Bruce performed the song 66 times and used it once as a snippet:

 

Springsteen's live performance of Jersey girl from the 09 Jul 1981 show at Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ, was officially released as B-side to the "Cover Me" single in 1984, and on the Live 1975-85 box set in 1986.

 

 

 

Springsteen slightly rewrote it to replace a Waits line about "whores on Eighth Avenue" with "the girls out on the avenue", and added a verse about taking "that little brat of yours and drop[ping] her off at your mom's" (This line was originally written for "Party Lights", an out-take from The River, which wasn't officially released until 2015). The July 9 performance from this stand was used on the "Cover Me" release. A few weeks later on August 24, Waits joined Springsteen on-stage at the Los Angeles Sports Arena to perform the song together. The July 9th performance of "Jersey Girl" was used as the closing track of Springsteen's 1986 box set Live/1975-85, as Springsteen and producer Jon Landau felt it accurately represented the final phase of the loose story arc that connected the songs on the album together. "Jersey Girl" would become a Springsteen favorite, played often in New Jersey and sometimes Philadelphia shows during the 1980s and early 1990s. Its appearances then became even rarer, being picked to open the last of 15 Meadowlands shows in 1999 on the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour – as what The New York Times termed "a reward for [the fans'] faith and perseverance," close the last of 10 shows at New Jersey's Giants Stadium in 2003 on The Rising Tour, and be the next-to-last song in the three-show run at Giants Stadium in 2008 on the Magic Tour. The song was played as the first fan requested song at his October 3, 2009 show and was the final song performed during the last October 9, 2009 show before the demolition of Giants Stadium.

 

1981-07-02 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD

1981-07-05 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD
1981-07-09 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD

1981-08-24 - LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL SPORTS ARENA, LA

The show features a guest appearance by Tom Waits on "Jersey Girl" which Bruce introduces as "…when I heard it, I remember it was one of those songs I said, "Well, I wish, I wish I'd wrote that."

 

 

1981-09-11 - ROSEMONT HORIZON, ROSEMONT

1982-04-10 - BIG MAN'S WEST, RED BANK

Beaver Brown

1982-05-08 - THE FAST LANE, ASBURY PARK

Beaver Brown

1982-08-06 - BIG MAN'S WEST, RED BANK

1982-08-15 - THE STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK

Cats on a Smooth Surface

1982-09-19 - THE STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK

Cats on a Smooth Surface

1982-10-03 - THE STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK

Cats on a Smooth Surface

1983-08-14 - THE STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK

Cats on a Smooth Surface

1983-08-19 - BRIGHTON BAR, LONG BRANCH

John Eddie

1984-04-22 - THE STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK 

1984-08-05 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD
1984-08-08 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD
1984-09-14 - SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA
1984-09-15 - SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA
1984-09-17 - SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA
1984-09-18 - SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA
1984-09-22 - CIVIC ARENA, PITTSBURGH
1985-08-15 - VETERANS STADIUM, PHILADELPHIA
1985-08-18 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
1985-08-19 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
1985-08-21 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
1985-08-22 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
1985-08-31 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
1985-09-01 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
1987-08-02 - THE STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK

1987-08-26 - KEY LARGO, BELMAR

Jah Love

1990-04-14 - MICHAEL'S RESTAURANT, SANTA MONICA

Chuck Plotkin wedding reception

1991-01-20 - McLOONE'S RUM RUNNER, SEA BRIGHT

Jim Faulkner Benefit

1991-07-12 - McLOONE'S RUM RUNNER, SEA BRIGHT,

Bobby Bandiera

1992-07-26 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD
1992-07-31 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD
1992-08-02 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD
1992-08-04 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD
1992-08-06 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD
1992-08-10 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD, 
1992-12-08 - SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA
1993-06-24 - BRENDAN BYRNE ARENA, EAST RUTHERFOR

 

1993-06-28 - TRADEWINDS, SEA BRIGHT

Clarence Clemons

1994-07-16 - THE STONE PONY TENT, ASBURY PARK

Southside Johnny

1999-08-12 - CONTINENTAL AIRLINES ARENA, EAST RUTHERFORD

2001-09-03 - DONOVAN'S REEF, SEA BRIGHT

Brian Kirk & The Jirks

2003-03-07 - BOARDWALK HALL, ATLANTIC CITY
2003-08-31 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD

2003-11-08 - GARDEN MANOR, ABERDEEN

Muscular Dystrophy Association Benefit

2008-07-31 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
2009-07-05 - ERNST-HAPPEL-STADION, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
2009-10-03 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
2009-10-09 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
2012-09-02 - CITIZENS BANK PARK, PHILADELPHIA
2012-10-31 - BLUE CROSS ARENA AT THE WAR MEMORIAL, ROCHESTER
2012-11-01 - BRYCE JORDAN CENTER, PENN STATE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY PARK, PA

2012-12-12 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY

The Concert For Sandy Relief

2014-04-12 - FARM BUREAU LIVE AT VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA

2014-05-23 - SOLDIERS & SAILORS MEMORIAL HALL & MUSEUM, PITTSBURGH

Joe Grushecky

2015-05-30 - PRIVATE ESTATE, OAKLAND, NJ

wedding reception

2016-06-14 - MALIEVELD, THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS

"Jersey Girl" (by sign request, only the second time it has been played outside of North America)

2016-08-23 - METLIFE STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
2016-08-25 - METLIFE STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
2016-08-30 - METLIFE STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD
2016-09-09 - CITIZENS BANK PARK, PHILADELPHIA

 

2020-04-22 - SPRINGSTEEN RESIDENCE, COLTS NECK, NJ

Bruce and Patti Scialfa perform for the "Jersey 4 Jersey" benefit, playing duet versions of "Land Of Hope And Dreams" and "Jersey Girl". Unusually, the latter does not include the Springsteen-composed final verse. The one-night event raises funds for "New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund" to fight the impact of COVID-19. This special evening features New Jersey's biggest champions and celebrities (including Saquon Barkley, Tony Bennett, Jon Bon Jovi, Danny DeVito, Whoopi Goldberg, Halsey, Chelsea Handler, Charlie Puth (who performs a version of "Growin' Up"), Kelly Ripa, Jon Stewart, and SZA) participating from their homes. This recognition of New Jersey's strength and character also includes first-hand accounts from front-line workers and citizens impacted by the pandemic. "Jersey 4 Jersey" is broadcast on Apple Music and AppleTV apps, worldwide. It is also broadcast live on SiriusXM E Street Radio and carried on a variety of television and radio stations. Jersey 4 Jersey is produced by Joel Gallen, who also produced the award-winning telethon that immediately followed September 11. 

 

Jersey 4 Jersey Announcement 

 

 

 

 

• Snippet

 

2012-12-12 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band join Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Kanye West, The Who and others at Madison Square Garden to benefit the Robin Hood Relief Fund's Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts in the tri-state area. The concert is organised by the same group responsible for the 9/11 benefit "The Concert for New York City". The show is broadcast live via various channels around the world as well as webstreams. Bruce & The E Street Band open the show with a 30-minute four-song set that includes "My City Of Ruins" with a verse of "Jersey Girl" at the end. 

 

 

  

"Jersey Girl" is a song composed and originally sung by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits from his 1980 album Heartattack and Vine. Waits wrote the song for his future wife Kathleen Brennan, who had been living in New Jersey. Waits said in a 1980 interview that, "I never thought I would catch myself saying 'sha la la' in a song ... This is my first experiment with 'sha la la.'" Waits' recording includes drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, and glockenspiel. The song is included on Waits' compilation albums Bounced Checks (1981), Anthology of Tom Waits (1985), and Used Songs, 1973-1980 (2001). Waits also included a quiet performance of it during his 1999 appearance on VH1 Storytellers.