“Spirit in the Night” by Bruce Springsteen

"Spirit in the Night" almost didn't make Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., Bruce Springsteen's 1973 debut on Columbia. He and producer Mike Appel had already turned the record in when Clive Davis, running the label, fretted that there was no single on it. So Springsteen went off and wrote two more, this and "Blinded by the Light", and cut them on September 11, after most of his players had already scattered to other gigs. It became the album's second single.

It rolls like a hot summer night, loose and rowdy, Springsteen piling up words as if he's afraid the tape will run out. He plays bass and piano himself, Harold Wheeler adds more piano, and Clarence Clemons lays down the saxophone and percussion that give it its late-night swagger. Appel and Jim Cretecos share the production credit.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.