DRIVE ALL NIGHT

Album version



When I lost you honey, sometimes I think I lost my guts too
And I wish God would send me a word, send me something I'm afraid to lose
Lying in the heat of the night like prisoners all our lives
And I get shivers down my spine, girl, and all I wanna do is hold you tight

Baby baby baby, I swear I'll drive all night again just to buy you some shoes and to taste your tender charm
And I just wanna sleep tonight again in your arms, oh yeah, oh yeah

Yes I do, 'cause tonight there's fallen angels and they're waiting for us down in the street
And tonight there's calling strangers, hear them crying in defeat
And let them go, let them go, let them go do their dances of the dead
Let 'em go right ahead, girl, you just dry your eyes
And come on come on come on come on, let's go to bed

Baby baby baby, I swear I'll drive all night again just to buy you some shoes and to taste your tender charm
And I just wanna sleep tonight again in your arms, oh yeah, oh yeah

My love, my love, my love

Let's start right now
There's machines and there's fire, baby, waiting on the edge of town
Out there for hire but baby they can't hurt us now
'Cause you've got, you've got, you've got my, my love, girl, you've got my love, girl
Through the wind, through the rain, the snow, the wind, the rain
You've got, you've got my, my love, oh girl you've got my love
You've got, you've got my love, oh girl you've got my love
You've got, you've got my love, oh girl you've got my love
You've got, you've got my love, oh girl you've got my love
Heart and soul, heart and soul, heart and soul, heart
Take it easy baby
Don't worry darling, 'cause you don't have to
And don't cry now (don't cry now)
Baby don't cry now (don't cry now)
No don't cry now (don't cry now)
No don't cry now (don't cry now)
Just dry your eyes, little baby (don't cry now)
Yeah dry your eyes (don't cry now)
'Cause baby I'll drive all night (don't cry now)
I swear I'll drive all night (don't cry now)
Through the wind, through the rain, through the snow, through the rain, through the wind, through the snow, through the rain (don't cry now)
I swear I'll drive all night (don't cry now)
I swear I'll drive all night (don't cry now)
Through the wind, through the rain, through the snow, through the rain, through the wind, through the rain, through the wind, through the snow, through the [fades out]


Info

DRIVE ALL NIGHT is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 1980 album The River. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT as released in 1980.


Writing

From September 1976 and till the end of the Darkness On The Edge Of Tour, the live performances of BACKSTREETS were extended with an interlude that is commonly known as the "Sad Eyes" interlude, a title probably assigned to it by bootleggers. Note that this interlude has nothing to do with SAD EYES, the 1990 outtake that was released on the Tracks box set in 1998. "Sad Eyes" was a mostly soft-piano based monologue that Springsteen performed toward the end of BACKSTREETS. It gradually rises in tempo before it suddenly stops and the "Hiding on the backstreets" coda kicks back in full band. The interlude evolved through those three years and became the basis for DRIVE ALL NIGHT, which was first recorded in mid-1977.

The last verse was adapted from CANDY'S BOY.

Studio Recording

DRIVE ALL NIGHT was originally considered for the Darkness On The Edge Of Town album, as evidenced in several handwritten lists of candidate tracks for Springsteen's fourth studio album. These lists appear in the handwritten lyrics notebook that was reproduced in The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set (see scans below). Moreover, the song was cut in June 1977 at Atlantic Studios in New York City, NY. However it seems that the song was left out because a straight "love song" didn't thematically fit on Darkness On The Edge Of Town and the length of the track is much more suited for a double album such as The River.

Proposed song lists for Springsteen's fourth album
Proposed song lists for Springsteen's fourth album
Proposed song lists for Springsteen's fourth album
Proposed song lists for Springsteen's fourth album
Proposed song lists for Springsteen's fourth album
Proposed song lists for Springsteen's fourth album

According to Sony's logs of Bruce Springsteen's studio sessions, DRIVE ALL NIGHT was cut on 16 Jun 1977 at Atlantic Studios in New York City, NY, and again on 24 Aug 1977 at Atlantic Studios or at The Record Plant in New York City, NY. The song was revisited during The River recording sessions; it was cut on 24 Feb 1980, 08 Mar 1980, 16 Mar 1980, and 10 Apr 1980 at The Power Station in New York City, NY.

Four studio versions of DRIVE ALL NIGHT are in circulation:

  • Outtake version 1, recorded in June or August 1977, is a short version that features some different lyrics from the album version and lacks Clarence Clemons' saxophone solo.
  • Outtake version 2, recorded in June 1977, is a more developed version that's very close to the album version.
  • Home demo version, recorded in January 1980, is a brief solo acoustic take that's merely Springsteen singing harmonies.
  • The album version is the one that was officially released on The River

In his 2012 book E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Clinton Heylin wrote that outtake version 1 is "possibly from August", while The Lost Masters Vol. 2 (Labour Of Love) bootleg liner notes state that both outtake version 1 and outtake version 2 are from June. In the handwritten lyrics notebook that was reproduced in The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set, there is a reproduction of a demo tape inlay listing DRIVE ALL NIGHT twice. The tape is titled "Bruce Springsteen Ruffs" and dated 17 Jun 1977 (see scan below).

Bruce Springsteen's 17 Jun 1977 "Ruffs" demo tape
Bruce Springsteen's 17 Jun 1977 "Ruffs" demo tape

The album version and outtake version 2 share the same core recording. Note that DRIVE ALL NIGHT is the only song from The River to be recorded by Jimmy Iovine, who also recorded the complete Darkness On The Edge Of Town album. New vocals were recorded sometime between February and April 1980 before the song was mixed and released on The River. Bruce Springsteen is credited with piano on this track while Roy Bittan is credited with organ.

The River

Bruce Springsteen wrapped up the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour on the first day of 1979. For the next few months, he altered between composing and practicing solo demos at his home in Holmdel, NJ (between January and June 1979), rehearsing with the band at his Telegraph Hill Road property in Holmdel, NJ (between March and May 1979), and recording in studio at The Power Station in New York City, NY (from late March to late August 1979).

By early August 1979, enough quality material had been recorded at The Power Station. According to The Ties That Bind documentary, a total of twenty-four songs had been recorded. According to Clinton Heylin's 2012 book It was looking like Springsteen's fifth album might be released in Christmas 1979. E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Springsteen's initial track sequence for the album was as follows:

Side 1:

  1. THE TIES THAT BIND
  2. THE PRICE YOU PAY
  3. BE TRUE
  4. RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN
  5. STOLEN CAR

Side 2:

  1. I WANNA MARRY YOU
  2. LOOSE ENDS
  3. HUNGRY HEART
  4. THE MAN WHO GOT AWAY
  5. RAMROD

By mid-September 1979, Springsteen replaced RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN, LOOSE ENDS, and THE MAN WHO GOT AWAY by CINDY and THE RIVER. Soon after, he removed RAMROD, restored LOOSE ENDS, and added YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH). A title, "The Ties That Bind", was selected for the album and wheels put in motion to produce artwork for the cover. Around September, at least ten tracks were mixed to completion. On 04 Oct 1979, the ten selected tracks were dubbed to two half-track reel-to-reel tapes at The Power Station, and labeled "side one" and "side two". As written on the reels, the producer was Jon Landau and the engineers were Neil Dorfsman and Bob Clearmountain, assisted by Jeff Hendrickson. The new track sequence for the album was as follows:

Reel #1:

  1. THE TIES THAT BIND [take #8]
  2. CINDY [take #3]
  3. HUNGRY HEART [take #2]
  4. STOLEN CAR [take #3]
  5. BE TRUE [take #2]

Reel #2:

  1. THE RIVER [take #5]
  2. YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH) [take #3]
  3. THE PRICE YOU PAY [take #1]
  4. I WANNA MARRY YOU [take #4]
  5. LOOSE ENDS [take #2]
Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind (reel #1, front)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind (reel #1, front)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind (reel #2, front)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind (reel #2, front)

Mock covers with "The Ties That Bind" title were roughed out early in the planning. The cover shot was to be a picture of Bruce Springsteen in front of a barn, with the back cover being a shot of his face behind a screen door. In late September 1979, The Ties That Bind single album was scrapped as Springsteen's writing process continued.

A second phase of recording sessions was scheduled. Again, for the next few months, Springsteen altered between composing and practicing solo demos at his home in Holmdel, NJ (between September 1979 and February 1980), rehearsing with the band at his Telegraph Hill Road property in Holmdel, NJ (between September 1979 and February 1980), and recording in studio at The Power Station in New York City, NY (from October 1979 to June 1980).

The combined sessions from March 1979 to June 1980 produced the double album The River that was eventually released in October 1980. The studio sessions to some extent extended into August 1980 due to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's involvement in the recording of Gary U.S. Bonds' album Dedication, which was released April 1981).

Bruce Springsteen -- The River
Bruce Springsteen -- The River

The album features 20 new Springsteen compositions and clocks at 83:47. It was produced by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, and Steven Van Zandt, engineered by Neil Dorfsman, and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, Chuck Plotkin, and Toby Scott.

According to recording engineer Neil Dorfsman, about 50 songs were recorded to a completed state during The River sessions. 20 were released on The River and 14 were released as B-sides and on official compilations. 14 songs are circulating via the unofficial route, but the majority of them are poor recordings of band rehearsals at the Telegraph Hill Road property, though it is likely that most of them exist as completed takes from The Power Station.

Other Official Releases

DRIVE ALL NIGHT can be found on one Bruce Springsteen promo-only sampler.

Bruce Springsteen -- Ballads Vol. 1 (1973 - 1982)
Bruce Springsteen -- Ballads Vol. 1 (1973 - 1982)

CD-R - Sony (no catalog number) - Japan, 2005

Japan-only promotional "Digest" CDR advance sampler tying in with the release of the first six Japanese 2005 "mini-LP"-style Springsteen CD album reissues. This disc comes in a plain slimline jewel case with no artwork.

Other versions of DRIVE ALL NIGHT were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Ties That Bind: The River Collection
The live 05 Nov 1980 version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT was released on The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen -- Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005
The live 22 Nov 2005 version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO 8/23/2008
The live 23 Aug 2008 version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT was released on the Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO 8/23/2008 official live download in 2017.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- MSG Nov 08, 2009
The live 08 Nov 2009 version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT was released on the MSG Nov 08, 2009 official live download in 2018.
live.brucespringsteen.net
Audio recordings for most High Hopes Tour shows were officially released on live.brucespringsteen.net. These include one version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT.

  1. 26 Apr 2014 at Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA

Live History

DRIVE ALL NIGHT is known to have been performed at least 22 times during The River Tour (138 dates, October 1980 to September 1981), most of which during the 1980 leg of the tour. A few setlists from that period are incomplete, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during The River Tour. On this tour, the song was played in its full-band arrangement. The live 05 Nov 1980 version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT was released on The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set in 2015.

  1. 18 Oct 1980 at Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO
  2. 24 Oct 1980 at Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA
  3. 25 Oct 1980 at Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
  4. 27 Oct 1980 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
  5. 28 Oct 1980 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
  6. 30 Oct 1980 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  7. 01 Nov 1980 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  8. 05 Nov 1980 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
  9. 08 Nov 1980 at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX
  10. 09 Nov 1980 at University Of Texas, Austin, TX
  11. 11 Nov 1980 at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
  12. 20 Nov 1980 at Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
  13. 23 Nov 1980 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
  14. 28 Nov 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  15. 01 Dec 1980 at Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
  16. 04 Dec 1980 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY
  17. 09 Dec 1980 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  18. 16 Dec 1980 at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
  19. 18 Dec 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  20. 19 Dec 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  21. 23 Jan 1981 at The Forum, Montreal, Canada
  22. 07 Jun 1981 at Birmingham International Arena, Birmingham, England

After disappearing from Springsteen's repertoire for more than 24 years, DRIVE ALL NIGHT was performed X times during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour (72 dates, April to November 2005), all during the tour's last two weeks. The song was played in a solo piano arrangement, except on 19 Nov 2005 in Hollywood, FL, when Springsteen was joined onstage during the song by Clarence Clemons and Steven Van Zandt who provided saxophone and six-string guitar respectively. The live 22 Nov 2005 version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.

  1. 08 Nov 2005 at Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  2. 11 Nov 2005 at Ted Constant Convocation Center At Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
  3. 13 Nov 2005 at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
  4. 16 Nov 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  5. 17 Nov 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  6. 19 Nov 2005 at Hard Rock Live Arena, Hollywood, FL
  7. 21 Nov 2005 at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ
  8. 22 Nov 2005 at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ

DRIVE ALL NIGHT was performed 3 times during the Magic Tour (100 dates, October 2007 to August 2008), all in July and August 2008. The song was played in its full-band arrangement. The live 23 Aug 2008 version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT was released on the Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO 8/23/2008 official live download in 2017.

  1. 05 Jul 2008 at Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
  2. 28 Jul 2008 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  3. 23 Aug 2008 at Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO

DRIVE ALL NIGHT was performed twice during the Working On A Dream Tour (83 dates, April to November 2009). The song was played in its full-band arrangement.

  1. 21 Jul 2009 at Stadio Olimpico Di Torino, Turin, Italy
  2. 08 Nov 2009 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY (complete The River album performed)

DRIVE ALL NIGHT was performed 8 times during the Wrecking Ball Tour (133 dates, March 2012 to September 2013). The song was played in its full-band arrangement. The live 27 Jul 2013 version featured a guest appearance by Glen Hansard who sang a few lines from Them's HERE COMES THE NIGHT towards the end of the song.

  1. 27 Jul 2012 at Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
  2. 14 Aug 2012 at Fenway Park, Boston, MA
  3. 19 Oct 2012 at Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, Canada
  4. 31 Oct 2012 at Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
  5. 28 Nov 2012 at Rose Garden, Portland, OR
  6. 26 Jun 2013 at Estadio Municipal El Molinón, Gijón, Spain
  7. 16 Jul 2013 at Thomond Park, Limerick, Ireland
  8. 27 Jul 2013 at Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, Ireland

DRIVE ALL NIGHT was performed once during the High Hopes Tour (34 dates, January to May 2014), on 26 Apr 2014 in Atlanta, GA The song was played in its full-band arrangement. Audio recordings for most High Hopes Tour shows are officially available for purchase. See the live 26 Apr 2014 version for more details.

Appearance in Movies

Bruce Springsteen's album version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT appears in two movies.

Promotional poster for the film "Cop Land"
Cop Land

It was used in the 1997 film Cop Land, directed by James Mangold and starring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, and Robert De Niro. The song was not included in the film's soundtrack album.

Cop Land uses two Bruce Springsteen songs: DRIVE ALL NIGHT and STOLEN CAR.
Promotional poster for the film "Reign Over Me"
Reign Over Me

It was used in the 2007 film Reign Over Me, directed by Mike Binder and starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. The song was not included in the film's soundtrack album.

Reign Over Me uses two Bruce Springsteen songs: DRIVE ALL NIGHT and OUT IN THE STREET.

Covers

At least 8 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's DRIVE ALL NIGHT.

Graziano Romani -- Soul Crusader: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen
Graziano Romani -- Soul Crusader: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen

CD - Freedom Rain (FREED-001) - Italy, 2001

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Ali Gray -- Let You In
Ali Gray -- Let You In

CD - StarLilly Records (no catalog number) - USA, 2005
Radio Free Earth -- Available Light
Radio Free Earth -- Available Light

CD - Handknit Records (unknown catalog number) - USA, 2007
Andrew Nicholson -- Driving All Night: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen Volume II
Andrew Nicholson -- Driving All Night: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen Volume II

CD - no label (no catalog number) - UK, 2009

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
George Mileson -- Leap of Faith: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
George Mileson -- Leap of Faith: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen

CD - Growin' Up Records (8471812289631) - Spain, 2012

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Glen Hansard -- Drive All Night
Glen Hansard -- Drive All Night

12" EP - Anti (87216-1) - USA, 2013
12" EP - Anti (7216-1) - Europe, 2013
CD EP - Anti (87216-2) - USA, 2013

See Glen Hansard's cover version for more details.
Sweet Little Band -- Babies Go Bruce Springsteen
Sweet Little Band -- Babies Go Bruce Springsteen

Digital album - RGS Music (unknown catalog number) - Argentina, 2020

This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Zerbo -- Never Ending Volume II
Zerbo -- Never Ending Volume II

CD - no label (no catalog number) - Italy, 2021

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of DRIVE ALL NIGHT on this website:

DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Album version]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Outtake version 1]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Outtake version 2]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Home demo version]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Live 22 Nov 2005 version]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Live 23 Aug 2008 version]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Live 27 Jul 2012 version]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Live 27 Jul 2013 version]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Live 26 Apr 2014 version]
DRIVE ALL NIGHT [Glen Hansard's cover version]

Page last updated: 16 Nov 2015