7 ROOMS OF GLOOM

Album version

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(Seven rooms) I see a house, a house of stone
(Filled with gloom) A lonely house 'cause now you're gone
(Just seven rooms of gloom) Just seven rooms, that's all it is, seven rooms of gloom
(Filled with emptiness without your tenderness) I live with emptiness without your tenderness

You took the dream I had for us
And turned that dream into dust
I watch a phone that never rings
I watch a door that never rings
I need you back into my life
To turn this darkness into light
I'm all alone in this house
Turn this house into a home

I need your touch to comfort me
Your tender, tender arms that once held me

(Seven rooms) Without your love, your love inside
(Filled with gloom) This house is just a place to hide
(Just seven rooms of gloom) Seven rooms, that's all it is, seven rooms of gloom
(Filled with emptiness without your tenderness) Rooms of emptiness without your tenderness

Don't make me live from day to day
Watching a clock that ticks away
Another day, another way
Another reason for me to say
I need you here, here with me
I need you, darling, desperately
I'm all alone, all alone
In this house that's not a home

I miss your love I once had known
I miss your kiss that was my very, very own

(Seven rooms) Empty silence surrounds me
(Filled with gloom) These lonely walls they stare at me
(Just seven rooms of gloom) Just seven rooms, that's all it is, seven rooms of gloom
(Filled with emptiness without your tenderness) I live with emptiness without your tenderness

All the windows are painted black
I wait right here till you come back
I'll keep waiting, and waiting
'Til your face again I see

When are you coming back
When are you coming back
Oh when are you coming back
Tell me when are you...
[Fades out]

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Info

7 ROOMS OF GLOOM is a 1967 song by Four Tops. See the original Four Tops version for more details.

Bruce Springsteen released 7 ROOMS OF GLOOM on his 2022 album Only The Strong Survive. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of 7 ROOMS OF GLOOM as released on Only The Strong Survive.

Studio Recording

There's no information on when exactly 7 ROOMS OF GLOOM was recorded, but, just like all other songs on Only The Strong Survive, it was likely cut sometime between late 2020 and mid-2022. See the "Only The Strong Survive" section below for more details.

Track credits:

Bruce Springsteen: lead vocal
Ron Aniello: drums, bass, guitar, piano, Farfisa, vibes, organ
E Street Horns: horns
Curtis King Jr.: background vocals
Fonzi Thornton: background vocals
Dennis Colins: background vocals

Only The Strong Survive

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.

• Bruce Springsteen appears on all of the album's tracks. He sings lead vocal and background vocals and plays guitar, keyboards, and piano.
• Ron Aniello appears on all of the album's tracks. He plays drums, bass, percussion, guitar, vibes, piano, organ, keyboards, glockenspiel, Farfisa, Timpani, and chimes and sings background vocals.
• Rob Lebret plays additional guitar on track 8.
• Sam Moore makes a guest appearance on the album, singing harmony vocal (tracks 2 and 12) and second vocal (track 2).
• Soozie Tyrell sings background vocals on tracks 2, 4, 6, and 15.
• Lisa Lowell sings background vocals on tracks 2, 4, 6, and 15.
• Michelle Moore sings background vocals on tracks 4 and 6.
• Curtis King Jr. sings background vocals on tracks 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 15.
• Fonzi Thornton sings background vocals on tracks 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, and 14.
• Dennis Colins sings background vocals on tracks 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, and 14.
• E Street Horns is a horn section consisting of Curt Ramm (trumpet), Barry Danielian (trumpet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Bill Holloman (tenor saxophone), Ed Manion (baritone saxophone), and Toni Timko (baritone saxophone). They appear on all tracks.
• A strings section consisting of Rob Mathes (string arranger and conductor), Lisa Kim (concertmaster), and Sandy Park (string contractor) is listed in the album credits but it's not clear on which tracks it appears.

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.

Live History

As far as it's known, Bruce Springsteen has never performed 7 ROOMS OF GLOOM live.

Request

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Available Versions

List of available versions of 7 ROOMS OF GLOOM on this website:

7 ROOMS OF GLOOM [Album version]
7 ROOMS OF GLOOM [Original Four Tops version]

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Page last updated: 13 Nov 2022