Some artists don’t want to label themselves, and others aren’t content with how they are labeled. As it turns out Bruce Springsteen falls into the latter category as he doesn’t believe his E Street Band is a rock band. Speaking to NPR for an interview, the Boss explained why.
Bruce Springsteen recently released his latest effort, ‘Only The Strong Will Survive.’ The album features covers of his favorite R&B and soul songs by artists such as Jerry Butler, Commodores, Frank Wilson, the Four Tops, and Ben E. King. According to Springsteen, there are various things rock and soul have in common.
“There are just places where they cross over,” Springsteen observed while speaking about the interrelatedness of the tracks. “The intensity. Where it connected for us was soul music was very popular along the shore. You had the Top 40 bands who came in and made their living. A full horn section came in the summertime along the shore and played nothing but soul music.”
He then reflected on his soul roots by saying, “So, growing up, we were exposed to a lot of soul and rock music, and it became very natural. If you had a set where you didn’t play any soul music, it was almost impossible. You couldn’t survive on Saturday night. People wanted to hear, ‘Hold On, I’m Comin’.’ They wanted to hear ‘Midnight Hour.’ They wanted to hear ‘Mustang Sally.’”
“You had to play those songs if you were a rock band,” Bruce continued. “You had to play all these things. So, to me, there was always a connection. Of course, everyone knew the greatest singers were the soul singers, and they also had great songs. The E Street Band was always a rock and soul band. We’re not really a rock and roll band. We’re not really a rock band. We’re a rock and soul band.”
So, Bruce Springsteen revealed that he grew up listening to soul and rock music and noticed they have so much in common. He then looked back on the past when soul music was very popular and said even a rock band had to play soul songs. According to the Boss, there has always been a connection between soul and rock, and E Street Band is actually a rock and soul band.
