Album version
I see you walking baby down the street
Pushing that baby carriage at your feet
I see that lonely ribbon in your hair
Tell me am I the man for whom you put it there
You never smile girl you never speak
You just walk on by darling week after week
Raising two kids alone in this mixed up world
Must be a lonely life for a working girl
Little girl I wanna marry you, oh yeah
Little girl I wanna marry you, yes I do
Little girl I wanna marry you
Now honey I don't wanna clip your wings
But a time comes when two people should think of these things
Having a home and a family
Facing up to their responsibilities
They say in the end true love prevails
But in the end true love can't be some fairytale
To say I'll make your dreams come true would be wrong
But maybe darling I could help them along
Little girl I wanna marry you, oh yeah
Little girl I wanna marry you, yes I do
Little girl I wanna marry you
Ohhh, my daddy said right before he died
That true true love was just a lie
He went to his grave a broken heart
An unfulfilled life girl makes a man hard
Oh darling, there's something happy and there's something sad
'Bout wanting somebody oh so bad
I wear my love darling without shame
I'd be proud if you would wear my name
Oh my girl
Ooh my girl
My girl
Oh girl, girl
Yeah
Ooh-ooh
[fades out]
I WANNA MARRY YOU is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 1980 album The River. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of I WANNA MARRY YOU as released in 1980.
The album version of I WANNA MARRY YOU was included on the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album.
Another studio version of I WANNA MARRY YOU (official studio version) was released on The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set in 2015.
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Bruce Springsteen wrapped up the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour on the first day of 1979. For the next few months, he altered between composing and practicing solo demos at his home in Holmdel, NJ (between January and June 1979), rehearsing with the band at his Telegraph Hill Road property in Holmdel, NJ (between March and May 1979), and recording in studio at The Power Station in New York City, NY (from late March to late August 1979).
By early August 1979, enough quality material had been recorded at The Power Station. According to The Ties That Bind documentary, a total of twenty-four songs had been recorded. According to Clinton Heylin's 2012 book It was looking like Springsteen's fifth album might be released in Christmas 1979. E Street Shuffle: The Glory Days of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Springsteen's initial track sequence for the album was as follows:
Side 1:
Side 2:
By mid-September 1979, Springsteen replaced RICKY WANTS A MAN OF HER OWN, LOOSE ENDS, and THE MAN WHO GOT AWAY by CINDY and THE RIVER. Soon after, he removed RAMROD, restored LOOSE ENDS, and added YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH). A title, "The Ties That Bind", was selected for the album and wheels put in motion to produce artwork for the cover. Around September, at least ten tracks were mixed to completion. On 04 Oct 1979, the ten selected tracks were dubbed to two half-track reel-to-reel tapes at The Power Station, and labeled "side one" and "side two". As written on the reels, the producer was Jon Landau and the engineers were Neil Dorfsman and Bob Clearmountain, assisted by Jeff Hendrickson. The new track sequence for the album was as follows:
Reel #1:
Reel #2:
Mock covers with "The Ties That Bind" title were roughed out early in the planning. The cover shot was to be a picture of Bruce Springsteen in front of a barn, with the back cover being a shot of his face behind a screen door. In late September 1979, The Ties That Bind single album was scrapped as Springsteen's writing process continued.
A second phase of recording sessions was scheduled. Again, for the next few months, Springsteen altered between composing and practicing solo demos at his home in Holmdel, NJ (between September 1979 and February 1980), rehearsing with the band at his Telegraph Hill Road property in Holmdel, NJ (between September 1979 and February 1980), and recording in studio at The Power Station in New York City, NY (from October 1979 to June 1980).
The combined sessions from March 1979 to June 1980 produced the double album The River that was eventually released in October 1980. The studio sessions to some extent extended into August 1980 due to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's involvement in the recording of Gary U.S. Bonds' album Dedication, which was released April 1981).
The album features 20 new Springsteen compositions and clocks at 83:47. It was produced by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, and Steven Van Zandt, engineered by Neil Dorfsman, and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, Chuck Plotkin, and Toby Scott.
Side 1:
Side 2:
Side 3:
Side 4:
According to recording engineer Neil Dorfsman, about 50 songs were recorded to a completed state during The River sessions. 20 were released on The River and 14 were released as B-sides and on official compilations. 14 songs are circulating via the unofficial route, but the majority of them are poor recordings of band rehearsals at the Telegraph Hill Road property, though it is likely that most of them exist as completed takes from The Power Station.
I WANNA MARRY YOU was released as a single in Japan only.
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.
Disc 1: (audio CD)
Disc 2: (audio CD)
Disc 3: (DVD)
Disc 4: (DVD)
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Other versions of THE TIES THAT BIND were also officially released.
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I WANNA MARRY YOU was performed twice during the Working On A Dream Tour (83 dates, April to November 2009). On this tour, the song was played in its full-band album arrangement. The live 08 Nov 2009 version of I WANNA MARRY YOU was released on the MSG Nov 08, 2009 official live download in 2018.
At least 2 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's I WANNA MARRY YOU.
Some of the above info about the studio recording and the live performances is taken from Brucebase.
List of available versions of I WANNA MARRY YOU on this website:
I WANNA MARRY YOU [Album version]
