Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Bruce Springsteen | ||
| from the album Born to Run | ||
| Released | 1976 | |
| Format | Compact disc | |
| Recorded | 1975 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 7 min 35 sec | |
| Label | CBS Records | |
| Producer(s) | Jon Landau | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||
| Born to Run/Meeting Across the River (1975) |
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out/She's the One (1976) |
Prove It All Night (1978) |
"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" was the second song on Bruce Springsteen's breakthrough album Born to Run.
The song loosely tells the story of the formation of The E Street Band. The song's protagonist, "Bad Scooter", is a pseudonym for Springsteen himself (as indicated by the initials they share). In the third verse, Bad Scooter is saved by "the Big Man" (Clarence Clemons, the band's saxophonist). After his name is sung, Clemons lets loose a big note on his sax.
The song is upbeat, possibly the most so on the album, with a strong horn section (led by Clemons) and Roy Bittan's consistent piano chords keeping the rhythm. As stated by Springsteen in the Wings for Wheels documentary, the idea for the composition of the horn intro was Steven Van Zandt's. Despite all this, the single was a chart dud, getting no higher than #83 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song is a staple of live shows, and is on every live album Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band ever released.
[edit] Track listing
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out - 3:08
- She's the One - 4:27
