Sometime in the autumn of 1979, at his home in Holmdel, Bruce recorded this little ditty:
What’s it about?
I don’t know!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. But seriously, I’m not even sure that Bruce knew what it was about. “I Don’t Know” sounds more a melody in search of lyrics. What few lines are intelligible are almost certainly bluffed. Bruce does this often when working on a song–he warps (and sometimes warps) a melody around a turn of phrase that he particularly likes. Sometimes it reflects the heart of the song, other times its just a hook, and I suspect in this case it’s the latter.
“I Don’t Know” doesn’t appear to have evolved into any finished, released Springsteen song–none to which I can trace a genealogical link, anyway.
Might there be a finished version of the song somewhere in the vault?
Perhaps, but baby…
I Don’t Know
Recorded: Autumn 1979 (early demo only)
Never performed
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Different Ken. definitely a ditty