Bruce Springsteen's 21st studio album released on
11 Nov 2022 on Columbia Records
Only The Strong Survive is Bruce Springsteen's twenty-first studio album. It was officially released on 11 Nov 2022 on Columbia Records. It consists of 15 tracks, all of which are covers. This marks the second time that Springsteen releases a cover album following We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions in 2006.
The album is "a collection of fifteen soul music greats," as described in the press release. It "celebrates soul music gems from the legendary catalogues of Motown, Gamble and Huff, Stax and many more." Springsteen commented: "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. 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."
Only The Strong Survive was tracked at Thrill Hill Recording (Springsteen's home studio) in Colts Neck, NJ, following the sessions for Letter To You, which took place around November 2020. The core recording featured only Bruce Springsteen and producer Ron Aniello. In addition to lead vocals, Springsteen played guitar and keys on some tracks and Aniello played virtually every other instrument. Additional parts, including horns, strings, and background vocals were recorded at Power Station At BerkleeNYC in New York City, NY. Sam Moore makes a guest appearance on the album, singing harmony vocals on two tracks. His parts were recorded at Bullseye Studios in Miami, FL, with Andres Bermudezat engineering. Only The Strong Survive was produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen, executive produced by Jon Landau, engineered by Rob Lebret and Ron Aniello at Thrill Hill Recording, mixed by Rob Lebret with Ron Aniello at Thrill Hill Recording, and mixed by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, ME.
Only The Strong Survive was officially announced on 29 Sep 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (02:00 p.m. GMT). The announcement was made by Springsteen himself who addressed fans in a pre-recorded video posted online a few minutes earlier.
In anticipation to the announcement, Springsteen dropped hints on his social media accounts over the course of the previous three days. On 26 and 27 September, he shared each morning a photo of a road and of a steering wheel respectively, without any caption or comment.
On 28 September, he posted a 26-second promo clip of a vintage car FM radio dial turning to different stations and listening in for a few seconds, each station playing a different song from the upcoming album.
Only The Strong Survive is available as a single-disc CD and as a two-disc LP set, as well as digital download and streaming. Three editions of the vinyl release were issued: a regular edition on black vinyl, a limited edition on nightshade green vinyl exclusive to Bruce Springsteen's official webstore, and a limited edition on sundance orange or orbit orange vinyl exclusive to independent retailers.
Only The Strong Survive track list:
DO I LOVE YOU (INDEED I DO) is the leading single from Only The Strong Survive. It was released on digital platforms on 29 Sep 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. GMT), the same time the album was officially announced.
A music video for the song was simultaneously released on Bruce Springsteen's YouTube channel to coincide with the single release. The video was shot on 01 Sep 2022 at Samson Stages in Brooklyn, NY and was directed and edited by Thom Zimny.
NIGHTSHIFT is the second single from Only The Strong Survive. It was released on digital platforms on 14 Oct 2022 at midnight in each time zone's local time.
A music video for the song was also released on Bruce Springsteen's YouTube channel on the same day at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (4:00 a.m. GMT). The video was shot on 03 Oct 2022 at Samson Stages in Brooklyn, NY and was directed and edited by Thom Zimny.
DON'T PLAY THAT SONG is the third single from Only The Strong Survive. It was released on digital platforms on 28 Oct 2022 at midnight in each time zone's local time.
A music video for the song was also released on Bruce Springsteen's YouTube channel on the same day at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (4:00 a.m. GMT). The video was shot on 01 Sep 2022 at Samson Stages in Brooklyn, NY and was directed and edited by Thom Zimny.
TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME is the fourth single from Only The Strong Survive. It was released on digital platforms on 11 Nov 2022 at midnight in each time zone's local time.
A music video for the song was also released on Bruce Springsteen's YouTube channel on the same day at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (5:00 a.m. GMT). The video was shot on 03 Oct 2022 at Samson Stages in Brooklyn, NY and was directed and edited by Thom Zimny.
» Please contact me if you have any information about The 1993 Home Demo Tape.
» Please contact me if you have the audio recording for the 1972-09-02 concert at Huddy Park in Highlands, NJ. The show was headlined by local band Odin, which was managed by Tinker West. Bruce Springsteen made an unscheduled guest appearance near the end of the show. A soundboard tape of the entire Odin performance, including Springsteen's segment, recorded by Tinker West survives in private hands but is not in circulation.
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