Live 22 Sep 1992 version
[Spoken intro:] A song for the man who just yelled out. Give me the acoustic guitar. Just me and the Professor on this one, way back to our youths. I was in this hairdressing salon. This is true, I used to live on a third floor apartment, where there was a drugstore, and there was this, uh, there was an abandoned hairdressing salon, actually, and somebody had left the place and for some reason left all, like the, those old-fashioned, big 50's driers and, and everything still in the place, and had one of those old time head massagers, like those three suction cups that sit on your head and like, you know, make your whole face do. And it was worse 'cause I lived on the third floor and I'd actually have to walk through it every night. When I was a kid, I didn't like uh, I never liked the, the dark, you know. I always used to sleep with the light on. I used to cry if my, you know, Dad used to turn out the light. So I used to, uh [some people: Aaw]. Hey, this is uh, this is the hard, the hard, hard cold truth here. (chuckles) But uh, so I used to have to walk through this abandoned hairdressing salon every night, from one end to the other. It was really scary, it was. Anyway, I wrote this song, I, I don't know why I wrote, I made that whole story up. The whole thing, there wasn't a word of truth in any of it. (chuckles) Alright, where were we?
Well, I stood stone-like at midnight suspended in my masquerade
I combed my hair till it was just right, commanded the night brigade
Well, I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch
I strode all alone into a fallout zone, came out with my soul untouched
Hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I stood up
Ooh, oooh, growin' up
Well the flag of piracy flew from my mast, my sails were set wing to wing
I had a jukebox graduate for first mate, she couldn't sail but she sure could sing
Well I pushed B-52 and bombed 'em with the blues with my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, never once gave thought to landing
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I threw up
Ooh, oooh, growin' up
Aah, come on Professor!
I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere and you know it's really hard to hold your breath
I swear I lost everything I ever loved or feared, I was the cosmic kid in full costume dress
My feet they finally took root in the earth but I got me a nice little place in the stars
I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I stood up
Ooh, oooh, growin' up
Ooh, oooh, growin' up
[Spoken:] Patti! Come on up! Mi amore! I don't know!
The above lyrics are for the live 22 Sep 1992 performance of GROWIN' UP at Warner Hollywood Studios (Stage #4) in Los Angeles, CA, during the taping of Springsteen's episode of MTV Unplugged. This was a stripped-down rendition with Bruce Springsteen playing guitar and accompanied only by Roy Bittan on keyboards. It was released on the In Concert / MTV Plugged home video in 1992, and the audio was released on the Streets Of Philadelphia maxi single in 1994 (see the "Other Official Releases" section below). The spoken intro is edited out on the Streets Of Philadelphia maxi single.
MTV Unplugged is a popular MTV series that began in the 1989/1990 TV season and first aired on 26 Nov 1989. Produced by Viacom and most frequently directed by Milton Lage and Beth McCarthy, the program showcases popular musicians primarily known for playing electric amplified instruments (usually the electric guitar and electric bass) performing live using only acoustic instruments.
During a break in his World Tour 1992-1993, Bruce Springsteen was booked on 22 Sep 1992 for the taping of an episode of MTV Unplugged. The taping took place at Warner Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Springsteen opened the show with a solo acoustic version of RED HEADED WOMAN, but he then brought his 1992-93 touring band onstage, and in a twist on the program's theme, put the plug back in and played a full-band concert — though there were also stripped down renditions of GROWIN' UP and THUNDER ROAD. Reportedly Springsteen had been unhappy with the touring band's rehearsals of acoustic arrangements, and this was what led him to break the unplugged format.
Springsteen was the first to insist on an electric performance, and MTV executives were reportedly furious at his decision to abandon the acoustic format of the show. "When you have the chance to work with Bruce Springsteen, he can do what he wants," MTV Unplugged producer Alex Coletti told UK's Q magazine. "It was a fantastic show, and it still had a lot of Unplugged's feel. It was very small, very intimate, very loose, and that's all part of what makes Unplugged special. But it was very loud!" To make best of the situation, the "Un" was crossed out from "Unlugged", and the concert premiered on MTV on 11 Nov 1992 as MTV Plugged.
A VHS release of the show preceded any audio release, coming out on 15 Dec 1992. It was titled In Concert / MTV Plugged, with "Plugged" written as "UnPlugged" on the cover art. The concert was not released in its complete form, but the home video release included the complete broadcast in addition to two bonus tracks, LIVING PROOF and IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND. In Concert / MTV Plugged was also released on LaserDisc on 31 Jan 1993, which included all the tracks found on the VHS release, in addition to a third bonus track, ROLL OF THE DICE.
The audio album of the same title was released for a limited time in Europe (on CD, cassette, and double disc vinyl) on 12 Apr 1993 to promote the 1993 European (and final) leg of World Tour 1992-1993. It was not released in the United States until 26 Aug 1997. The album contains 13 tracks only, omitting five songs from the broadcast, but it includes the two bonus tracks from the VHS release.
Side 1:
Side 2:
Side 3:
Side 4:
In Concert / MTV Plugged was reissued on DVD on 09 Nov 2004. The DVD release includes the same 19 tracks found on the LaserDisc release.
GROWIN' UP and THE BIG MUDDY, which were included on the home video release but not on the subsequent audio album, were officially released on the Streets Of Philadelphia maxi single in 1994.
The 22 Sep 1992 rehearsal and concert at Warner Hollywood Studios were 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.
In addition to its release on the MTV Plugged home video releases, the live 22 Sep 1992 performance of GROWIN' UP was also included on the Streets Of Philadelphia EP in 1994. It was also included on the Live & Rare European EP in 2003. In 1995, the song was included on a US-only CD-Rom release containing performances from musicians who appeared on MTV Unplugged, plus biographies, rare footage and photos of unplugged performances.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
Please contact me if you have scans or info about any official release containing the live 22 Sep 1992 version of GROWIN' UP 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.
List of available versions of GROWIN' UP on this website:
GROWIN' UP [Album version]
