"The Fever" is an early Bruce Springsteen song, it was recorded and released on an extremely rare 7" demo to promote the band. The single was released under The Jersey Devil and was pressed on Bruce Records, which was Springsteen's own indi label for his band. It was performed by Springsteen in concert beginning in March 1973. It was recorded in 914 Sound Studios in May 1973, during sessions for Springsteen's second album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, but was directed towards a demo purposing for manager Mike Appel's Laurel Canyon publishing arm instead and named "Fever For the Girl". In early 1974 Appel sent it to several progressive rock radio stations, where it became a "turntable hit" in the ramp-up of Springsteen expectations prior to Born to Run.
It was recorded by UK singer Alan Rich in 1975 but failed to make much impact. In 1976, it was recorded on Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes' debut album I Don't Want to Go Home, entitled as "The Fever", and became better known. In 1979 The Pointer Sisters gave it a go on their Priority album. The original Springsteen recording finally achieved official surfacing in 1998 on his 18 Tracks outtakes collection.
Famous quotes containing the words fever and/or springsteen:
“Y’know Pete, back where I come from folks call that love stuff “quick poison” or “slow poison.” If it’s quick poison it hurts you all over real bad like a shock of electricity. But if it’s slow poison, well, it’s like a fever that aches in your bones for a thousand years.”
—Dalton Trumbo (1905–1976)
“Bob freed your mind the way Elvis freed your body. He showed us that just because music was innately physical did not mean that it was anti-intellectual. He had the vision and the talent to make a pop record that contained the whole world.”
—Bruce Springsteen (b. 1949)