh, I'm on fire ♪
That's it, Jon.
That's everything I wanted. That's it.
We got it.
The echo. Every imperfection.
The emotional atmosphere.
It's the cassette, ready for vinyl.
And it's the story you wanted to tell.
Okay, we just we can't let them
make it something that it's not.
Right?
No singles, no tours, no press. All right?
We have to let this album breathe on its own.
This will be your first record without a tour to support it.
-So not even any press? -No.
We might need to give the label
something to work with.
No, no. Jon, I don't even want to be
on the cover, okay?
I don't wanna have to explain it.
I don't even know if I can.
All right?
Thank you.
There's just one more track I have to lay down.
♪ Last night I dreamed that ♪
♪ I was a child ♪
♪ Out where the pines grow ♪
♪ Wild and tall ♪
♪ I was trying to ♪
♪ Make it home Through the forest ♪
♪ Before the darkness falls ♪
♪ I heard the wind rustling ♪
♪ Through the trees ♪
♪ And ghostly voices ♪
♪ Rose from the fields ♪
♪ I ran With my heart pounding ♪
♪ Down that broken path ♪
♪ With the devil ♪
♪ Snappin' at my heels ♪
♪ I broke through the trees ♪
♪ And there in the night ♪
♪ My father's house stood ♪
♪ Shining hard and bright ♪
♪ The branches and brambles ♪
♪ Tore my clothes And scratched my arms ♪
♪ But I ran till I fell ♪
♪ Shaking in his arms ♪
♪ I awoke and I imagined ♪
♪ The hard things That pulled us apart ♪
What do you want?
♪ Will never again, sir ♪
Just to hear your voice.
♪ Tear us From each other's hearts ♪
♪ I got dressed And to that house ♪
♪ I did ride ♪
♪ From out on the road ♪
♪ I could see Its windows shining in light ♪
♪ I walked up ♪
So it's like this the whole way through?
Yeah. And this is what
the final master's gonna sound like?
Yeah.
Okay.
Stop it. Let's
Pause it. Just stop for Can we stop it?
'Cause I've heard We've heard
♪ I told her my story ♪
You recognize this is a highly unorthodox career move.
Right, Jon?
I mean, I gotta be honest with you.
I don't understand this.
I don't understand why
an artist would make this record.
It's a departure, Al.
Yeah, departure.
I'm surprised Bruce even played it for you
because it sounds like an accident.
You know, it sounds unfinished.
That's the point.
I mean, I'll spare you the details of
how far we went to preserve that sound.
Well,
it's bold.
And I appreciate it.
It's just not for me, and it
I don't Actually, I don't know who it's for.
What I'd like to say is, "Hey, take this back.
Bring me another record,
one with some some
some goddamn hits on it." Right?
But
you know, I know you guys, and I know
that's not gonna happen. So
-That's not gonna happen. -Mm-hmm.
Here's the thing.
We're grateful to have
any new Bruce Springsteen record. Right?
Because nobody but Bruce can tell stories like these.
But radio can't play this.
-I understand. -I mean, how are they gonna
You know.
Are there radio edits of these songs?
No, this is it.
Okay.
We will handle this the best we can,
we'll do everything we can to
to protect it and release it
and and give it all it deserves.
That's great. And we thank you, Al.
But
you should know.
No singles, no tour, no press.
-No, really? -No joke.
He's not even putting his face on the album cover.
What?
-Nothing. -You're being serious?
This is not gonna be good for either one of us.
I'm not asking for your understanding.
And I'm not here to explain Bruce's thinking
or justify his artistic choices.
I am here to make sure the album is released
precisely the way he wants.
-That's it. -Yeah.
Okay.
Whether or not you believe in this particular album,
in this office,
my office,
we believe in Bruce Springsteen.
yet another dinner.
There's a club, there's the sandwich.
That was it, right? Okay. Enjoy.
All right.
You ready to order?
Uh, yeah, I think so.
You don't have a menu.
But I think I know what you want.
It's the usual, right?
The omelet with the toast, and a coffee.
I'm sorry I didn't get you your menu.
Oh, that's fine, Faye.
Why are you doing this?
I didn't know how to face you.
It's not about facing me.
Look, we both knew that this was casual at first.
But things changed. I thought maybe we changed.
I know you did.
I don't know how to love you any better
or any more than the way I do now.
And I know that's not enough.
I'm lost here.
I'm buried here.
That's why I'm headed to California.
What?
I bought a house in L.A.
You know, it's the first thing I've ever had that's mine,
that I own, and
I need to go out there on my own.
You're moving to Los Angeles
and you wait until now to tell me?
Well, I didn't know.
I was trying to find the right time,
but there's never been a right time.
You think this is about timing?
This isn't about California, Bruce.
This is about you running away
from everything that scares you.
From us. From what we could be.
And don't give me that "it's not you, it's me" crap.
I know you're scared.
I've seen it every time you look at Haley.
Every time you look at me,
you think that you're protecting us
by pushing us away, but you're just hiding--
I don't wanna hurt you, Faye.
I don't wanna hurt anyone.
I've done enough of that already.
Then what about facing it?
What about actually dealing with your shit,
instead of running from it?
You say that you can't love me like I deserve
but the truth is, you won't even try.
Because trying means facing yourself,
and that terrifies you.
And Haley and I, we are not here to play house.
-We are real people. -Yeah, I know that.
I believed in you.
I believed that you could be the man you pretend to be.
You know, I think you're right.
I think you should go,
because until you can be honest with yourself,
you're never gonna be honest with me.
Faye.
I gotta get back to work.
I hope you find what you're looking for in California.
I really do.
You all right?
This thing runs in my blood, Jon.
My pops, aunts, cousins.
Like poison.
You know what Flannery O'Connor says.
"Where you come from is gone.
And where you thought you were going to, was never there.
And nothing outside of you can give you any place.
In yourself, right now, is the only place you got."
Come on. Let me buy you breakfast.
You look like you could use some pancakes.
No, I'm good, Jon.
I'm just gonna hang here.
All right. I got something for you.
Okay.
Let's just listen.
Okay.
Ready?
-More coffee? Okay. -I'm okay.
So Boise City and then
Three days, maybe four.
I think she's right.
Goddamn it, she's right.
Come on up and guess
the weight of the prize hog.
A dollar a guess. Winner takes all.
A dollar a guess.
Winner takes all. Winner takes all.
Come on, folks.
You okay?
Bruce, you okay?
Hey.
What's going on?
Hey, hey, hey.
Look at me, look at me, yeah?
Just breathe, okay? Nice and slow, yeah?
Okay. I'm here.
Yeah.
Let's get out of here.
I, uh I don't know what to do, Jon.
He's not right.
It's that bad, huh?
I don't know, man.
I've never seen him like this before.
Okay, you just get him to L.A.
-All right. - Quick as you can.
I'll keep you updated.
You want a sandwich or something?
Nah, nah, we get outta here.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
-All right, buddy. -All right.
Thank you.
For everything.
Yeah, bud. You got it.
You know I'm just a phone call away.
Yeah.
Hey, Brucie.
You made it.
Nights are getting longer, Jon.
Blacker.
I've tried, Jon.
You know, I've tried, but
I don't know if I can outrun it anymore.
Listen, I know that I've helped you
through some very difficult times.
But I'm not equipped for this.
Uh
You're not well.
You need professional help.
I don't think I need to see a
Jon, you're you're not saying
I mean
I just want my life to make sense again.
I want it to stop feeling like I'm slipping away.
I'm gonna get you the support that you need.
Just please promise me that you won't do anything
until you hear from me, okay?
Just hold on. Just a little longer.
I know it can be a bit daunting
taking the first step.
Hmm.
So I want you to tell me as much,
or as little as you want,
as to what brought you in here today.
Thank you.
Feels good to be back out there.
I'm finding my way, Jonny.
- That was so good! - It was so great.
-Great show, Boss. -Thanks, Steve.
For tonight and worry about tomorrow morning.
-What do you think? -Yeah,
I think we can definitely do that.
- Look at you. - Hey.
Come here. Ah.
Hi.
Never tired of dancing with my boy.
Thanks, Ma.
Where's Pop?
-He's inside. -Okay.
He wants a moment alone with you.
-Yeah? -Yeah. Yeah.
Okay.
Love you.
There he is.
-Hey, Son. -Hey.
Come here.
Sit on my lap.
Huh?
Come on.
Uh
I'm soaking wet, Pop,
and I'm 32 years old.
Come on.
Okay.
You know, you've been really good
to your mom and me.
The house, the money, all of it.
Hmm.
I just wanna thank you.
And tell you how
I'm really proud of you.
I know I wasn't always good.
I
But it's done.
You did the best you could.
You had your own battles to fight.
It's okay.
Never sat on your lap before.
Never?
No, never.
You sure?
Yeah.
Hmm.
♪ Well, they blew up The chicken man ♪
♪ In Philly last night ♪
♪ Now they blew up His house, too ♪
♪ Down on the boardwalk ♪
♪ They're gettin' ready For a hell of a fight ♪
♪ Gonna see what Those racket boys can do ♪
♪ Now there's trouble busin' In from outta state ♪
♪ And the DA Can't get no relief ♪
♪ Gonna be a rumble out On the promenade ♪
♪ And the gambling Commission's hanging on ♪
♪ By the skin of its teeth ♪
♪ Everything dies, baby That's a fact ♪
♪ But maybe Everything that dies ♪
♪ Someday comes back ♪
♪ Put your makeup on ♪
♪ Fix your hair real pretty ♪
♪ And meet me tonight In Atlantic City ♪
♪ Well I got a job and Tried to put my money away ♪
♪ But I got debts That no honest man can pay ♪
♪ So I drew what I had From the Central Trust ♪
♪ And I bought us two tickets On that Coast City bus ♪
♪ Everything dies, baby That's a fact ♪
♪ But maybe Everything that dies ♪
♪ Someday comes back ♪
♪ Put your makeup on ♪
♪ Fix your hair real pretty ♪
♪ And meet me tonight In Atlantic City ♪
♪ Oh, now our luck May have died ♪
♪ And our love may be cold ♪
♪ But with you Forever I'll stay ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Goin' out where the sand's Turning to gold ♪
♪ So put on Your stockings, baby ♪
♪ 'Cause the night's Getting cold ♪
♪ And maybe everything dies Baby, that's a fact ♪
♪ But maybe Everything that dies ♪
♪ Someday comes back ♪
♪ And maybe someday ♪
♪ One, two three! ♪