RENO

Album version



She took off her stockings, I held them to my face
She had your ankles, I felt filled with grace
"Two hundred dollars straight in,
Two-fifty up the ass," she smiled and said
She unbuckled my belt, pulled back her hair
And sat in front of me on the bed
She said, "Honey how's that feel, do you want me to go slow?"
My eyes drifted out the window, down to the road below

I felt my stomach tighten, the sun bloodied the sky
And sliced through the hotel blinds, I closed my eyes
Sunlight on the Amatitlan, sunlight streaming thru your hair
In the Valle de dos Rios, smell of mock orange filled the air
We rode with the vaqueros, down into cool rivers of green
I was sure the work and that smile coming out 'neath your hat
Was all I'd ever need
Somehow all you ever need's, never really quite enough you know
You and I, Maria, we learned it's so

She slipped me out of her mouth, "You're ready," she said
She took off her bra and panties, wet her finger, slipped it inside her
And crawled over me on the bed,
She poured me another whisky,
Said, "Here's to the best you ever had."
We laughed and made a toast
It wasn't the best I ever had
Not even close


PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Info

RENO is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 2005 album Devils & Dust. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of RENO as released in 2005.


Writing and Recording

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Because of some explicit lyrics in RENO, a "Parental Advisory" sticker was placed on a Bruce Springsteen album cover for the first time in his career.

Amatitlan is a Central Mexican river. "Valle de doe Rios" means "Valley of Two Rivers". "Vaqueros" means "Cowboys".

On this track, Bruce Springsteen sings vocals and plays guitar, keyboards, and tambourine, and is accompanied by Nashville String Machine on strings and Brice Andrus, Donald Strand, Susan Welty, and Thomas Witte on horns.

Devils & Dust

Devils & Dust is Bruce Springsteen's thirteenth studio album. It was released on 26 Apr 2005 on Columbia Records. The album was recorded between 1996 and 2004 at Thrill Hill East (Springsteen's home studio in Rumson, NJ) and Thrill Hill West (Springsteen's home studio in Los Angeles, CA). Horns and some instrument overdubbing were recorded in 2004 at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, GA. Strings were recorded in 2004 at Masterfonics in Nashville, TN.

In an April 2005 New York Time article, Jon Pareles wrote that "Springsteen recorded nearly all of the [album's] songs in a few days, nearly a decade ago, sitting with his guitar in the living room of his farmhouse in New Jersey, doing just a take or two." This probably took place sometime in 1996 or 1997. It's very possible that many of the songs on the album are none other than the solo recordings from 1996 or 1997, with some additional instruments overdubbed in 2004.

ALL THE WAY HOME and LONG TIME COMIN' were produced by Brendan O'Brien, Bruce Springsteen, and Chuck Plotkin. The rest of the album was produced by Brendan O'Brien. All horn and string arrangements were done by Eddie Horst. BLACK COWBOYS, JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON, LEAH, and MATAMOROS BANKS were mixed by Toby Scott. The rest of the album was mixed by Brendan O'Brien. Toby Scott was the recording engineer at Thrill Hill East, Thrill Hill West, and Southern Tracks, and Nick Didia was the recording engineer at Southern Tracks and Masterphonics.

The album includes a bonus DVD featuring filmed acoustic performances of DEVILS & DUST, LONG TIME COMIN', RENO, ALL I'M THINKIN' ABOUT, and MATAMOROS BANKS, with spoken commentary on their writing and creation. They were filmed live by director Danny Clinch in February 2005 in New Jersey. The DVD also includes the full album in 5.1 surround sound and in 2-channel stereo, with lyrics to the songs accompanying the audio in a karaoke style.

Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust
Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust

Devils & Dust debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, becoming Springsteen's seventh number one album in the U.S. It also peaked at number one in several European countries including the UK. The album was nominated for two 2006 Grammy Awards, Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Long Form Music Video, but failed to win.

The album features 12 tracks and clocks at 50:55. It was issued on DualDisc, CD + DVD, and LP.

Other Official Releases

Other versions of RENO were also officially released.

SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED

Bruce Springsteen -- Stockholm 2005
The live 25 Jun 2005 version of RENO was released on the Stockholm 2005 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen -- Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005
The live 31 Jul 2005 version of RENO was released on the Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen -- Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005
The live 03 Aug 2005 version of RENO was released on the Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen -- Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005
The live 22 Nov 2005 version of RENO was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.

Live History

In preparation for the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour, RENO was performed during one of the tour's two public warm-up rehearsal shows that took place in April 2005 in Asbury Park.

  1. 22 Apr 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (public rehearsal)

RENO was performed 72 times during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour (72 dates, April to November 2005). The live 25 Jun 2005 version of RENO was released on the Stockholm 2005 official live download in 2020. The live 31 Jul 2005 version of RENO was released on the Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 official live download in 2015. The live 03 Aug 2005 version of RENO was released on the Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005 official live download in 2018. The live 22 Nov 2005 version of RENO was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.

  1. 25 Apr 2005 at Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI
  2. 28 Apr 2005 at Nokia Live At Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, TX
  3. 30 Apr 2005 at Glendale Arena, Glendale, AZ
  4. 02 May 2005 at Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CA
  5. 03 May 2005 at Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CA
  6. 05 May 2005 at Oakland Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
  7. 07 May 2005 at Colorado Convention Center Lecture Hall, Denver, CO
  8. 10 May 2005 at Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
  9. 11 May 2005 at Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont, IL
  10. 14 May 2005 at Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA
  11. 15 May 2005 at Wolstein Center At Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
  12. 17 May 2005 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
  13. 19 May 2005 at The Theater At Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  14. 20 May 2005 at Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA
  15. 24 May 2005 at Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland
  16. 27 May 2005 at Royal Albert Hall, London, England
  17. 28 May 2005 at Royal Albert Hall, London, England
  18. 30 May 2005 at Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
  19. 01 Jun 2005 at Pavelló Olímpic De Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
  20. 02 Jun 2005 at Palacio De Deportes De La Comunidad De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  21. 04 Jun 2005 at Palamalaguti, Bologna, Italy
  22. 06 Jun 2005 at Palalottomatica, Rome, Italy
  23. 07 Jun 2005 at Datch Forum, Milan, Italy
  24. 13 Jun 2005 at Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
  25. 15 Jun 2005 at Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
  26. 16 Jun 2005 at Philipshalle, Dusseldorf, Germany
  27. 19 Jun 2005 at Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  28. 20 Jun 2005 at Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
  29. 22 Jun 2005 at Forum København, Copenhagen, Denmark
  30. 23 Jun 2005 at Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
  31. 25 Jun 2005 at Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden
  32. 27 Jun 2005 at Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany
  33. 28 Jun 2005 at ICC Berlin, Berlin, Germany
  34. 13 Jul 2005 at Corel Centre, Ottawa, Canada
  35. 14 Jul 2005 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
  36. 16 Jul 2005 at Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY
  37. 18 Jul 2005 at HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
  38. 20 Jul 2005 at Arena At Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, CT
  39. 23 Jul 2005 at Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
  40. 24 Jul 2005 at Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
  41. 26 Jul 2005 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
  42. 28 Jul 2005 at Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA
  43. 31 Jul 2005 at Value City Theatre, Columbus, OH
  44. 01 Aug 2005 at U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
  45. 03 Aug 2005 at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
  46. 06 Aug 2005 at Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
  47. 07 Aug 2005 at Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
  48. 10 Aug 2005 at Rose Garden Theater Of The Clouds, Portland, OR
  49. 11 Aug 2005 at Keyarena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
  50. 13 Aug 2005 at Pontiac Theatre At GM Place, Vancouver, Canada
  51. 04 Oct 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
  52. 06 Oct 2005 at Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
  53. 07 Oct 2005 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
  54. 09 Oct 2005 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
  55. 12 Oct 2005 at Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN
  56. 13 Oct 2005 at United Center, Chicago, IL
  57. 15 Oct 2005 at Dane County Arena At Alliant Center, Madison, WI
  58. 20 Oct 2005 at DCU Center, Worcester, MA
  59. 21 Oct 2005 at Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, RI
  60. 24 Oct 2005 at Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
  61. 28 Oct 2005 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
  62. 30 Oct 2005 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
  63. 04 Nov 2005 at St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
  64. 08 Nov 2005 at Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  65. 09 Nov 2005 at Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  66. 11 Nov 2005 at Ted Constant Convocation Center At Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
  67. 13 Nov 2005 at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
  68. 16 Nov 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  69. 17 Nov 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  70. 19 Nov 2005 at Hard Rock Live Arena, Hollywood, FL
  71. 21 Nov 2005 at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ
  72. 22 Nov 2005 at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ

Covers

At least one artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's RENO.

When A Mother Calls -- In The Garage
When A Mother Calls -- In The Garage

CD - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2006

The song is titled "When A Mother Calls". It uses the same music as RENO but different lyrics.

Available Versions

List of available versions of RENO on this website:

RENO [Album version]
RENO [Filmed acoustic performance]
RENO [Live 28 Apr 2005 version]

Page last updated: 30 Sep 2017