Because The Night: Springsteen, Patti Smith or 10,000 Maniacs?

Because The Night

Photo: “Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band” by Laura is licensed under CC BY 2.0

For those who don’t know the story, Bruce Springsteen had initially written the song Because the Night for his Darkness on the Edge of Town LP. Springsteen had been working in the studio recording tracks for the LP in 1977. Bruce Springsteen, for reasons only the Boss knows, decided not to release the song on Darkness on the Edge of Town, which was no surprise since he had written and recorded four times the amount of songs that he needed for a new record. Somehow, Patti Smith got a hold of the song and recorded the material, adding her own lyrics to the song’s verses. With Springsteen’s permission, Jimmy Iovine handed Patti Smith a copy of Springsteen’s song. Patti Smith released the record in 1977 and ended up scoring one of the most successful singles of her career.

Patti Smith’s version of “Because the Night,” reached the Top 20 on the U.S. Billboard singles music charts. The song made it all the way to the top 10 on the UK music singles charts.

Bruce Springsteen finally released his version of the song on his Live 1975-1985 five-record live album. The album’s live recording of the song was a scorching testament to Springsteen’s brilliant songwriting and passionate live performance. Springsteen would eventually release a studio version of the song on his Tracks Box Set, released in 1997.

Natalie Merchant of 10.000 Maniacs recorded their own version of the song on their 1993 MTV Unplugged album. While most rock fans probably suspect that Patti Smith had the most tremendous success with the song, Natalie Merchant’s version actually charted a few spots higher on the Billboard music charts than Patti Smith’s version did.

The band Garbage recorded the song “Because the Night” with the Screaming Females for a Record Day-only release in 2013.

Both Patti Smith and 10,000 Maniacs had the biggest hits of their careers with the song “Because the Night.” Bruce Springsteen has had so many hits that it’s hard to gauge the importance of the song to his career. Regardless of chart success, the simple fact of the matter is “Because the Night” is one of the most exciting and passionate rock and roll songs ever written. So, which version features the ultimate recording of the song? It’s a tough call, but if we had to take only one copy with us to our deserted island, we would have to go with Bruce Springsteen’s version officially released on his Live 1975-1985 album. Which one do you prefer?

Bruce Springsteen Because The Night

Patti Smith – Because The Night

10,000 Maniacs –  Because The Night

Updated November 10, 2023

Because The Night: Springsteen, Patti Smith or 10,000 Maniacs? article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to re-publish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain Creative Commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album Cover Photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.

DMCA.com Protection Status

Add Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Randy Newman Songs
Top 10 Randy Newman Songs
Dashboard Confessional Songs
Top 10 Dashboard Confessional Songs
Fountains of Wayne Songs
Top 10 Fountains of Wayne Songs
10 Best Rock Songs With The Word 'Red' In The Title
10 Best Rock Songs With The Word ‘Red’ In The Title
Eagles Albums
Picking Out Our Favorite Eagles Albums
George Harrison Albums
Our Favorite George Harrison Albums
Electric Light Orchestra Albums
10 Electric Light Orchestra Albums Everyone Should Own
Stevie Nicks Albums
Top 10 Stevie Nicks Albums
Monsters of Rock Cruise 2024: Day Five Review
Justin Hawkins of The Darkness Monsters Of Rock Cruise 2024: Day Four Review
Monsters Of Rock Cruise 2024: Day Four Review
M3 Rock Festival Is Back For 15th year! May 4 & 5 In Columbia, MD
Monsters of Rock Cruise 2024: Day Three Review
Russell Marsden Interview
An Interview With Russell Marsden of Band Of Skulls
Jeff Fabb of Black Label Society Interview
An Interview With Jeff Fabb of Black Label Society
Joey Vera of Armored Saint: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Mel Gaynor Interview
An Interview With Mel Gaynor, Formerly Of Simple Minds
Ace Frehley Albums
Complete List of Ace Frehley Albums And Discography
Status Quo Albums
Complete List Of Status Quo Studio Albums And Discography
Phantom, Rocker & Slick Albums
Complete List Of Phantom, Rocker & Slick Albums
Paul Young Albums
Complete List Of Paul Young Albums And Discography
Music CDs Comeback
Why Music CDs Have No Chance Of Making A Comeback
Classic Rock Bands Still Together But Overdue For A New Album
Classic Rock Bands Still Together But Overdue For A New Album
When Glam Bands Went Grunge In The 1990s
When Glam Bands Went Grunge In The 1990s
25 Most Famous Female American Singers Now!
25 Most Famous Female American Singers Now!
11 Tracks Of Whack Album Review
Walter Becker – 11 Tracks of Whack Album Review
Sammy Hagar Album Review
Why Sammy Hagar’s 1977 ‘Sammy Hagar’ LP Was One Of His Best
Grand Funk On Time Album Review
Looking Back At Grand Funk Railroad’s Debut Album ‘On Time’
Ghost Writer Album Review
How ‘Ghost Writer’ Turned Us On To The Music Of Garland Jeffreys