POINT BLANK

Album version



Do you still say your prayers little darling, do you go to bed at night
Praying that tomorrow everything will be alright
But tomorrow's fall in number, in number one by one
You wake up and you're dying, you don't even know what from

Well, they shot you point blank
You been shot in the back, baby, point blank
You been fooled this time, little girl, that's a fact
Right between the eyes, baby, point blank
Right between the pretty lies that they tell

Little girl you fell

You grew up where young girls they grow up fast
You took what you were handed and left behind what was asked
But what they asked baby wasn't right
You didn't have to live that life
And I was gonna be your Romeo, you were gonna be my Juliet
These days you don't wait on Romeos, you wait on that welfare check
And on all the pretty things that you can't ever have
And on all the promises

That always end up point blank
Shot between the eyes, whoa, point blank
Like little white lies you tell to ease the pain
You're walking in the sights, girl, of point blank
And it's one false move and, baby, the lights go out

Once I dreamed we were together again, baby, you and me
Back home in those old clubs the way we used to be
We were standing at the bar, it was hard to hear
The band was playing loud and you were shouting something in my ear
You pulled my jacket off and as the drummer counted four
You grabbed my hand and pulled me out on the floor
You just stood there and held me and you started dancing slow
And as I pulled you tighter I swore I'd never let you go
Well I saw you last night down on the avenue
Your face was in the shadows but I knew that it was you
You were standing in the doorway out of the rain
You didn't answer when I called out your name
You just turned and then you looked away
Like just another stranger waiting to get blown away

Point blank, right between the eyes
Whoa, point blank, right between the pretty lies you fell
Point blank, you been shot right through the heart
Yeah, point blank, you've been twisted up till you've become just another part of it
Point blank, you're walking in the sights
Point blank, living one false move, just one false move away
They caught you in their sights
Point blank, did you forget how to love, girl, did you forget how to fight.
They must have shot you in the head
'Cause point blank, bang bang, baby you're dead


PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Info

POINT BLANK 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 POINT BLANK as released in 1980.


Writing and Recording

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

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

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Bruce Springsteen -- Hungry Heart
Bruce Springsteen -- Hungry Heart

12" EP - CBS / Sony (XDAP 93030) - Japan, 1981

Japan-only promotional EP, also known under the title "The Killer Tracks From 'The River'".

A1- HUNGRY HEART
A2- THE RIVER
B1- I WANNA MARRY YOU
B2- POINT BLANK
Bruce Springsteen -- From The film: Dead End Street
Bruce Springsteen -- From The Film: Dead End Street

12" EP - CBS (DJ 428) - Israel, 1982

Israel-only promotional EP issued to promote a local movie called "Dead End Street" ("Kvish L'Lo Motzah" in Hebrew). See the "Appearance in Movies" section below for more details about the film.

A1- JUNGLELAND
A2- HUNGRY HEART
A3- POINT BLANK

Other versions of POINT BLANK were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Roxy July 7, 1978
The live 07 Jul 1978 version of POINT BLANK was released on The Roxy July 7, 1978 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- September 19, 1978
The live 19 Sep 1978 version of POINT BLANK was released on the September 19, 1978 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ September 20, 1978
The live 20 Sep 1978 version of POINT BLANK was released on the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ September 20, 1978 official live download in 2017.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- September 30, 1978
The live 30 Sep 1978 version of POINT BLANK was released on the September 30, 1978 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen -- The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story
The live 08 Dec 1978 version of POINT BLANK was released on The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set in 2010.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Winterland 12/15/78
The live 15 Dec 1978 version of POINT BLANK was released on the Winterland 12/15/78 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Winterland 12/16/78
The live 16 Dec 1978 version of POINT BLANK was released on the Winterland 12/16/78 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Arizona State University, Tempe 1980
The live 05 Nov 1980 version of POINT BLANK was released on the Arizona State University, Tempe 1980 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Nassau Coliseum, New York 12/29/80
The live 29 Dec 1980 version of POINT BLANK was released on the Nassau Coliseum, New York 12/29/80 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Wembley Arena June 5, 1981
The live 05 Jun 1981 version of POINT BLANK was released on the Wembley Arena June 5, 1981 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999
The live 25 Sep 1999 version of POINT BLANK was released on the First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen -- Stockholm 2005
The live 25 Jun 2005 version of POINT BLANK was released on the Stockholm 2005 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- MSG Nov 08, 2009
The live 08 Nov 2009 version of POINT BLANK was released on the MSG Nov 08, 2009 official live download in 2018.

Live History: on-tour

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Live History: off-tour

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Appearance in Movies

Bruce Springsteen's album version of POINT BLANK appears in one movie.

Promotional poster for the film "Dead End Street"
Kvish L'Lo Motzah

The 1982 Israeli film Dead End Street ("Kvish L'Lo Motzah" in Hebrew), directed Yaky Yosha and starring Yehoram Gaon and Anat Azmon, is the first ever theatrical film to feature the music of Bruce Springsteen. It uses three Springsteen songs: JUNGLELAND (used in two places ─ only the dramatic final chords), HUNGRY HEART (used in two places), and POINT BLANK (used in four places, including over the opening and the closing credits). The three songs were also included in the film's promo-only soundtrack EP.

Director Yaky Yosha was a fiend of Suki Lahav, then the wife of Louis Lahav, who was Springsteen's recording engineer between 1972 and 1975. Suki Lahav also sang backing vocals and played violin during the recording sessions for The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle and Born To Run, but most of her parts did not make it to released form, with the exception of the choir-like backing vocals on 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY), the violin on JUNGLELAND, and harmony vocals on ZERO AND BLIND TERRY. She also she joined the E Street Band on the road for six months as a guest violinist and backing singer.

In an interview published in issue #16 (Winter/Spring 1986), Suki Lahav told Backstreets magazine: "About four years back, a film producer friend of mine wanted to use three of Bruce's songs for an Israeli film of his. He had trouble getting the okay from CBS. So I called Bruce up on the phone. It took a few days to find him at home but in the end he answered. He was really pleased to hear from me and right away said that there's no problem in using these songs. He was really nice about it."

Covers

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

At least 4 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's POINT BLANK.

Ostbahn-Kurti & Die Chefpartie -- Ostbahn-Kurti & Die Chefpartie
Ostbahn-Kurti & Die Chefpartie -- Ostbahn-Kurti & Die Chefpartie

LP - Ariola (206 695) - Austria, 1985
CD - Ariola (256 695) - Austria, 1989

Includes three Bruce Springsteen covers: FIRE, HEARTS OF STONE, and POINT BLANK. POINT BLANK is a German adaptation titled "Blattschuss".
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.
Rob Hirsch -- A Tribute To The Boss
Rob Hirsch -- A Tribute To The Boss

CD - no label (no catalog number) - Austria, 2015

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Greg Von Teig -- The Prisoner Of His Dreams: Greg Von Teig Plays Bruce Springsteen
Greg Von Teig -- The Prisoner Of His Dreams: Greg Von Teig Plays Bruce Springsteen

CD - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2016

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, available in downloadable digital form and on CD. The digital version contains two tracks not found on the CD issue: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN and IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY.

References

Some of the above info about the studio recording and the live performances is taken from Brucebase.

Available Versions

List of available versions of POINT BLANK on this website:

POINT BLANK [Album version]
POINT BLANK [Live 07 Jul 1978 version]
POINT BLANK [Live 19 Sep 1978 version]
POINT BLANK [Live 30 Sep 1978 version]
POINT BLANK [Live 15 Dec 1978 version]
POINT BLANK [Live 28 Oct 1995 version]
POINT BLANK [Live 03 Jul 2009 version]
POINT BLANK [Live 13 Apr 2012 version]

Page last updated: 25 Dec 2015