Song · Bruce Springsteen
“Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen
Released 1993
“Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen appears on 13 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 2001 and 2025. It was first released in 1993. Its best result is #13 on the KISW 25 Greatest Soundtrack Songs in Rock. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,569 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (BruceSpringsteenVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
Bruce Springsteen wrote "Streets of Philadelphia" for Jonathan Demme's 1993 film Philadelphia, the Tom Hanks picture that took HIV/AIDS into the mainstream multiplex, and Columbia put it out as a single in February 1994. It's a hushed, lonely thing: Springsteen playing it himself, Tommy Sims on backing vocals, a slow, hollowed-out groove and a voice worn down to the grain. He produced it with Chuck Plotkin, Toby Scott engineered and Bob Clearmountain mixed.
The world listened. It topped the charts in eight countries, became his 12th top-10 hit in America, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song plus four Grammys, Song of the Year among them. The video, directed by Demme and his nephew Ted, simply follows Springsteen walking desolate city streets.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 187 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 500 |
| 2004 | 229 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 500 |
| 2005 | 392 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 500 |
| 2006 | 468 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) | 500 |
| 2009 | 94 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2009 | 822 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2020 | 783 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2021 | 752 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2021 | 13 | KISW | KISW 25 Greatest Soundtrack Songs in Rock | 25 |
| 2022 | 481 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s | 900 |
| 2023 | 380 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
| 2023 | 64 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places | 800 |
| 2025 | 273 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s | 500 |
Also listed as: Streets Of Philadelphia.
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