Marking the third single of an album consisting of R&B and soul music, Bruce Springsteen leaves another steady mark with Don’t Play That Song. Its reliance on a surprisingly tender rendition of the Ben E. King classic is as incredible as it is resoundingly different. Aretha Franklin did it better. Bruce Springsteen did it a little worse. It is yet another track relying on the variance of Springsteen’s lyricisms and one that removes that unilateral soul feel. Anyone can manage it, few can do it well. Springsteen’s transition into relying on his voice and that of a backing band, rather than tales of careering around the world with a fiery hot guitar is such a welcome, surprising change of pace. Its equivalent can only be matched by that of Bob Dylan’s recent success replicating the crooning intricacies of darker, Frank Sinatra-style wordplay.
Where Dylan has cultivated new music, Springsteen appears, quite frequently, able to adapt tracks that still hold reverence. It is a gamble and a half for any artist to believe they can take on the work of an established musician, no matter how great a figure they are. Springsteen’s latest track is a firm single that relies just as much on the Franklin connection as it does on the new phase of Springsteen’s sound. Even with that fixation on Springsteen’s lyrics though, Don’t Play That Song is a little harder to cut through as its wall of sound feeling begins to weigh down on the lyrical clarity of the previous singles. Happier to share the stage than fully leaning into his cover of Franklin’s classic cover, it would appear that this is the single chosen for popularity rather than unique perspective.
That is not to say Springsteen has butchered King’s track. Far, far from it. Don’t Play That Song is a supremely sophisticated understanding not just of the qualities found in the message of that song, but that of Springsteen’s new phase. Another beautiful saxophone accompaniment on what is, essentially, a track for Springsteen to have a bit of fun with. That much can be heard in his lyrical displays throughout a stunningly fun, albeit relatively short offering. Where it slots into the upcoming Only the Strong Survive is more a matter of personal engagement than anything else. How good a cover Springsteen offers up here is not based on the presumed respect and love he has for Franklin’s or King’s work, but on how well it is received by fans of the Born to Run artist.
Thankfully one key link between these three singles, including Nightshift and Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) is a vocal consistency that Springsteen has always boasted. It is only now that he is truly laying that bare. Even his greatest works relied somewhat on a thick guitar riff here or an instrumental variance there. Here, as expected, Don’t Play That Song gives Springsteen a playing field for his own vocal range, which does appear to be the simplest here out of the three singles. Still, that switch to the conversational recalling of summer nights down by the shore and the presumed forgiveness found in the heart of the track is as moving as Franklin’s version, but certainly not better.
Read Ewan Gleadow’s full review of Bruce Springsteen’s Only the Strong Survive here.
