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10 Thoughts on Bruce Springsteen’s “Only the Strong Survive”

Here are 10 thoughts about Bruce Springsteen’s “Only the Strong Survive,” an album of covers of classic Soul and R&B songs.

Bruce Springsteen released a covers album of classic Soul and R&B songs called Only the Strong Survive (2022). Springsteen has often covered songs live and he has done another album of covers (We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions). Yet, many fans are disappointed that the songwriter is not releasing an album of new material. There are plenty of sources providing in-depth reviews, so instead Chimesfreedom gives you ten quick takes.

1. Short Overall Review: If you like Springsteen, Only the Strong Survive features the artist singing great songs. So if you get past being disappointed by the lack of new original songs, you should just sit back and enjoy this lovely album.

2. Do album reviews matter anymore? Most folks pay for a streaming service and can listen to anything they want without commitment. So if you like Springsteen or are curious, you can listen to the album and make up your own mind. I am old school and resisting streaming so I did buy it as I have done for every Springsteen album; and I’m happy I did.

3. Springsteen’s Voice: As others have noted, Springsteen’s voice has aged like a fine wine, and he is able to pull off these classic songs quite well. For example, on “I Wish It Would Rain,” one of the greatest pop records of all time, nobody can hold a candle to the Temptations’ David Ruffin. Springsteen does not surpass Ruffin or any of the originals, but he does a darn good job.

4. Well, then why do we need this album if we have the better originals? First, Springsteen has earned the right to do whatever he wants, and great songwriters can do tributes to music they love (as Merle Haggard did with albums honoring Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills). Second, if you are a fan, it is fun to hear him sing these classics. And third, while compilation albums can be good and you could make a playlist of the original versions of these songs, one artist doing a covers album offers a consistency to your listening that jumping between artists does not.

5. Good Song, Strange Video: Springsteen’s weird hand movements in the video for the Commodores’ “Nightshift” are distracting and may make it one of his worst videos ever. His facial expressions are distracting too.

6. Sounds Like a Springsteen Classic: By contrast, his recording of and video for “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” sounds like a classic Springsteen song from the first moment when the Boss yells “C’mon.” The video is fantastic and fun too.

6. The Music: The musicians, including the E Street Horns, and backing singers (Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King Jr., Dennis Collins, and Fonzi Thornton) on this album are absolutely fantastic.

7. A Southside Johnny Album? Not surprisingly, Springsteen singing R&B covers at times makes you think you are listening to an album by that other guy from Jersey, Southside Johnny. That is not necessarily a bad thing. At no point is the Southside Johnny connection stronger than on “Don’t Play that Song,” initially made famous by Ben E. King. Springsteen even inserts a reference to the Jersey Shore.

8. Covering Diana Ross: Maybe my favorite track on the album is the final song, with Springsteen singing “Someday We’ll Be Together,” made famous by Diana Ross & the Supremes. Along with Aretha Franklin’s “Don’t Play That Song” and Jackie Shane’s “Any Other Way,” the Supremes song features one of the selections where he is covering a song made famous by female singers. So Springsteen’s recording does add a twist to hear a male voice sing the lyrics. Or maybe it is that Springsteen finds a special connection to the song, having previously written a song with the nearly identical title, “Someday (We’ll Be Together).” Springsteen wrote that outtake from Darkness on the Edge of Town around 1977, but first released it on The Promise (2010).

9. Guest Artist: It’s cool that Sam Moore from Sam & Dave sings on two tracks with Springsteen. But why not a Sam & Dave song? Springsteen has indicated there were a lot of tracks recorded that are not on the album, so I wonder if there will be a sequel album.

10. Repeated Listens: Okay, you could have just read the first point and stopped reading. But the more I listen to the album, the more I get past focusing on differences from the originals and let go and just enjoy the songs. While this album probably won’t be at the top of my list of the greatest Springsteen albums, it will likely be in the running for one of the Springsteen albums I am most likely to play. It will be a great one to play if you have company who may not think they are Springsteen fans.

What do you think of Only the Strong Survive? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Ain’t No Valley Low Enough

Gaye Terrell
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is one of those rare songs with two definitive hit versions. The song, written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson in 1966 became a hit in 1967 as a duet for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Then, the tune climbed the charts again in 1970 in a solo version by Diana Ross.

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” features typical pop love song lyrics about loving someone using hyperbole and grand images. But the lyrics work, especially lifted by the music going from the verse into the rousing joyful chorus.

Remember the day I set you free,
I told you, you could always count on me darling;
From that day on, I made a vow;
I’ll be there when you want me,
Some way, some how.

‘Cause baby there ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough,
To keep me from getting to you babe.

The Gaye-Terrell version hit the top twenty on the pop charts on the Tamia label, which was a division of Motown. Originally, Dusty Springfield wanted to record the song, but Ashford and Simpson held out because they wanted to be on Motown. They got their wish when Gaye and Terrell recorded the song.

Interestingly, Gaye and Terrell did not record this classic duet together. Terrell recorded her part by herself, and Gaye’s vocals were added later. The two, however, did get together for the video.

For fans of sports movies, you might remember that this version appears in Remember the Titans (2000). I have seen that movie so many times, I no longer can hear the song without thinking of the Titans.

The Gaye-Terrell version also appears in Stepmom (1998). Below, Susan Sarandon introduces her movie kids to the beauty and joy of the recording.

As an uplifting duet, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” makes a great movie bonding song.

Before making her own solo hit recording of the song in 1970, Diana Ross in 1968 recorded a version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with the Supremes on a crossover group recording with the Temptations.

The 1968 version with the Supremes and the Temptations features a production very similar to the hit version by Gaye and Terrell. Check it out.

Supposedly, Ross was reluctant to record the song again when asked to do so as a solo artist. But she did so anyway for Motown in March 1970, giving the song a new sound. Her gospel-sounding recording also featured the songwriters Ashford & Simpson singing background vocals.

Ross’s 1970 solo version also features a segment of Ross talking instead of singing. Reportedly, Motown head Barry Gordy was not a fan of the talking part of the song, but listeners loved the recording. It went to number one on the pop and R&B charts in the United States.

Other artists have since covered “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” And Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye had great success with other songs that everyone knows. Yet, you might wonder why you may not know much about Tammi Terrell.

Terrell did have other successful songs, such as another duet with Gaye on “Your Precious Love.” But on October 14, 1967, the same year “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was released, she collapsed onstage into the arms of her friend Gaye. She was subsequently diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, and she died on March 16, 1970, the same week Diana Ross was recording her version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Regarding the mountain of the song, TMZ recently caught up with Valerie Simpson to ask her if she had a certain mountain in mind when she wrote the song. She replied, perhaps with tongue in cheek, that she was thinking of tall buildings in Manhattan.

What is your favorite version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough? Leave your two cents in the comments. Photo via Fair Use.

The Groundbreaking Rock and Roll Movie, “The T.A.M.I. Show”

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The Groundbreaking Rock and Roll Movie, “The T.A.M.I. Show”

On December 31, 1964, American International Pictures released The T.A.M.I. Show in theaters as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” This early rock concert film gave rock and roll fans a snapshot of some of the biggest bands of the time and was groundbreaking.

“T.A.M.I.” stands for “Teenage Awards Music International,” although some promotional materials also used “Teen Age Music International.” But the important part of The T.A.M.I. Show is the music, filmed from the standpoint of the audience. The technique made viewers feel like they were at the show recorded at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on October 28 and 29, 1964.

Below is the trailer for the film.

The general consensus is that James Brown gives his greatest filmed performance here, an outstanding display of passion and performing experience that made the Rolling Stones regret they had to follow him. But there are other highlights throughout the concert, including the 18-year-old Lesley Gore and a surprisingly loose performance by The Beach Boys.

Although producer Bill Sargent lost the rights to the film and it disappeared for decades, it is now available for your viewing on DVD (with extras) and with various performances on YouTube. Below, James Brown performs “Please, Please, Please.”

Performers include Jan and Dean (over the credits), Chuck Berry, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, The Beach Boys, Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, The Supremes, The Barbarians, James Brown and The Famous Flames, and The Rolling Stones.

Artists are still making great music today, but it is hard to imagine people agreeing on so many great performers in one film now. So, travel back to another time, and check out the Rolling Stones closing the show, joined by others on the stage.

Some trivia tidbits: The opening credits list The Blossoms with the performers, but they are not introduced when they appear as the backing singers for Marvin Gaye (or when later they appear to encourage James Brown to return to the stage). The Blossoms were used to not getting credit, having recorded the 1962 hit “He’s a Rebel” without credit.

Also, future actress Teri Garr and future recording star Toni Basil appear as background dancers in the film, and singer Glen Campbell and musician Leon Russell played in the show’s backing band, The Wrecking Crew. Reportedly, filmmaker John Landis and future Partridge Family star David Cassidy, who were seventh grade classmates at the time, were in the audience for the show.

What are your favorite parts of The T.A.M.I. Show? Leave your two cents in the comments.