MANSION ON THE HILL 
Album version
There's a place out on the edge of town, sir
Rising above the factories and the fields
Now ever since I was a child I can remember
That mansion on the hill
In the day you can see the children playing
On the road that leads to those gates of hardened steel
Steel gates that completely surround, sir
The mansion on the hill
At night my daddy'd take me and we'd ride
Through the streets of a town so silent and still
Park on a back road along the highway side
Look up at that mansion on the hill
In the summer all the lights would shine
There'd be music playing, people laughing all the time
Me and my sister we'd hide out in the tall corn fields
Sit and listen to the mansion on the hill
Tonight down here in Linden Town
I watch the cars rushing by home from the mill
There's a beautiful full moon rising
Above the mansion on the hill
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Info
MANSION ON THE HILL is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 1982 album Nebraska. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of MANSION ON THE HILL as released in 1982.
Studio Recording
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Nebraska
Following The River Tour, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band were scheduled to start recording the next album in New York City in February 1982. Springsteen felt that the upcoming band studio sessions would progress faster than they had for his previous three albums if he first records finished demos and demonstrates them to the band. He decided to record multi-channel, professional sounding, finished demos of some songs he had written during the period.
To achieve his goal, Springsteen asked his guitar technician, Mike Batlan, in December 1981 to set up a recording facility in a spare room at his home in Colts Neck, NJ. Some modification work was done to the room making it more receptive to achieving a decent sound. Batlan purchased a Teac Tascom Series 144 4-track cassette recorder, two Shure SM57 microphones, and two microphone stands. The sound was mixed through an old Gibson Echoplex and an old Panasonic boom box acted as the mix-down deck.
The four-track cassette recorder that Bruce Springsteen used to record his famous Nebraska demo tape of January 1982
Batlan told journalist David McGee, "Springsteen began organizing his work for Nebraska during the first week of December 1981 — that's when I was directed to buy the four-track... actual recording began on 17 or 18 December and ended around January 3." Some of the songs were recorded two or three times in slightly different arrangements. A cassette tape was compiled and edited at the end of the sessions, likely on 03 Jan 1982. It contained fourteen songs recorded during these late December 1981 / early January 1982 sessions plus what is almost certainly a live recording of a fifteenth song, JOHNNY BYE-BYE. It also included seven alternate takes and five alternate mixes. The first person to listen to the tape was Jon Landau. Two or three months later, Springsteen recorded two additional songs (MY FATHER'S HOUSE and THE BIG PAYBACK) at home on the same equipment — thus making a total of 17 different songs.
The solo demo tape was never conceived to result in a commercially released album, as the songs were recorded by the E Street Band with multi-instrument arrangements, during what's known by fans as the "Electric Nebraska Sessions". It should be noted that most of the songs were not recorded in "rock" arrangements. Instead, Springsteen and Max Weinberg just added light percussion, or Roy Bittan added a synth pad.
During the E Street Band sessions it became apparent to Springsteen that a majority of these songs did not lend themselves well to a full band arrangement. He later wrote in his 1998 book Songs, "I went into the studio, brought in the band, rerecorded, remixed, and succeeded in making the whole thing worse." At one point he even went back into the studio with an acoustic guitar to try and re-record the songs solo, but the result lacked the atmosphere and feeling of isolation only found on the original home demos. According to Toby Scott, Springsteen handed him the original solo demo tape in April 1982 and asked him if it was possible to just master off the tape, with the intention to release some of the songs as a solo album. It took Scott a few weeks before eventually saying yes and in May a decision was taken to release a solo album ahead of the still-in-progress E Street Band album.
Most of the E Street Band arrangements of these songs were discarded and ten of the original solo demos from the tape were released on the Nebraska album. Max Weinberg revealed to Rolling Stone in June 2010 that the recording of the "Electric Nebraska Sessions" does exist. He said that "the E Street Band actually did record all of Nebraska and it was killing [...] It was all very hard-edged. As great as it was, it wasn't what Bruce wanted to release. There is a full band Nebraska album, all of those songs are in the can somewhere."
"Open All Night" and "January 3, 1982" were considered as titles for the album, but ultimately "Nebraska" was chosen. The album was produced by Bruce Springsteen and was commercially released on 20 Sep 1982 by Columbia Records.
Bruce Springsteen -- Nebraska
Nebraska features 10 new Springsteen compositions and clocks at 40:50.
Single Release
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Bruce Springsteen -- Atlantic City
7" single - CBS / Sony (07SP 657) - Japan, 1982
Comes with a picture insert. Promotional copies are identical to the commercial ones with the exception of "NOT FOR SALE / SAMPLE" (in Japanese) imprint above the catalogue number on the labels.
A1-
ATLANTIC CITY
B1-
MANSION ON THE HILL
Other Official Releases
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Bruce Springsteen -- Ballads Vol. 1 (1973 - 1982)
CD-R - Sony (no catalog number) - Japan, 2005
Japan-only promotional "Digest" CDR advance sampler tying in with the release of the first six Japanese 2005 "mini-LP"-style Springsteen CD album reissues. This disc comes in a plain slimline jewel case with no artwork.
Other versions of MANSION ON THE HILL were also officially released.
The live 13 Oct 1986 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on the Bridge School October 13, 1986 official live download in 2019.
The live 16 Nov 1990 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on The Christic Shows, November 16 & 17, 1990 official live download in 2016.
The live 17 Nov 1990 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on The Christic Shows, November 16 & 17, 1990 official live download in 2016.
The live 08 Nov 1996 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on the Freehold, NJ 1996 Saint Rose Of Lima School Gym official live download in 2018.
The live 24 Nov 1996 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on the Asbury Park 11/24/96 official live download in 2019.
The live 30 Sep 1999 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on the Chicago September 30, 1999 official live download in 2018.
The live 01 Jul 2000 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on the Live In New York City album and home video in 2001.
The
live 22 Nov 2005 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on the
Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.
The live 09 Mar 2012 version of MANSION ON THE HILL was released on the Apollo Theater 03/09/12 official live download in 2014.
Live History
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Covers
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At least 20 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's MANSION ON THE HILL.
Emmylou Harris -- At The Rymam
CD - Reprise Records (9 26664-2) - USA, 1992
This is a live album.
Various artists -- Badlands - A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska
CD - Sub Pop (SPCD 525) - USA, 2000
CD - Sub Pop (9878-70525-2) - Germany, 2000
CD - Sub Pop (WPCR-10845) - Japan, 2000
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. MANSION ON THE HILL is performed by Crooked Fingers.
The Section -- Hometown: The String Quartet Tribute To Springsteen
CD - Vitamin (CD 8678) - USA, 2002
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Various artists -- Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
2xCD - Schoolhouse Records / Big Daddy (SHR0022-2) - USA, 2003
2xCD - Good Sounds / DiscMedi Blau (DM 797E-02) - Spain, 2003
3xCD - Good Sounds / DiscMedi Blau (DM 797-02) - Spain, 2003
2xCD - Schoolhouse Records / Revolver (REV XD244) - UK, 2004
2xCD - Revolver / Sony (MHCP 928-9) - Japan, 2005
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. There are five issues of this album (with three track configurations) and this track was included on all five issues listed above. MANSION ON THE HILL is performed by Billy Bragg & The Blokes.
David Gray -- A Thousand Miles Behind
CD - IHT Records (ihtcd05) - UK, 2007
This is a live album.
The Bruceband -- Nebraska Electric
CD - no label (88690-2) - Holland, 2008
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Various artists -- Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool: A Global Pop Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
2xCD - Where It's At Is Where You Are (WIACD20) - UK, 2009
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. MANSION ON THE HILL is performed by Orange Nichole.
Jon Bingham -- Deliver Me From Nowhere
Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2012
This is a free download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Various artists -- Long Distance Salvation: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska
LP - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2012
Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2012
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, available in downloadable digital form and on limited edition colored vinyl. The digital version contains three tracks not found on the LP issue. MANSION ON THE HILL is performed by Joe Purdy & Garrison Starr.
Various artists -- Return To Nebraska
Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - Holland, 2012
This is a free download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album. MANSION ON THE HILL is performed by Martin Van De Vrugt.
Various artists -- The Nebraska Sessions - A Tribute
CD - Clubhouse Records (no catalog number) - UK, 2012
Digital album - Clubhouse Records (no catalog number) - UK, 2012
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, available in downloadable digital form and on CD. The digital version contains two tracks not found on the CD issue. MANSION ON THE HILL is performed by The Redlands Palomino Company.
Pony Face -- Pony Face Presents Nebraska
2xLP - Cobra Snake Necktie Records (unknown catalog number) - Australia, 2014
CD - Love & Theft Recording Co. (LNT022) - Australia, 2014
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Jim DiBattista -- Nebraska - A Tribute
Digital album - Big Lump Records (no catalog number) - USA, 2019
This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album. It can be streamed on
YouTube and
Soundcloud.
Stormy Mondays -- Nebraska
CD - Electric Satellite Records (ESR 002) - Spain, 2019
LP - Electric Satellite Records (ESR 002-LP) - Spain, 2021
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
David Furtado -- Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - Portugal, 2020
This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Aoife O'Donovan -- Aoife O'Donovan Plays Nebraska
Digital album - Yep Roc Records (no catalog number) - USA, 2021
This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album. It was recorded live on 09 May 2020 at Aoife’s home in New York City, NY.
Leonardo And Riccardo Sgavetti -- Nebraska Replayed
CD - Esagono Dischi (ED 2021/01) - Italy, 2021
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Ryan Adams -- Nebraska
Digital album - Pax Americana Record Company (no catalog number) - USA, 2022
This is a free download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Wagersfeld -- Nebraska
CD - no label (no catalog number) - Austria, 2023
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. Each song is preceded by a story related to the song, in German.
Various artists -- Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska: A Celebration In Words And Music
CD - unknown label (unknown catalog number) - USA, 2024
This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. It's the soundtrack album for the PBS special that first aired on 10 Aug 2024 and was offered with a donation to the American public broadcaster. MANSION ON THE HILL is performed by Lumineers.
Available Versions
List of available versions of MANSION ON THE HILL on this website:
MANSION ON THE HILL [Album version]
MANSION ON THE HILL [Live 24 Apr 1993 version]
MANSION ON THE HILL [Live 22 Nov 2005 version]
Page last updated: 01 Jun 2016
