Hear the fabled Electric Nebraska version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The USA”

On October 17, Sony Music will release Bruce Springsteen’s five-disc Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition on vinyl and CD (+Blu-Ray). It includes The E Street Band’s fabled ‘Electric Nebraska’ sessions and solo outtakes from the era, as well as a newly shot performance film of Nebraska in its entirety and a 2025 remaster of the original album.

Below, you can hear a previously unreleased, April 1982 version of “Born In The USA” (which was originally written alongside Nebraska), featuring Springsteen backed by Max Weinberg and Garry Tallent. “We threw out the keyboards and played basically as a three-piece,” says Springsteen. “It was kinda like punk rockabilly. We were trying to bring Nebraska into the electric world.”

In addition to ‘Electric Nebraska’ – which features Tallent, Weinberg, Danny Federici, Roy Bittan and Stevie Van Zandt – the set’s collection of ‘Nebraska Outtakes’ unearths Springsteen solo rarities including more songs from the original Nebraska home recordings (“Losin’ Kind”, “Child Bride”, “Downbound Train”) and tracks from a one-off 1982 solo studio session (“Gun In Every Home”, “On The Prowl”).

Also included is a present-day performance film of the Nebraska album – played in sequence for the first time ever and captured at New Jersey’s Count Basie Theatre by Thom Zimny. “I think in playing these songs again to be filmed, their weight impressed upon me,” says Springsteen. “I’ve written a lot of other narrative records, but there’s just something about that batch of songs on Nebraska that holds some sort of magic.”

Pre-order Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition here and peruse the tracklisting below:

Disc 1: Nebraska Outtakes

1. Born in the U.S.A.
2. Losin’ Kind
3. Downbound Train
4. Child Bride
5. Pink Cadillac
6. The Big Payback
7. Working on the Highway
8. On the Prowl
9. Gun in Every Home

Disc 2: Electric Nebraska

1. Nebraska
2. Atlantic City
3. Mansion on the Hill
4. Johnny 99
5. Downbound Train
6. Open All Night
7. Born in the U.S.A.
8. Reason to Believe

   Disc 3: Nebraska (Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ)

9. Nebraska
10. Atlantic City
11. Mansion on the Hill
12. Johnny 99
13. Highway Patrolman
14. State Trooper
15. Used Cars
16. Open All Night
17. My Father’s House
18. Reason To Believe

Disc 4: 2025 Remaster

1. Nebraska
2. Atlantic City
3. Mansion on the Hill
4. Johnny 99
5. Highway Patrolman
6. State Trooper
7. Used Cars
8. Open All Night
9. My Father’s House
10. Reason To Believe

Disc 5 (Blu-Ray): Nebraska (Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ)

1. Nebraska
2. Atlantic City
3. Mansion on the Hill
4. Johnny 99
5. Highway Patrolman
6. State Trooper
7. Used Cars
8. Open All Night
9. My Father’s House
10. Reason To Believe