“7 Rooms of Glomm” By Bruce Springsteen
”7 Rooms of Gloom” is a song originally performed by the Motown vocal quartet, The Four Tops, released as a single in 1967. Written by the songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland, the song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the R&B chart. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 12 and remained on the charts for nine weeks.
Bruce Springsteen covered “7 Rooms of Gloom” on his 2022 album, Only The Strong Survive, a collection of fifteen soul classics. In this project, Springsteen pays tribute to legendary artists such as Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, and Diana Ross. The recording took place in his home studio, Thrill Hill Recording, in Colts Neck, New Jersey, with the participation of producer Ron Aniello and the E Street Horns section.
The lyrics of “7 Rooms of Gloom” explore themes of despair and loneliness after the loss of love. The empty house with “seven rooms of gloom” symbolizes the protagonist’s emotional void. Springsteen, like Levi Stubbs in the original version, conveys palpable intensity and desperation in his performance, reflecting the deep anguish of romantic separation.
Technical Details of Bruce Springsteen’s Version of “7 Rooms of Gloom”
- Artist: Bruce Springsteen
- Song Title: 7 Rooms of Gloom
- Album: Only The Strong Survive
- Release Date: November 11, 2022
- Genre: Soul / Rock
- Original Songwriters: Holland-Dozier-Holland
- Original Artist: The Four Tops (1967)
- Producer: Ron Aniello
- Recording Studio: Thrill Hill Recording, Colts Neck, New Jersey
- Backing Band: E Street Horns
- Label: Columbia Records
- Instrumentation:
- Vocals: Bruce Springsteen
- Horn Section: E Street Horns
- Keyboards, Bass, Percussion: Ron Aniello
- Additional Arrangements: Rob Mathes
- Theme: Heartbreak, despair, and loneliness
- Style: Faithful to the original Motown sound with modern production techniques
Lyrics
“I see a house, a house of stone
(Filled with gloom) a lonely house, ’cause now you’re gone
Just seven rooms, that’s all it is, seven rooms of gloom
I live with emptiness, without your tenderness
You took the dream I had for us and turned that dream into dust
I watch a phone that never rings, I watch a door that never rings
I need you back into my life to turn this darkness into light
I’m all alone in this house, turn this house into a home
I need your touch to comfort me
Your tender, tender arms that once held me
without your love, your love inside
(Filled with gloom) this house is just a place to hide
Just seven rooms, that’s all it is, seven rooms of gloom
Rooms of emptiness, without your tenderness
Don’t make me live from day to day, watching a clock that ticks away
Another day, another way, another reason for me to say
I need you here, here with me, I need you darlin’, desperately
I’m all alone, all alone in this house that’s not a home
I miss your love I once have known
I miss your kiss that was my very, very own
empty silence surrounds me
(Filled with gloom) these lonely walls, they stare at me
Just seven rooms, that’s all it is, seven rooms of gloom
I live with the emptiness, without your tenderness
All the windows are painted black, I’ll wait right here ’til you get back
I keep waitin’ and waitin’, ’til your face again, I see
When are you coming back?
When are you coming back?
Oh, when are you coming back?”
Access all the information about Bruce Springsteen’s songs at the following link of Bruce Springsteen Radio: https://brucespringsteenradio.com/category/songs/
