Album version
(I remember)
(I remember)
(I remember)
(I remember)
(I remember) Now I remember my first love
(I remember) Of course the whole thing went wrong
(I remember) And my mama had some great advice I thought I'd put it into words of this song
(I remember) Because I can still hear her saying
She said, boy (boy, boy), oh I see you sitting out there all alone
Yeah just crying your eyes out into the cold great dawn
Now there's gonna be, there's gonna be a whole lot of trouble in your life (whole lot of trouble)
So listen to me, get up off your knees 'cause only the strong survive
That's what she said
Only the strong survive, only the strong survive
Yeah, you've gotta be strong (strong), you've go to hold on (hold on)
Only the strong survive (don't go)
Now don't go around with your head hanging down
I wouldn't let the girl know, she made you feel like a clown, oh no
Now there's a whole lotta girls (whole lotta girls) just looking for a good man like you
You ain't never gonna meet 'em if you give up now and say your whole life is through
Because only the strong survive, only the strong survive
Yeah, you gotta be a man (a man), you gotta take a stand (oh yeah)
Only the strong survive (ooh-hoo)
I'm telling you right now, only the strong survive (the strong survive)
Only the strong survive, only the strong survive
Yeah, you've go to hold on (hold on), you've gotta be strong (strong)
'Cause only the strong survive (only the strong survive)
And if there was gonna be a better day, you're gonna make it (yeah)
You gotta take that stand (yeah)
'Cause only the strong survive, only the strong survive
Yeah, you've gotta be strong, you've go to hold on
'Cause only the strong survive
Oh better times are coming...
[Fades out]
ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE is a 1968 song by Jerry Butler. See the original Jerry Butler version for more details.
Bruce Springsteen released ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE on his 2022 album Only The Strong Survive. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE as released on Only The Strong Survive.
There's no information on when exactly ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE 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, percussion, guitar, vibes, piano, organ
E Street Horns: horns
Soozie Tyrell: background vocals
Lisa Lowell: background vocals
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.
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.
Side 1:
Side 2:
Side 3:
As far as it's known, Bruce Springsteen has never performed ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE live.
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List of available versions of ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE on this website:
ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE [Album version]
