Bruce Springsteen released a new album on Friday, but it was not his first attempt at putting together a new record of cover songs. In an interview last week, Springsteen said he prepared one version that he completely threw out. The final album that hit stores is Only The Strong Survive, a collection of Soul and R&B covers.
“Initially, it was really hard,” Springsteen told Edith Bowman, via Exclaim. “I was picking material and I’m going, ‘It’s hard to sing somebody else’s songs, and get them to sound authentic and it’s coming out of you.’ So I made an entire record that I threw out, and it’ll show up in different places, and there were some good things on it but didn’t feel quite right.”
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Springsteen had an epiphany when he came across “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” an obscure Motown song written and recorded by Frank Wilson. He decided to record the song with his frequent collaborator, producer Ron Aniello. Since the recording turned out so well, he decided to focus his covers album on Soul music.
“I said well, maybe I’ll orient myself towards soul music, because it’s how I grew up, and all my great mentors were soul men that came, Sam Moore and, of course, James Brown, Smokey Robinson as a writer,” Springsteen told Bowman. “I mean, just so many. And the great singers, David Ruffin, Levi Stubbs, all masters. They were all my masters and I said well, let me try and sing some of this material.”
Springsteen recorded 40 songs, but only 15 made the final cut. The album kicks off with the title track, a 1968 single originally recorded by Jerry Butler. Other songs on the album include “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore,” “Nightshift,” “Don’t Play That Song,” and “I Wish It Would Rain.” Sam Moore also sings on “Soul Days” and “I Forgot to Be Your Lover.”
“I’ve been getting a lot better at picking them, but initially it was the trial and error of: ‘What can I sing well?’ So that was the process, but at the end of the day,” Springsteen said of his song choices. “I think the main thing the record is it’s joyful, and a lot of fun, and tips my hat, and is a tribute to, like I say, all my mentors and masters, and all those great records and those great productions.”
This isn’t the first time Springsteen ditched an entire album. The most famous instance came in 1982 when he recorded Nebraska with The E Street Band. After the sessions, he decided the solo demo recordings sounded much better, and that was the album released in September 1982. The “Electric Nebraska” has never been released to this day.
Springsteen will promote Only The Strong Survive by taking over The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from Monday to Wednesday. He will also record a song for Fallon’s Thanksgiving Day special. Springsteen and The E Street Band also start an arena tour of the U.S. on Feb. 1.
