IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND

25 Sep 1999 sound-check version




Bruce Springsteen (spoken):One, two, three, four

Bruce Springsteen:We said we'd walk together, baby, come what may
That come the twilight should we lose our way
But if as we're walking a hand should slip free
I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me

Steven Van Zandt:We swore we'd travel, darling, side by side
We'd help each other stay in stride
But each lover's steps fall so differently
I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me

Nils Lofgren:Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true
But you and I know what this world can do
Patti Scialfa:So let's make our steps clear so the other may see
Lofgren and Scialfa:And I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me

Clarence Clemons:[sax solo]

Clarence Clemons:There's a beautiful river in the valley ahead
There 'neath the oak's bough soon we will wed
Bruce Springsteen:Should we lose each other in the shadow of the evening trees
I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
Clarence Clemons:I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
Patti Scialfa:Well I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
Steven Van Zandt:I'll wait for you, should I fall behind, baby, wait for me
Nils Lofgren:Darling, I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
All:I'll wait for you, and should I fall behind wait for me

Info

The above lyrics are for a performance of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND filmed during the sound-check prior to the 25 Sep 1999 show at First Union Center in Philadelphia, PA. The video was shot by director Jonathan Demme with a single camera on 16mm film and in one unedited take. Kyle Rudolph was the director of photography.

The previously unreleased video was included on Springsteen's The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 in 2001 and was included on the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album. It was also posted on Bruce Springsteen's VEVO YouTube channel in February 2014.


Date and Location

The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 DVD credits and liner notes do not specify when and where the IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND video was filmed. All what's noted is: "Director: Jonathan Demme (2000)". There have been different claims that the video was filmed at First Union Center in Philadelphia in 1999, at United Center in Chicago in 1999, and at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2000.

In the Fall 1999 issue (#64) of Backstreets magazine, it was reported that Jonathan Demme filmed a performance video of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND during the Chicago stand — Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played three shows at United Center in Chicago, IL, on 27, 28, and 30 Sep 1999.

At the time when The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 DVD was released, it was stated in a press release that appeared in some fanzines that the IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND video was recorded in "2000 live at Madison Square Garden with the E Street Band".

However, a frame taken from the IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND video, from the same video shoot or even from the same take, was published in the Spring 2000 of the now-defunct DoubleTake magazine (compare the below scan with the above video). The film frame was captioned "From If I Should Fall Behind. A 16mm documentary." The accompanying article clearly describes the 21 Sep 1999 show at First Union Center, but never claims that the frame came from Philadelphia. Also note that the Spring 2000 issue of the magazine was on the newsstands in April 2000, which is well before the Madison Square Garden stand took place.

Bruce Springsteen and Carl D'Errico at the D'Errico residence in November 1976 (photo by Didi D'Errico)
Bruce Springsteen and Carl D'Errico at the D'Errico residence in November 1976 (photo by Didi D'Errico)

Additionally, in the Spring 2001 issue (#70) of Backstreets magazine, in a "viewer's guide" to The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 release, Chris Phillips wrote that the IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND video was recorded during a sound-check in September 1999 at First Union Center in Philadelphia, PA. Phillips also mentioned the teaser that Springsteen fans saw the previous year in DoubleTake, noting that "the video itself remained unreleased until the new Anthology."

Bruce Springsteen: In His Own Words, a Springsteen documentary that premiered on 29 Dec 2016 on Britain's Channel 4, uses a snippet of this version of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND, annotated "Philadelphia 1999" — Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played five shows at Philadelphia's First Union Center during The Reunion Tour, on 13, 15, 20, 21, and 25 Sep 1999.

Snapshot from the IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND video snippet used in the "Bruce Springsteen: In His Own Words" documentary (taken from the Channel 4 broadcast)
Snapshot from the IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND video snippet used in the "Bruce Springsteen: In His Own Words" documentary (taken from the Channel 4 broadcast)

In July 2020, following the release of the First Union Center, Philadelphia September 25, 1999 official live download, Backstreets.com revealed that the video for IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND was shot specifically at the sound-check prior to the last night of the Philadelphia stand, on 25 Sep 1999.

"I lit it as a pool of light anchored by the microphone that the vocalists would be drawn to for their turn," cinematographer Kyle Rudolph told Backstreets. "There was a large white card just below the frame which lifted the shadows to see the subtlety of expression — and boy, was there expression! JD told me to feel it, so I vamped on Clarence's sax solo, and crept out on the zoom as all members joined the finish. I think it worked out quite well." Rudolph also said that, "Bruce was somewhat conflicted that the non-singing members of the band [Garry Tallent and Max Weinberg] were not represented."

Video Anthology Home Video

Video Anthology / 1978-88 is a collection of 18 Bruce Springsteen music videos and concert performances, released on VHS on 31 Jan 1989. The home video was also released on LaserDisc.

Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (USA VHS cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (USA VHS cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (USA LaserDisc cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (USA LaserDisc cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (Japan LaserDisc cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (Japan LaserDisc cover art)

  1. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version] — originally released in 1978, directed by Arnold Levine
  2. THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
  3. THUNDER ROAD [Mix of live 21 Sep 1979 version and live 22 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
  4. ATLANTIC CITY — originally released in 1982, directed by Arnold Levine
  5. DANCING IN THE DARK — originally released in 1984, directed by Brian De Palma
  6. BORN IN THE U.S.A. — originally released in 1984, directed by John Sayles
  7. I'M ON FIRE — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
  8. GLORY DAYS — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
  9. MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1985, directed by Arthur Rosato
  10. WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1986, directed by Arthur Rosato
  11. FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version] — originally released in 1986
  12. BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version] — originally released in 1987, directed by Arthur Rosato
  13. BRILLIANT DISGUISE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
  14. TUNNEL OF LOVE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
  15. ONE STEP UP — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
  16. TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in1988, directed by Meiert Avis
  17. SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Carol Dodds
  18. BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis

Sonny reissued the video on DVD on 16 Jan 2001. Titled The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000, the new expanded release added a second disc with 15 additional music video, concert performances, and television appearances.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 (DVD cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 (DVD cover art)

Disc 1:

  1. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version] — originally released in 1978, directed by Arnold Levine
  2. THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
  3. THUNDER ROAD [Mix of live 21 Sep 1979 version and live 22 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
  4. ATLANTIC CITY — originally released in 1982, directed by Arnold Levine
  5. DANCING IN THE DARK — originally released in 1984, directed by Brian De Palma
  6. BORN IN THE U.S.A. — originally released in 1984, directed by John Sayles
  7. I'M ON FIRE — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
  8. GLORY DAYS — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
  9. MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1985, directed by Arthur Rosato
  10. WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1986, directed by Arthur Rosato
  11. FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version] — originally released in 1986
  12. BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version] — originally released in 1987, directed by Arthur Rosato
  13. BRILLIANT DISGUISE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
  14. TUNNEL OF LOVE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
  15. ONE STEP UP — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
  16. TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in1988, directed by Meiert Avis
  17. SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Carol Dodds
  18. BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis

Disc 2:

  1. HUMAN TOUCH — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
  2. BETTER DAYS — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
  3. 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON) — originally released in 1992, directed by Adam Bernstein
  4. LEAP OF FAITH [Live 06 Aug 1992 version] — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
  5. STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA — originally released in 1993, directed by Jonathan Demme and Ted Demme
  6. MURDER INCORPORATED — originally released in 1995, directed by Jonathan Demme
  7. SECRET GARDEN — originally released in 1995, directed by Peter Care
  8. HUNGRY HEART [Live 09 Jul 1995 version] — originally released in 1995, directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher
  9. DEAD MAN WALKIN' — originally released in 1196, directed by Tim Robbins
  10. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD — originally released in 1996, directed by Arnold Levine
  11. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 27 Nov 1995 version] — from The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
  12. HIGHWAY PATROLMAN — previously unreleased, directed by Sean Penn
  13. IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [25 Sep 1999 sound-check version] — previously unreleased, directed by Jonathan Demme
  14. BORN IN THE U.S.A. [Live 20 Nov 1998 version] — from The Charlie Rose Show
  15. LIFT ME UP — audio only, plays over end credits
  16. SECRET GARDEN [with Strings] — previously unreleased, directed by Peter Care

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.

Bruce Springsteen -- Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-
Bruce Springsteen -- Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-

Disc 1: (audio CD)

  1. BORN TO RUN
  2. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
  3. PROVE IT ALL NIGHT
  4. BADLANDS
  5. HUNGRY HEART
  6. I WANNA MARRY YOU
  7. SANTA CLAUSE IS COMIN' TO TOWN [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
  8. ATLANTIC CITY
  9. DANCING IN THE DARK
  10. COVER ME
  11. BORN IN THE U.S.A.
  12. I'M ON FIRE
  13. GLORY DAYS
  14. I'M GOIN' DOWN
  15. MY HOMETOWN
  16. WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  17. FIRE [Live 16 Dec 1978 version]

Disc 2: (audio CD)

  1. BRILLIANT DISGUISE
  2. TUNNEL OF LOVE
  3. ONE STEP UP
  4. TOUGHER THAN THE REST
  5. SPARE PARTS
  6. HUMAN TOUCH
  7. BETTER DAYS
  8. 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON)
  9. ROLL OF THE DICE
  10. STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA
  11. SECRET GARDEN
  12. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD
  13. DEAD MAN WALKIN'
  14. BLOOD BROTHERS [Alternate studio version]
  15. I WANNA BE WITH YOU
  16. CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
  17. AMERICAN BEAUTY
  18. I'LL STAND BY YOU

Disc 3: (DVD)

  1. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version]
  2. BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version]
  3. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  4. THUNDER ROAD [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  5. PROVE IT ALL NIGHT [Live 08 Jul 1978 version]
  6. BADLANDS [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  7. HUNGRY HEART [Live 09 Jul 1995 version]
  8. I WANNY MARRY YOU [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  9. THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version]
  10. ATLANTIC CITY
  11. HIGHWAY PATROLMAN
  12. DANCING IN THE DARK
  13. COVER ME [Live 30 Jun 2013 version]
  14. BORN IN THE U.S.A.
  15. I'M ON FIRE
  16. GLORY DAYS
  17. I'M GOIN' DOWN [Live 30 Jun 2013 version]
  18. MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  19. WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  20. FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version]
  21. BRILLIANT DISGUISE
  22. TUNNEL OF LOVE
  23. ONE STEP UP
  24. TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
  25. SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version]
  26. VIGILANTE MAN [Live Feb 1988 version]
  27. HUMAN TOUCH
  28. BETTER DAYS
  29. 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON)
  30. ROLL OF THE DICE [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
  31. LEAP OF FAITH [Live 06 Aug 1992 version]
  32. IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [25 Sep 1999 sound-check version]

Disc 4: (DVD)

  1. STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA [1993 music video version]
  2. MURDER INCORPORATED
  3. SECRET GARDEN
  4. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 27 Nov 1995 (NBC Studios) version]
  5. DEAD MAN WALKIN'
  6. LONESOME DAY
  7. WAITIN' ON A SUNNY DAY [Live 16 Oct 2002 version]
  8. DEVILS & DUST
  9. RADIO NOWHERE
  10. LONG WALK HOME
  11. WORKING ON A DREAM
  12. THE LAST CARNIVAL
  13. A NIGHT WITH THE JERSEY DEVIL
  14. SAVE MY LOVE
  15. WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN
  16. ROCKY GROUND
  17. HIGH HOPES
  18. JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD
  19. HELLO SUNSHINE
  20. TUCSON TRAIN
  21. WESTERN STARS
  22. I'LL STAND BY YOU
  23. LETTER TO YOU
  24. GHOSTS
  25. THE POWER OF PRAYER
  26. I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
  27. DO I LOVE YOU (INDEED I DO)
  28. NIGHTSHIFT
  29. DON'T PLAY THAT SONG
  30. TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME

Credits

Thanks jauzins (at Greasy Lake) for the help.

Request

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Available Versions

List of available versions of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND on this website:

IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Album version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Live 13 Dec 1992 version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [25 Sep 1999 sound-check version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Live 27 Jun 2000 version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Live 01 Jul 2000 version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Live 03 Oct 2005 version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Live 25 Jun 2006 version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Live 19 Nov 2006 version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Dion DiMucci's cover version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Grant McLennan's cover version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Linda Ronstadt's cover version]
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Faith Hill's cover version]

Page last updated: 25 Jul 2020