Do I Love You [[Indeed I Do) and Someday We'll Be Together Bruce Springsteen

[SatansBlues]

Yesterday I went to play I Wish It Would Rain by the Temps and stumbled across a version by Bruce Springsteen! And discovered that he did a few Motown covers a couple years ago, including Someday We'll Be Together and Do I Love You [[Indeed I Do). His album Only The Strong Survive covers some other soul classics as well, all very nicely done and I thought that I would share with the SD fam.

[SatansBlues]

[robb_k]

Knowing what happened with "Do I Love You" by Frank Wilson, and that it was never released, and the handful of test press run DJ copies were all that existed, almost in real time [[just a few years after), a Worldwide Pop/Rock megastar singing that song is about the last thing I'd have expected to happen in this life.

[SatansBlues]

Knowing what happened with "Do I Love You" by Frank Wilson, and that it was never released, and the handful of test press run DJ copies were all that existed, almost in real time [[just a few years after), a Worldwide Pop/Rock megastar singing that song is about the last thing I'd have expected to happen in this life.

Oh, it gets even better Robb! Over on Threads Adam White posted that the Chris Clark version of "Do I Love You" is on the Fly Me To The Moon movie soundtrack that was just released!

[johnjeb]

Oh, it gets even better Robb! Over on Threads Adam White posted that the Chris Clark version of "Do I Love You" is on the Fly Me To The Moon movie soundtrack that was just released!

I prefer Chris Clark's version.

I'm surprised Motown didn't have someone else record this song. Frank could have had The Supremes, probably Florence, record it when he worked with them on the A' Go-Go album. Maybe he was so disappointed that his single was recalled that he didn't want to produce it on anyone else.

[Graham Jarvis]

Bruce Springsteen, complete garbage when I heard all of this when he first issued them. He's scraping as much as he could, as he's just trying to continue and completely spoil some of the greatest Motown tracks. He's got no idea who the original artists where and they could sing these tracks, & he can't!

My View! he should stick with what he does before.
P.S. I've got 12 Cd's [inc doubles] of B.S. on Youtube. [Now worth £1 to £2 each or for free]

[Motown Eddie]

As much as I love Frank Wilson's original version of "Do I Love You [Yes I Do]", I'm sure that The Four Tops [with The Andantes on backup vocals] would've kicked ass on that song if they had gotten the chance to do so. And Chris Clark's take on the song isn't bad either.

[SatansBlues]

Bruce Springsteen, complete garbage when I heard all of this when he first issued them. He's scraping as much as he could, as he's just trying to continue and completely spoil some of the greatest Motown tracks. He's got no idea who the original artists where and they could sing these tracks, & he can't!

My View! he should stick with what he does before.
P.S. I've got 12 Cd's [inc doubles] of B.S. on Youtube. [Now worth £1 to £2 each or for free]

Agree to vehemently disagree. Let's just file this under, everything ain't for everybody. Even as a casual fan of Springsteen's I've always respected the man and his music. I would never classify anything that he has done as garbage. I think on this particular project where he covers some classic Motown tracks, he also does great renditions of r&b/soul tracks of the 60's and early 70's and I've really enjoyed listening to them. I've always found it interesting what tracks stick out in an artist's mind. There hasn't been a lot of remakes of I Wish It Would Rain or Someday or even 7 Rooms of Gloom. I enjoy his take on Do I Love You just for the fact that it's not a well know track, at all. But his take is joyous and the energy is infectious. Something tells me that Bruce might be more than just a casual Motown fan, which makes me smile.

[grapevine]

...to be fair ...he sounds pretty good for someone approaching his mid 70's...!

Grape

[gman]

I like Bruce's voice....his voice is rich.....I like a lot of his material...from a certain period [[all after the first 2 LPS...skipping Nebraska...through Brilliant Disguise)....I like his versions of Fire and Because The Night...I like Born To Run, Darkness on the Edge and most of The River LPS...most of the massive 5 LP Live set..my current and long time fav is Jersey Girl.
Someday We'll Be Together is my favorite Supremes song...I've got it by the Ikettes...like it...of course being the Ikettes they rough it up a bit....I've got the Ian Levine Motorcity version Johnny Bristol did with Liz Lands...I like it...how can you not find Liz's voice/style interesting? this was the first time I ever heard her....Johnny had a great voice....
When I saw Bruce covered Someday, I was pretty eager to hear it...when the intro began, I said Oh, great, he kept it close to the original arrangement...unfortunately, it falls apart for me very quickly....I wanted to like it so bad....I was disappointed.

[paul_nixon]

Bruce Springsteen, complete garbage when I heard all of this when he first issued them. He's scraping as much as he could, as he's just trying to continue and completely spoil some of the greatest Motown tracks. He's got no idea who the original artists where and they could sing these tracks, & he can't!

My View! he should stick with what he does before.
P.S. I've got 12 Cd's [inc doubles] of B.S. on Youtube. [Now worth £1 to £2 each or for free]

Totally agree with you - I've always hated these 'cash in' albums, Michael McDonalds was another a complete waste of time - why these established singers who excell in a different genre should attempt do do projects like this is beyond me. What's next Shirley Bassey sings Phil Spector? emm maybe thats not such a bad idea LOL.

[rovereab]

As much as I love Frank Wilson's original version of "Do I Love You [Yes I Do]", I'm sure that The Four Tops [with The Andantes on backup vocals] would've kicked ass on that song if they had gotten the chance to do so. And Chris Clark's take on the song isn't bad either.

Motown Eddie, I so agree with you regarding the Four Tops absolutely nailing this song. An opportunity missed for sure and with the UK's love for the Four Tops, I reckon it would have hit no 1!

[robb_k]

I never liked ANY of Bruce Springsteen's hit songs, but I think he did a pretty decent job on "Do I Love You". So much so, that I think I'd have liked him much better as a "Blue-Eyed Soul Singer, than a Rock/Pop singer. I'd rather have heard the '66 version of Stevie Wonder, Levi Stubbs [[& 4Tops), Joe Stubbs [[& Contours), or Dennis Edwards[[& Contours) singing it, rather than Frank Wilson [[although Wilson was okay on it - better than he sang on several of his singles).

[SatansBlues]

I never liked ANY of Bruce Springsteen's hit songs, but I think he did a pretty decent job on "Do I Love You". So much so, that I think I'd have liked him much better as a "Blue-Eyed Soul Singer, than a Rock/Pop singer. I'd rather have heard the '66 version of Stevie Wonder, Levi Stubbs [[& 4Tops), Joe Stubbs [[& Contours), or Dennis Edwards[[& Contours) singing it, rather than Frank Wilson [[although Wilson was okay on it - better than he sang on several of his singles).

I can definitely hear Stevie do a version with the same energy as Uptight. I also wonder how David Ruffin and Paul Williams versions would sound... and Ronald Isley would absolutely kill it.

[Sotosound]

I can definitely hear Stevie do a version with the same energy as Uptight. I also wonder how David Ruffin and Paul Williams versions would sound... and Ronald Isley would absolutely kill it.

I regard "Do I Love You" as a 1960s song for the 21st century.

Back in the 1960s, there were so many good songs around in this genre that it effectively got buried despite its merits, and only gained any exposure via the Northern Soul scene.

Roll forward to this century, and for most of the world it became a fresh and original 1960s song in a world wherein all of its 1960s contemporaries had become over-familiar and tired in comparison.

It's a bit like what happened to many Northern Soul hits, wherein they got buried in a musical avalanche only to hit between 5 and 10 years later. For "Do I Love You", however, it hit forty-odd years later without actually becoming a hit. Instead, it became embedded in our culture and ended up on compilation albums and in UK TV adverts. It also showed everyone how very good and timelessly appealing mid-to-late 1960s soul music can be.

A weird but wonderful happening.

As for Bruce and his album, I bought it for my good lady, and she loves it.

It brings a number of semi-obscure songs into the sunlight alongside some more obvious hit songs and, as an album, it really works unless the listener becomes fixated on the originals being better and then moans about this [[like the wording in the thought balloon that occasionally appears above my head when it gets played in our house).

On balance, however, it's a really good album, and it's best listened to without the prejudice of a seasoned old soul fan. It's also an album that gets the listener singing along, which is always a good thing.

Regarding the rest of Bruce's output, for most of his output I just pick and choose occasional tracks or songs, but I love and regularly listen to his 2019 Western Stars album which, to me, is pure class from end to end. Again, it gets the listener singing along.

Perhaps it appeals to me in part because it isn't classic Bruce Springsteen in style. [[And I also know of others who dislike it for that very same reason.) Again, it's best listened to without prejudice, i.e. forget who's singing it before you press Play.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I usually hate it when non-Motown artists attempt singing Motown songs, but I've gotta admit I like ALL of the above. The music arrangements are appealing, and, to my ears, Bruce does a great job on them. I also hate it when singers try to sing Phil Spector"s Philles hits, yet I love Bruce Springsteen & Darlene Love's live duet version of "A Fine, Fine Boy".