Escrita por
Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber e Mike Stoller, foi gravada pelos
Drifters e lançada pela Atlantic Records, num compacto que tinha Let the music
play como Lado B.
Weil e Mann
tinham escritório na Aldon Music, localizada no número 1650 da Broadway, em New
York City e essa canção foi escrita por eles dois e foi originalmente gravada
pelas Cookies e pelas Crystals. A canção era diferente. Tinha uma letra
diferente, onde o protagonista ainda estava no caminho pra Broadway e canta “I
got to get there soon, or I’ll just die”.
Quando
Leiber e Stoller ficaram sabendo que os Drifters tinham agendado tempo no
estúdio pra gravar no dia seguinte e com pouco tempo, Mann e Weil mandaram On
broadway pra Leiber e Stoller. Leiber e Stoller gostaram da música, mas acharam
que faltava algo. Que algo estava errado.
Os quatro
então viraram a noite, que culminou na versão que os Drifters gravaram. Nessa
nova letra, o sujeito já estava na Broadway e estava tendo dificuldades. A
música também foi alterada, ficando mais bluesy.
O famoso
produtor Phil Spector tocou a guitarra solo na gravação dos Drifters.
A versão
dos Drifters chegou ao número 9 dos charts pop americanos. Foi regravada por
muitos artistas, entre eles The Coasters, The Dave Clark Five, Bobby Darin, Tom
Jones, Johnny Mathis, James Taylor, Frank Sinatra, George Benson e Neil Young.
Jennifer Hudson e Katharine McPhee gravaram a canção pra série Smash.
A letra:
They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway (on Broadway)
They say there's always magic in the air (on Broadway)
But when you're walkin' down that street
And you ain't had enough to eat
The glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere (on Broadway)
They say the girls are something else on Broadway (on Broadway)
But looking at them just gives me the blues (on Broadway)
'Cause how ya gonna make some time
When all you have is one thin dime?
And one thin dime won't even shine your shoes (on Broadway)
Ha! They say that I won't last too long on Broadway (on Broadway)
I'll catch a Greyhound bus for home, they all say (on Broadway)
But oh! They're dead wrong, I know they are
'Cause I can play this here guitar
And I won't quit till I'm a star on Broadway (on Broadway)
Oh, they're dead wrong, I know they are
'Cause I can play this here guitar
And I won't quit till I'm a star on Broadway (on Broadway)
On Broadway (on Broadway)
I'm gonna make it, yeah (on Broadway)
I'll be a big, big, big man (on Broadway)
I'll have my name in lights (on Broadway)
Everybody, everybody's gonna know me, yes (on Broadway)
All up and down Broadway (on Broadway)
Ohhhhh yeah! (on Broadway)
They say there's always magic in the air (on Broadway)
But when you're walkin' down that street
And you ain't had enough to eat
The glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere (on Broadway)
They say the girls are something else on Broadway (on Broadway)
But looking at them just gives me the blues (on Broadway)
'Cause how ya gonna make some time
When all you have is one thin dime?
And one thin dime won't even shine your shoes (on Broadway)
Ha! They say that I won't last too long on Broadway (on Broadway)
I'll catch a Greyhound bus for home, they all say (on Broadway)
But oh! They're dead wrong, I know they are
'Cause I can play this here guitar
And I won't quit till I'm a star on Broadway (on Broadway)
Oh, they're dead wrong, I know they are
'Cause I can play this here guitar
And I won't quit till I'm a star on Broadway (on Broadway)
On Broadway (on Broadway)
I'm gonna make it, yeah (on Broadway)
I'll be a big, big, big man (on Broadway)
I'll have my name in lights (on Broadway)
Everybody, everybody's gonna know me, yes (on Broadway)
All up and down Broadway (on Broadway)
Ohhhhh yeah! (on Broadway)
A versão original dos Drifters
de 1963:
A versão de
George Benson, de 1978:
A versão de
Smash, com Katharine McPhee e Jennifer Hudson:
