Bruce Springsteen has released the latest installment of The Live Series, a series of archival digital albums featuring archival concert recordings by the Boss. The new album is called Songs Under Cover, Vol. 3, which, as its title implies, is a third compilation of songs by other artists that Bruce has performed in concert.
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The 15-track album spans nearly 50 years, from a December 1975 rendition of the 1964 Shirelles gem “Sha-La-La” in Greenvale, New York, through Springsteen and the E Street Band’s cover of Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” theme this year at a Halloween show in Montreal, Canada.
Songs Under Cover, Vol. 3 is available now as a digital download and via various streaming outlets.
According to a description of the album, the recordings “demonstrate Springsteen’s ability to interpret songs of any style.”
Other noteworthy tunes on the album include a 1981 rendition of the Elvis Presley hit “Follow That Dream,” a 1984 performance of the Rolling Stones classic “Street Fighting Man,” a 2014 cover of INXS’ “Don’t Change” performed in the Australian group’s hometown of Sydney, and a 2024 performance of Irish band The Pogues’ “Rainy Night in Soho” played in Dublin.
[RELATED: Bruce Springsteen Will Release “Never-Before-Heard Material” in 2025]
Songs Under Cover, Vol. 3 also features an interesting rendition of the traditional tune “Jole Blon,” which Springsteen sang as a duet with Gary “U.S.” Bonds at a 1981 concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
That same year, Bonds had released a comeback album called Dedication that he recorded with Springsteen and the E Street Band. The album included a cover of “Jolie Blon” featuring Bonds duetting with Bruce.
Springsteen’s 2025 Plans
Springsteen and the E Street Band wrapped up a 2024 world tour with a series of Canadian concerts that ended on November 22 with a show in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Bruce and the group will hit the road again in 2025. So far, the Boss and company have 16 confirmed European dates, running from a May 14 concert in Manchester, U.K., though a July 3 show in Milan, Italy.
A recent press release recapping Springsteen’s 2024 also noted that his breakthrough studio effort, Born to Run, will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, and that his albums The River, The Ghost of Tom Joad, and Devils & Dust also will reach milestone anniversaries.
The same announcement also reported that upcoming Springsteen releases in 2025 “will include a look back at [his] storied recording career, featuring never-before-heard material.”
That news tidbit has sparked speculation that Bruce is planning to put out a sequel to his 1998 rarities box set Tracks.
Songs Under Cover, Vol. 3 Track List:
- “Sha-La-La” (The Shirelles, 12/12/1975, Greenvale, NY)
- “High School Confidential” (Jerry Lee Lewis, 9/21/1978, Passaic, NJ)
- “Follow That Dream” (Elvis Presley, 6/5/1981, London, U.K.)
- “Jole Blon” (Featuring Gary “U.S.” Bonds) (Traditional, 7/9/1981, East Rutherford, NJ)
- “Street Fighting Man” (The Rolling Stones, 8/6/1984, East Rutherford, NJ)
- “For Your Love” (Ed Townsend, 5/23/1988, New York, NY)
- “Trapped” (Jimmy Cliff, 12/13/1992, Boston, MA)
- “Tom Joad” (Woody Guthrie, 9/25/1996, Akron, OH)
- “Long Black Veil” (Lefty Frizzell, 10/10/2006, Rome, Italy)
- “Hard Times Come Again No More” (Stephen Foster, 5/4/2009, Uniondale, NY)
- “Don’t Change” (INXS, 2/19/2014, Sydney, Australia)
- “Just Like Fire Would” (The Saints, 2/26/2014, Brisbane, Australia)
- “Jersey Girl” (Tom Waits, 9/3/2023, East Rutherford, NJ)
- “A Rainy Night in Soho” (The Pogues, 5/19/2024, Dublin, Ireland)
- “Ghostbusters” (Ray Parker Jr., 10/31/2024, Montreal, Canada)
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