FOR YOU [Album version]

Princess cards she sends me with her regards
Whoa, barroom eyes shine vacancy, to see her you gotta look hard
Wounded deep in battle, I stand stuffed like some soldier undaunted
To her Cheshire smile I'll stand on file, she's all I ever wanted
Oh, but you let your blue walls get in the way of these facts
Honey, get your carpetbaggers off my back
You wouldn't even give me time to cover my tracks
You said, "Here's your mirror and your ball and jacks"
But they're not what I came for, and I'm sure you see that too

I came for you, for you, I came for you, but you did not need my urgency
I came for you, for you, I came for you, but your life was one long emergency
And your cloud line urges me, oh, and my electric surges free

Oh, crawl into my ambulance, your pulse is getting weak
Oh, reveal yourself all now to me girl while you've got the strength to speak
'Cause they're waiting for you at Bellevue with their oxygen masks
But I could give it all to you now if only you could ask
Whoa, and don't call for your surgeon, even he says it's too late
It's not your lungs this time, it's your heart that holds your fate
Don't give me my money, honey, I don't want it back
You and your pony face and your union jack
We'll take your local joker and teach him how to act
I swear I was never that way even when I really cracked
Didn't you think I knew that you were born with the power of a locomotive
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?
And your Chelsea suicide with no apparent motive
You could laugh and cry in a single sound
Alright
Mmm

And your strength is devastating in the face of all these odds
Remember how I kept you waiting when it was my turn to be the god

You were not quite half so proud when I found you broken on the beach
Oh, remember how I poured salt on your tongue and hung just out of reach
And the band they played the homecoming theme as I caressed your cheek
Yeah, that ragged, jagged melody, she still clings to me like a leech
But that medal you wore on your chest always got in the way
Like a little girl with a trophy so soft to buy her way
We were both hitchhikers but you had your ears tuned to the roar
Of some metal-tempered engine on an alien, distant shore
So you left to find a better reason than the one we were living for
And it's not that nursery mouth I came back for
It's not the way you're stretched out on the floor
'Cause I've broken all your windows and I've rammed through all your doors
And who am I to ask you to lick my sores?
And you should know that's true

I came for you, for you, I came for you, but you did not need my urgency
I came for you, for you, I came for you, your life was one long emergency
And your cloud line urges me, oh, and my electric surges free
Oooooh, ooh ooh

Page last updated: 18 Jan 2012

Intro

Music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, FOR YOU is the seventh track on his 1973 debut album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

The above lyrics are for Springsteen's studio version of FOR YOU as released on Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.. This album version was also included on The Essential Bruce Springsteen compilation album in 2003.

Bruce Springsteen performed FOR YOU during an audition for Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos on 14 Feb 1972. See the "1971-1972 Auditions" section below for more details. According to Brucebase, FOR YOU was apparently a shorter, not fully realized version of a song that Bruce seems not to have gotten around to finishing until the sessions for the first album were underway.

Composition and Recording

Though its literal storyline is fiction, FOR YOU was inspired by Springsteen's impermanent breakup with Diane Lozito in late 1971. Lozito was his girlfriend between summer 1971 and early 1975. See ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) for more about Diane Lozito. Introducing FOR YOU on 03 Jun 1978 in Uniondale, NY, Springsteen told the crowd: "This is a song I wrote back in, I guess, in 1971. I was [...] living on top of this drug-store in Asbury Park and I didn't have a band. I was playing by myself. I was doing some gigs at old Gaslight Cafe and Max's Kansas City by myself. And I remember I was breaking up with this girlfriend and I went away for a week and I came back and she'd painted all the walls to my room black... That's not true, I made that, I made that up... actually she'd painted 'em all blue."

FOR YOU was recorded during the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album recording sessions, sometime between early July and early September 1972 at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar and sings vocals on this track, and is backed by Vini Lopez on drums, David Sancious on piano and keyboards, and Garry Tallent on electric bass. The track, as well as the whole album, was produced by Mike Appel and Jimmy Cretecos.

1971-1972 Auditions

On 04 Nov 1971, Carl "Tinker" West, then-manager of The Bruce Springsteen Band, drove Bruce Springsteen to New York City to introduce him to Mike Appel, a songwriter who carried on his songwriting activities jointly with Jim Cretecos. Appel was then employed at Pocketful Of Tunes Inc., Wes Farrell's publishing company in New York City, NY, and the meeting to place at Pocketful Of Tunes. Springsteen performed two or three songs, some on piano and some on acoustic guitar. Only Appel and West were present at this first meeting. Appel has stated in interview that he was not particularly impressed by what he heard at this initial audition but did see raw creativity in the lyrics of BABY DOLL. That performance was not recorded and the titles of the other song(s) performed remain unclear. Appel indicated an interest in promoting them in some way and the meeting ended with an agreement to keep in touch but no commitments from either party.

Meanwhile Springsteen continued gigging with The Bruce Springsteen Band in New Jersey and Virginia and visited his family in California for a few weeks around the holidays. The next meeting between Springsteen and Appel took place on 14 Feb 1972. Springsteen performed a set of seven songs at Appel's office at Pocketful Of Tunes. The songs were performed live solo on acoustic guitar to an audience of three: Mike Appel, Jim Cretecos, and Bob Spitz. Unfortunately that performance was not recorded. IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY was performed a second time at the request of Appel who reportedly was dazzled the lyrics. After that performance Appel and Cretecos began putting the wheels in motion to sign Springsteen to a comprehensive range of contracts.

In March 1972, it was agreed that Appel and Cretecos would promote Springsteen's interests. For that purpose, Appel and Cretecos formed three partnerships owned equally by the two: Laurel Canyon Management to act as Springsteen's manager, Laurel Canyon Productions to cover his recording activities, and Sioux City Music Inc to cover his songwriting activities. In the meantime, Springsteen entered into an "Exclusive Management Contract" with Laurel Canyon Management and an "Exclusive Recording Contract" with Laurel Canyon Productions, but did not sign any songwriting agreement at this time, apparently wishing to think this matter over a bit longer. The two contracts were signed at Appel's office.

Appel wanted to sign Springsteen to Columbia Records. He could not arrange a meeting with label head Clive Davis but was able to arrange one with CBS A&R Manager and talent scout John Hammond. An informal private audition took place around 10:30 AM on 02 May 1972 in Hammond's office in the A&R Department at Columbia Records in New York City. John Hammond and Mike Appel were the only two present at the audition. All songs were performed on acoustic guitar and the performance, which lasted about 30 to 40 minutes, was not recorded but based on the collective recollections of the attendees at least the following four songs were played:

In a 1980 interview, Hammond mentioned he wasn't all that enamored with MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS, but that he loved all the other songs that Springsteen performed that morning. "It was a big, big day for me," Springsteen told Mark Hagen in an interview for Mojo magazine published in January 1999. "I was twenty-two and came up on the bus with an acoustic guitar with no case which I'd borrowed from the drummer from The Castiles. I was embarrassed carrying it around the city. I walked into [John Hammond's] office and had the audition and I played a couple of songs and he said, 'You've got to be on Columbia Records. But I need to see you play. And I need to hear how you sound on tape.'"

Springsteen said that he and Mike Appel "walked all around the Village trying to find some place that would let somebody just get up on stage and play. We went to the Bitter End, it didn't work out. We went to another club. And finally we went to the old Gaslight on MacDougal Street and the guy says, 'Yeah, we have an open night where you can come down and play for half an hour'. There were about 10 people in the place and I played for about half an hour." The performance took place at the Gaslight Au Go Go club in New York City. No recording has emanated from this club appearance which lasted about 30 minutes and included just 4 or 5 songs. Both Springsteen and Appel have mentioned these two tracks as having been played:

John Hammond was impressed. "The kid absolutely knocked me out," he told Newsweek in 1975. "I only hear somebody really good once every ten years, and not only was Bruce the best, he was a lot better than Dylan when I first heard him." As Springsteen recalled, Hammond said, "Gee, that was great. I want you to come to the Columbia Recording Studio and make a demo tape". He invited Springsteen back to CBS to make a studio demo audition tape the following day. Springsteen said, "A demo I made at Bill Graham's studio in San Francisco in '69 was the only other time I'd ever been in a real recording studio. Columbia was very old-fashioned: everybody in ties and shirts; the engineer was in a white shirt and a tie and was probably 50, 55 years old, it was just him and John and Mike Appel there, and he just hits the button and gives you your serial number, and off you go. I was excited. I felt I'd written some good songs and this was my shot. I had nothing to lose and it was like the beginning of something."

Springsteen's first "formal" studio audition for CBS took place on 03 May 1972 at CBS Studios in New York City. The session consisted of 12 songs. Click on any of the below links for more details.

Four of the tracks recorded during that demo session would be officially released in 1998 on the Tracks box set. John Hammond's introduction of the audition was kept intact at the start of MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS which opens the box set. Hammond was prepared to sign Bruce on the spot but administrative formalities within CBS meant that it would take several weeks for that to become reality. According to Clinton Heylin's 2012 book E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Hammond send Clive Davis a dub of the audition and a memo saying: "Here is a copy of a couple of the reels of Bruce Springsteen, a very talented kid who recorded these twelve songs in a period of around two hours last Wednesday... I think we better act quickly because many people heard the boy at The Gaslight so that his fame is beginning to spread." Davis responded the next day, "I love Bruce Springsteen! He's an original in every respect. I'd like to meet him if you can arrange it."

Springsteen told Mark Hagen, "I knew a lot about John Hammond, the work he'd done, the people he'd discovered, his importance in music and it was very exciting to feel you were worth his time. No matter what happened afterwards, even it was just for this one night, you were worth his time. That meant a lot to me. He was very encouraging – simply being in that room with him at the board was one of my greatest recording experiences."

According to Heylin, Hammond thought that Springsteen might be better off on the Epic subsidiary, but Mike Appel intercepted: "[Hammond] decided that Bruce should be with the younger people at Epic and not with the stodgier, older people at Columbia – and he got this in his head. I always felt that Columbia was the classiest label on the planet. I just always saw [Bruce's] record going round on that red label, just like Dylan's did."

About a week following the audition, Springsteen entered into an "Exclusive Songwriting Contract" with Sioux City Music Inc and a new/revised "Exclusive Management Contract" with Laurel Canyon Management. The two contracts were signed at the office of New York attorney Jules Kurz, a sole practitioner specializing in music and entertainment law who was then handling Appel and Cretecos' business affairs. This new management agreement replaced the one from March and made changes in remuneration and compensation rates between the parties; it was a better deal for Springsteen than the previous one.

Following the signing of the agreements, Springsteen began a series of demo sessions for Sioux City Music Inc in May and June 1972. The session took place at two locations in New York City: Wes Farrell's Pocketful Of Sounds Studios where Appel was then still employed, and the apartment of Jim Cretecos. There were multiple sessions held at each location and the session dates at the two locations may have actually intertwined. Cretecos' apartment was utilized due to the limited availability of the studio at Pocketful Of Sounds. Cretecos was an electronics engineer and was able to emulate a reasonable recording environment in his apartment, so much so that it is difficult to distinguish some of the recordings Bruce made in Cretecos' apartment from those made in a professional studio.

On 09 Jun 1972 Laurel Canyon Productions (describing itself as Laurel Canyon Productions Inc) entered into a recording agreement with CBS Records. This meant that Springsteen was not signed directly to CBS, but his services were subcontracted to CBS by Laurel Canyon. Under the recording agreement, all individual recordings made by Springsteen under the CBS agreement remained the property of Laurel Canyon Productions until such point that they were assigned and transferred to CBS. This contract was signed by CBS at CBS Records offices and by Mike Appel at Laurel Canyon Productions offices. Bruce Springsteen signed it too, on the hood of a car in a dimly lit bar parking lot in New York City. Appel had him sign it as a matter of courtesy and as a matter of endorsement – from a legal standpoint it was not necessary that Springsteen signs this agreement as the "Exclusive Recording Agreement" between him and Laurel Canyon Productions did not grant him the right to block or refuse this contract between Laurel Canyon Productions and CBS. The contract was varied in August 1972 to also cover the master tapes of certain songs which had been recorded prior to the date of the agreement.

Mike Appel and Jimmy Cretecos later decided to change their business structure and model. They wanted to cease the partnership model and incorporate their businesses with the two having a 50/50 split in shares of the new incorporated business entities. These matters did not involve Springsteen – his signature or permission was not required. Laurel Canyon Productions (the sound recordings partnership) became Laurel Canyon Limited (incorporated) on 28 Jun 1972, Sioux City Music Inc (the songwriting partnership) became Sioux City Music Limited (incorporated) on 05 Oct 1972, and Laurel Canyon Management (the management partnership) became Laurel Canyon Management Limited (incorporated) on 05 Mar 1973. The three new companies were incorporated in New York and Appel and Cretecos were appointed the first directors. Appel and Cretecos wanted to change the name of Sioux City to Laurel Canyon in order to have name consistency among their family of companies, so on 24 Apr 1973 Sioux City Music Limited changed its name to Laurel Canyon Music Limited. In January 1974 Jimmy Cretecos sold his 50% shareholding in each of the Laurel Canyon companies to Mike Appel, thus Appel becoming the sole owner of the companies.

Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

After signing the contract with CBS Records, Laurel Canyon Productions was to receive an immediate cash advance from CBS and this money was to be used to pay for the studio time to record Springsteen' debut album. A delay by CBS in delivering the advance money to Laurel Canyon Productions resulted in delaying the sessions till early July 1972. During June Springsteen had finalized the selection of the musicians that would be used for the initial sessions. The musicians chosen, with an ok from Appel and Cretecos, constituted the entire lineup of the former Bruce Springsteen Band: David Sancious on keyboards, Gary Tallent on bass, Vini Lopez on drums, and Steve Van Zandt on quitar. Van Zandt ended up partaking in almost none of the 914 Sound Studios band sessions because of a prior commitment to tour as a member of The Dovells backing group.

The recording sessions for Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. spanned a period of five months, from early June to late October 1972 (the majority were in June), and they all took place at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY. The core "band" sessions were completed in only about two weeks. No unreleased band recordings from the debut album sessions have surfaced. Following these band sessions the various band members scattered. It should be noted that Springsteen had not decided to form a touring band at this stage.

Springsteen spent the next few weeks recording solo material. It was during this period that differences of opinion surfaced about what material was going to dominate the eventually released album. There were two sides in this disagreement: Mike Appel and John Hammond wanted a solo-dominated LP while Jim Cretecos was in favor of a band-dominated one. Springsteen was undecided at first, but soon sided with Cretecos. Appel later said that he was so impressed by Bruce's lyrics and told him, "Who needs a band when you can write lyrics like that?" In early August a compromise was reached and the album track selection was decided upon, featuring five band recordings (DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET, GROWIN' UP, IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY, FOR YOU, and LOST IN THE FLOOD) and five solo recordings (THE ANGEL, MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS, JAZZ MUSICIAN, ARABIAN NIGHTS, and VISITATION AT FORT HORN). On 10 Aug 1972 Laurel Canyon transferred the sound recording copyrights to these ten songs to CBS. It seemed the album was finalized, but when then CBS president Clive Davis listened to the tracks he commented that not only did he prefer the band tracks, but he also felt the album lacked a potential hit single. In essence Davis was siding with Springsteen's vision of the album as being more rock-orientated.

In August 1972 Springsteen composed two more commercial-sounding songs, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT and SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT. Consequently a further "band" session was required. However both Sancious and Tallent, then-employed at Alpha Sound Studios in Richmond, NJ, were unable to return to New York to record. Bruce wished to incorporate saxophone in both new songs and contacted Clarence Clemons, a then-member of Norman Seldin & The Joyful Noyze. So the studio session lineup for these two songs was Clemons, Lopez, and Springsteen who played all other instruments, except for the piano on BLINDED BY THE LIGHT which was handled by Harold Wheeler. BLINDED BY THE LIGHT and SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT were completed by early September. These two band recordings bumped three solo recordings: JAZZ MUSICIAN, ARABIAN NIGHTS, and VISITATION AT FORT HORN. Therefore the final album was reduced from 10 tracks to 9, encompassing 7 band tracks and 2 solo tracks. Columbia Records' original intention was to release the album in late November 1972, but decided the album might get overlooked among the massive amount of pre-Christmas releases so the LP was held back for until early January.

Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. was released on Columbia Records on 05 Jan 1973. It was produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. The album received mixed but mostly positive reviews and some critics found it under-produced, as Appel and Cretecos tried to spend as little as possible from Columbia's $65,000 advance and recording budget. The album sold 25,000 copies only in its first year of release and did not chart until the summer of 1975 when the hype over the BORN TO RUN single attracted buyers to Springsteen's earlier albums.

Unofficial Release

A slightly different mix (but same instrumentation and vocal recording) of the album version of FOR YOU was released on the briefly-legal album The Early Years (Early Records). See PRODIGAL SON for more details.

The Essential Bruce Springsteen

The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album released on 11 November 2003 on Columbia Records. It's part of a series of "Essential" sets released by Sony BMG (previously Sony Music Entertainment). Per liner notes comments by Springsteen, the collection was intended as an introduction to his music for new fans who attended shows on The Rising Tour; hence, it includes songs from every Springsteen album since his debut. The album was available as a 2-disc set (which clocks at 153:23) and as a limited edition 3-disc set (which clocks at 200:45). For the latter, the third disc contained a selection of rarities and previously unreleased recordings.

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

Other Official Releases

In addition to its release on the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album, FOR YOU was also released on the B-side of the SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT single. Issued only in the U.S. in May 1973, this was the second of two singles released off the album and it failed to appear on the music charts. The disc came in a die-cut Columbia logo sleeve, and some stock copies were also distributed as promos with promotional stickers added to the labels. This is one of the rarest Springsteen records, mainly due to its virtually non-existent original sales. The catalogue number is COL 4-45864.

In 1988, FOR YOU was included on The Future Of Rock'n'Roll / 70's To 80's, a Japan-only promotional 2-CD set sampler compiling 28 tracks from Springsteen's first nine albums plus two 1988 live B-sides. This release has catalogue number CBS/SONY XADP 90009-10 and is considered the rarest Springsteen CD sampler.

Disc 1: (70's)

THUNDER ROAD [live 18 Oct 1975]
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
RACING IN THE STREET
KITTY'S BACK
BADLANDS
GROWIN' UP
PROVE IT ALL NIGHT
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)
BACKSTREETS [live 07 Jul 1978]
FOR YOU
TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
THE PROMISED LAND
ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [live 07 Jul 1978]
BORN TO RUN

Disc 2: (80's)

BORN IN THE USA [live 30 Sep 1985]
BRILLIANT DISGUISE
DANCING IN THE DARK
CADILLAC RANCH [live 06 Jul 1981]
WALK LIKE A MAN
WAR [live 30 Sep 1985]
JOHNNY 99
HUNGRY HEART [live 28 Dec 1980]
I WANNA MARRY YOU
MY HOMETOWN [live 30 Sep 1985]
THE RIVER
GLORY DAYS
OUT IN THE STREET
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [live 27 Apr 1988]
SPARE PARTS
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [live 28 Dec 1980]

In 1992, FOR YOU was included on Tougher Than The Rest, a UK-only promotional CD sampler issued in limited quantities to tie in with the 1992 Wembley shows and contains 16 tracks from Springsteen's albums up to 1992. This release has catalogue number COL XPCD 192.

The live 18 Nov 1975 version of FOR YOU was officially released on Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 CD and DVD in 2005. The live 07 Jul 1978 version was first officially released on the B-side of the Fire (Live) European single in 1987. The live 19 Nov 2006 version was released on the Bruce Springsteen With The Sessions Band PBS Exclusive CD EP in 2007.

Live History

FOR YOU is known to have been performed at least 3 times during the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour. Very little is known about the 1972 and 1973 shows, and therefore, the song must've been played on some more dates. The only circulating version from the tour was a full-band album-style performance from Richmond, with an unusual piano intro. See the live 14 Feb 1973 version for more details. It is not known how the other known performances were played.

FOR YOU is known to have been performed at least 30 times during The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song must have been played on some more dates. Of these performances, 19 were played in a solo piano arrangement, while 3 were in a full-band album-style arrangement; it is unknown in what arrangement the remaining performances were played.

26 Oct 1973 at Geneva Theatre, Geneva, NY (unknown style)
30 Oct 1973 (late show) at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA (full band)
31 Oct 1973 (late show) at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA (full band)
17 Nov 1973 at Roxy Theatre, Philadelphia, PA (solo piano)
06 Dec 1973 at Childe Harold, Washington, DC (solo piano)
06 Jan 1974 at Joe's Place, Cambridge, MA (solo piano)
12 Jan 1974 at The Joint In The Woods, Parsippany, NJ (full band)
25 Jan 1974 at The Mosque, Richmond, VA (unknown style)
12 Feb 1974 at University Of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (unknown style)
03 Mar 1974 (late show) at Georgetown University, Washington, DC (solo piano)
09 Mar 1974 (late show) at Liberty Hall, Houston, TX (solo piano)
10 Mar 1974 (late show) at Liberty Hall, Houston, TX (solo piano)
24 Mar 1974 at Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ (solo piano)
05 Apr 1974 at Widener College, Chester, PA (solo piano)
06 Apr 1974 at Burlington County College, Pemberton, NJ (unknown style)
10 Apr 1974 (early show) at Charlie's Place, Cambridge, MA (unknown style)
19 Apr 1974 at State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ (solo piano)
26 Apr 1974 at Brown University, Providence, RI (unknown style)
09 May 1974 (late show) at Harvard Square Theatre, Cambridge, MA (solo piano)
24 May 1974 at War Memorial Theatre, Trenton, NJ (solo piano)
02 Jun 1974 at The Toledo Agora, Toledo, OH (solo piano)
20 Sep 1974 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA (solo piano)
22 Sep 1974 at Kean College, Union, NJ (unknown style)
05 Oct 1974 at Albright College, Reading, PA (unknown style)
05 Feb 1975 at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA (solo piano)
06 Feb 1975 at Widener College, Chester, PA (solo piano)
07 Feb 1975 at Widener College, Chester, PA (solo piano)
19 Feb 1975 at Penn State University, University Park, PA (solo piano)
23 Feb 1975 at Westbury Music Fair, Westbury, NY (solo piano)
08 Mar 1975 at DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC (solo piano)

FOR YOU is known to have been performed at least 25 times during the Born To Run Tour: 23 times during the 1st leg (73 know dates / 81 known shows, between July and December 1975) and 2 times during the 2nd leg (35 know dates, between March and May 1976). The 1976 portion of the tour would soon be nicknamed the "Chicken Scratch Tour" by the road crew because of the high proportion of secondary market, southern state locations. Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Born To Run Tour, the 1st leg in particular. On the tour's 1st leg, the song was played in a solo piano arrangement. Neither of the two known versions from the 2nd leg is in circulation; the one from Louisville was played in a solo piano arrangement, but it is not clear in what arrangement the version from Pittsburgh was performed. Although every previous performance of the tour had been solo piano, the Pittsburgh version was performed midset, which means that most likely it was performed full band. Audio and video for the complete 18 Nov 1975 show at Hammersmith Odeon in London, England, was released in 2005 on the Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 CD and DVD. See the live 18 Nov 1975 version for more details.

13 Aug 1975 (late show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
15 Aug 1975 (late show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
17 Aug 1975 (early show) at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
23 Aug 1975 at Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom, Atlanta, GA
26 Oct 1975 at Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, WA
01 Nov 1975 at University Of California, Santa Barbara, CA
11 Nov 1975 at Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, FL
18 Nov 1975 at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England
21 Nov 1975 at Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden
23 Nov 1975 at RAI Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
24 Nov 1975 at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England
03 Dec 1975 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
05 Dec 1975 at Georgetown University, Washington, DC
10 Dec 1975 at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
11 Dec 1975 at Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
12 Dec 1975 at C.W. Post College, Greenvale, NY
16 Dec 1975 at State University Of New York, Oswego, NY
17 Dec 1975 at Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
20 Dec 1975 at National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Canada
21 Dec 1975 at Seneca College, Toronto, Canada
27 Dec 1975 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
28 Dec 1975 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
30 Dec 1975 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
02 Apr 1976 at Macauley Theatre, Louisville, KY
15 Apr 1976 at Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA

In preparation for the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour, FOR YOU was practiced on 19 May 1978 at Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ, during the only known/confirmed private rehearsal prior to the tour's start.

FOR YOU is known to have been performed at least 41 times during the 111-date-long Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour, mostly in the tour's first two months. A few setlists from that period are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour. On this tour, the song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement. The 07 Jul 1978 performance in West Hollywood, CA, was officially released on the B-side of the Fire (Live) European single in 1987. See the live 07 Jul 1978 version for more details.

23 May 1978 at Shea's Buffalo Theatre, Buffalo, NY
24 May 1978 at Palace Theatre, Albany, NY
26 May 1978 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
27 May 1978 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
30 May 1978 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
31 May 1978 at Music Hall, Boston, MA
02 Jun 1978 at Halsey Field House, Annapolis, MD
03 Jun 1978 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
05 Jun 1978 at Sports Arena, Toledo, OH
08 Jun 1978 at Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, WI
09 Jun 1978 at MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, WI
10 Jun 1978 at Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, MN
14 Jun 1978 at Civic Auditorium Music Hall, Omaha, NE
16 Jun 1978 at Memorial Hall, Kansas City, KS
20 Jun 1978 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
24 Jun 1978 at Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR
25 Jun 1978 at Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, WA
26 Jun 1978 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, Canada
29 Jun 1978 at San Jose Center For The Performing Arts, San Jose, CA
30 Jun 1978 at Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA
01 Jul 1978 at Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA
05 Jul 1978 at The Forum, Inglewood, CA
07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
08 Jul 1978 at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ
09 Jul 1978 at San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA
12 Jul 1978 at Dallas Convention Center Theater, Dallas, TX
14 Jul 1978 at San Antonio Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, TX
15 Jul 1978 at Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX
16 Jul 1978 at Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, LA
18 Jul 1978 at Jackson Municipal Auditorium, Jackson, MS
21 Jul 1978 at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN
28 Jul 1978 at Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, FL
14 Aug 1978 at Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA
22 Aug 1978 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
23 Aug 1978 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
25 Aug 1978 at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT
26 Aug 1978 at Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
09 Sep 1978 at University Of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
01 Oct 1978 at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
25 Nov 1978 at Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO
01 Jan 1979 at Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH

FOR YOU is known to have been performed at least 42 times during the 138-date-long The River 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. The song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement.

11 Oct 1980 at Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL
13 Oct 1980 at Saint Paul Civic Center Arena, Saint Paul, MN
28 Oct 1980 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
01 Nov 1980 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
28 Nov 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
01 Dec 1980 at Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
02 Dec 1980 at Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY
04 Dec 1980 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY
06 Dec 1980 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
08 Dec 1980 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
09 Dec 1980 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
11 Dec 1980 at Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
12 Dec 1980 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
15 Dec 1980 at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
16 Dec 1980 at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
18 Dec 1980 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
20 Jan 1981 at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
28 Jan 1981 at Checkerdome, St. Louis, MO
29 Jan 1981 at Iowa State University, Ames, IA
02 Feb 1981 at Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, WI
04 Feb 1981 at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
07 Feb 1981 at University Of Illinois, Champaign, IL
12 Feb 1981 at Municipal Auditorium, Mobile, AL
13 Feb 1981 at Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
15 Feb 1981 at Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, FL
18 Feb 1981 at Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL
22 Feb 1981 at Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, SC
23 Feb 1981 at The Omni, Atlanta, GA
25 Feb 1981 at Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN
28 Feb 1981 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
02 Mar 1981 at Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA
04 Mar 1981 at Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
19 Jul 1981 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
29 Jul 1981 at Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
04 Aug 1981 at Capital Centre, Largo, MD
11 Aug 1981 at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
17 Aug 1981 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
21 Aug 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
10 Sep 1981 at Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
11 Sep 1981 at Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL

In preparation for Tunnel Of Love Express Tour, FOR YOU is known to have been practiced during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in late January and early February 1988 at Expo Theater in Fort Monmouth, NJ, prior to the tour's first leg. See the live 28 Jan 1988 version for more details. The song was not played on any of the tour's regular dates.

FOR YOU was performed once during the 102-date-long World Tour 1992-1993, on 07 Aug 1992 in East Rutherford, NJ. The song was played in a stripped-down arrangement featuring only Bruce Springsteen and Roy Bittan.

FOUR YOU was performed 4 times during the 128-date-long The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour. The two versions from 1996 were played with Springsteen on acoustic guitar and with Danny Federici guesting on accordion, and the two version from 1997 were straightforward solo acoustic guitar renditions.

In preparation for The Reunion Tour, FOR YOU was performed during one of the tour's two public warm-up rehearsal shows that took place in March 1999 in Asbury Park. It was played in a full-band album-style arrangement.

FOR YOU was performed 5 times during the 132-date-long The Reunion Tour. The song was played in its full-band album-style arrangement.

FOR YOU was performed during both 2000 Asbury Park holiday shows. These concerts were billed as "Bruce Springsteen with The Max Weinberg 7 and Friends", with The Max Weinberg 7 serving as the house band, and Springsteen bringing guests on and off the stage throughout the shows. On these shows the song was played in a piano arrangement with Springsteen backed by the Max Weinberg 7, plus the Redheaded Women (Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell, and Lisa Lowell) who provided light backing vocals.

FOR YOU was performed on the morning of 30 Jul 2002 at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ, prior to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's live broadcast on The Today Show. The song was played in a solo acoustic arrangement. See the live 30 Jul 2002 (morning) version for more details.

FOR YOU was performed off-tour on the second of the two DoubleTake Magazine benefit shows in February 2003 at Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA. The song was played in a solo piano arrangement. See the live 20 Feb 2003 version for more details.

FOR YOU was performed 12 times during the 120-date-long The Rising Tour. The song was played 8 times in a version featuring Springsteen on piano and Patti Scialfa (and sometimes Soozie Tyrell) on backing vocals, and 4 times in the usual full-band album-style arrangement.

25 Sep 2002 at United Center, Chicago, IL (piano version)
04 Oct 2002 at Fleet Center, Boston, MA (piano version)
06 Oct 2002 at First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA (full band version)
18 Oct 2002 at Palamalaguti, Bologna, Italy (piano version)
22 Oct 2002 at Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (piano version)
24 Oct 2002 at Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden (piano version)
04 Nov 2002 at Compaq Center, Houston, TX (piano version)
23 Nov 2002 at American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL (piano version)
06 Mar 2003 at Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA (piano version)
21 Jul 2003 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (full band version)
09 Aug 2003 at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA (full band version)
07 Sep 2003 at Fenway Park, Boston, MA (full band version)

FOR YOU was performed off-tour on 02 Dec 2004 at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, PA, during the "Flood Aid '04" benefit concert. The song was played solo on acoustic guitar. See the live 02 Dec 2004 version for more details.

FOR YOU was performed off-tour during the second of the two holiday jam shows that were held on 19 Dec 2004 at Harry's Roadhouse in Asbury Park, NJ. The song was played in a solo acoustic guitar arrangement. See the live 19 Dec 2004 (late show) version for more details.

In preparation for the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour, FOR YOU was performed during both of the tour's two public warm-up rehearsal shows that took place in April 2005 in Asbury Park. It was played in a solo piano arrangement. The song is also known to have been practiced during at least two of the private rehearsals that took place in March and April 2005 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg.

FOR YOU was performed 16 times during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour. The song was always played in a solo piano rendition (see the live 31 Jul 2005 version), except once, on 11 Aug 2005 in Seattle, when it was played in a solo acoustic guitar rendition (see the live 11 Aug 2005 version).

25 Apr 2005 at Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI
28 Apr 2005 at Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, TX
30 Apr 2005 at Glendale Arena, Glendale, AZ
07 May 2005 at Colorado Convention Center Lecture Hall, Denver, CO
02 Jun 2005 at Palacio De Deportes De La Comunidad De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
04 Jun 2005 at Palamalaguti, Bologna, Italy
15 Jun 2005 at Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
19 Jun 2005 at Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
28 Jun 2005 at ICC Berlin, Berlin, Germany
14 Jul 2005 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
28 Jul 2005 at Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA
31 Jul 2005 at Value City Theatre, Columbus, OH
11 Aug 2005 at Keyarena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
12 Oct 2005 at Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN
21 Oct 2005 at Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, RI
30 Oct 2005 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA

FOR YOU was performed twice during the 56-date-long The Seeger Sessions Tour; on the last two shows of the tour. The song was played in a radically revamped full-band arrangement. The 19 Nov 2006 performance in Dublin was exclusively released on the Bruce Springsteen With The Sessions Band PBS Exclusive CD EP in 2007. See the live 19 Nov 2006 version for more details.

FOR YOU was performed 7 times during the 100-date-long Magic Tour. The song was played three times in a solo piano arrangement and four times in its traditional full-band arrangement. The first one, a full-band performance from 15 Oct 2007 in Toronto, Canada, was the last ever (and the only of the tour) to feature Danny Federici.

15 Oct 2007 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada (full band)
28 Mar 2008 at The Rose Garden, Portland, OR (full band)
30 Apr 2008 at John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA (full band)
27 Jun 2008 at Parc Des Princes, Paris, France (solo piano)
29 Jun 2008 at Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark (solo piano)
18 Aug 2008 at Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA (solo piano)
23 Aug 2008 at Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO (full band)

FOR YOU was performed 7 times during the 83-date-long Working On A Dream Tour. The song was played five times in its traditional full-band arrangement, and twice in a solo piano arrangement.

22 Apr 2009 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA (full band)
04 May 2009 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (full band)
11 Jul 2009 at RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland (full band)
22 Aug 2009 at Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA (full band)
25 Oct 2009 at Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO (solo piano)
20 Nov 2009 at 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD (solo piano)
22 Nov 2009 at HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY (full band, complete Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. album performed)

FOR YOU was also performed on 22 May 2010 during a benefit gala for Gateway School held in New York City, NY. The song was played solo on piano.

FOR YOU was performed off-tour on 04 Nov 2010 and 03 Nov 2011 at Soldiers And Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh, PA, when Bruce Springsteen appeared at Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers concerts. The song was played solo acoustic on guitar and harmonica. See the live 04 Nov 2010 version for more details.

Covers

Available Versions

Credits / References

Some of the above info about the studio recording and the live performances is taken from Brucebase. Info for some of the above BLINDED BY THE LIGHT cover releases is taken from the Nebraska website.

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