"This Little Girl" is a song written by

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

. A version by Gary U.S. Bonds was listed on music charts in 1981.

History

"This Little Girl" was written by

and has its origins in the 1978 outtake "Ain't Good Enough For You" from the ''

Darkness on the Edge of Town ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'' is the fourth studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album marked the end of a three-year gap between albums brought on by contractua ...

'' sessions. The outtake version was eventually released on Springsteen's '' The Promise'' in 2010. The song was notably recorded by Gary U.S. Bonds for his album, ''

Dedication Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church, or other sacred building. Feast of Dedication The Feast of Dedication, today Hanukkah, once also called "Feast of the Maccabees," is a Jewish festival observed for eight days fr ...

''. It was the first of two single releases from the album. The recording contains an

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

and a

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

. During production,

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a very ...

remixed Bonds's recording.

Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for The E Street Band. Clemons released several s ...

performed a

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

for the recording. Bonds's version became a hit in spring 1981, reaching number eleven in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and also charting well in Canada and New Zealand. It peaked at number 43 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Bonds performed the song as part of his guest appearance at Bruce Springsteen's 1981 New Jersey live concert. As reported by

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably '' American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice Nor ...

on the ''

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...

'' program of June 20, 1981, the song was born of a collaboration between Bonds and Springsteen after the two spent a few hours together commiserating about their stalled careers. As a thank-you gift for contributing to the song, Bonds gave Springsteen a 1963 Chevrolet Impala.

Dion DiMucci Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known simply as Dion, is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. His music has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop, rock, R&B, folk and blues. Initially as the lead singer of Dion and t ...

's same-titled Hot 100 #21 record from late May 1963 bears no resemblance.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
* {{DEFAULTSORT:This Little Girl Gary U.S. Bonds songs 1981 singles 1981 songs Songs written by Bruce Springsteen EMI America Records singles