Bruce Springsteen pays homage to soul music legends with brand new album, Only The Strong Survive
3 October 2022, 11:52 | Updated: 5 October 2023, 14:14
"I wanted to make an album where I just sang".
According to Bruce Springsteen, that was the main inspiration behind his brand new album Only The Strong Survive.
Having teased the announcement to his fans on his official YouTube channel, The Boss has now revealed his first album since 2020's Letter To You.
Set for release on November 11th via Columbia Records, the 73-year old rock icon has announced his latest album which is billed as a collection of "15 soul music greats".
- Bruce Springsteen announces massive UK outdoor shows
- Bruce Springsteen’s Vietnam intro to ‘The River’ is one of the most tear-jerking moments in rock
- Paul McCartney 'duets' with John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen at Glastonbury
Taking it back to his first source of influence in becoming a musician, Springsteen serves up an album made up entirely of classic soul covers.
Alongside announcing his new album, Bruce has also released his cover version of Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’.
Bruce Springsteen Announces New Album 'Only The Strong Survive'
Springsteen told his fans - which you can see in the announcement video above - that Only The Strong Survive will celebrate an array of soul music classics from such catalogues as Motown, Gamble, and Huff and Stax.
Offering some into how the album came to fruition, Bruce says in the video: "I wanted to make an album where I just sang."
"And what better music to work with than the great American songbook of the Sixties and Seventies?"
"I’ve taken my inspiration from Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin, the Iceman Jerry Butler, Diana Ross, Dobie Gray and Scott Walker among many others," he continues.
"I’ve tried to do justice to them all — and to the fabulous writers of this glorious music."
"My goal is for the modern audience to experience its beauty and joy, just as I have since I first heard it. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it."
Listen to The Boss's take on Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’ in the official video which you can watch below.
Bruce Springsteen - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) (Official Video)
Only The Strong Survive was recorded at Thrill Hill Recording in New Jersey and produced by Ron Aniello.
The full tracklist is below:
1. ‘Only the Strong Survive’
2. ‘Soul Days’ (feat. Sam Moore)
3. ‘Nightshift’
4. ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’
5. ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’
6. ‘Turn Back the Hands of Time’
7. ‘When She Was My Girl’
8. ‘Hey, Western Union Man’
9. ‘I Wish It Would Rain’
10. ‘Don’t Play That Song’
11. ‘Any Other Way’
12. ‘I Forgot to Be Your Lover’ (feat. Sam Moore)
13. ‘7 Rooms of Gloom’
14. ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted’
15. ‘Someday We’ll Be Together’
Bruce Springsteen's 21st studio album comes after he recently confirmed a European tour in 2023.
Spanning from April to July, the tour includes huge UK and Ireland dates at Dublin's RDS Arena, Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, and two dates at BST Hyde Park in London.
