Side two "Spirit in the Night" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen for his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973).

A cover version performed by Manfred Mann's Earth Band using the title "Spirits in the Night" was released on the album Nightingales and Bombers and as a Top 40 single.

As a result, the lineup for "Spirit in the Night" was limited to Vini Lopez on drums, and Springsteen on all other instruments, but featured the addition of Clarence Clemons on saxophone, adding a new dimension to the music.

[6] The lyrics themselves describe a group of teenagers—Wild Billy, Hazy Davy, Crazy Janey, Killer Joe, G-Man and Mission Man, who is the person in the song telling the story—going to a spot called "Greasy Lake" near "Route 88" for a night of freedom, sex, and drinking.

With 572 live performances as of May 2020, "Spirit in the Night" is, behind "Growin' Up", by far the most frequently played song from Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.[10] The song live involves important crowd participation, with the audience singing the "all night" verse during the chorus while Springsteen interacts very closely with the front rows, sometimes even throwing himself into the pit.

[13] Cash Box said that it has "a more r&b-oriented formula than the original version while retaining a faithful recreation of the setting, a party in the night away from the city.

"[14] Record World said that "the dynamics added to the Bruce Springsteen tune turns the song into an aggressive hard rocker.

"Spirit in the Night" was to be the first of three songs from the Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. album that Manfred Mann would cover—the others being their number-one hit "Blinded by the Light" and "For You".