The River

Bruce Springsteen recorded "The River" at The Power Station in New York City, cutting it with the E Street Band on August 26 and 29, 1979. The track had originally been intended for a one-record version of the album, tentatively titled The Ties That Bind, before the project grew into the double album that eventually carried its name. A haunting harmonica part runs through the recording, and the imagery in the chorus and the song's ending drew on lines from Hank Williams' 1950 hit "Long Gone Lonesome Blues".

Springsteen first performed the song publicly at the Musicians United for Safe Energy concerts at Madison Square Garden in September 1979, where he cited his inspiration as "my brother-in-law and my sister". His sister Ginny later told biographer Peter Ames Carlin that the lyrics describe her early life with her husband Mickey precisely, and in his 2016 autobiography Springsteen confirmed he had written the song as a tribute to the couple. He regarded it, along with "Point Blank", "Independence Day" and "Stolen Car", as the heart and soul of the album.

Although it was never released as a single in the United States, the song came out across western Europe in April 1981 and charted widely, reaching number 5 in Norway and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. Its B-side was either "Independence Day" or "Ramrod", depending on the country. During the 1984–85 Born in the U.S.A. Tour, Springsteen often introduced it with a long story about his battles with his father, and one such performance appeared on the 1986 Live/1975–85 set.