"Darlington County" is a 1984 song written and performed 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 originato ...

. It was released on the album '' Born in the U.S.A.'' and has remained a popular concert song for Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Lyrics

The lyrics concern the protagonist and his buddy driving to Darlington County "looking for work on the county line", meeting girls along the way. In the song the protagonist tells girls that their fathers each own one of the 'World Trade Centers'. The actual Darlington County is in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Background

The version of the song that was released on the album was recorded in April or May 1982 at the

Power Station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

in one of the early ''Born in the U.S.A.'' recording sessions.

Cover versions

Jeff Stevens and the Bullets took a cover version to No. 69 on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

charts in 1987.

Live performance history

"Darlington County" was played in every leg of the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. The song did not emerge again until four days after the breakup with the Other Band. During the 1999 Reunion Tour, the song was performed frequently. It has remained popular in concert, and is often paired with "Working on the Highway" in performance. When performing the song live, Springsteen frequently plays the first few bars of

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

' " Honky Tonk Women" before the first verse.

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: *

– vocals, guitars * Steven Van Zandt – guitars, backing vocals * Roy Bittan – piano, backing vocals *

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 ...

– saxophone, cowbell, maracas, backing vocals * Danny Federici – organ * Garry Tallent – bass, backing vocals * Max Weinberg – drums, backing vocals

References

External links

Lyrics & Audio clips from Brucespringsteen.net
1984 songs Bruce Springsteen songs Songs written by Bruce Springsteen Song recordings produced by Jon Landau Jeff Stevens and the Bullets songs Song recordings produced by Bruce Springsteen Song recordings produced by Steven Van Zandt Song recordings produced by Chuck Plotkin {{1980s-song-stub