Roll of the Dice: One Way Street

Oh, Bruce.

I understand why you had to re-record the vocals for “One Way Street.” The bootleg version we’d heard for years was lovely but a bit awkward at times. With lines like “If and oh my darling I, I must confess” and “It’s mmmm we, we are the same kind,” it’s clear that this was a rehearsal run.

And thanks for re-recording all the vocals over the original backing track. That hybrid mash-up of 30-year-old Bruce and 60-year-old Bruce that you used on other songs on The Promise is really jarring at times. (I’m looking at you, “The Brokenhearted.”) Much better to just redo the vocals in their entirety.

Thanks also for keeping that gorgeous instrumental track, especially Clarence’s solo. (Did you have to ditch Danny’s though? Sure, the song was a bit long. Shaving a minute-and-a-half from the run time wasn’t a bad decision, but Danny…)

And those horns–nice touch.

So yeah, I get the reasons for all the tinkering, and I can’t find fault sonically, but dude…

When you touched up the lyrics, you neutered the song!

Your original 1977 take of “One Way Street” struck the perfect balance between bitter and sweet. Your 2010 version replaces bitter with sad, and it completely changes the power and resonance of the song.

Let’s take a listen together, and I’ll show you what I mean. First the 1977 version, which you never released:

See what I mean? Yeah, it’s obvious that the guy loves the girl, and that their love was doomed from the start. That much is true in both versions. But whereas 2010 Bruce is wistful and philosophical about it, 1977 Bruce is bitter and borderline obsessed. I wonder if that has something to do with the age and experience that those extra decades bring?

Let’s look at those original lyrics together:

If the sun should fall from the sky, tomorrow
If the rain brings a tear to your eye I would share your sorrow
But you must go if you can’t take the heat
Our love was fine, our love was sweet
But we were walking on the wild side, running down a one way street

I’m picking up on your implications, Bruce. These lovers seem to be committed to others, but they’ve found temporary refuge in each other. Very “Hearts of Stone.”

But in that third line, you introduce a bit of bite to our protagonist: “you must go if you can’t take the heat.” So the guy is just fine with how things are, it’s the girl who’s having trouble with the situation. He seems to be saying: “Hey look: we both knew what we were getting into. This was never going to lead anywhere, but I thought we were both okay with it.”

Yeah, at night when the moon shines, rolling in your eyes
Sometimes, yeah sometimes, I can’t forget your lies
But oh the changes come today
And for your wrongs well you must pay
And we’re walking on the wild side running down a one way street
It’s a dead end baby

Can I just say that I love how you used moonlight rolling in her eyes as a euphemism for doing the deed? That’s brilliant. And to have that be the moment when he has to wrestle with dishonesty–well, that’s just haunting. (What did exactly did she lie about, anyway? Or is it one of those situations where if she’s lying to her husband, what’s to say she’s not lying to her lover?)

Yeah, this guy is a little bit bitter–seems like things are crashing and burning, and I suspect it’s at least as much due to his obsession as her unfaithfulness.

Oh, and that throwaway line–“It’s a dead end, baby.” You threw it away! That was important. It’s not the fact the street was one-way that makes the song so heart-breaking–it’s that there’s no outlet!

Another nice touch: you gave the narrator enough self-awareness to recognize his obsession but didn’t give him the inner strength wean himself from it:

If and oh, my darling I, I must confess
That this can’t be love though I must be a man possessed
When I look in your eyes so bright
You’re walking and your dress fits you just right
But babe we’re walking on a dead end, running down a one way street

Well if a man could change the things he feels inside
If for once I could turn and maybe swallow some of my pride
But for the wrongs oh yes we must pay
So it’s bye bye baby today
And we’ll go walking down the wild side running down a one way street

Yeah when I think of all the girls that I have missed
Well I know I would give them up for just one kiss
It’s mmmm we, we are the same kind
And to leave you baby I’d have to go blind
Oh and we’re walking on the wild side, running down a one way street

Okay, that last verse is a bit weak. But in fairness, I know you never intended for us to hear this version, and I’m sure you were gonna finesse the lyrics some more.

Which you eventually did more than 30 years later.

Let’s listen to that one, from your 2010 album, The Promise.

See how right off the bat, the song loses its edge:

Well if the sun should fall from the sky tomorrow
If the rain brings a tear to your eye I would share your sorrow
If you must go, then take your leave
Our love was strong, our love was sweet
But we were walking on the wild side, running down a one way street

“You must go if you can’t take the heat” is angry, but it’s also pleading. The narrator’s goal is to get her to stay by impugning her courage. It’s a great line.

“If you must go, then take your leave…” well, that’s just martyrdom.

In the night, I see only the fire in your eyes
The morning light brings the shadows of your lies
And so the change has come today
And for our wrongs well we must pay
We were walking on the wild side, running down a one way street

Again, those subtle changes have a big impact. In the 1977 version, we’re inside the narrator’s head as he struggles with his partner’s untruthfulness even as he upbraids her for feeling conflicted about it–all in the midst of an act of passion. Here, the doubt doesn’t set in until the morning after, which is nowhere near as heart-wrenching or heat-generating.

And then finally, that last verse:

Oh my darling I must, I must confess
This can’t be love, no I am just a man possessed
And so the tide has turned to day
We can turn and walk away
‘Cause we were walking on the wild side, running down a one way street

Okay, exactly how possessed can the guy actually be if in the very next breath he says “oh well” and walks away? Seriously, that’s how you end the song?

Sigh.

I love you, Bruce, but this is not your best moment on vinyl. This version of “One Way Street” is basically a poor man’s “Hearts of Stone.” I’m glad I have that beautiful bootleg version to hang on to.

I have to give you points back for your live performances, though. That Light of Day performance from 2011 with Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers was just gorgeous, and your vocal is as soulful as I’ve ever heard you. An absolute show-stopper.

Your only E Street Band performance (other than the private carousel concert when the album came out) from 2013 can’t quite match that Houserockers version, but it’s nice to hear the song brought to life in its original arrangement.

But if you’re ever in the mood to play it in concert again, maybe give the original lyrics a try? Or maybe just play “Hearts of Stone” instead… that song gets me every time.

One Way Street
Recorded: June 17, 1977 (backing track), 2010 (vocals)
Released: The Promise (2010)
First performed: December 7, 2010 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Last performed: July 5, 2013 (Monchengladbach, Germany)

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