MatR: Mary Wilson, The Drifters, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and more: Stop! In the Name of Love

We’re still a week away from hearing Bruce Springsteen’s new album of R&B covers, Only the Strong Survive, and only a couple of days out from the induction of this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class.

So while we wait for both, let’s take a look back at the only time Bruce covered one of the all-time greatest girl group songs, at one of the earliest ever Rock Hall inductions.

“Stop! In the Name of Love” was a smash hit for The Supremes in early 1965, topping the Billboard Pop Singles chart and stopping just one spot short on the Soul chart. And even in the days long before music videos, their “talk to the hand” choreography became as identifiable with the song as its jarring cold opening and shocking (by 1965 standards, at least) content.

It’s still one of Motown’s most recognizable singles and ranks #254 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #38 on Billboard’s 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. When The Supremes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in only its third year, it’s not surprising that “Stop! In the Name of Love” was featured in the evening’s all-star jam session.

And what a jam session that was: Mary Wilson of The Supremes was there to be inducted, as were The Drifters, The Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan. Surrounding them on stage were Neil Young, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, John Fogerty, Billy Joel, Elton John, Little Richard, Jeff Beck, Paul Simon, and many more… including Little Steven, Clarence Clemons, Max Weinberg, and Patti Scialfa.

Oh, and Bruce Springsteen on the… tambourine?

Yeah, I admit: it’s probably a stretch to label this a Springsteen performance, but he did play an instrument, and he even did the hand choreography (albeit at the wrong time). So I’m counting it.

And yes: that’s Patti you see providing backing vocals surrounded by Jagger, Dylan, and Harrison, while Bruce looks on from far stage right. That may be in part because Bruce was accompanied that evening by his wife, Julianne, providing an ironic subtext in retrospect.

Stop! In the Name of Love
First performed: January 20, 1988 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: January 20, 1988 (New York City, NY)