Bruce Springsteen - The River (The River Tour, Tempe 1980) 

I knew my girlfriend since she was seven and I was nine she was my neighbor. In 1980 when this song came out, I was 19 and she was 17 we dated. She was a shy, blonde haired, beautiful girl, and I came from a terrible background. I was the captain of the football team, pretty popular and pretty much a tough guy since I had to be due to my upbringing ,at 19 and 17 she was expecting and we got married. I had to drop out of college. She has become a stay at home mom as a baby her self. We got married like this song describes. I got a job in construction & a union card at 19 years old, we have now been married 42 years. It has not been easy, but we never quit. She is the most beautiful woman still inside and out. By the grace of God we are still together and have a thriving business . God is good. There are no mistakes in life just unexpected. Blessings!!!!

My English teacher in high school came into our class one morning, sat down, and played this entire album for us without saying a word. I'm eternally grateful.

“Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true? Or is it something worse?” One of the most heart cutting lyrics ever written.

There he is. Just Standing ,no fancy clothes ,no fancy moves and with a mic in his hands takes a fantastic song and takes it to the moon. Sadly those days are gone forever. Well done mister Bruce!!Well done !

Only a few artists ever reach this level of brilliance

It's ridiculous how good this performance is.

My brother passed away suddenly a couple of years ago and this was his funeral song. I now have a 3 month old baby girl and this is the only song that settles her. Tried everything, different ways of soothing, different music, but only this song seems to do the trick. I think it’s a connection to my brother, well I like to think it is anyway ❤

This is just one of those songs where you wanna drop to your knees and thank god you’re alive at the same time as Bruce. I’m saying this as an atheist.

I'm 53 and have seen hundreds of concerts, but the 3 concerts with springsteen are among the best. no choreography, no light show, no half-naked dancers, no laser show but pure energy on stage and a singer who doesn't act like a star and songs that tell stories. there are few musicians with such live qualities.

The fact that someone can stand there and open his mouth and make a song even better than a studio recording just blows me away.

I think one of the things that sets this performance apart from other versions of The River is his slumped posture and the visible agony in his eyes. The song of a man with his dreams trampled beneath the feet of life, sung as it should be.

Finally saw the boss live and he’s such an machine. Playing 3 hours straight without a sip of water. He had always my respect, but now a bit more. A 73 year old man plays 3 hours with so much passion, amazing. Thank you Bruce!

She was 18, I was 20. We don’t have a chance, too young. Never last... Now she’s 64, I’m 66. Still together, still in love, still best friends. Every time I hear this, I think of that young girl & I still get choked up.

"No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle No flowers no weeding dress". These words, always make me cry. it brings back memories of my wife and our wedding. 4.30 in the morning, standing next to her bed at the hospital, she was dying, with only a few hours left. There we got married. There was "No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle , No flowers no weeding dress". She died 7 hours later, I miss her ......

Possibly one of the best songs ever written

"Now all them things that seemed so important, well mister they vanished into the air"...how appropriate , what a line.

This man was Dads idol. My Dad died 2 days ago. Can't stop watching this again and again...I didn't think it was possible to cry so much x

“Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true or is it something worse.” Beautiful lyrics from the greatest performer of our time.

One of the most beautiful and saddest poems ever. The river that's dried as a metaphor for lost love is heartbreaking.

I get the spine chills and tears in my eyes everytime I hear this song. Thanks, Bruce.

I’m 19 years old, I discovered this song a few days ago and I can’t stop listening to it. The story behind the lyrics is absolutely breathtaking. In the morning it brings me joy, in the afternoon it brings me romance and in the evening it brings me melancholy, and I’m so grateful for this.

"Is a dream a lie if it don't come true? Or is it something worse?" Brilliant lyrics.

This song is haunting, it has touched my soul since I bought the River album in 1980. One of the greatest songs of all time, by the greatest songwriter of the 21st century..

Well born in 98 in far East of Russia. I remember my dad taking us to the sea side with this tune on, i remember it as good as if it was yesterday. Some of his Americans friends in UNI handled him in Bruce's CD. Hed never stop listening to him. Now 15 years later i understand why he loved him so much. It all makes sense, dad i love you!

This is probably the best live performance of a song ever

A hymn to everyone who's ever been crushed by life.

It somehow captures the feeling of nostalgia. Like it reminds you of being young and confused. It’s just so haunting and brilliant.

My mother bought me The River for Christmas in 1980. It was the only thing I wanted. My mother knew how much Springsteen meant to me then, how it was such an anticipated album back then after Darkness. She died last February, will miss her forever.

My favourite Springsteen song. A true masterpiece.

I’m only thirteen years old and this song has already inspired me so much. The meaning behind the lyrics and the way he expresses himself with such passion is heartwarming. One of the best songs ever

The life of a 50 something man in a 7 minute masterpiece song from a 30 years young poet, artist and living legend. They don't make 'em this way anymore. I thank God every day this music is part of my life. Thank you Bruce Springsteen 🎤🎶~ 💘kimie

For people asking if we’re still listening in x, this is timeless - we’ll listen until the world ends.

You don’t earn a nickname like The Boss for nothing. An astonishing performance by a legend. ❤️

My favourite version of this wonderful song. Bruce is at his passionate best.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I don’t know why I’m always crying whilst listening to this song. He’s so passionate and beautiful 🥹👏👏❤️

I always cry when I hear this song. There are no words to describe this masterpiece

This song makes me cry every time I hear it. It’s hauntingly beautiful. We all have a different story and connection with this song.

One of the best live performances of any song by any artist ever. This performance taught me that conveying feeling is a million times more important than singing technically flawless. And when you can do both, there's this.

Bruce has always stood alone with me. Bruce is unmatched in his Artistry.

Lived in a small northwestern logging town and married my high school sweetheart. 16 years and two kids later she left me and the kids. This was my divorce song. Sad, poinent, bittersweet.... those memories come back to haunt me. That was a long time ago. Life goes on. And I am grateful for each laugh, and every tear.

This song is all kinds of sad: disillusionment, the lost of youth, dreams, and maybe your soul. I love this song so much, it reaches into the heart and pulls all the strings because many have lived this life. This is one of my absolute favorites, by any singer. No one else should ever sing this song.

I realize now from thousands of miles from where this was written This song is universal ... It.s for us all

This song is so good omg... first time hearing it .

he sings with so much passion, it's insane

For me it's the best version.

I cannot relate to this song. But I feel all of it. Sucha beautiful timeless piece by The Boss. Thank you Bruce Bringsteen from a ‘younger’ fan. God bless

Almost every time I listen to this song i cry, i cant't help my self. It feel so true, and then, Bruce is a working class hero 👍❤️

My dad played this album so much when I was a kid that I could sing every song on the album by heart. This song was and still is my favorite. I grew up in a small town in Ohio right on the Ohio river. It has always reminded me of my parents and where I grew up. When I was young, I use to say to myself: “How did Bruce know so much about my life?” Thanks Bruce!

My heart and my longing are not broken even after 62 years, thank you for this great song Bruce

I'm 67. I saw Bruce in concert many years ago. He puts everything into his songs, performance n touches our hearts n souls. Thank you!! ❤

Sober lyrics for the working class, unplanned pregnancy, lost dreams.... No one writes lyrics like Bruce.

Im 17 years old, and this is by far the best song I’ve heard in my life, real music and real voice, and not to talk about the autro, beautiful

The best live performance in the history of rock music

Bruce is such a fantastic talent. His music is timeless,and will still be played long after I am gone. Wonderful!

Das sind Songs für die Ewigkeit. Gesungen von einen Künstler der Worte und des Sounds. Gibt es heute eher sehr selten. Bruce for ever.

I just heard the future of rock music, his name is Bruce Springsteen

This is what the world needs more of. This performance is pure, and raw vulnerability, and Bruce looks like a man that would die, if that was what it took to get these words out.

Bruce at the peak of his powers performing one of the greatest songs ever written…there’s no way it gets better than this!

This song teaches us what the song which makes people cry, best of the best song ever I’ve ever heard.

River dry...already at the time...this song touches my soul in so many ways...

The river offers a baptismal soul-cleansing. When the narrator was young it never mattered how bad things in life got because he (and Mary) could go down to the river and somehow that would make everything alright - at least for a little while. This is why the symbolism towards the end of the song is so damn heartbreaking. In the end even the river isn't there anymore. It dried up. Now there's no escape, no source of redeption for the narrator. You grow up and there's nothing that can make things right anymore. Springsteen is a pretty switched-on writer - and I think he's hip to the multiple layers of meaning that can be contained in a rich powerful song like this.

Who would have thought that a simple "Oooh oooh oooh" could be so beautiful?

This is one of the most heart-wrenching songs ever written.

Anyone who doesn't love Bruce's music must be crazy, because his music melts the strongest ice, makes the meadow bloom, heals the most self-absorbed soul, makes the world more colorful, and I can only say thank you for myself and for those who haven't written it here yet... thank you Bruce.

One of the most beautiful song ever written. The Boss is a genius.

The Boss... The only one who's able to tell the story of a whole life in just one single song.

My all time favorite song from Bruce Springsteen. That harmonica is haunting. Always has been and it still is. Even more so now. Thank you Bruce. You are the boss.

we were young then... it's all over now... thanks, so many thanks ♥

Bruce, thanks for picking up a guitar, thanks for picking up a harmonica, thanks for playing the piano, thanks for knowing what to do with a pen and pencil and black books, and thanks for sharing you and your band with the world.

This is maybe the best performance of any artist ever!

40 years later, this song still brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. The first time I was in a live audience as he performed it was just 5 years ago, in Cape Town, and it was one of the most transcendent moments of my life. The power remains undiminished.

Here in 2024 hello from Ireland 🇮🇪 😀

My Dad’s parents were 17 and 20 when my Dad was born. This song chokes him up every time.

It hits the heart so hard, man. How many of us have been young, taking our young lover down to the lake or river because we were all too broke to do anything else? Just remembering those times is such a trigger for the goosebumps. If you never been there, I'm sorry. I'll always remember those times, coming back from the lake with my long-lost sweetheart, just fully exhausted from being in the water and sun all day, and driving back as the sun set. Now she's passed away 9 years, and I'll never return to the places we shared, like hanging out at the Red River, and Lake Murray, and Lake Texoma. The world is big and some places just hurt too much. "I know the river is dry."

God , I drove my mother crazy playing this LP. We were in small town Australia early 80’s , but somehow this spoke to me. I think she really grew to love Bruce, RIP mum, love you.

Means SO much more when you get older. Thanks Bruce.

Whoever the sound engineer was at this concert is brilliant

This was one of the first albums I purchased... I still remember ripping the plastic off of it ... hadn’t thought about Bruce that often or that album in many many years.. Last week I listened to it on RU-vid..... Now tonight I sit here watching this.. and it’s soothing my soul.. I lost my first son in a car accident Saturday night.. Thank God for music ... and Hug and Love your kids.... even when you are in discord.. Love them .. never thought this would hit home.. but it did.. God Speed

Best song ever Bruce original.

If you can listen to this and not cry you have no heart

1965. The river was the Mersey. I was 19, she was 18. No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle No flowers no wedding dress..... 5 months later we had our first beautiful daughter. Now, nearly 57 years later, we still go down to the river.......

I'm 21 years old and you have been my favourite singer since I was old enough to sing along!!! My favourite is thunder road 😘 My dog is named Bruce in your honour. You are amazing!!!

Bruce is the greatest American poet of the 20th century

Down the Murrumbidge river from Goulburn to Wagga on a pumped up tyre tube, some Griffith magic, some cider and sweet love to pick you up when you got there!!!

I am 15 and i get goose bumbs if i watch this video, his voice is very powerfull. I love this song.

There can only be one Bruce Springsteen.

Still takes me back to my bedroom in Liverpool as a kid in '81 listening to both vinyl discs of the album for the first time, reading the lyrics as I went, thinking 'I've cracked it - this is what real life is all about.' Obviously I hadn't cracked it then [still haven't now!] but I learned so much about hope, respect, hard work, romance, disappointment, trust, friendship, etc that I've carried with me since and have helped on my own journey through life.

This song is absolutely awesome. I love you!

Man, even Bruce looks like he's about to cry :(

The harmonica in this cuts through my heart like a baby's cry. It does something on a primal level. You feel powerless, but all you want to do is make it better.

The River ist Springsteens größtes Kunstwerk. Kein anderer Song transportiert so viel Gefühl, so viel Energie und eine solche Bandbreite von Emotionen. Der ruhige Beginn, in dem die Grundmelodie bereits zögerlich mitschwingt hinein in den ikonischen Refrain von der Flucht hinab zum Fluss, wo man als Hörer das Freiheitsgefühl der Protagonisten miterleben kann. Die Geschichte, die der Song erzählt, ist so effektiv, weil sie die Realtität und gleichzeitig die Ängste vieler jungen Leute verkörpert und es schafft, dem Schicksal so viel Hoffnung abzuringen. Das Leben eines jungen Mannes, der gegen seinen Willen einem allzu normalen Pfad folgt und der sich nach einem Ausbruch sehnt. Die Strophen stauen so viel Kraft in sich auf, bis dann der Refrain alles frei lässt. Das Lied entstand nach einem Gespräch Springsteens mit seinem Schwager, der ihm von seinem Leben erzählte. Kein anderer Springsteen Song vereint sein Wesen und seinen Stil mit einer solchen Perfektion. Darum Platz 1 in unseren Bruce Springsteen Top-10! Ps. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 Hab ich bei googel entdeckt 🙏 ❤️

Probably the best song ever written 👍🏻

When he does this song live, it's like a religious experience.

This song haunts me. Same story but she ditched me a bit earlier. I've bluecollared all my life since and she passed me once in a convertible Maserati, all that was missing was the puddle splash. Anyway one life, live it friends, live it.

I love this one to my bones, it gives me the shivers of how close and personal this masterpiece gets, to me this is the greatest ❤❤❤

Best artist in the world

It's amazing how he still sounds amazing live today, 36 years later.

God!!!! This is MUSIC! I wish i was born in 70's... Golden Years!

"These memories the haunt me, they haunt me like a curse" I always have to swallow back tears when I hear that. This song is following me since I first heard it when I was at highschool when this epic work first came out.

Nothing like heading down to the Jersey shores. Listen to Bruce Springsteen since the 70 s