"Working on the Highway" 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 The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

. As with some of the other songs on the ''Born in the U.S.A.'' album, including "

Downbound Train "Downbound Train" is a song that appears on the 1984 Bruce Springsteen album '' Born in the U.S.A.'' The song is a lament to a lost spouse, and takes on a melancholy tone. Author Christopher Sandford described the song as beginning "like a Kei ...

" and the title track, "Working on the Highway" was originally recorded on January 3, 1982, with the demo tracks that eventually became the ''

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

'' album. The acoustic version of the song had a working title of "Child Bride", and did not include the rock melody or the title refrain. The version of the song that was released on the album was recorded on May 6, 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 ...

, at the end of the "Electric Nebraska" sessions. Although "Working on the Highway" was not one of the seven ''Born in the U.S.A.'' songs to be released as a single, it remained popular in concert, with 367 performances through 2016. It is nearly always paired with "

Darlington County Darlington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,905. Its county seat is Darlington. Hartsville is the largest city in the county. Darlington County is home to the Darlington Race ...

" in performance. At a July 26, 1992 performance of the song, Springsteen's mother danced with her son towards the end of the song, prompting Springsteen to say "A boy's best friend is his mother," referencing a line from the

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

film '' Psycho''.

Personnel

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

– vocals, guitars, handclaps E Street Band *

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandoli ...

– guitars, handclaps * Danny Federici – organ, handclaps *

Garry Tallent Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being bass player and founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band si ...

– bass, handclaps *

Max Weinberg Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' ...

– drums, handclaps

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 Song recordings produced by Bruce Springsteen Song recordings produced by Steven Van Zandt Song recordings produced by Chuck Plotkin {{1980s-rock-song-stub