Coverinfo
Bruce performed the song 2 times:
1976-11-26 Bottom Line (The), New York City, NY
Bruce had a guest appearance during a show with Patti Smith. Bruce plays piano or guitar on all the tracks of the setlist mentionned under, a mixture of spoken word, poems and songs. At the early show, "Slowly Walking Down The River" and "My Car Was Invisible (Case Of Bruce Springsteen)" are improvised, semi-spoken-word pieces performed by Smith with Bruce on piano. "Picture Hanging Blues" features Bruce on piano and Lenny Kaye on guitar. The full Patti Smith Group joins starting on The Velvet Underground's "We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together", which features Bruce on piano. He returned later in the show to play guitar on several more songs, believed to have been those listed underneath. A fan present at the late show recalls "Bruce mostly played guitar since John Cale was on piano for most songs. A few of my photos do show Bruce at the piano however."
Early Show:
Late Show:
Songinfo
Ain't it strange is a song taken from the 1976 second studioo album of Patti Smith. Radio Ethiopia was the follow-up record to Smith's widely acclaimed debut Horses. In interviews surrounding the album's release, Smith explained that she chose producer Jack Douglas in hopes of making the album a commercial success. The album was negatively received when it was released and Smith was attacked by critics for what they perceived to be laziness, self-indulgence and selling out.
The title track of the album is one of Smith's most notorious songs, almost legendary for appearing to be "10 minutes of noise". Critics often described live renditions of the song as negative moments of Smith's concerts. Patti herself spoke highly of the track and of how the lyrics refer to Arthur Rimbaud's dying wishes. Arguments both for and against the song have been advanced by critics, fans and music listeners over whether the song truly is an example of the Patti Smith Group's boundary-pushing or merely self-indulgence. Critics in negative reviews cited that Douglas' production placed more emphasis on creating a heavy sound through numerous guitar parts which smothered Smith's vocals and, at times, lamented that all of the album's songs were originals of the group (Smith co-wrote much of the album with bassist Ivan Kral, the band member keenest for commercial success. "Ain't It Strange" and "Distant Fingers", the latter co-written with Smith's long-time boyfriend Allen Lanier, had both been staples of the Group's concerts long before the recording of Horses. The album's cover photograph is by Judy Linn, the back of the album features a photo by Lynn Goldsmith.
Other cover versions
Bruce on the artist
Bruce has one co- written song with Patti Smith :
Because the night. It was originally recorded during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town sessions. The song was officially released for the first time in a live version on the
Live/1975-85 box set in 1986 recorded at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, during The River Tour. The guitar solo part is edited out on the official release, from three minutes to a bit over a minute and a half. The live 28 Dec 1980 version was also included on the Greatest Hits (2009 Europe edition) compilation album. A studio version was released on
The Promise in 2010. Because the night was donated to Patti Smith for her 1978 album
Easter.
Bruce had 9 performances together with Patti Smith :
2018-04-23 Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY
2013-02-08 Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
2009-10-30 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
1977-12-30 CBGB Theater, New York City, NY
1976-11-26 Bottom Line, New York City, NY (Late)
1976-11-26 Bottom Line, New York City, NY (Early)
1976-10-30 Palladium, New York City, NY
1975-12-26 Bottom Line, New York City, NY
1975-10-23 Gerde's Folk City, New York City, NY
Lyrics
Down in Vineland there's a clubhouse,
Girl in white dress, boy shoot white stuff
Oh, don't you know that anyone can join
And they come and they call and they fall on the floor
Don't you see when you're looking at me
That I'll never end transcend transcend
Ain't it strange oh oh oh
Ain't it strange oh oh oh
Come and join me, I implore thee,
I impure thee, come explore me.
Oh, don't you know that anyone can come
And they come and they call and they crawl on the floor.
Don't you see when you're looking at me
That I'll never end transcend transcend
Ain't it strange oh oh oh
Ain't it strange oh oh oh
True, true, who are you?
Who, who am I?
Oh da oh da oh da oh da oh da oh da
Down in Vineland there's a clubhouse,
Girl in white dress, boy shoot white stuff.
Oh, don't you know that anyone can come
And they come and they call and they fall on the floor
Don't you see when you're looking at me
That I'll never end transcend transcend.
Ain't it strange oh oh oh
Ain't it strange oh oh oh
Do you go to the temple tonight?
Oh no, I don't think so
Do you not go to the palace of answers with me Marie?
Oh no, I don't think so, no
See when they offer me book of gold,
I know soon still that platinum is coming
And when I look inside of your temple
It looks just like the inside of anyone one man,
And when he beckons his finger to me,
Well, I move in another direction,
I move in another dimension
I move in another dimension oh oh oh
I spin, I spiral, and I splatter
Hand of God, I feel the finger,
Hand of God, and I start to whirl
And I whirl, and I whirl,
Don't get dizzy, do not fall now,
Turn, God, God (strange)
Go, go on, go like a dervish,
Turn, God, (strange) make a move
Turn, Lord, (strange)
I don't get nervous
Oh I just move in another dimension
Come move in another dimension
Come move in another dimension
Come move in another dimension oh oh oh
Strange strange
Do you go to the temple tonight?
Oh no, I don't think so, no
We'll go to the pagoda
The palace of answers with me, Marie
Oh no, I don't believe so, no
See when they offer me book of gold,
I know soon still that platinum is coming
And when I look inside of your temple
It looks just like the inside of anyone one man
And when he beckons his finger to me,
Well, I move in another dimension
I move in another dimension
I move in another dimension oh oh oh