This is exactly how he started his debut Toronto show on December 21st, 1975. Just him, his harmonica, and Roy Bittan on piano.... followed by a standing ovation in which everybody was standing on their chairs as the rest of the E Street Band filed onstage. Brutally cold outside and hot, hot, hot inside. I was lucky enough to be in the 4th row on the centre aisle and will never forget that night. Glad this video is available for all to see and experience. It was my first Springsteen show and since then I've seen him 254 more times, including every Toronto show, and across the US.
i was just three years old but when i've seen it for the first time as teenager, this concert was a driver force for my life.. if i had a wish, it would be to assist to that concert... can you describe it with more details?
@@MrThebestdirector Yes. Bruce came down on his knees and took the girl in front row aisle seat (north side) by the hand and sang just to her. It was eerily quiet, just like here. Then he scampered back up on stage and there was an instant standing ovation -- but everybody was standing on their chairs. Never seen that before or since. Incredible show of appreciation and respect. But watching this you can understand. In Toronto that night it was a typically cold late December night, about -24 C at show time, colder when we got out. The band's wheels were a mid-1960s GM motorhome and it was left running during the show to keep it warm for their trip home to New Jersey. There's a great bootleg of that night but about half the later songs were missed because the taper's batteries got too cold in the GA line-up outside.... My friends that I hauled along teased me that they would hate it, but they were on their chairs applauding with everyone else after Thunder Road. Now I tease them... I knew Born To Run then, but didn't know his first two records and hearing their songs live the first time blew me away. Rosalita was just one of the showstoppers...
One of the finest, most original musical performances in modern musical history. First headline world tour, first show, first song, and he opens with first song on Born to Run singing accompanied only by piano. This era in music is nearly gone. Damn, it was so good.
Throughout this show and especially on Jungleland, it really looks like he's fully in the moment, expressing his art. I love these historical recordings.
My wife and I saw him in 2003 in DC, a couple of days after Johnny Cash passed away. He came out with just his acoustic guitar and did a solo cover of "I Walk The Line" in tribute. It feels like it had that same vibe.
I was also at Hammersmith Odeon in 1975 but I only got to see The Who on Dec 23rd. If I'd hid underneath my seat I'd have got to see Queen the next night. I'd like to think some of my dna remained to appreciate such history.
Do yourself a favor. Put on your headphones/stick in your AirPods, turn off all the lights and close your eyes. It’s just you and Bruce. That piano hits. You cannot tell me this isn’t the most perfect version of the most perfect song ever created. You’re welcome.
I'm a child of the 80s, which means I missed the coolest Springsteen ( _Darkness at the Edge of Town, Nebraska_ ) and lived through the hyper macho _Born in the USA_ Springsteen, a caricature of the man I could never identify with. Years later, someone gifted me both the _Born to Run_ and _Darkness at the Edge of Town_ box sets and the former included a disc with this performance. I was floored. And then I realized that maybe the most interesting Springsteen was the one right after the release of _Born to Run_ and before superstardom. I would have loved to have been in the audience for that concert.
@@YouBetterBelieveIt Springsteen did a podcast with Barack Obama called _Renegades: Born in the USA_ where both men talk about their lives and what motivated and affected them through the various stages of said lives. Springsteen talked about his alienation from the person he was during the _Born in the USA_ period. The weight lifting, the mass appeal, the Hollywood wife, all of it. I never identified with _that_ Springsteen, and lo and behold, neither does the man himself. And he was a lot more self-critical in those interviews than my "take" is. Give it a listen. It's free.
Thunder Road is one of my 5 top favorite songs of all time. I saw this Springsteen tour in a 3000 seat venue in Memphis in 75 or early 76. All my girlfriend could say was unbelievable when I asked her how she was liking the show. After nearly 4 hours the show ended and she had tears rolling down her face saying how she wished it would never be over. What a wonderful surprise to find after another sleepless night fighting the ravages of growing old. Well dear friend, Julie, I wish it would never be over too.
@joe jitsu After the Time and Newsweek's covers a lot of people I knew liked to diss on Springsteen. I would always challenge them to go to one of his concerts and then get back to me. I never had anyone come back disappointed. Of course the tickets were only ten bucks or so back in those days..
@joe jitsu I can honestly say I was a Springsteen fan prior to Born to Run, we had a really great college station that played his earlier stuff, but that album took rock and roll and myself to a whole new place. Born to Run is the only song that I remember exactly where and what I was doing when I first heard it. I was setting in my moms car listening to the radio while she payed some bills. The moment it ended I literally ran to Camelot music, the only record shop in town. I then had I bought the very first Born to Run album sold in Raleigh TN. a suburb of Memphis. I bought it before the record store had even put it on their shelf, the clerk was kind enough to get it out of a shipment that was still in the back. .
joe jitsu, I saw him in I think 75 at Carter Barron Amphitheater in DC. Outdoor venue in Rock Creek Park, summer, Still remember a fantastic show. Songs from Asbury Park and Wild and Innocent. Not sure if BtR was out yet. Long time ago and a lot of water under the bridge.
1oldgoat Beautiful story!! I love Springsteen but my generation has NO musical heroes or magic lyricists.. i feel like i was born in the wrong generation! I wish i could take a time machine back to 1974 and see Springsteen before the masses moved in.
As a 16 year old riddled with depression and so much anxiety, Bruce’s lyrics hit me really hard. His lyrics make me want to go out today and live life as if it’s my last day on earth. His lyrics make even somebody as weak as me feel strong. This song is my favourite no doubt. Thank You Bruce.
As a teenager I used to dream of a guy pulling up to my house with this sentiment. Pure romance. It never happened. (Romance was very much dead in the 90s... As were Bruce songs in general). Even today, I still think today this is probably the most romantic song ever written. Brave man.
Well done you for trying a Roy Bitten piano piece. He's a top notch pianist and I imagine his parts are quite intricate to play. I'd love to have a go at one, but never been brave enough to try! I'm playing River Flows in You by Yiruma, but I can't play it at his pace!
The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways. There it is. Widescreen, vivid, wonderful writing. Less is much, much more folks. God bless Bruce Springsteen
Ian I'm not positive but I believe it's Mary's dress wave's, I'm not sure but either way this tune, as almost all of his songs are just incredible, and he writes everything himself mostly, just incredible and thanks for the share, great share sir, have a great day...
Listen to this since I was 15. I'm damn near sixty now. Used to sing it to my little girls on long car rides. Always thought they were asleep, one day the song is playing on the radio, and one of my daughters who were then teenagers, said " hey Dad, isn't this the song you used to always sing to us?"
I saw him Sept 8, 1974 and this is how he opened the show. I was mesmerized. I had never seen or heard of Bruce. I went because they said he was the new Dylan. I left a Springsteen lifetime fan. He wore that hat, and this song was my first intro to Bruce.
This version of Thunder Road is the best live performance on You Tube. I come back to this every couple months just to remember what greatness is. The newness of Bruce to The UK and the mix of his voice and the killer piano, make it such a raw performance . The way it builds and finishes to an enormous applause, must have been something to witness that night. This is perfection.
I was there and I’ve not found better, you ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright, everyone now sings along with, and rightly so, but how nice to hear it as a solo.
Now, almost 49 years later, this show still has the best versions of Thunder Road, Saint In The City, She's The One, and Lost In the Flood... just remarkable...
One of the first live versions of the song (album released August 25, 1975; concert November 18, 1975). Almost fifty years later, it remains, in my opinion, the most beautiful version of "Thunder Road": clean, linear, without frills, with only the Roy Bittan's piano in the background and Bruce's wonderful performance as if reciting a poem. Yes! A poem, since "Thunder Road" is not just a song: it's poetry! ❤
Greatest song ever written. Sorry for My spelling. I AM danish, but love this song. Remind me of my Best friend, Who died of a heartattack 3 years ago.
This song is such a haunting picture painted by his words. Its a phenomenal talent to be able to do that. I can see everything he's singing as a description of my youth when we didn’t have anything to worry or stress over. I tear up every time i hear or see this particular version. Thank you, Bruce.
The highest point in his musical career is this live video. He continued to write great songs and play great live shows after 1975. However, he never had a moment that surpassed this one. This is the Boss's masterpiece.
I get off late from my clinic. As I walk home there are just empty roads and streetlights. I have got into habit of singing this song as I walk home. Definitely one of the most beautiful song ever written and this definitely is the best version most perfect version of this song.
If anybody asks you: "so, who is this Bruce Springsteen guy anyway?" you cue up this version of this song. With any luck it will be greeted with teary eyes, a heartfelt 'thank you', and a 'say no more'.
It was back in '03 - I was 17, sitting on the hood of a Dodge, drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain, with the barefoot girl, and this came on the radio. Bruce has a song to narrate every moment of our lives.
No matter when, no matter where, this song is and will always be a reason for me to stop and think about so many things in life. Thanks, Bruce. Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!
I've asked other people this question and never received a very good reply. I assume your first language is Portuguese but you appear to be very good with English as well. Which brings me to this question, A lot of English language bands have really great followings in countries where English isn't the first language. So do the people in those countries understand what the songs are saying? Is English that well understood in say Portugal? I know that very few Americans have a working knowledge of other languages which is why bands from non English speaking countries don't have the huge followings here that Springsteen and others have over there. In fact it seems that being multilingual is now being frowned upon in these strange times American's find ourselves living in..
@@goat2558 Thanks a lot for saying my English is good! Well, I don't think many people here understand what foreigner singers are meaning. I always try and read the lyrics when I think the song is good - in the case of Bruce, I don't like everything he writes, there are a few songs that doesn't please me... but I always want to know the lyrics, because Bruce is a poet first of all. His songs are so much better than other singer's... and he doesn't know, but he is a dear friend of mine. Thanks again. Greetings!
This song has saved me from suicide so many times and has helped me get through my depression, insecurities and my anxiety.Bruce is my idol and hero Edit: I turned 16 a couple of days ago and I’m now better I’ve seeked for help and found it I cannot believe that I can be this happy I appreciate all of your wishes they have helped me through this dark time but of course this song thunder road has done so many things to keep me a live I hope everyone who reads this lives a long life full of happiness and love Edit: I turn 17 in 2 days I’ve done it I’ve found the love of my life and I’m happy and I’ve overcome all of my challenges that I’ve faced in the last 2 years and I’ve done it and this song and Bruce Springsteen has got me through the tough times and helped me enjoy the good times I will be forever thankful to you Bruce thank you and thank you to my girl for helping me out too
No matter what happens, keep moving forward and never give up on life! Life is a gift, no matter how bad the road conditions seem, there is always redemption after one of the curves. From experience in my more than 40 years, a good part of the road is dirty and badly finished, but the small stretches, which contain beautiful landscapes, will always come, and will be worth the journey! Never give up! Be alright! And always listen to the boss! (y)
I'm proud to say I was there. This was his first European appearance, when he did two nights at the Odeon, preceded by much fanfare in the Evening Standard and other media, hailing him as "the future of rock 'n' roll".
I had the chance to go to this concert but I was afraid that he might not live up the hype of being the future of rock n roll. So I turned down the chance. One of my best mates went and said it was the best concert he had ever seen. Sadly my mate is no longer with us RIP Steve
Sooooo raw and full of yearning and hope here....as he said about the way he reacted to seeing the "Europe is finally ready for Bruce Springsteen" signs in each chair at the Hammersmith...going around and tearing them up...'It was too much. We were busy being born as a band". He was nervous and so unsure that night and he just took off once he stepped on stage
Back in '84 this girl (who would later become my girlfriend) gave me her Walkman and the cassette of Born To Run. I remember staying up all night listening to that. It's been quite a few decades since we last parted by I am still grateful to her for this gift. This is my favorite Springsteen song by far and this version is my favorite. I am a changed man for the rest of the day. I am enjoying it.
This really is the immaculate definitive version. Bruce's voice is faultless and Roy's piano is poignancy personified. I've heard it a million times and hope to hear it a million times more but no version tops this one.
@@markliddle8510 OMG, you won't believe it but I was there, too. True. Small world. Saw every tour he did in St.Louis from the beginning all the way through 1981, when I moved to San Diego, including his epic 4 hour shows at Kiel Auditorium.. The Ambassador Theatre was a really great venue while it lasted. Saw at least a dozen shows there.
Thanks due to the people who knew this would be a night of genius - and made every effort to capture it as true to life as they could - leaving us with this record.
I was 15 years old when I heard Bruce Springsteen and his fabulous band.. I have been hooked since.. 64 and still get the chills..he still has it and Bruce is for me the best icon in Rock and Roll.. stellar man, honest man.. to quote Bob Seger "still the same".. Bruuuuuuuuucceeeee!
My favorite way to listen to this masterpiece is with my eyes closing, picturing each verse and creating a movie as I listen to it. I prefer this slowed version to the original, makes it much more meaningful
What a vocalist Springsteen was (& is). This performance topples any other sing&song writer´s by a mile. It´s monumental, it is passionate, it´s poetic and it´s technically sublime. This, my friends, it can´t be learned in any institution. This can´t be reproduced in any talent show. This is something raw & natural - a pure un-refined musical talent in full display. What power! Wauw!
Yes, it is the voice that made the musician. Bruce Sprignsteen was a punk in the old fashioned sense, i,.e., he would not take what was being pressed on him.
Whatever happens, whatever hard times come, whatever shit you have to put up with in life the last line of this song is always there to remind you that there is always something better out there, there is always a change, always hope and when the night is darkest, there is always Bruce to get you through to the dawn.
You can be proud as an American that Bruce was well received in the U.K. back in '75 but it only boils down to the fact that he was and still is talented as hell. Bruce has written some very beautiful music throughout his career.
this is my favourite song of all ages. This version has got an extremely good feeling. But (in my opinion ) the best moment is missing. The best moment is the finale, after the line "....out of here to win" when the sax solo begins. This is missing.
Lyrics: The screen door slams Mary's dress waves Like a vision she dances across the porch As the radio plays Roy Orbison singing for the lonely Hey that's me and I want you only Don't turn me home again I just can't face myself alone again Don't run back inside Darling, you know just what I'm here for So you're scared and you're thinking That maybe we ain't that young anymore Show a little faith there's magic in the night You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright Oh and that's alright with me You can hide 'neath your covers And study your pain Make crosses from your lovers Throw roses in the rain Waste your summer praying in vain For a saviour to rise from these streets Well now I'm no hero That's understood All the redemption I can offer girl Is beneath this dirty hood With a chance to make it good somehow Hey what else can we do now Except roll down the window And let the wind blow back your hair? Well the night's busting open These two lanes will take us anywhere We got one last chance to make it real To trade in these wings on some wheels Climb in back Heaven's waiting down on the tracks Oh-oh come take my hand We're riding out tonight to case the promised land Oh-oh-oh-oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road Lying out there like a killer in the sun Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run Oh-oh-oh-oh Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold Thunder Road Well I got this guitar And I learned how to make it talk And my car's out back If you're ready to take that long walk From your front porch to my front seat The door's open but the ride ain't free And I know you're lonely For words that I ain't spoken Tonight we'll be free All the promises'll be broken There were ghosts in the eyes Of all the boys you sent away They haunt this dusty beach road In the skeleton frames of burned-out Chevrolets They scream your name at night in the street Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet And in the lonely cool before dawn You hear their engines roaring on When you get to the porch they're gone On the wind So Mary climb in It's a town full of losers I'm pulling out of here to win
My mother's name is Mary. She has always had a wild spirit but it was always smothered by an over-bearing partner throughout her married life. She was beautiful. She deserved better. I feel this song always pays homage to her spirit. 'There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys she sent away.'
This song, and especially this version has the power to change one's life. Thank you Bruce that I am honored enough to hear it, and let changes come to mine.
I was fourteen when I listened to this masterpiece and it gave me the courage to face the difficulties of life. Bruce heartfelt thanks that God always blesses you.
I don’t know what led me here tonight, but that was as close to perfection as I’ve ever seen. It was as if that song and melody came alive inside Bruce and it spilled out to wash our souls clean. Damn.
I was born the year this song was written. It’s always made me think of my parents, as they were then. I’m 30 years older now than they were in 1974, which is hard to picture. They didn’t have a whole lot of anything, but it didn’t stop them from heading out & taking on the world. This song, for me anyway, seems to celebrate that sort of reckless but intoxicating optimism. The kind that only young lovers can have.
I love this song, one of Springsteen's most beautiful versions. Thank you for having accompanied me from my adolescence until today the father of two beautiful children and a wonderful wife.I love this song, one of Springsteen's most beautiful versions. Thank you for having accompanied me from my adolescence until today the father of two beautiful children and a wonderful wife.
When I was young this man's music left a huge impression on me.. Made me want to continue to be a responsible, respectful, thoughtful young man who wanted to give something back... in life. Bruce, I can't thank you enough!!
This is one of those things in life that seems almost too good to be true. I mean think about it... a song, a little song. This song doesn’t even seem real to me. It’s a song thats been a part of my life since I was born. I remember my mom blasting it through the house when I was 3 years old while she cleaned. I didn’t know what it was about. I didn’t know who it was by. But it spoke to me. Not just this song, but so many of Bruce Springsteen’s song are more than just songs. They’re reminders of friends, family, good times & bad.
The songs we love become part of our DNA. They are embedded in our brains and souls. They will be some of the last memories to fade before we leave this world.
I think this one of the only versions of Thunder Road where Bruce actually sings the part "well show a little faith there's magic in the night you ain't a beauty but hey your all right."
If you are Bruce, thanks. Been hear since greetings. The words and music are the most important and reliable things I’ve had in my life. My wife daughter son in law and grandkids are the best things in my life. Possibly not attainable without your help.
As a 50 year Springsteen fan, ... this is the ABSOLUTE best rendition of Thunder Road.
I've never seen Bruce live but this seems to be his best period hands down.
Have to agree
Totally agree. I come back to this one time and time again.
Only one better is an old live version I found with some different lyrics
@@standemon5552 Link?
This is exactly how he started his debut Toronto show on December 21st, 1975. Just him, his harmonica, and Roy Bittan on piano.... followed by a standing ovation in which everybody was standing on their chairs as the rest of the E Street Band filed onstage. Brutally cold outside and hot, hot, hot inside. I was lucky enough to be in the 4th row on the centre aisle and will never forget that night. Glad this video is available for all to see and experience. It was my first Springsteen show and since then I've seen him 254 more times, including every Toronto show, and across the US.
i was just three years old but when i've seen it for the first time as teenager, this concert was a driver force for my life.. if i had a wish, it would be to assist to that concert... can you describe it with more details?
@@MrThebestdirector Yes. Bruce came down on his knees and took the girl in front row aisle seat (north side) by the hand and sang just to her. It was eerily quiet, just like here. Then he scampered back up on stage and there was an instant standing ovation -- but everybody was standing on their chairs. Never seen that before or since. Incredible show of appreciation and respect. But watching this you can understand. In Toronto that night it was a typically cold late December night, about -24 C at show time, colder when we got out. The band's wheels were a mid-1960s GM motorhome and it was left running during the show to keep it warm for their trip home to New Jersey. There's a great bootleg of that night but about half the later songs were missed because the taper's batteries got too cold in the GA line-up outside.... My friends that I hauled along teased me that they would hate it, but they were on their chairs applauding with everyone else after Thunder Road. Now I tease them... I knew Born To Run then, but didn't know his first two records and hearing their songs live the first time blew me away. Rosalita was just one of the showstoppers...
I saw him in Austin in September of 1975. It was the best concert that I have ever seen.
Surpreendente
One of the finest, most original musical performances in modern musical history. First headline world tour, first show, first song, and he opens with first song on Born to Run singing accompanied only by piano. This era in music is nearly gone. Damn, it was so good.
Well, at least there’s Lil Nas X and Sam Smith.
@@Eskewsme and Cheap Trick 😀
Throughout this show and especially on Jungleland, it really looks like he's fully in the moment, expressing his art. I love these historical recordings.
@@greenlizard99 It is so amazing we all can watch this on youtube in great quality almost 50 years later.
My wife and I saw him in 2003 in DC, a couple of days after Johnny Cash passed away. He came out with just his acoustic guitar and did a solo cover of "I Walk The Line" in tribute. It feels like it had that same vibe.
You know a artist is great when they sound better live than studio
artist and band
No, this is the best song ever written.
How can it not be ....
Not really😮
I was at the Hammersmith Odean in 75, he blew me away back then and is still doing so 48 years later ...thanks Bruce.
I was also at Hammersmith Odeon in 1975 but I only got to see The Who on Dec 23rd. If I'd hid underneath my seat I'd have got to see Queen the next night. I'd like to think some of my dna remained to appreciate such history.
That concert was awesome on film. I can only imagine what it was like live. When I'm down, I watch the film and it elevates me.
@@yankeespy3 I’ve got a ticket for Bruce concert at Wembley in 2 weeks ,my wife brought it for my 70th birthday..can’t wait !
@@jce2024 Happy 70th!
Do yourself a favor. Put on your headphones/stick in your AirPods, turn off all the lights and close your eyes. It’s just you and Bruce. That piano hits. You cannot tell me this isn’t the most perfect version of the most perfect song ever created. You’re welcome.
I'm a child of the 80s, which means I missed the coolest Springsteen ( _Darkness at the Edge of Town, Nebraska_ ) and lived through the hyper macho _Born in the USA_ Springsteen, a caricature of the man I could never identify with. Years later, someone gifted me both the _Born to Run_ and _Darkness at the Edge of Town_ box sets and the former included a disc with this performance. I was floored. And then I realized that maybe the most interesting Springsteen was the one right after the release of _Born to Run_ and before superstardom. I would have loved to have been in the audience for that concert.
@@Azabaxe80 "hyper macho" is certainly a take....
@@YouBetterBelieveIt Springsteen did a podcast with Barack Obama called _Renegades: Born in the USA_ where both men talk about their lives and what motivated and affected them through the various stages of said lives. Springsteen talked about his alienation from the person he was during the _Born in the USA_ period. The weight lifting, the mass appeal, the Hollywood wife, all of it. I never identified with _that_ Springsteen, and lo and behold, neither does the man himself. And he was a lot more self-critical in those interviews than my "take" is. Give it a listen. It's free.
Metallica fan, hard to argue, & he's still awesome. Saw him a few years back, one of my favourite gigs, he was incredible.
It is indeed the most perfect version of the most perfect song ever created.
No verses, no chorus, no bridge, just one long stanza. Amazing.
The original version had a chorus. I kind of like it.
@@brianrobison5871 This is a great piece
And this is how he opened the show
@@jbsamakis Just listen to Roy on the ivories
Lyrically no there are no choruses. But there are musically
Thunder Road is one of my 5 top favorite songs of all time. I saw this Springsteen tour in a 3000 seat venue in Memphis in 75 or early 76. All my girlfriend could say was unbelievable when I asked her how she was liking the show. After nearly 4 hours the show ended and she had tears rolling down her face saying how she wished it would never be over.
What a wonderful surprise to find after another sleepless night fighting the ravages of growing old. Well dear friend, Julie, I wish it would never be over too.
@joe jitsu After the Time and Newsweek's covers a lot of people I knew liked to diss on Springsteen. I would always challenge them to go to one of his concerts and then get back to me. I never had anyone come back disappointed.
Of course the tickets were only ten bucks or so back in those days..
@joe jitsu I can honestly say I was a Springsteen fan prior to Born to Run, we had a really great college station that played his earlier stuff, but that album took rock and roll and myself to a whole new place.
Born to Run is the only song that I remember exactly where and what I was doing when I first heard it. I was setting in my moms car listening to the radio while she payed some bills. The moment it ended I literally ran to Camelot music, the only record shop in town. I then had
I bought the very first Born to Run album sold in Raleigh TN. a suburb of Memphis. I bought it before the record store had even put it on their shelf, the clerk was kind enough to get it out of a shipment that was still in the back. .
Great tribute, truth. Thanks.
joe jitsu, I saw him in I think 75 at Carter Barron Amphitheater in DC. Outdoor venue in Rock Creek Park, summer, Still remember a fantastic show. Songs from Asbury Park and Wild and Innocent. Not sure if BtR was out yet. Long time ago and a lot of water under the bridge.
1oldgoat Beautiful story!! I love Springsteen but my generation has NO musical heroes or magic lyricists.. i feel like i was born in the wrong generation! I wish i could take a time machine back to 1974 and see Springsteen before the masses moved in.
As a 16 year old riddled with depression and so much anxiety, Bruce’s lyrics hit me really hard. His lyrics make me want to go out today and live life as if it’s my last day on earth. His lyrics make even somebody as weak as me feel strong. This song is my favourite no doubt. Thank You Bruce.
Hang in there young fellow.
Keep rocking "The Boss"
The Boss has seen me through some dark times and sad times but also made me sing out loud
Stick in there, let the Boss guide you through
Your not weak your alot stronger than you think, respect man keep it up live every day as well as you can, ❤️
Keep listening, Bruce heals the soul. God Bless my young friend❤🎶
Feeling the same way. I’m seventeen
I would do absolutely anything to go back in time to see this live.
Fucking same
alright lets go ;)
Me too. 30,000 people claim they were that night!
You and me both
i would love to go back in time, and see bruce do these early songs. so awesome, unfortunately i would have been like 5-6 years old lols
My mom’s favorite… passed away not too long ago.. took me a while to listen to him again.. but this is healing❤
Five and half minutes of pure bliss.. Thanks Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Saying this is the best version of Thunder Road is a massive understatement - this is the best version of any song ever made
"So Mary, climb in...It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win" goosebumps
Epic - this is the best, most powerful version of Thunder Road Bruce ever did
Absolutely agree with you. In fact, I think this is Bruce's finest moment. I think it is very moving.
My favorite Version of my favorite song
100% correct
This version is so emotive! Much better than the versions sings in his lates tours...
Best lyrical clarity, for sure!
Audiophile quality sound, too!
As a teenager I used to dream of a guy pulling up to my house with this sentiment. Pure romance. It never happened. (Romance was very much dead in the 90s... As were Bruce songs in general).
Even today, I still think today this is probably the most romantic song ever written. Brave man.
It's never too late your prince may still be out there for you
Still learning this on piano it’s a bit tricky so I hope to be at full speed soon
Well done you for trying a Roy Bitten piano piece. He's a top notch pianist and I imagine his parts are quite intricate to play. I'd love to have a go at one, but never been brave enough to try! I'm playing River Flows in You by Yiruma, but I can't play it at his pace!
The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways. There it is. Widescreen, vivid, wonderful writing. Less is much, much more folks. God bless Bruce Springsteen
It's poetry, not a rock song.
He’s an awesome writer. Get his book, it’s full of these stories; what it was like growing up in Jersey, in the shadow of the Church, literally
Yes. This is the best opening line of a song I've ever seen.
The imagery he paints with his songs is incredible
Ian I'm not positive but I believe it's Mary's dress wave's, I'm not sure but either way this tune, as almost all of his songs are just incredible, and he writes everything himself mostly, just incredible and thanks for the share, great share sir, have a great day...
I was at this gig - best band live I’ve ever seen. I am now 70 and I remember it as one of the best nights of my life
This isnt a song, it's a beautiful poem set to music.
Aka a SONG
Listen to this since I was 15. I'm damn near sixty now. Used to sing it to my little girls on long car rides. Always thought they were asleep, one day the song is playing on the radio, and one of my daughters who were then teenagers, said " hey Dad, isn't this the song you used to always sing to us?"
Amazing to think by 26 years old he had written two of the greatest songs ever. Thunder Road and Born to Run. Wow. Truly the Boss.
You forgot Backstreets
Shame 9n me for that
Don't forget Jungleland also
In my opinion the Born to run album is the greatest album of all time, every song gets you emotional. That is special.
My top 2
I saw him Sept 8, 1974 and this is how he opened the show. I was mesmerized. I had never seen or heard of Bruce. I went because they said he was the new Dylan. I left a Springsteen lifetime fan. He wore that hat, and this song was my first intro to Bruce.
This version of Thunder Road is the best live performance on You Tube. I come back to this every couple months just to remember what greatness is. The newness of Bruce to The UK and the mix of his voice and the killer piano, make it such a raw performance . The way it builds and finishes to an enormous applause, must have been something to witness that night. This is perfection.
I was there and I’ve not found better, you ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright, everyone now sings along with, and rightly so, but how nice to hear it as a solo.
Not even close lol
Your right. Just wish the lightning was better lol
@@p4ddy100 ... and maybe the hats.
Now, almost 49 years later, this show still has the best versions of Thunder Road, Saint In The City, She's The One, and Lost In the Flood... just remarkable...
‘It’s just a song’
The song:
This is the most beautiful song ever written don’t care what anyone else thinks
... "roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair"... That line gets me every time 🥲
For me it’s ‘so Mary climb in’ ❤
Never never gets old listening to this. Greatest version of this song. Hands down
Imagine you had written a poem in your youth that people all over the world, no matter their native tongue, knew by heart...
One of the first live versions of the song (album released August 25, 1975; concert November 18, 1975). Almost fifty years later, it remains, in my opinion, the most beautiful version of "Thunder Road": clean, linear, without frills, with only the Roy Bittan's piano in the background and Bruce's wonderful performance as if reciting a poem. Yes! A poem, since "Thunder Road" is not just a song: it's poetry! ❤
It truly is A Masterpiece trying to learn it on guitar now❤️
Amen
Greatest song ever written. Sorry for My spelling. I AM danish, but love this song. Remind me of my Best friend, Who died of a heartattack 3 years ago.
🏴 ❤️💙 🇩🇰
Well written sir sorry for your loss
The screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways.💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
That's my name and my favorite part ❤️
that intro with piano is simply heavenly
This song is such a haunting picture painted by his words. Its a phenomenal talent to be able to do that. I can see everything he's singing as a description of my youth when we didn’t have anything to worry or stress over. I tear up every time i hear or see this particular version. Thank you, Bruce.
The highest point in his musical career is this live video.
He continued to write great songs and play great live shows after 1975.
However, he never had a moment that surpassed this one. This is the Boss's masterpiece.
I get off late from my clinic. As I walk home there are just empty roads and streetlights. I have got into habit of singing this song as I walk home. Definitely one of the most beautiful song ever written and this definitely is the best version most perfect version of this song.
If anybody asks you: "so, who is this Bruce Springsteen guy anyway?" you cue up this version of this song. With any luck it will be greeted with teary eyes, a heartfelt 'thank you', and a 'say no more'.
Tears is right. I lost my biker of 50 years last August. "The door is open but the RIDE AIN'T FREE!" So true!
This is even better than the album version. Like way better
This is one of the best live performances I’ve ever heard .
It was back in '03 - I was 17, sitting on the hood of a Dodge, drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain, with the barefoot girl, and this came on the radio.
Bruce has a song to narrate every moment of our lives.
No matter when, no matter where, this song is and will always be a reason for me to stop and think about so many things in life. Thanks, Bruce. Greetings from São Paulo, Brazil!
I've asked other people this question and never received a very good reply.
I assume your first language is Portuguese but you appear to be very good with English as well. Which brings me to this question, A lot of English language bands have really great followings in countries where English isn't the first language. So do the people in those countries understand what the songs are saying? Is English that well understood in say Portugal?
I know that very few Americans have a working knowledge of other languages which is why bands from non English speaking countries don't have the huge followings here that Springsteen and others have over there.
In fact it seems that being multilingual is now being frowned upon in these strange times American's find ourselves living in..
@@goat2558 Thanks a lot for saying my English is good! Well, I don't think many people here understand what foreigner singers are meaning. I always try and read the lyrics when I think the song is good - in the case of Bruce, I don't like everything he writes, there are a few songs that doesn't please me... but I always want to know the lyrics, because Bruce is a poet first of all. His songs are so much better than other singer's... and he doesn't know, but he is a dear friend of mine. Thanks again. Greetings!
Specially home.....
And England too.
@Slomofogo Tudo bem! Boa noite!
This song has saved me from suicide so many times and has helped me get through my depression, insecurities and my anxiety.Bruce is my idol and hero
Edit: I turned 16 a couple of days ago and I’m now better I’ve seeked for help and found it I cannot believe that I can be this happy I appreciate all of your wishes they have helped me through this dark time but of course this song thunder road has done so many things to keep me a live
I hope everyone who reads this lives a long life full of happiness and love
Edit: I turn 17 in 2 days I’ve done it I’ve found the love of my life and I’m happy and I’ve overcome all of my challenges that I’ve faced in the last 2 years and I’ve done it and this song and Bruce Springsteen has got me through the tough times and helped me enjoy the good times I will be forever thankful to you Bruce thank you and thank you to my girl for helping me out too
It doesn't matter how slowly you move forward. Just dont stop. Keep going my friend.👍
Me too.
No matter what happens, keep moving forward and never give up on life! Life is a gift, no matter how bad the road conditions seem, there is always redemption after one of the curves. From experience in my more than 40 years, a good part of the road is dirty and badly finished, but the small stretches, which contain beautiful landscapes, will always come, and will be worth the journey! Never give up! Be alright! And always listen to the boss! (y)
@@rorstap Here, here, always have the album Born to Run close to you there is no better pick-me-up.
Stay strong
best live performance Springsteen did... Divinity in human form
100 years from now when people ask about Bruce Springsteen, just play this and you’ll understand
“Roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair”………..truly one of the great lyrics ever written.
I'm proud to say I was there. This was his first European appearance, when he did two nights at the Odeon, preceded by much fanfare in the Evening Standard and other media, hailing him as "the future of rock 'n' roll".
and they were right!
I had the chance to go to this concert but I was afraid that he might not live up the hype of being the future of rock n roll. So I turned down the chance. One of my best mates went and said it was the best concert he had ever seen. Sadly my mate is no longer with us RIP Steve
You're so lucky to have been there. To have seen Bruce and the band in 1975.
I saw him in Ann Arbor in '75. As you can hear, he was at the height of his young strength. Our greatest poet. The workingman's voice. Our everyman.
Sooooo raw and full of yearning and hope here....as he said about the way he reacted to seeing the "Europe is finally ready for Bruce Springsteen" signs in each chair at the Hammersmith...going around and tearing them up...'It was too much. We were busy being born as a band". He was nervous and so unsure that night and he just took off once he stepped on stage
"Our greatest poet". Brilliant! "Our everyman". Thanks
Sorry that's Bob Dylan
You mean Warren Zevon?
And here in Tampa.
Back in '84 this girl (who would later become my girlfriend) gave me her Walkman and the cassette of Born To Run. I remember staying up all night listening to that. It's been quite a few decades since we last parted by I am still grateful to her for this gift.
This is my favorite Springsteen song by far and this version is my favorite. I am a changed man for the rest of the day. I am enjoying it.
Great story
This really is the immaculate definitive version. Bruce's voice is faultless and Roy's piano is poignancy personified. I've heard it a million times and hope to hear it a million times more but no version tops this one.
Jesus Christ! What a performance. No words, no words...
Masterpiece of a heartbreaking story of loss,love,hope, dreams,
I'm 40yrs in
Still here Bruce xxx
I saw Bruce in St.Louis, Mo in 1974 at the Ambassador Theater & is still the best show I've ever seen & heard.
@@markliddle8510 OMG, you won't believe it but I was there, too. True.
Small world.
Saw every tour he did in St.Louis from the beginning all the way through 1981, when I moved to San Diego, including his epic 4 hour shows at Kiel Auditorium..
The Ambassador Theatre was a really great venue while it lasted. Saw at least a dozen shows there.
We will never have music with this much poetry and power in the words. New music can’t even compare.
"You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright"-such a New Jersey line, beautiful.
Thanks due to the people who knew this would be a night of genius - and made every effort to capture it as true to life as they could - leaving us with this record.
I was 15 years old when I heard Bruce Springsteen and his fabulous band.. I have been hooked since.. 64 and still get the chills..he still has it and Bruce is for me the best icon in Rock and Roll.. stellar man, honest man.. to quote Bob Seger "still the same".. Bruuuuuuuuucceeeee!
This song is prefect: its music, its lyrics, its pianist and Bruce's voice.
Perfecta!!!
Discovered this song as a 38 year old with depression. Changed my life. Can’t listen to it now without it bringing all that pain back though.
That piano... all the while hauntingly in the background until the crescendo, and then... THAT PIANO!
This is possibly the most beautifull song I've ever heard ..
My favorite way to listen to this masterpiece is with my eyes closing, picturing each verse and creating a movie as I listen to it. I prefer this slowed version to the original, makes it much more meaningful
I’ve said this for years. This lyrical masterpiece is a movie if you close your eyes and just “watch”. He “paints” with lyrics. It’s just perfection.
@@jimmcdonald1506 ciao Jimm! Come stai? 🙋♀️😍😘💘🍀
One of the best pieces of music ever written
This song is perfection. No matter how many times I've listened to it over all these years, it still gives me chills.
This version of this song is perfection.
Favorite song!!
I was there. I didn’t know it would be history. ❤️
Hands down the best version of this song ever.
Best version of this song ever, no question. Thank you for making it available.
Absolutely.
What a vocalist Springsteen was (& is). This performance topples any other sing&song writer´s by a mile. It´s monumental, it is passionate, it´s poetic and it´s technically sublime. This, my friends, it can´t be learned in any institution. This can´t be reproduced in any talent show. This is something raw & natural - a pure un-refined musical talent in full display. What power! Wauw!
Yes, it is the voice that made the musician. Bruce Sprignsteen was a punk in the old fashioned sense, i,.e., he would not take what was being pressed on him.
Quite simply one of the most beautiful, and important songs ever written/performed. Essential for humanity
Whatever happens, whatever hard times come, whatever shit you have to put up with in life the last line of this song is always there to remind you that there is always something better out there, there is always a change, always hope and when the night is darkest, there is always Bruce to get you through to the dawn.
This is the best song ever written, my favourite song by far and god I wish I’d been young enough to The Boss back in 75
Agree
Andy Rouph I’m with you, Andy.
I’m 21 wish I could’ve seen the Boss in his prime. Guess I have youtube, but to be at a show is a different vibe.
this is in my top 3, next to born to run and jungleland
For me, one of the all time great rock performances.
The album version and this version are like night and day. The album version did nothing for me. This version is the greatest song ever written.
OMG! Turned 18 in 1975. This shit was deep. Still is.
You can be proud as an American that Bruce was well received in the U.K. back in '75 but it only boils down to the fact that he was and still is talented as hell. Bruce has written some very beautiful music throughout his career.
Thunder Road, Racing in the Streets and The River are my absolute favorite Bruce Springsteen songs. I wish he would play it on the 2023 europe tour.
Love how is voice sounds so young , just like on the album. His best ever song and the anthem to my life.
He wrote this when he was 23. Singing here at 25. Just amazing genius
This is THE BEST version of Thunder Road. I've been looking through so many different live version, but this is just SO excellent
AGREE
this is my favourite song of all ages. This version has got an extremely good feeling. But (in my opinion ) the best moment is missing. The best moment is the finale, after the line "....out of here to win" when the sax solo begins. This is missing.
@@xrhkotro3884 agree...but, you can't have everything...
Just the boss and the Professor. Gives me chills every time.
My favourite, the New Jersey concert with the Robert Mitchum story runs it very close but this more intimate version wins for me.
I’ve said it before I’ll say it again thank god we have Bruce in this world
I feel the same 💯‼️ Without Bruce I probably wouldn’t be in this world right now ❤️🎼
This is mesmerizing. One of the greatest live recordings in the history of rock and roll, for sure.
Lyrics:
The screen door slams
Mary's dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside
Darling, you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me
You can hide 'neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a saviour to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair?
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's waiting down on the tracks
Oh-oh come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh-oh-oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh-oh-oh-oh Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold
Thunder Road
Well I got this guitar
And I learned how to make it talk
And my car's out back
If you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride ain't free
And I know you're lonely
For words that I ain't spoken
Tonight we'll be free
All the promises'll be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned-out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
When you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind
So Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers
I'm pulling out of here to win
My mother's name is Mary. She has always had a wild spirit but it was always smothered by an over-bearing partner throughout her married life. She was beautiful. She deserved better. I feel this song always pays homage to her spirit. 'There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys she sent away.'
Mary's dress SWAYS...
I love how that keyboard glockenspiel just kind of sneaks in under the piano and vocals.
The genius of Danny Federici
This song, and especially this version has the power to change one's life. Thank you Bruce that I am honored enough to hear it, and let changes come to mine.
My favorite performance of Thunder Road. Ever.
OMG, I thank God I'm alive so I can hear and see this.
Agree
One of life's blessings.
He is 25 yes old here
I was fourteen when I listened to this masterpiece and it gave me the courage to face the difficulties of life. Bruce heartfelt thanks that God always blesses you.
I don’t know what led me here tonight, but that was as close to perfection as I’ve ever seen. It was as if that song and melody came alive inside Bruce and it spilled out to wash our souls clean. Damn.
I was born the year this song was written. It’s always made me think of my parents, as they were then. I’m 30 years older now than they were in 1974, which is hard to picture. They didn’t have a whole lot of anything, but it didn’t stop them from heading out & taking on the world. This song, for me anyway, seems to celebrate that sort of reckless but intoxicating optimism. The kind that only young lovers can have.
The greatest songwriter ever as far as I am concerned.
Beautiful! Its just a shame that every time I watch this, there's somebody chopping onions!!
Must be the best ever version of Thunder Road, will see The Boss next year once again.
I love this song, one of Springsteen's most beautiful versions. Thank you for having accompanied me from my adolescence until today the father of two beautiful children and a wonderful wife.I love this song, one of Springsteen's most beautiful versions. Thank you for having accompanied me from my adolescence until today the father of two beautiful children and a wonderful wife.
The greatest songwriter ever. With all due respect to Mr. Dylan. Those two are in a class by themselves.
I totally agree.
You could easily add Elvis Costello.
And Neil Peart
No, the Bob rules - and Bruce would agree.
@@samwaugh1464 he would. I'd give Bob the nod LYRICALLY but as far as the entire SONG goes I give it to Bruce. Just my opinion. Love them both.
New Jersey's best musician imo. Great quality for an almost 50 year old concert. Thanks ❤
The Jonas Brothers are from New Jersey
@@sinatra222 So were Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, Bon Jovi, Frankie Valli, etc.
At the absolute peak of his powers. Incredible
When I was young this man's music left a huge impression on me.. Made me want to continue to be a responsible, respectful, thoughtful young man who wanted to give something back... in life. Bruce, I can't thank you enough!!
Not much going on here - just the greatest rock song ever written.
This is one of those things in life that seems almost too good to be true. I mean think about it... a song, a little song. This song doesn’t even seem real to me. It’s a song thats been a part of my life since I was born. I remember my mom blasting it through the house when I was 3 years old while she cleaned. I didn’t know what it was about. I didn’t know who it was by. But it spoke to me. Not just this song, but so many of Bruce Springsteen’s song are more than just songs. They’re reminders of friends, family, good times & bad.
Great tribute, thanks
The songs we love become part of our DNA. They are embedded in our brains and souls. They will be some of the last memories to fade before we leave this world.
One of the best songs ever!
1975 was another lifetime ago, yet this song brings me back there every time.
One of the greatest songs ever written..Bravo 👏
I think this one of the only versions of Thunder Road where Bruce actually sings the part "well show a little faith there's magic in the night you ain't a beauty but hey your all right."
If you are Bruce, thanks. Been hear since greetings. The words and music are the most important and reliable things I’ve had in my life. My wife daughter son in law and grandkids are the best things in my life. Possibly not attainable without your help.