1982 Folk-Rock Ballad and One of the 'Greatest Songs of All Time' Has the Darkest Backstory
Produced for $1,050 (which was the cost of a four-track Tascam recorder) in 1981, "Atlantic City" by Bruce Springsteen was recorded in three takes, the last of which ended up on his 1982 solo album, Nebraska. Springsteen played all of the instruments on the track: guitar, harmonica, and mandolin, as well as sings the vocals. Despite Springsteen insisting he thought it need the full band, music producer Jon Landau convinced him otherwise saying, "No way was it as good as what he had goin' on that demo tape."
When listeners pay close attention to the lyrics of "Atlantic City," they're actually met with a very dark, bleak story.
"Atlantic City" tells the story of a very "down on their luck" couple who flee to New Jersey out of desperation. In order to pay off his crushing debts, the narrator of the song turns to organized crime and the mob. The song deals with the price of surviving, and the inevitability that death will eventually come for us all.
In the opening lyrics of the haunting, gritty ballad, Springsteen sings:
"Well, they blew up The Chicken Man in Philly last night / Now they blew up his house too"
These lyrics are actually inspired by a dark, true event. In 1981, a man named Phil Testa began to rise in leadership in the Philadelphia crime family following the murder of his friend and the former boss, Angelo Bruno. Testa earned the nickname "Chicken Man" due to his using his actual poultry business as a front for his crime life. In March of that year, Testa opened the door to his house on 2117 Porter Street and a nail bomb exploded, killing him. His murder was supposedly arranged by his underboss and sparked a massive war within the family.
"Atlantic City" is widely celebrated as one of Springsteen's greatest songwriting achievements and one of the best tracks off of Nebraska. Rolling Stone listed it among their "500 Best Songs of All Time" and Springsteen included it on his 1995 Greatest Hits album.
Springsteen has continued to included the song in live performances over the last 40+ years. In 2025, he even joined singer Zach Bryan in a surprise performance at Metlife Stadium where he performed the track with Bryan and Kings of Leon.
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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 6:15 PM.