HAVING A PARTY

Live 31 Dec 1977 version



[Southside Johnny:] You know this song!
This is a song by Sam Cooke!
Oh, yeah!
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Oooh, yeah
Hah, ha
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Mm, mm, mm, mm
Come on take it down, you know you want to.
Take it down!
What's that, hm?
You're pretty, you know something?
Let me tell you about the evils of alcohol.
All in the world say they can. (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Say, it's all right (it's all right)
Say, it's all right (say, it's all right)
[Bruce Springsteen:] I got it!
I said, it's all right (it's all right)
Baby, it's all right (baby, it's all right)
Oh, it's all right (oh, it's all right)
I said, man, it's all right (man, it's all right)
Baby, it's all right (baby, it's all right)
I said, man, man, it's all right (man, it's all right)
Whoa, it's all right (it's all right)
Yeah, it's all right (baby, it's all right)
Oh, it's all right (baby, it's all right)
Baby, it's all right (it's all right)
Oh no!

[Southside Johnny:] You know the sound of this.
[Bruce Springsteen:] I do.
[Southside Johnny:] I said, like this:

[Southside and Springsteen:] Said, we're havin' a party
Everybody's swingin'
Dancin' to the music
[Southside Johnny:] Baby
[Southside and Springsteen:] On the radio (whoo, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
So listen (listen), Mister DJ (yeah?)
Keep those records playin'
'Cause I'm havin' such a good time
Dancin'
[Bruce Springsteen:] With my baby

We're havin' a party
Everybody's -- oh, go 'head, Johnny!
[Southside Johnny:] Played by the DJ
On the radio
You know, the Coke is in the icebox
[Bruce Springsteen:] Hey, Johnny!
I said, the popcorn's on the table!
[Southside Johnny:] Popcorn!
Me and my baby
Are out here on the floor

[Southside and Springsteen:] 'Cause we're havin' a party
Everybody's swingin'
Dancin' to the music
On the radio
So listen, Mister DJ
Oh, keep those records playin'
'Cause I'm havin' such a good time
Dancin' with my baby

[Southside Johnny:] Hold on!
I know everybody's swingin'
What'd you say about that one?
[Steven Van Zandt:] I know always doin' the twist now, always, baby!
[Southside Johnny:] If you take requests, well, well, well
[Steven Van Zandt:] I got a few for you, Brucie, tell 'em, tell 'em now!
[Bruce Springsteen:] Would you play that song called "Soul Twist"?
[Southside Johnny:] And play the one called "I Know"
[Southside and Van Zandt:] Oh, sweet baby
No other song will do

[Southside and Springsteen:] We're havin' a party
Everybody's swingin'
Dancin' to the music
On the radio
So listen, Mister DJ
Keep those records playin'
'Cause I'm havin' such a good time
Dancin' with my baby
[Southside Johnny:] Five weeks for you, Hot Willie on guitar here!

Oh!

[Bruce Springsteen:] Clarence, brother, play that rhythm!

Oh, yeah!

[Southside Johnny:] I know everybody's swingin'
Sally's out there doing the boogaloo, shuffle, hully-guy
[Bruce Springsteen:] I see 'em!
[Southside Johnny:] If you take requests, (hey!) babe
I got a few for you
[Bruce Springsteen:] Won't you play that song called "Soul Twist"
[Southside Johnny:] Play that one called "I Know"
[Bruce Springsteen:] Don't forget the "Sue Me"
[Southside Johnny:] I do that one, Sue Me!
[Bruce Springsteen:] Any song will do

[Southside and Springsteen:] We're havin' a party
Everybody's swingin'
Dancin' to the music
On the radio
So listen, Mister DJ
Oh, keep those records playin'
'Cause I'm havin' such a good time, out there
Dancin' with my baby
[Southside Johnny:] We have to take it up -- take it up!

[Southside and Springsteen:] We're havin' a party
Everybody's swingin'
Dancin' to the music
On the radio
So listen, Mister DJ
Keep those records playin'
'Cause I'm havin' such a good time
Dancin' with my baby
[Southside Johnny:] You sing it, you sing it!

[Southside and Springsteen:] We're havin' a party
Everybody's swingin'
Dancin' to the music
On the radio
So listen, Mister DJ
Keep those records playin'
'Cause I'm havin' such a good time
Dancin' with my baby
'Cause I'm havin' such a good time
Dancin' with my baby, yeah
I'm havin' such a good time
Dancin' (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
[Southside Johnny:] Oh, yeah, baby!
Said, I'm dancin'
[Bruce Springsteen:] Yeah, I'm dancin', huh
[Southside Johnny:] Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh! Oh! (laughs)
[Bruce Springsteen:] Whoa!
[Southside Johnny:] Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme that thing!
You better do it.
You gotta relax, people, 'cause we got a long way to go yet, baby!
With my...
[Southside and Springsteen:] Baby

Baby, it's all right, baby, it's all right, oh, baby, it's all right, baby, it's all right, baby, it's all right, baby, it's all right, oh, baby, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right, oh, yeah, it's all right, yeah, whoa!

Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
All right


Info

The above lyrics are for the live 31 Dec 1977 performance of HAVING A PARTY at Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ, with the E Street Band and Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. This version of HAVING A PARTY features a bit of Curtis Mayfield's IT'S ALL RIGHT as an intro.

The 31 Dec 1977 Show

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes were the headliners for the 31 Dec 1977 show at Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ. The new year's eve concert was broadcast live on WNEW-FM. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band made an unscheduled appearance at the end of the show, joining the Jukes onstage for a few songs. Springsteen and the band then kicked into a 5-song set of their own. Only the first two songs of this unscheduled portion of the show were broadcast on radio. The remaining three were not broadcast at the request of Springsteen himself, but audience and soundboard recordings of those songs are available.

Promotional poster for the 31 Dec 1977 show at Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ
Promotional poster for the 31 Dec 1977 show at Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ
(Taken from Wolfgang's Vault)
Ticket stub for the 31 Dec 1977 show at Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ
Ticket stub for the 31 Dec 1977 show at Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ
(Taken from Brucebase)

  1. HAVING A PARTY
  2. THE FEVER
  3. I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME
  4. (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER
  5. LITTLE LATIN LUPE LU
  6. YOU CAN'T SIT DOWN
  7. BACKSTREETS
  8. BORN TO RUN
  9. QUARTER TO THREE

The first four tracks feature Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band with Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. The remaining five feature only Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

The Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band portion of the 31 Dec 1977 show at Capitol Theatre was commercially released in Europe. Since 2005 some enterprising record labels in Europe (mostly in the UK) have been releasing Bruce Springsteen radio and TV broadcasts (and some soundboard recordings) from the seventies, eighties, and nineties. Though these releases are not authorized by Bruce Springsteen or his record company, they are lawful due to a legal loophole in Europe.

Bruce Springsteen -- Live At The Capitol Theatre Passaic, NJ December 31st 1977
Bruce Springsteen -- Live At The Capitol Theatre Passaic, NJ December 31st 1977

Digital album - BKC (no catalog number) - UK, 2015

This is a download-only digital album. It contains part of the 31 Dec 1977 show (Springsteen's set with the E Street Band) at Capitol Theatre.
Bruce Springsteen -- Passaic NJ, 1977
Bruce Springsteen -- Passaic NJ, 1977

Digital album - Lilith Records (no catalog number) - UK, 2016

This is a download-only digital album. It contains part of the 31 Dec 1977 show (Springsteen's set with the E Street Band) at Capitol Theatre.
Bruce Springsteen -- Don't Go Home Yet
Bruce Springsteen -- Don't Go Home Yet

LP - Roxborough Music (ROXMB010) - UK, 2018

This release contains part of the 31 Dec 1977 show (Springsteen's set with the E Street Band) at Capitol Theatre.

Credits

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

Available Versions

List of available versions of HAVING A PARTY on this website:

HAVING A PARTY [Live 30 May 1976 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 13 May 1977 (early show) version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 13 May 1977 (late show) version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 13 Sep 1977 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 31 Dec 1977 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 31 Aug 1978 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 15 Aug 1982 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 02 Aug 1987 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 09 Aug 1987 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 24 Jun 1993 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 16 Jul 1994 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Live 29 Apr 2003 version]
HAVING A PARTY [Original Sam Cooke version]

Page last updated: 04 Oct 2011