Sam Cooke - Having A Party

First performance: 31/10/1973

Coverinfo

Bruce performed the song 34 times in full and 69 times as a snippet:
 
Frequently performed over the years, mostly during his off-tour club appearances. Also used as a snippet in twist and shout, E-street shuffle, A love so fine, shout, quarter to three. Starting from 1976, Having a party became one of Bruce Springsteen most performed songs during his off-tour club appearances, typically with Southside Johnny at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
 
 
2019-08-07 Convention Hall, Asbury Park
Performed during the afterparty of the movie premiere of 'Blinded By The Light', Together with Patti Scialfa, Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, Bobby Bandiera and Lisa Lowell. Bruce performed 4 songs on that evening:

TALK TO ME - 634-5789 - SHERRY DARLING - HAVING A PARTY
 
  
 
The song was performed together with Southside Johnny at the outdoor Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park. First Bruce joined Garry Tallent for one song: 'Dirty Rotten Shame', when Tallent did his opening set for Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. Later on, he returned for a seven-song guest set with the Southside and the Jukes.
 
 
 
© All credits to the original photographer

2011-10-22 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Boston College Benefit

2011-01-29 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Ranney School Benefit

2010-09-11 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Boston College Benefit

2010-01-23 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Ranney School Benefit

2009-10-17 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Boston College Benefit

2008-12-22 Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank
Hope Concert

2004-04-25 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Rumson Country Day School Benefit

2003-04-29 Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank
Hope Concert

2002-11-02 Tradewinds, Sea Bright
Southside Johnny

2000-10-21 Hedgerow Farm, Middletown
Special People United to Ride Benefit

1999-12-04 Diasco Residence, Colts Neck
Doug Flutie Autism Foundation Benefit

1994-07-16 Stone Pony (The), Tent, Asbury Park
Southside Johnny

1993-06-24 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford

1992-12-27 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Southside Johnny

1991-09-26 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Southside Johnny

1989-09-23 McLoone's Rum Runner, Sea Bright
1987-08-09 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
1987-08-02 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park

1982-10-03 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Cats on a Smooth Surface

1982-09-19 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Cats on a Smooth Surface

1982-08-15 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Cats on a Smooth Surface

1979-04-15 Fast Lane (The), Asbury Park
Beaver Brown

1978-08-31 Agora (The), Cleveland, OH
Southside Johnny

1977-12-31 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
Southside Johnny

1977-09-13 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Southside Johnny

1977-05-13 Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank
Late

1977-05-13 Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank
During both the early (first show) and  Late (second show):  
Two separate admission shows. Independent recollections from those present indicate that Springsteen was on stage for the entirety of both shows. The gigs were originally scheduled as a standard Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes gig. However Southside became ill and couldn't perform so Steven Van Zandt came to the rescue by organizing The Asbury Park All-Star Revue - a combination of The Asbury Jukes, The E Street Band, Ronnie Spector and Springsteen. Van Zandt was the lead vocalist (with Bruce on guitar/background vocals) on most of the tracks .
 
Early 
 
 
Late  
 
 
 
 Thanks Daniel Dee for helping on this page. 

1977-05-12 Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank
Two concerts tonight were originally scheduled (along with the two shows the following night) as regular Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes gigs. However Southside became ill (suffering from a recurring throat ailment) and couldn't perform so Steven Van Zandt came to the rescue by organizing The Asbury Park All-Star Revue - a combination of The Asbury Jukes, The E Street Band, Ronnie Spector and Springsteen. Due to Southside's illness and a lack of time for Van Zandt to prepare to lead, tonight's two shows were rearranged into a single concert starting at midnight. Van Zandt was the lead vocalist (with Bruce on guitar/background vocals) on most of the tracks .
 
THIS TIME IT'S FOR REAL / GOT TO GET YOU OFF MY MIND / WITHOUT LOVE / SHE GOT ME WHERE SHE WANTS ME / LOVE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF TOWN / LITTLE BY LITTLE / IT AIN'T THE MEAT (IT'S THE MOTION) / WHEN YOU DANCE / BABY, I LOVE YOU (with Ronnie Spector) / WALKING IN THE RAIN (with Ronnie Spector) / SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD ( with Ronnie Spector) / BE MY BABY (with Ronnie Spector) / THE FEVER / I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME / HAVING A PARTY / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (with Ronnie Spector) / THUNDER ROAD / RENDEZVOUS / BACKSTREETS / BORN TO RUN 
 
 
  
Photo Billy Smith  

1977-04-17 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Southside Johnny

1976-09-04 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
Southside Johnny

1976-05-30 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park
This was Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes' first concert with major public exposure, hosted by Philadelphia radio station WMMR-FM and broadcast on syndicated stations throughout the northeastern U.S. This was effectively a celebration of the recent release of Southside's debut album I Don't Want To Go Home. Steve Van Zandt, who's the album's producer, was onstage playing rhythm guitar for most of the show. Several guests took the stage during the show, including Lee Dorsey, Clarence Clemons, Max Weinberg, Ronnie Spector, and Bruce Springsteen who joined in for the final song, having a party. 
 
 
 
  •  Snippets
during THE E STREET SHUFFLE
 
1975-12-02 Music Hall, Boston, MA
1975-11-23 Amsterdam RAI, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1975-11-21 Stockholms Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden
1975-11-18 Hammersmith Odeon, London, England
1975-11-01 Robertson Gymnasium, Santa Barbara, CA
1975-10-19 Roxy Theatre (The), West Hollywood, CA
1975-10-18 Roxy Theatre (The), West Hollywood, CA (Early)
1975-10-04 Michigan Palace, Detroit, MI
1975-10-02 Uptown Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
1975-09-28 Memorial Hall, Kansas City, KS
1975-09-27 Ambassador Theatre, St. Louis, MO
1975-09-26 Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, IA
1975-09-23 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MI
1975-09-21 Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN
1975-09-16 Dallas Convention Center Theater, Dallas, TX
1975-09-13 Music Hall, Houston, TX
1975-09-12 Municipal Auditorium, Austin, TX
1975-09-06 Theatre Of Performing Arts, New Orleans, LA
1975-08-23 Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom, Atlanta, GA
1975-08-17 Bottom Line (The), New York City, NY (Early)
1975-08-16 Bottom Line (The), New York City, NY (Early)
1975-08-15 Bottom Line (The), New York City, NY (Early)
1975-08-14 Bottom Line (The), New York City, NY (Early)
1975-08-13 Bottom Line (The), New York City, NY (Late)
1975-08-10 Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
1975-08-02 Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, VA
1975-07-30 Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Washington, DC
1975-07-28 Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Washington, DC
1975-07-26 Keystone Hall, Kutztown, PA
1975-07-25 Keystone Hall, Kutztown, PA
1975-07-23 Music Inn, Lenox, MA
1975-07-22 Geneva Theatre, Geneva, NY
1975-07-20 Palace Concert Theater, Providence, RI
1975-02-23 Westbury Music Fair, Westbury, NY
1975-02-05 Main Point (The), Bryn Mawr, PA
1974-12-08 Burlington Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, VT
1974-12-07 Geneva Theatre, Geneva, NY
1974-12-06 State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ
1974-11-29 War Memorial, Trenton, NJ
1974-11-23 Mainstage Auditorium, Salem, MA
1974-11-01 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA
1974-10-29 Music Hall, Boston, MA
1974-10-26 Julia Sanderson Theater, Springfield, MA
1974-10-19 Memorial Chapel Concert Hall, Schenectady, NY
1974-10-18 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
1974-10-12 Alexander Hall, Princeton, NJ (Late)
1974-10-11 Shady Grove Music Fair, Gaithersburg, MD
1974-10-04 Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, NY
1974-09-22 Student Center, Union, NJ
1974-07-13 Bottom Line (The), New York City, NY (Late)
1974-06-03 Agora (The), Cleveland, OH
1974-05-09 Harvard Square Theatre, Cambridge, MA (Early)
1974-03-09 Liberty Hall, Houston, TX (Late)
1974-03-03 Gaston Hall, Washington, DC (Late)
1973-12-06 Childe Harold, Washington, DC
1973-11-17 Roxy Theatre, Philadelphia, PA (Late)
1973-10-31 Main Point (The), Bryn Mawr, PA (Late)
 
during QUARTER TO THREE
 
2002-11-02 Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ
 
during  A LOVE SO  FINE  and THE E STREET SHUFFLE
1975-08-08 Akron Civic Theatre, Akron, OH
1975-08-01 Mosque (The), Richmond, VA
during TWIST AND SHOUT
 
1988-08-03 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
1988-08-02 Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain
1988-07-30 Weserstadion, Bremen, West Germany
1988-07-27 Valle Hovin Stadion, Oslo, Norway
1988-07-25 Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark
1988-07-22 Waldbühne, West Berlin, West Germany
1988-07-19 Radrennbahn Weissensee, East Berlin, East Germany
1988-07-17 Olympia-Reitstadion Riem, Munich, West Germany
 

Songinfo

"Having a Party" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, released on May 8, 1962 by RCA Victor. Produced by Hugo & Luigi and arranged and conducted by René Hall, the song was the A-side to "Bring It on Home to Me". "Having a Party", like its B-side, "Bring It on Home to Me", was written while Cooke was on tour for Henry Wynn. While in Atlanta, Cooke called co-producer Luigi Creatore and pitched both numbers; he was sold and booked an immediate recording session in Los Angeles scheduled for two weeks later. The session's mood "matched the title" of the song, according to biographer Peter Guralnick, as many friends had been invited. "It was a very happy session," recalled engineer Al Schmitt. "Everybody was just having a ball. We were getting people out there [on the floor], and some of the outtakes were hilarious, there was so much ad lib that went on." "Having a Party" was recorded first, as it was the "lighter" of the two songs, and it was completed in twelve takes. Hall assembled an eighteen-piece backing group, "composed of six violins, two violas, two cellos, and a sax, plus a seven-piece rhythm section that included two percussionists, two bassists, two guitars, and a piano." Lou Rawls, former Keen assistant A&R rep Fred Smith and J.W. Alexander join in to provide backing vocals and handclaps to the chorus."Having a Party" became the closing song of Cooke's live performances from the time it was recorded to his death. These concerts would typically end with all other acts joining Cooke and company onstage, throwing confetti while Cooke worked the audience to "keep on having that party" after the show is over. A version can be heard on Cooke's posthumous live recording, Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963.
 
 
 

Other cover versions

  • Rod Stewart 
  • Luther Vandross covered the song during the bridge on his 1982 hit "Bad Boy/Having a Party"; however, only the chorus is sung in this version, and new words were added to it .
  • Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes covered it on their live album Reach Up and Touch the Sky (1981), and in 2016 still include it in their setlist.
 

Bruce on the artist

2021-02-24 SiriusXM Studio, New York City
Bruce plays the 'good times' during his 18th episode of 'From My Home to Yours' The episode was called "New Born Soul". Later in the episode he plays Soul Stirrers - Jesus, I'll never forget
Bruce: Now if you want the rebirth of the soul, you will need the gospel. So coming up right now is the incredible Soul Stirrers, featuring the, once again, miraculous voice of Sam Cooke, when he was at his most youthful, and maybe at his best. 
 
2020-04-24 SiriusXM Studio, New York City 
Bruce plays ' good times ' during his second 'From His Home to Yours':
Bruce: " The other sexiest man that ever lived — my God, what a voice! And what a beautiful record."
  
 
PODCAST with Barak Obama on 22th of February 2021: American Skin: Race in the United States
Discussing the best Protestsongs, Bruce and Barak Obama mention ' a change is gonna come ' : 

BO: "That song can make me cry, there is something about when he starts singing"
Bruce: 'You can feel the historical pain that's in it and yet the elegance and the generousness of his voice' 
  

Lyrics

We're havin' a party
Dancin' to the music
Played by the DJ
On the radio
The Cokes are in the icebox
Popcorn's on the table
Me and my baby
We're out here on the floor
So Mr, Mr. DJ
Keep those records playin'
'Cause I'm a-havin' such a good time
Dancin' with my baby
Everybody's swingin'
Sally's doin' the twist now
If you take requests I've
Got a few for you
Play that song called "Soul Twist"
Play that one called "I Know"
Don't forget the "Mashed Potatoes"
No other songs will do
Let me tell you Mr, Mr. DJ
Keep those records playin'
'Cause I'm a-havin' such a good time
Dancin' with my baby
Havin' a party, yeah
Everybody's swingin', oh we're
Dancin' to the music, yeah
On the radio
Oh, we're havin' a party, man
Everybody's swingin'
We're dancin' to the music, yeah
On the radio
Tell 'em one more time
We're havin' a party, yeah
And everybody's swingin'
Oh, we're dancin' to the music, yeah
On the radio
Tell you
We're havin' a party