Bruce Springsteen

Released: July 10, 1992

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Jon Landau Chuck Plotkin Roy Bittan Bruce Springsteen

[Verse 1]
I bought a bourgeoise house in the Hollywood hills
With a truckload of hundred thousand dollar bills
Man came by to hook up my cable TV
We settled in for the night my baby and me
We switched 'round and 'round 'til half-past dawn:
There was fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

[Chorus]
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
‎
[Verse 2]
Well now home entertainment was my baby's wish
So I hopped into town for a satellite dish
I tied it to the top of my Japanese car
I came home and I pointed it out into the stars
A message came back from the great beyond:
There's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

[Chorus]
‎Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

[Middle 8]
Well we might'a made some friends with some billionaires
We might'a got all nice and friendly if we'd made it upstairs
All I got was a note that said, "Bye-bye, John
Our love's fifty-seven channels and nothin' on,"
‎
[Chorus]
‎Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

[Verse 3]
So I bought a .44 magnum, it was solid steel cast
And in the blessed name of Elvis well I just let it blast
‎'Til my TV lay in pieces there at my feet
And they busted me for disturbin' the almighty peace
Judge said, "What you got in your defense son?"
‎"Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on,"

[Chorus]
‎Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

[Outro]
I can see by your eyes, friend, you're just about gone
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on
Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on

Bruce Springsteen is a rock ‘n’ roll icon from the great state of New Jersey. Nicknamed “The Boss,” he’s known for spirited sax-powered anthems about working-class people making their way in the world. Backed by the trusty E Street Band, he’s sold more than 120 million records, won numerous awards (including 20 Grammys and an Oscar), sold out stadiums around the globe, and earned a place alongside his teenage heroes in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Although he’s a living legend who ranks among the most important artists in rock history, Springsteen wasn’t an overnight success. Around the time of his first album, 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., he was dismissed as just another “new Dylan"—some scruffy folk singer with a decent vocabulary looking to follow in Bob’s footsteps. In the decade that followed, Springsteen proved himself to be much more.

His breakthrough came with his third album, 1975’s Born to Run. The record hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and landed the singer-songwriter on the cover of both Time and Newsweek. Bruce nabbed his first chart-topping album five years later with The River, and in 1984, he went global with Born in the U.S.A., a critical and commercial smash that produced seven Top 10 singles.

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