A song written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper (“Raise Your Hand,” “Knock on Wood”) and recorded by Wilson Pickett (“In the Midnight Hour,” Mustang Sally”) is pretty much guaranteed to get a cover treatment from Bruce Springsteen.<\/p>\n
Most fans know “634-5789” from its nightly outings as part of the “Apollo Medley” on the Wrecking Ball Tour, but Bruce has covered it more than 25 times outside of that, going way back to 1973.<\/p>\n
In title at least, “634-5789” is a nod and a wink (and maybe a poke) at “Beechwood 4-5789” by The Marvelettes, adding the subtitle “Soulsville U.S.A.” to contrast the Stax recording with rival “Hitsville U.S.A.” Motown. Wilson Pickett first recorded and released it in 1966 (with Patti LaBelle on backing vocals); his single reached #13 on the pop chart and spawned many covers, most notably from Tina Turner.<\/p>\n