SANTA ANA

Tracks version

From the tin rooftop the little boy did watch
The procession down through town
Through the museum where Daniel whupped the Devil
With them boys from the underground
Where the Giants of Science fight for tight control
Over the wildlands of New Mexico
Sam Houston's ghost's in Texas fighting for his soul
And the townsfolk rest uneasy beneath the guns of Kid Colt
And the kid says "Hey, where is Santa Ana?"
He who could romance the dumb into talking
Take a chance with me tonight, my contessa
If it don't work out I ain't lame, I can walk, hey!
Now some folks think cancer's taken to the streets of this town
Well Sandy eats her candy and then lays her money down
Them cats are in from the canyons to strut their stuff in town
But there's only secret sinners here
Lord, there's only secret thieves
Only a fool would try to save
What the desert chose to leave
And now hey there senorita
With your playboys in their Spanish bandanas
French cream won't soften those boots, baby*
French kisses will not break your heart, oh*

Oho, oho, oho, oho, oho, oho, ohh**

Oh painted night set free with light
Glows outside the Rainbow Saloon
Matching braces with a Spanish lady
'Neath a graduation moon
No more colleges, there's no more coronations
Some punk's idea of a teenage nation
Has forced Santa Ana to change his station
From soldier to cartoon
And the Giants of Science spend their days and nights
Not with wives, not with lovers, but searchin' for the lights
They spotted in the desert on their helicopter flights
Just to be lost in the dust and the night
Hey now my contessa, in your juke joint rags you always bring candy for the kids
Come waltz with me tonight senorita
'Cause only fools are alone on a night like this, oh!

Woahhh, ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Woahhh, you're callin' come on darlin'
Alright!**
Woahhhhh**
Woahhh, alright**
Woah, ha, woah**

Page last updated: 06 Sep 2007

SANTA ANA is known under several titles: HEY SANTA ANA, CONTESSA, and THE GUNS OF KID COLE. It was written by Bruce Springsteen in late 1972 or early 1973, and recorded during the recording sessions of The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle album, which were held at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY, between mid-May 1973 and mid-Sept 1973. To be more specific, the song was initially recorded sometime between 22 and 15 May 1973 or sometime between 17 and 20 Jun 1973. That original recording circulated widely on several bootlegs, including Forgotten Songs (Traveling Productions), The Early Years (Early Records), Prodigal Son (unknown label), Prodigal Son (Crystal Cat Records), Unearthed (Masquerade Music), and The Unsurpassed Springsteen Vol. 5 (Yellow Dog Records).

Keyboardist David Sancious joined the E Street Band on 22 Jun 1973. The above-mentioned recording was mixed on 28 Jun 1973 at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY, and has never circulated prior to its emergence on the Tracks box set in 1998. It includes piano courtesy of David Sancious, a layer of acoustic guitar by Bruce, calypso percussion by Richard Blackwell, additional vocals by Bruce (**), and Suki Lahav's voice in the group vocal mix. However, the flute playing by Clarence Clemons heard on the original version has been entirely removed from this mix.

SANTA ANA was included on a US-Only 12-inch acetate in 1974. The acetate was pressed especially as a demo for Bruce Springsteen's UK music publishing company, "Intersong Music", in order to find artists interested in covering his material. The acetate has white label with handwritten song titles. This disc - or at least an early-generation tape copy of it - was reportedly used as the master for the above-mentioned Forgotten Songs bootleg CD in the early '90s.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street band were headlining at the 2nd Annual Halloween Concert on 29 Oct 1972 show at National Guard Armory, Long Branch, NJ. One attendee has a memory of both SANTA ANA and ZERO AND BLIND TERRY being played at that gig, but that seems unlikely given other information about Bruce's creation process for these two compositions; there is no audio of this show in circulation.

It is known that Bruce Springsteen performed the song live at a handful of shows between Apr and Jun 1973, two of which are confirmed:

• 24 Apr 1973 at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA (check out the live 24 Apr 1973 version)
• 31 May 1973 at the Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA

The song reappeared more than three decades later, when it was performed on piano and harmonica 5 times during the end of the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour:

• 09 Nov 2005 at Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA (check out the live 09 Nov 2005 version)
• 13 Nov 2005 at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
• 16 Nov 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
• 19 Nov 2005 at Seminole Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, FL
• 21 Nov 2005 at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ

The above lyrics refer to the official studio version that was released on the Tracks box set. Check also the live 24 Apr 1973 version and the live 09 Nov 2005 version.

* Those lines later appear on SHE'S THE ONE.
** These vocals were added on the mix that was released on Tracks.

Most of the info on the recording and live versions of SANTA ANA are taken from Brucebase. Info on the 12-inch acetate are taken from the Lost In The Flood website.

Track credits:
Produced by Mike Appel and Cretecos
Recorded by Louis Lehav
Mixed by Ed Thacker