STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA

Official studio version

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I was bruised and battered, I couldn't tell what I felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
Saw my reflection in a window and didn't know my own face
So brother are you gonna leave me wasting away
On the streets of Philadelphia

(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)

I walked the avenue 'til my legs felt like stone
I heard the voices of friends vanished and gone
At night I could hear the blood in my veins
Just as black and whispering as the rain
On the streets of Philadelphia

(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)

Ain't no angel gonna greet me
It's just you and I my friend
And my clothes don't fit me no more
I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin

The night has fallen, I'm lying awake
I can feel myself fading away
So receive me brother with your faithless kiss
Or will we leave each other alone like this
On the streets of Philadelphia

(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)
(Li-li li-li-li, li-li li-li-li)

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Info

STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA is a song written by Bruce Springsteen for the 1993 movie Philadelphia and first released on the film's soundtrack album in 1994. This marks the first time that Springsteen wrote a song specifically for a movie. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's official studio version of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA as released in 1994.

The song won many awards including Academy Award For Best Original Song, beating out Neil Young's PHILADELPHIA, which was also written for the same movie. It also won Grammy Award For Song Of The Year, Grammy Award For Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or Television, Grammy Award For Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, and Grammy Award For Best Rock Song and was nominated for Grammy Award For Record Of The Year.

The Philadelphia - Music From The Motion Picture album was released on 04 Jan 1994 and was issued internationally. The STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA single was commercially released in February 1994. See the "Single Release" section below for more details.

The official studio version of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was included on the Greatest Hits (1995 edition) compilation album, The Essential Bruce Springsteen (both 2003 and 2015 editions) compilation album, the Collection: 1973-2012 compilation album, and the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album.

Writing

The Philadelphia soundtrack began taking shape in early 1993. Neil Young was the first artist to sign on, at director Jonathan Demme's request, and then other artists followed. Glenn Brunman, senior VP of Epic Soundtrax, contacted Jon Landau suggesting that the project would be right for Bruce Springsteen. Demme, who had met Springsteen in 1985 on the video shoot for SUN CITY, then discussed the project over the phone with Springsteen. "They discussed the mood of the film, but Bruce neither read the script nor saw the film when he wrote the song," Landau told Billboard.

According to longtime Springsteen producer Chuck Plotkin, Springsteen initially didn't commit to doing the track, but was so moved by Demme's description of the film that he entered his home studio to write what would become STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA. "Jonathan [Demme] told him not simply about the story, but about the atmosphere and the main character in such sufficient depth that it began to work on Bruce," Plotkin told Billboard. "Bruce's gift is to locate the heart in some character's dilemma... I don't think he has ever set out to write something about a character that didn't come from his own experience or imagination, but he certainly managed to do it this time."

Springsteen wrote STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA around June 1993 at his home studio in Rumson, NJ, after the conclusion of his World Tour 1992-1993. "I went in with some lyrics I had partially written dealing with the death of a close friend," Springsteen wrote in his 1998 book Songs. "Jonathan requested a rock song to open the film. I spent a day or so trying to accommodate, but the lyrics I had seemed to resist being put to rock music. I began to fiddle with the synthesizer, playing over a light hip-hop beat I programmed on the drum machine. As soon as I slowed the rhythm down over some basic minor chords, the lyrics fell into place and the voice I was looking for came forward."

Recording

Springsteen first recorded STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA as a solo demo in August 1993 at Thrill Hill West, his home studio in Los Angeles, CA. He handled vocals, guitar, synthesizer, and drum machine. The track was produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin. In later sessions, they attempted to dress up the track with live drums and other instrumentation, but ultimately went with the original demo. Background vocals by 1992-1993 touring band bassist Tommy Sims, which were added during the later sessions, were kept and used on the released version. "That's the only thing that Bruce didn't actually do himself that survived," Plotkin said.

Five edits of the official studio version of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA were released.

• One edit clocks at around 4:13 ─ the instrumental intro is 0:40 long and the instrumental outro is about 1:23 long. It can be found on the Canadian issue of the Philadelphia - Music From The Motion Picture album and the U.S. 1993 advance promotional 1-track issues of the Streets Of Philadelphia single (see the "Single Release" section below for more details). It can also be found on the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album.
• One edit clocks at around 3:52 ─ the instrumental intro is 0:40 long and the instrumental outro is about 1:02 long. It can be found on the European issue of the Philadelphia - Music From The Motion Picture album.
• One edit clocks at around 3:50 ─ the instrumental intro is 0:40 long and the instrumental outro is about 1:00 long. It can be found in general on the USA 1994 issues of the Streets Of Philadelphia single and EP (see the "Single Release" section below for more details).
• One edit clocks at around 3:47 ─ the instrumental intro is 0:40 long and the instrumental outro is about 0:57 long. It can be found in general on the European 1994 issues of the Streets Of Philadelphia single and EP as well as the Japanese issue of the Streets Of Philadelphia EP (see the "Single Release" section below for more details).
• One edit clocks at around 3:15 ─ the instrumental intro is 0:30 long and the instrumental outro is about 0:35 long. It can be found on the Greatest Hits (1995 edition) compilation album, The Essential Bruce Springsteen (both 2003 and 2015 editions) compilation album, and the Collection: 1973-2012 compilation album.

The version used for the song's 1993 music video is the same core recording as the official studio version, except that it features alternate vocals over the same instrumental track. See the 1993 music video version for more details. A less known live music video was recorded in 1994. See the 1994 music video version for more details.

STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was again recorded in October 1993. According to Brucebase, it was apparently cut at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, CA. It was produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin and features Springsteen on lead vocal, instrumentation provided by Springsteen and jazz virtuoso Ornette Coleman, bass and background vocals by Tommy Sims, and additional background vocals by Little Jimmy Scott. That version was allegedly scheduled to be the officially released one up to early December 1993 when it was nixed at the last minute. The song's music video, which originally featured Little Jimmy Scott extensively, had already been shot and had to be re-shot. A brief snippet of the October 1993 version, including the tell-tale vocals of Little Jimmy Scott, can actually be heard about half an hour into the Philadelphia movie, though it's the August 1993 version (the official studio version) that plays during the opening sequence.

STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was registered at the U.S. Copyright Office on 27 Aug 1993.

Copyright entry:
Type of Work: Music
Registration Number / Date: PAu001786627 / 1993-08-27
Title: Streets of Philadelphia.
Description: Sound cassette + lyrics sheet.
Notes: Words & music.
Copyright Claimant: Bruce Springsteen
Date of Creation: 1993
Names: Springsteen, Bruce

Single Release

STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was Springsteen's highest-charting hit in the UK and his first top 10 single in the U.S. since TUNNEL OF LOVE in 1988. It also was a hit and topped the charts in many countries.

STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was (commercially) released as a single on 02 Feb 1994. The single was issued internationally. The song was also included in 1996 on the second UK issue of the Secret Garden EP which was released to promote the Jerry Maguire movie soundtrack.

Greatest Hits 1995 Edition

Greatest Hits (1995 edition) is a collection of some of Bruce Springsteen's hit singles and popular album tracks through the years, in addition to four previously unreleased songs, three of which were recorded with the E Street Band in 1995 — Springsteen's first release with his backing band since the late eighties. Some of the songs on Greatest Hits are shorter versions of the original album releases.

In 1994, Bruce Springsteen recorded an album with members of the 1992-1993 touring band. His manager Jon Landau wasn't a fan of the project and recommended shelving it and focusing more on a "career overview". This lead to the Greatest Hits sessions with the E Street Band in 1995. Springsteen called the band in early January to record some new songs for the album and they assembled for the recording sessions on 09 Jan 1995 at The Hit Factory in New York City, NY. The sessions, which lasted about ten days, were the band's first studio reunion in 11 years (since the Born In The U.S.A. sessions) and their first ever with Nils Lofgren.

Greatest Hits was released on 27 Feb 1995 on Columbia Records. It was commercially successful, debuting at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 where it stayed on the chart for 32 weeks. It also peaked at #1 in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and many European countries. By 2008 the album had sold more than four million copies in the United States.

In 2013, Sony Music reissued the album in Venezuela as part of its Star Collection series, which was made exclusively for the Venezuelan market via Sony Music Venezuela in 2013. The album is titled after the series and features totally different artwork. Just like on Greatest Hits, the songs are shorter versions of the original album releases.

In the Greatest Hits liner notes, Springsteen wrote about STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA: "Jonathan Oemme asked me for a song for his movie. (I'd like to thank the Academy!!)"

The Essential Bruce Springsteen

The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album released as part of Sony BMG'S (previously Sony Music Entertainment) series of "Essential" sets. According to Springsteen's liner notes comments, the collection was intended as an introduction to his music for new fans who attended shows on The Rising Tour.

The collection is fundamentally a 2-disc set (clocking at 153:37) compiling songs from all of Springsteen's studio albums to date plus his Live In New York City release. A 3-disc limited edition (clocking at 201:04) was also released. It includes a bonus third disc comprising of a selection of rarities and previously unreleased recordings.

The Essential Bruce Springsteen was released on 11 Nov 2003 on Columbia Records. It debuted and peaked at #14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart where it spent 13 weeks. It also reached #28 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was awarded certified gold and platinum records by the RIAA on 16 Dec 2003.

The Essential Bruce Springsteen was reissued on 16 Oct 2015, this time as a 2-disc set (clocking at 156:25) with an updated track list, compiling songs from all of Springsteen's studio albums to date plus his Greatest Hits (1995 edition) collection. This 2015 reissue features remastered tracks not found in that form on other Springsteen releases.

Collection: 1973-2012

Collection: 1973-2012 is a Bruce Springsteen compilation album released on Columbia Records in 2013. It was released on 08 Mar 2013 in Australia and 15 Apr 2013 in Europe. The compilation was not released commercially in the United States. Instead, a promotional version was given out exclusively to $1,500 ticket holders at the "MusiCares Person Of The Year" tribute event held in Los Angeles, CA, on 08 Feb 2013. The event honoured Springsteen for both his artistic achievements and philanthropic efforts. The compilation consists of 18 previously released studio tracks.

Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-

Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- is a Bruce Springsteen compilation album released by Sony Music Japan in 2023. The compilation, which was exclusively released in Japan, consists of previously released 35 audio tracks and 62 video tracks. The collection is part of a 26-title reissue campaign to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's debut album. The series, issued in three waves (25 Oct 2023, 22 Nov 2023, and 20 Dec 2023), includes 25 albums originally released between 1973 and 2014 plus a new compilation album that includes all of Springsteen's singles released in Japan from 1975 to 1999. All audio CD's were manufactured using Sony Japan's Blu-spec CD2 format.

Other Official Releases

The official studio version of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA appears on some various artists albums.

Other versions of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA were also officially released.

Live History: on-tour

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

In preparation for The Reunion Tour, STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was performed during both of the tour's two public warm-up rehearsal shows that took place in March 1999 in Asbury Park. The song is also known to have been practiced during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in March 1999 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg and during the private rehearsal that took place in April 1999 in Barcelona the day before the tour kicked off in Spain.

STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was performed 12 times during what is known as The Reunion Tour (132 dates, April 1999 to July 2000). On this tour, the song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement. The live 25 Sep 1999 version of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was released on the First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999 official live download in 2020.

Live History: off-tour

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was performed off-tour on 08 Sep 1994 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY, during the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement. The live 08 Sep 1994 version of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA was released on the MTV Video Music Awards - Select Performances home video in 1995.

Appearance in Movies

Bruce Springsteen's STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA appears in one movie.

Covers

At least 191 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA.

Request

Please contact me if you have scans or info about any official release containing the official studio version of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA that's not mentioned on this page. There's reportedly a Canadian pressing of the Streets Of Philadelphia EP with catalog number 44K 77383.

Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can send an email at or use the below form.

Available Versions

List of available versions of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA on this website:

STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA [Official studio version]
STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA [1993 music video version]
STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA [1994 music video version]
STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA [Live 08 Sep 1994 version]
STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA [Live 25 Sep 1999 version]

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Page last updated: 29 Jan 2019