Weil and Mann were based at Aldon Music, located at 1650 Broadway, New York City, and the song as written by Mann/Weil was originally recorded by the Cookies and featured an upbeat lyric in which the protagonist is still on her way to Broadway and sings "I got to get there soon, or I'll just die". The song was played as a shuffle. When Leiber/Stoller let it be known that the Drifters had booked studio time for the following day and were a song short, Mann/Weil forwarded "On Broadway". Leiber and Stoller liked the song but felt that it was not quite right; the four held an overnight brainstorming session that culminated in the better-known version of the song, now with a rock-oriented groove and with a more bluesy feel, which matched the new lyric in which the singer was now actually on Broadway and having a hard time.
The Drifters version
A young Phil Spector played the distinctive lead guitar solo on The Drifters' recording. The personnel for the Drifters recording were Rudy Lewis- vocals, Joe Newman, Ernie Royal – trumpets; Billy Butler, Bill Suyker, Everette Barksdale – guitars; Russ Savakus – bass; Gary Chester – drums; and Phil Kraus, Nick Rodriguez, Martin Grupp – percussion. The instrumental arrangement was written by noted arranger Garry Sherman. The recording by the Drifters was a hit, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. The Drifters' version of the song was featured in a 1971 television public service announcement for Radio Free Europe. The Hungarian expatriate announcer is shown entering the RFE studio announcing "On Broadvay", after which young Hungarians are shown listening to the "In sound from Outside".
George Benson version
's version of "On Broadway", from his 1978 album Weekend in L.A., hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the soul chart. Benson's version also has had substantial adult contemporary and smooth jazz radio airplay ever since. It won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance. Benson's performance of the song was used in the 1979 filmAll That Jazz in a sequence that featured dancers on stage auditioning for a musical similar to Chicago. Benson also performed "On Broadway" with Clifford and the Rhythm Rats for the 1994 Muppets album Kermit Unpigged.
Other cover versions
Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes released a version of the song on their 1977 album A Piece of the Rock.
British electro pioneer Gary Numan began performing the song on his 1979 tour, which was later released on the live albumLiving Ornaments '79.
Neil Young recorded a version of the song on his 1989 album Freedom.
American composer and producer Kramer covered the song on his 2012 album The Brill Building.
During an episode of Living Single, Synclaire sang the song to Overton's Uncle Tibby after the three of them returned home from showing him around New York City.
The comedy short by comedian Chris Fleming features George Benson's version of the song as DePiglio angrily runs toward the comedian.
