The Gaslight Anthem's album version
What's that you say?
I knew you when?
You don't look too much like my friend
Those history books
Filled up with crooks
Stories I don't want to read again
I've tried to live
One thousand years from here
When I think of it now
It just brings me down
When I think of you now
And when I think of it now
It just brings me down
When I think of you now
I'm keeping time
One day goes by
I try to live till the next one
But these history books
Full of haunted looks
From people I don't want to see again
'Cause I've learned to live
They try to hold me here
When I think of it now
It just brings me down
When I think of it now
And when I think of it now
It just brings me down
When I think of you now
You just remind me of the nights of smoke and dirty jokes
Darkened rooms with lonely ghosts
And they were beautiful some time ago
But time keeps rolling us on
When I think of it now
It just brings me down
When I think of you now
And when I think of you now
It just brings me down
When I think of you now
You just remind me of the nights of smoke and dirty jokes
Darkened rooms with lonely ghosts
And they were beautiful some time ago
But time keeps rolling us on
Rolling us on
Rolling us on
Rolling us on
Rolling us on
Rolling us on
Rolling us on
HISTORY BOOKS is a song written by Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz and released by The Gaslight Anthem on their 2023 album History Books. The above lyrics are for The Gaslight Anthem's album version of HISTORY BOOKS as released in 2023.
HISTORY BOOKS is the album's title track and second single. It features a guest appearance by Bruce Springsteen on duet vocals ─ he sings the second verse ("I'm keeping time...").
In 2015, the Gaslight Anthem entered an indefinite hiatus, with the band members pursuing new projects and solo careers. Over time, the band's lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist Brian Fallon began to soften on the idea of reviving the band. This culminated in a 2021 meeting with Bruce Springsteen in which Fallon openly discussed his desire to reunite the band, but also his trepidation about doing so. "The E Street Band took a big break, too," Fallon said about the moment he approached Springsteen for advice. "It was going to seek the guy on the hill for wisdom, but really, it was Federici's Pizza in Freehold [New Jersey]. But some mythical work was done at that table. We brought the band back together."
In an interview with Kerrang!, Fallon said that he decided to "use the bat phone" for the first time ever ─ to seek the advice of Bruce Springsteen. He texted him saying that he needs to talk to him and that it's about the band. "And he's like, 'I'm free on Thursday.' And I didn't realize that the Thursday that he met me was on his birthday. He went out of his way to meet me for pizza on his birthday. And I had a legit talk with him about, 'Where do I begin? How do I do this? Here are the problems...' and he just laid it out for me. He understood that he has knowledge and experience, and it's invaluable. What's good is that somebody like that would take the time to share with me some advice that I truly believe probably helped the band get back together."
"Hey, why don't you write us a duet? I'll come sing with you," Springsteen later texted Fellon. "When Bruce Springsteen said I should write a duet for us, I think my head exploded," Fallon said in a press release. "It will never get old to me that one of the greatest songwriters in the world, and the voice of one of my heroes will forever be captured in a song I wrote at a small wooden desk, in October, in New Jersey."
The press release described HISTORY BOOKS as "a heavy-hearted track about the power in letting go of what no longer serves you." Fallon elaborated: "I think forgiveness is so important on so many levels, but I've learned that in some cases you need to cut ties with the people who've done you harm."
Of Bruce Springsteen's guest appearance on the album, Fallon told the Associated Press, "There's definitely a little wink in there," alluding to the longstanding comparisons made between the band's sound and Springsteen's. "Some people kind of wrote us off. It's like 'Now write this off.' We've got the approval of the guy! What are you going to say? You can't say anything!"
HISTORY BOOKS was first released on 21 Jul 2021 as the second single from The Gaslight Anthem's then upcoming album. The single was released on the same day the History Books album was officially announced.
A music video for HISTORY BOOKS was released on The Gaslight Anthem 's YouTube channel on 21 Jul 2023 to coincide with the single release. It was written and directed by long-time band photographer Kelsey Ayres. The video does not feature Bruce Springsteen or The Gaslight Anthem.
History Books is The Gaslight Anthem's sixth studio album and their first in nine years. It was announced on 21 Jul 2023 and was released on 27 Oct 2023 on Rich Mahogany Recordings and marketed and distributed by Thirty Tigers. This marks The Gaslight Anthem's first release on their own label, Rich Mahogany Recordings. The album recoded in December 2022 at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT and produced by Peter Katis.
History Books is available as a single-disc CD and as a single-disc LP, as well as digital download and streaming. Four editions of the vinyl release were issued: a regular edition on black vinyl, a gatefold 180-gram edition on black vinyl exclusive to The Gaslight Anthem's official webstore, an Indie edition on yellow vinyl exclusive to independent retailers, and a "Ten Bands One Cause" edition on pink vinyl also exclusive to The Gaslight Anthem's official webstore. Proceeds from the "Ten Bands One Cause" edition benefit the Red Door Community, an organization that provides community support for both those diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.
The first time Bruce Springsteen and Brian Fallon crossed paths onstage was on 22 Dec 2008 at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ, when Springsteen made an unscheduled guest appearance at Bobby Bandiera's Hope Concert. As far as it's known, Springsteen and Fallon were not onstage at the same time.
Bruce Springsteen made a guest appearance with The Gaslight Anthem on 27 Jun 2009 at Worthy Farm in Pilton, England, during their set at the Glastonbury Festival. He joined them onstage for THE '59 SOUND. Later that day, Brian Fellon made a guest appearance with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band during their set at the Glastonbury Festival. He joined them onstage on NO SURRENDER.
The same was repeated the following day. Bruce Springsteen made a guest appearance with The Gaslight Anthem on 28 Jun 2009 at Hyde Park in London, England, during their set at Hard Rock Calling. He joined them onstage for THE '59 SOUND. Later that day, Brian Fellon made a guest appearance with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band during their set at Hard Rock Calling. He joined them onstage on NO SURRENDER.
Springsteen again made a guest appearance with The Gaslight Anthem on 09 Dec 2011 at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ. He joined them onstage for AMERICAN SLANG.
Springsteen appeared on The Gaslight Anthem's 2023 album History Books, singing duet vocals on HISTORY BOOKS.
Bruce Springsteen has never performed HISTORY BOOKS live.
List of available versions of HISTORY BOOKS on this website:
HISTORY BOOKS [The Gaslight Anthem's album version]
