Streets of Philadelphia
"Streets of Philadelphia" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bruce Springsteen | ||||
from the album Philadelphia Official Soundtrack | ||||
B-side | "If I Should Fall Behind" | |||
Released | February 11, 1994 | |||
Studio | Thrill Hill West (Beverly Hills, California)[1] | |||
Genre | Soft rock[2] | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bruce Springsteen[3] | |||
Producer(s) |
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Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia" on YouTube |
"Streets of Philadelphia" is a song written and performed by American rock musician Bruce Springsteen for the 1993 film Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks, an early mainstream film dealing with HIV/AIDS.[4] Released as a single by Columbia Records in 1994, the song was a hit in many countries, including Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, and Norway, where it topped the singles charts. In the United States, the single peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Springsteen's 12th and latest top-10 hit.
The song received critical acclaim, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song and four Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Best Rock Song, Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. In 2004, it finished at number 68 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top songs in American cinema.[5] The song is listed among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[6]
Background and release
In early 1993, Philadelphia director Jonathan Demme asked Springsteen to write a song for his film, adding "I want it to play in the malls." Springsteen replied, "Well, I'm interested, so I'd like to come up with a song for you. If you give me some time, I'll see, but I can't promise." Springsteen recalled adding, "I'm not very good at scores".
In late August 1993, following the conclusion of the 1992-1993 World Tour, Springsteen recorded a demo of his completed song at Thrill Hill Recording in Beverly Hills, California, including all the song's instrumentation. He mailed the tape to Demme, who later said, "my wife and I sat down and listened to it, and we were literally weeping by the end".[7] Meanwhile, background vocals were added by Tommy Sims (from the "Other Band").
In October 1993, Springsteen recorded the song at
"Streets of Philadelphia" was released on February 11, 1994. It is the first single from the film's original soundtrack, with Springsteen singing and playing all the instruments with Sims on background vocal.
The song became a worldwide chart success.[8] "Streets of Philadelphia" achieved greater popularity in Europe than in the United States. It peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but became a number-one single in Germany, France, and Austria. It peaked at number two in the United Kingdom,[3] becoming Springsteen's highest charting hit in the UK. The song reached number four in Australia, and spent five weeks at number one in Ireland.
As of 2012[update], "Streets of Philadelphia" is Springsteen's most recent top ten hit. The song was included on the album
Critical reception
In his weekly UK chart commentary,
Music video
The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Jonathan Demme and his nephew Ted Demme in December 1993, begins by showing Springsteen walking along desolate city streets, followed by a bustling park and schoolyard, interspersed with footage from the film. After a quick shot of Rittenhouse Square, it ends with Springsteen walking along the Delaware River, with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the background. Tom Hanks is also visible as the lead character he plays in the film, looking on as Bruce begins the final verse. One newspaper review called it "the saddest track cut this decade".[7]
The vocal track for the video was recorded live with a hidden microphone, to a pre-recorded instrumental track. This technique, appropriate for emotionally intense songs for which conventional video lip-syncing would seem especially false, was used by John Mellencamp in part on his 1985 "Rain on the Scarecrow" video, and by Springsteen, in his 1987 "Brilliant Disguise" video, singing the song directly into the camera as he sits on the edge of his chair on a Sandy Hook, New Jersey sound stage.[18]
Live performances
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
Springsteen went on to perform the song only sparingly in his 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 Ghost of Tom Joad Tour between 1995 and 1997. After that, the song was performed only appearing a dozen times on the E Street Band Reunion Tour in 1999 and 2000. As of January 2016, the song has been played only a few times across the nine tours since then.
Accolades
Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|
Academy Awards[19][3] | Best Original Song | Won |
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures | Won |
Golden Globe Awards[20] | Best Original Song | Won |
Grammy Awards[21] | Record of the Year | Nominated |
Song of the Year | Won | |
Best Male Rock Vocal Performance | Won | |
Best Rock Song | Won | |
Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television | Won | |
MTV Movie Awards | Best Song from a Movie | Nominated |
MTV Video Music Awards | Best Male Video | Nominated |
Best Video from a Film | Won |
Track listings
- CD , 7-inch, and cassette single
- "Streets of Philadelphia" – 3:15
- "If I Should Fall Behind" – 4:43
- CD maxi and maxi cassette
- "Streets of Philadelphia" – 3:15
- "If I Should Fall Behind" – 4:43
- "Growin' Up" – 3:13
- "The Big Muddy" – 4:11
The
Personnel
According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[22]
- Bruce Springsteen – vocals, keyboards, bass, drum machine, tambourine
- Tommy Sims – background vocals
Technical
- Bruce Springsteen – producer
- Chuck Plotkin – producer
- Toby Scott – engineer
- Bob Clearmountain – mixer
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[68] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[69] | Gold | 25,000* |
Brazil | — | 100,000[70] |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[71] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
France ( SNEP)[72]
|
Gold | 250,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[74] | Gold | 400,000[73] |
Italy (FIMI)[75] | Gold | 25,000* |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[76] | Gold | |
United Kingdom (BPI)[77] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[78] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | February 11, 1994 |
|
Columbia | [78] |
United Kingdom | March 7, 1994 | [79] |
Cover versions
The song has been covered live by Jack Folland,
After the movie Philadelphia was released, many artists covered it. In 1993, when Rhino Records assembled its box set, Academy Award Winning Songs (1934–1993), the same year, it was unable to license the Springsteen track and instead commissioned Richie Havens to record a cover version.[80]
In 2010, the French string quartet
The song is also covered by
In 2011, the German group Gregorian released a Gregorian chant version of the song in their album Masters of Chant Chapter VIII.
Also in 2011, Idols South Africa season seven winner Dave van Vuuren performed the song on the show and recorded it on his album Free the Animals.[81]
In 2009, it was covered by
In February 2013, Sir
Fat White Family's Saul Adamczewski and Childhood (band)'s Ben Romans-Hopcraft, covered the song on their 2018 album, Karaoke for One: Vol 1, under the band name Insecure Men.
Waxahatchee covered the song in 2021 for the deluxe issue of her 2020 album Saint Cloud.
See also
- List of number-one hits of 1994 (Austria)
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1994
- List of European number-one hits of 1994
- List of number-one hits of 1994 (France)
- List of number-one hits of 1994 (Germany)
- List of number-one singles of 1994 (Ireland)
- List of 1964–1994 number-one hits in Norway
References
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External links
- Brucebase history of song
- "Streets of Philadelphia" review at Allmusic
- Information on the "Streets of Philadelphia" single at Allmusic
- Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia on YouTube