The first line, “They blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night,” was taken from a newspaper article about a mob hit in Atlantic City. The “Chicken Man” was Phil Testa, number two man in the Philadelphia Mob under Angelo Bruno.
After Bruno was murdered in his car, Testa was blown up by a bomb placed under his front porch. These hits were orchestrated by Nicky Scarfo, who took over the Philly boys so he could control the new Atlantic City gambling rackets. He made such a mess of things that he and most of his crew were either murdered or in jail within a few years.
– Bruce Springsteen – Atlantic City (Max at PowerPop)
Atlantic City is one of those Springsteen songs which I hesitate to play because it’s kind of dour just like the whole record Nebraska where it resides, but once I do play it I’m always relieved because I end up enjoying it. It’s an understated sound, but feels atmospheric and haunting. I like his intermittent hollowing in the background too. I’m thankful I was reunited with this song via Max’s blog at PowerPop and surprised to read The Nebraska album attained so much success peaking at No 3 in the Billboard 100, No 3 in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand in 1982.
According to Genius Lyrics:
Atlantic City depicts a young couple’s romantic escape to the New Jersey seaside resort of Atlantic City, where the man in the relationship intends to take a job in organized crime upon arriving in the city.
The song wrestles with the inevitability of death and the hope of rebirth in various ways, especially in life and in the actual city of Atlantic City, which was going through an attempted mob takeover while the state government was trying to implement casino gambling within the city.
Atlantic City started as a demo recorded in early 1981 at Springsteen’s home studio at Colts Neck, NJ called “Fistfull of Dollars” (for the Clint Eastwood movie). He changed the title and the chorus to “Atlantic City” later that year, and on January 3. 1982, recorded 4 takes, along with other “Nebraska” demos that later made up the album of the same name. Take 2 was the one chosen for the album, released in fall 1982.
[Verse 1]
Well, they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night
Now they blew up his house, too
Down on the boardwalk, they’re getting ready for a fight
Gonna see what them racket boys can do
[Verse 2]
Now there’s trouble busing in from out of state
And the D.A. can’t get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade
And the gambling commission’s hanging on by the skin of its teeth
[Chorus]
Well now, everything dies, baby, that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City
[Verse 3]
Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got debts that no honest man can pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus
The Band covered this song in 1993, years after Robbie Robertson left. I like this version just as well as Bruce’s original. Levon Helm does a great job on the vocals.
– Read Max’s article on The Band’s version of Atlantic City
References:
1. Atlantic City (song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Thanks Matt…it’s one of my top songs from him. The Band’s version sounds really good also…a really well written song. No word seems forced in it.
That’s what I takeaway from it as well – it’s masterfully worded. I like the Band’s version as well.
“Nebraska” is an album I’ve struggled warming up to. I realize many Springsteen fans consider it one of his best. The contrast to “Born in the U.S.A.,” which was my entry point to Springsteen, couldn’t be bigger, at least musically speaking – and it’s usually the music that draws me in, not the lyrics.
I guess “Nebraska” is a great example why the music-first approach can make you miss out on good stuff. I think I may be slowly coming around to “Nebraska,” so all may not be lost!
I also have and continue to struggle with the Nebraska album despite the lofty estimations by Springsteen fans. I like this track a lot though.