Streets of Philadelphia
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| "Streets of Philadelphia" | ||
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| Single by Bruce Springsteen | ||
| from the album Philadelphia soundtrack | ||
| B-side(s) | "If I Should Fall Behind" | |
| Released | December 1993 (album) February 1994 (single) |
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| Format | 7" single | |
| Recorded | July-August 1993 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 3:51 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Writer(s) | Bruce Springsteen | |
| Producer(s) | Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Plotkin | |
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||
| "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" (1992) |
"Streets of Philadelphia" (1994) |
"Secret Garden" (1995) |
"Streets of Philadelphia" is an Academy Award-winning and multiple Grammy Award-winning song written and performed by American singer Bruce Springsteen for the 1993 film Philadelphia. It is a slow, mournful, but melodic dirge about life with AIDS, set against synthesizers and a drum machine.
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[edit] History
In early 1993 Philadelphia director Jonathan Demme asked Springsteen to write a song for the in-progress film, and in June 1993, after the conclusion of the Bruce Springsteen and the "Other Band" Tour, Springsteen did. It was recorded with Springsteen supplying almost all of the instrumentation, with bass and background vocals from Other Bander Tommy Simms. Additional saxophone and vocal parts by Ornette Coleman and "Little" Jimmy Scott were recorded but not used.
Released in early 1994 as a single, it became a top 10 hit for Springsteen in both sides of the Atlantic, reaching #9 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #2 in the United Kingdom Singles Chart.
The song achieved more popularity in the UK than it would in the US, as it became Springsteen's highest charting song in that country. As of 2006, the song is Springsteen's last top 10 hit in both United States and United Kingdom.
The song, along with the film, was applauded by many for its sympathetic portrayal of a young gay man dying of AIDS, particularly coming from a mainstream, heterosexual musician.
[edit] Music video
The music video for the song, directed by Jonathan Demme and his nephew Ted Demme, shows Springsteen walking along desolate city streets, interspersed with footage from the film.
The vocal track for the video was re-recorded live during the shooting, using a hidden microphone, to a prerecorded instrumental track. This was a technique, appropriate for emotionally intense songs for which conventional video lip-syncing would seem especially false, that John Mellencamp pioneered in his 1985 "Rain on the Scarecrow" video, and that Springsteen himself had used on his 1987 "Brilliant Disguise" video. Springsteen would also go on to use the same technique in his "Lonesome Day" video in 2002.
[edit] Track listing
- "Streets of Philadelphia" – 3:51
- "If I Should Fall Behind" – 4:43
The B-side was a slow-paced selection from the previous year's unloved Springsteen and Other Band live album In Concert/MTV Plugged.
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 25 |
[edit] Awards won
[edit] Academy Awards
[edit] Grammy Awards
- Song of the Year
- Best Rock Song
- Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
- Best Song Written for a Motion Picture
[edit] MTV Video Music Awards
[edit] Live performance history
Because of the song's sterling achievements in the awards world, Springsteen played the song live in three high-visibility, prime-time awards show broadcasts: at the 66th Academy Awards in March 1994, at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1994, and at the Grammy Awards of 1995 in March 1995. Between this, Philadelphia's good box office, and the single being a top 10 pop hit, "Streets of Philadelphia" became one of Springsteen's best-known songs to the general music audience.
Nonetheless, Springsteen went on to perform the song only sparingly in his own concerts. In solo guitar form and missing the song's trademark synthesizers-and-drums feel, it was performed semi-regularly on the solo and stark 1995-1997 Ghost of Tom Joad Tour. After that, the song became a rarity, only appearing a dozen times on the 1999-2000 E Street Band Reunion Tour, and, as of September 2006, only a couple of times across the three tours after that.
[edit] Covers
The song has been covered live by Melissa Etheridge and on CD by Liv Kristine.
[edit] External links
- Brucebase history of song
- "Streets of Philadelphia" lyrics
- "Streets of Philadelphia" review at All Music Guide
- Information on the "Streets of Philadelphia" single at All Music Guide
| Preceded by "A Whole New World" from Aladdin |
Academy Award for Best Song 1993 |
Succeeded by "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King |
