[2][3] "Point Blank" is recorded in the key of B minor with a soft rock tempo of 116 beats per minute with Springsteen's vocals ranging from B3 to A5 while the song follows a chord progression of Bm-G-A-F♯m-F♯7.

[7] After several lyrical revisions, Point Blank was recorded on August 23–25, 1979 at Power Station Studios, New York City, NY.

[8] In 2015, Springsteen stated that he regards "Point Blank," "Stolen Car," "Independence Day" and the title track as being "the heart and soul" of The River album.

[9] "Point Blank", along with the title track, "Wreck on the Highway" and "Independence Day", is one of the verse-chorus songs on The River that was essentially a short story or character sketch.

[13][15] But waking up, he realizes he saw the girlfriend standing in the doorway trying to stay out of the rain, looking "like just another stranger waitin' to get blown away.

[6] The music is highlighted by Roy Bittan's sensitive piano playing and Springsteen's singing, alternating between vulnerability, disbelief and anger.

"[14] Springsteen has stated that one of the themes of the song is the fact that if you ease up as you get older, you effectively cease to exist.