DON'T PLAY THAT SONG

Album version

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Yeah, come on, let's get the band going.

Don't play that song for me (Do do do do)
Though it brings back sweet memories (Do do do do)
Of the days that I once knew (Do do do do)
Of the days I spent with you

Oh no, don't you let it play (Do do do do)
It fills my heart with pain (Do do do do)
Please stop it right away (Do do do do)
Because I remember just what it said

Well it said
(Darling, I love you) Oh you know that you lied
(Darling, I love you) Oh you know that you lied
(Darling, I love you) Don't you know that you lied
(You lied), you lied, (you lied), you lied, lied, lied, lied

I remember on our first date (Do do do do)
You kissed me then you walked away (Do do do do)
You were only seventeen (Do do do do)
I never thought you'd act so mean

But you told me that you loved me (Do do do do)
And you told me that you cared (Do do do do)
You said you'd go with me, darling (Do do do do)
Oh anytime, anywhere

But darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Oh darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Yeah darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Oh you know that you lied
(You lied, you lied), you lied, lied, lied, lied

Whoa! I remember those summer nights down by the shore, as the band played with you in my arms and we moved across that floor. Then darling you went away. Well all I've got to say is, I don't care if you lied. Let's dance.

But darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Oh darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Yeah darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Oh darling you lied
(You lied, you lied, you lied), you lied, lied, lied, lied

(Darling, I love you) Oh darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Oh darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Oh darling you lied
(You lied), you lied, (you lied), you lied, lied, lied, lied

(Darling, I love you) You know that you lied
(Darling, I love you) Yeah darling you lied
(Darling, I love you) Oh darling you lied
(You lied), you lied, (you lied), you lied, lied, lied, lied

(Darling, I love you)
(Darling, I love you)
(Darling, I love you)
(You lied, you lied...)
[Fades out]

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Info

DON'T PLAY THAT SONG is a 1962 song by Ben E. King. See the original Ben E. King version for more details. The song was made famous by Aretha Franklin in 1970. See the original Aretha Franklin version for more details.

Bruce Springsteen released DON'T PLAY THAT SONG on his 2022 album Only The Strong Survive. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of DON'T PLAY THAT SONG as released on Only The Strong Survive.

The song, as first released by Ben E. King, was titled "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)." Aretha Franklin's version, however, was retitled "Don't Play That Song." This website uses the latter title since the song is listed under that title on Only The Strong Survive. Moreover, Bruce Springsteen's cover is based on Aretha Franklin's version.

Single And Music Video

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). It was also included on the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album. The video was shot on 01 Sep 2022 at Samson Stages in Brooklyn, NY and was directed and edited by Thom Zimny.

Studio Recording

There's no information on when exactly DON'T PLAY THAT SONG 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, guitar
Ron Aniello: drums, bass, percussion, guitar, piano, organ, keyboards
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.

Only The Strong Survive track list:

1. ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE (Jerry Butler cover)
2. SOUL DAYS (Dobie Gray cover)
3. NIGHTSHIFT (Commodores cover)
4. DO I LOVE YOU (INDEED I DO) (Frank Wilson cover)
5. THE SUN AIN'T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE (The Walker Brothers cover, originally by Frankie Valli)
6. TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME (Tyrone Davis cover)
7. WHEN SHE WAS MY GIRL (Four Tops cover)
8. HEY, WESTERN UNION MAN (Jerry Butler cover)
9. I WISH IT WOULD RAIN (The Temptations cover)
10. DON'T PLAY THAT SONG (Aretha Franklin cover, originally by Ben E. King)
11. ANY OTHER WAY (William Bell cover)
12. I FORGOT TO BE YOUR LOVER (William Bell cover)
13. 7 ROOMS OF GLOOM (Four Tops cover)
14. WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED (Jimmy Ruffin cover)
15. SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER (Diana Ross & The Supremes cover, originally by Johnny & Jackey)

Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-

Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- is a Bruce Springsteen compilation album released by Sony Music Japan in 2023. The compilation, which was exclusively released in Japan, consists of previously released 35 audio tracks and 62 video tracks. The collection is part of a 26-title reissue campaign to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's debut album. The series, issued in three waves (25 Oct 2023, 22 Nov 2023, and 20 Dec 2023), includes 25 albums originally released between 1973 and 2014 plus a new compilation album that includes all of Springsteen's singles released in Japan from 1975 to 1999. All audio CD's were manufactured using Sony Japan's Blu-spec CD2 format.

Live History

DON'T PLAY THAT SONG was performed off-tour on 15 Nov 2022 at Rockefeller Center in New York City, NY, during the taping of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The song was played in its full band album arrangement. See the live 15 Nov 2022 version for more details.

Request

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Available Versions

List of available versions of DON'T PLAY THAT SONG on this website:

DON'T PLAY THAT SONG [Album version]
DON'T PLAY THAT SONG [Live 15 Nov 2022 version]
DON'T PLAY THAT SONG [Original Ben E. King version]
DON'T PLAY THAT SONG [Original Aretha Franklin version]

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Page last updated: 27 Nov 2022