Bruce Springsteen delivers cover of "Don't Play That Song"

"Don't Play That Song" was written by Ahmet Ertegun and Betty Nelson, and recorded by Ben E. King inn 1962, and Aretha Franklin in 1970. Springsteen's rendition marks the third taster of his Only The Strong Survive album, following his versions of the Commodores "Nightshift" and Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)".

Only The Strong Survive will follow Springsteen's 2020 album Letter To You, and is made up of 15 soul classics by Jimmy Ruffin, The Walker Brothers, Jackie Shane and more, and features guest vocals by Sam Moore, as well as contributions from The E Street Horns, string arrangements by Rob Mathes, as well as backing vocals by Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King Jr., Dennis Collins and Fonzi Thornton.

"I wanted to make an album where I just sang," Springsteen explains. "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. 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."