RED HEADED WOMAN

Live 16 Nov 1990 version

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[Spoken intro:] Oh yeah! It's funny, Jackson and Bonnie and I, we met about uh, almost 20 years ago. I was playing at Max's Kansas City (cheers). And this fella, David Blue came and pulled me off stage and said "Man, you gotta come downtown with me". And Jackson was playing at the Bitter End, and Bonnie was playing across the street at the Cafe Au Go Go, and I got up and I sang a song. And uh, when we couldn't get any jobs, Bonnie Raitt used to let me open up for her (chuckles). She was so nice, and she's so good, and now she's so sexy (cheers). Yeah, yesterday I came in, you know, I hadn't seen her in a while, and she kissed me right on the lips (cheers). It was just a little kiss, you know, it was very, very knowing (cheers). Life's little thrills (cheers). Anyway I'm gonna dedicate this tonight to uh, my two favorite red-heads (cheers).

Well brunettes are fine man
And blondes are fun
But when it comes to getting the dirty job done

I'll take a red headed woman
A red headed woman
Yeah a red headed woman
Sure can get that job done

Well listen up stud
Your life's been wasted
'Til you've been down on your knees on and tasted

A red headed woman
A red headed woman
Yeah a red headed woman
Sure gets a dirty job done

Yiii...
Whoaaa...

Yeah well tight skirt, strawberry hair
Tell me what you've got baby, waiting under there
Big green eyes that look like sun
They can see every cheap thing that you ever done

Well I don't care how many girls you've dated, man
You ain't lived till you've had your tires rotated

By a red headed woman
Whoa a red headed woman
Well a red headed woman
Sure can get the job done

Well now all you girls out there tonight sure look fine
But my heart and soul and this body of mine

Is a red headed woman's
Belongs to a red headed woman
Yeah a red headed woman
Sure gets the dirty job done
Amen

Whoaaa...

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Info

RED HEADED WOMAN is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released in a live version on the In Concert / MTV Plugged home video in 1992 and the corresponding audio album the following year. See the live 22 Sep 1992 version for more details.

Springsteen obviously wrote the song about his second wife and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa. The lyric "what you've got baby, waiting under there" can also be found in BLUE MOON TURNS TO GOLD, an unpublished song from the Human Touch / Lucky Town era.

Live 16 Nov 1990 version

The above lyrics are for the live 16 Nov 1990 performance of RED HEADED WOMAN at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA, during the first of the two Christic Institute benefit shows. This was the world debut of RED HEADED WOMAN.

Christic Institute Benefit Shows

Bruce Springsteen joined Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne on 16 and 17 Nov 1990 at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA, for two acoustic benefit shows for the Christic Institute. The shows "were two of the most important and dramatic concerts of [Springsteen's] career", Backstreets magazine founder Charles R. Cross wrote. According to the Golden Globe, Springsteen and manager Jon Landau even considered making an album from these shows at one point.

The Christic Institute was a public interest law firm whose most high-profile case was going to expose the CIA's involvement in the Iran-Contra drug smuggling scandals. The case was dismissed by the judge days before the trial was to begin, claiming that Christic's attorneys had failed to present some of the evidence. Christic was ordered to pay over $1 million in court costs for the defendants, effectively bankrupting the firm.

In June 2016, the complete recordings of Bruce Springsteen sets from both the 16 and the 17 Nov 1990 Christic Institute benefit shows were officially released on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net (see the "Official Live Downloads" section below for more details). The audio was sourced from digital audio tape (16-bit/44.1kHz) and was transferred by Rob Lebret at Thrill Hill Studio, NJ, and mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, ME.

Official Live Downloads

Prior to the High Hopes Tour, Bruce Springsteen's management announced a new service allowing fans to download concert recordings approximately 48 hours after each show. The initial plan required fans to purchase a special USB wristband, which could then be used to download a single High Hopes Tour show of the purchaser's choice and also functions as a regular reusable USB flash drive. The wristband, which could be purchased online or at the concert venue, was priced at $40. Following some negative response from fans over the high cost for the wristband, Springsteen's management subsequently announced a separate cheaper option for purchasing shows directly, without the need for the wristband. The shows were available for purchase and download via Live Nation, Bruce Springsteen's concert promoter, priced at $9.99 for MP3 and $14.99 for FLAC. Audio recordings for 31 of the 34 High Hopes Tour dates (all except 16 Feb 2014, 06 Apr 2014, and 03 May 2014) were released as such and they were available until 30 Jun 2014.

On 17 Nov 2014, Live.BruceSpringsteen.net was launched. It's a new addition to the official website, serving as an online store offering high-quality live concert recordings as well as high-resolution digital releases of Springsteen's album catalog. The download store is powered by Nugs.net in cooperation with Columbia Records. Audio recordings for 30 of the 34 High Hopes Tour dates (all except 16 Feb 2014, 06 Apr 2014, 03 May 2014, and 18 May 2014) were re-released on the new download store in multiple formats, including MP3, lossless CD-quality FLAC or ALAC, and 24-bit HD FLAC or ALAC or MQA, as well as audio CD-R with custom artwork. Nugs.net adopted the MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) format on 24 May 2017. From then on, all Bruce Springsteen live concert recordings, including the previously released ones, became also available in MQA.

Audio recordings for all 75 The River Tour 2016 dates were also released on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net in multiple formats, including MP3, lossless CD-quality FLAC or ALAC, and 24-bit HD FLAC or ALAC or MQA, as well as audio CD-R with custom artwork. Each show was generally released within a month after it took place.

Audio recordings for all 14 Summer '17 Tour dates were also released on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net in multiple formats, including MP3, lossless CD-quality FLAC or ALAC, and 24-bit HD FLAC or ALAC or MQA, as well as audio CD-R with custom artwork. Each show was generally released within a month after it took place.

Archival releases were periodically released on the same site, as part of the Bruce Springsteen Archive Series. These shows were also made available in multiple formats, including MP3, lossless FLAC or ALAC, 24-bit FLAC or ALAC or MQA, DSD, and audio CD-R. So far 90 shows (or sets of shows) were released from the ongoing series.

Official Releases

Other versions of RED HEADED WOMAN were also officially released.

Live History: on-tour

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed 12 times during World Tour 1992-1993 (104 dates, June 1992 to June 1993), all during the 1992 North American leg.

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed 70 times during The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour (128 dates, November 1995 to May 1997). The first appearance was relatively late in the tour, on 24 Apr 1996 in London, UK, but the song was performed at every single show starting from 01 Oct 1996 in Normal, IL, and till the end of the tour. On this tour, the song as played on acoustic guitar and featured a new verse: "Well push come to shove / And shove come to push / And I was Moses kneeling for the burning bush." The live 08 Nov 1996 version of RED HEADED WOMAN 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 RED HEADED WOMAN was released on the Asbury Park 11/24/96 official live download in 2019. The live 18 May 1997 version of RED HEADED WOMAN was released on the Nice, France 1997 official live download in 2021.

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed 4 times during what is known as The Reunion Tour (132 dates, April 1999 to July 2000). The song was played in a full-band extended version that also featured the extra verse from The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour. The 03 Sep 1999 performance in Washington, DC, featured guest appearances by Bruce Hornsby, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin, and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed twice during the Working On A Dream Tour (83 dates, April to November 2009).

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed 3 times during the Wrecking Ball Tour (133 dates, March 2012 to September 2013).

A snippet of RED HEADED WOMAN was used several times during The Reunion Tour as part of TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT, during Springsteen's introduction of the band, particularly Patti Scialfa. See the live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version of TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT for an example.

Live History: off-tour

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed off-tour on 16 Nov 1990 and 17 Nov 1990 at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA, during the benefit shows for the Christic Institute. The live 16 Nov 1990 version and the live 17 Nov 1990 version of RED HEADED WOMAN were released on The Christic Shows, November 16 & 17, 1990 official live download in 2016.

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed off-tour on 22 Sep 1992 at Warner Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles, CA, during the taping of MTV Unplugged. That performance was released on the In Concert / MTV Plugged home video in 1992 and the corresponding audio album the following year. See the live 22 Sep 1992 version for more details.

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed off-tour on 11 Oct 1998 at Springsteen Residence in Colts Neck, NJ, during a celebration of Springsteen's 49th birthday. The birthday bash, which had been postponed several times due to poor weather, was held outdoor at Springsteen's farm property. New York City based Cajun-roots band The Gotham Playboys provided the entertainment and Springsteen joined them for a six-song set. The Gotham Playboys, who also played at Springsteen's birthday the previous year, would form the core of the Sessions Band.

RED HEADED WOMAN was performed off-tour on 04 Dec 1999 at The Diasco Residence in Colts Neck, NJ. In June 1999, at a Doug Flutie Autism Foundation fundraising gala held at Jon Bon Jovi's estate in Middletown Township, guests Anthony and Pam Diasco paid $60,000 during the evening's dinner auction for right to host a very private Bon Jovi band concert at their home. The performance took place on 04 Dec 1999 at their estate in Colts Neck, NJ. Although Springsteen's services were not part of the June auction, the Diascos got a bonus. He (as well as wife Patti Scialfa and Southside Johnny) attended the party and, backed by Bon Jovi, he performed a six-song set.

Covers

At least 10 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's RED HEADED WOMAN.

References

Some of the above info about the live performances is taken from Brucebase. Info for some of the above RED HEADED WOMAN cover releases are taken from the Nebraska website.

Request

I need a scan of Darren Coggan & Mitchell Shadlow's Red Headed Woman CD EP. Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: .

Available Versions

List of available versions of RED HEADED WOMAN on this website:

RED HEADED WOMAN [Live 16 Nov 1990 version]
RED HEADED WOMAN [Live 17 Nov 1990 version]
RED HEADED WOMAN [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
RED HEADED WOMAN [Live 24 Apr 1996 version]
RED HEADED WOMAN [Live 26 Nov 1996 version]
RED HEADED WOMAN [Live 29 Nov 1999 version]

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Page last updated: 01 Jun 2016