Bruce Springsteen released a version of “Don’t Play That Song,” off of his upcoming album of soul covers titled Only the Strong Survive. Originally released in 1962, by Ben E. King, the track reached Number two on R&B chart and number 11 on the Hot 100 upon its initial release. Aretha Franklin had her own version of the track that peaked at Number 11 on the Hot 100 and number one on the R&B chart in 1970.
Springsteen’s version includes a powerful backing band, with guitar, bass, drums, strings and horn section. Singers also accompany Springsteen throughout as he belts lines at certain points and speaks them in others.
This track is the third to be released off of Only the Strong Survive. The album is set to arrive on November 11th and is the first time Springsteen has ventured into soul music and is the second time he had dedicated an album to material from other artists.
Springsteen stated that, “I spent my working life with my voice at the service of my songs — confined by my arrangements, by my melodies, by my compositions, by my constructions, My voice always came second, third or fourth to the expression of those elements. But this time, I decided to do something I had never done before: make some music that is centered around singing, around challenging my voice. Now in my own memoir, I give my voice a little short shrift by saying I didn’t think I had much of one. But once I started on this project, after listening to some of the things we cut, I thought, ‘My voice is badass! I’m 73 years old, I’m kicking ass. I’m a good old man!'”
—
Brian Patterson Photos / Shutterstock.com