Bruce Springsteen debuts cover of the late Slim Dunlap’s ‘Girlfriend’ on SiriusXM satellite radio

The cover of the late Slim Dunlap’s 1996 album “Times Like This.”

In an interview with Jim Rotolo on SiriusXM satellite radio’s E Street Radio channel, Dec. 20, Bruce Springsteen debuted a cover of “Girlfriend,” from Slim Dunlap 1996 album Times Like This. Springsteen’s recording has not been officially released in any form, as far as I know, but the interview, during which it is played, can currently be streamed on the SiriusXM app. Subscribers can hear it HERE.

Dunlap, best known as a member of The Replacements, died on Dec. 18, at the age of 73.

Dunlap, Springsteen told Rotolo, “was really a unique guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the deepest and truest rock ‘n’ roll souls I’ve ever heard. He has two fabulous solo albums out that I tell everybody to run out and get.”

Springsteen is probably referring to 1993’s The Old New Me, in addition to Times Like This, though Dunlap also released a live album, Thank You Dancers!, in 2020.

Springsteen said he recorded “Girlfriend” for “a covers record that we were just fooling around with, and working on in the studio, with the band.” That is, The E Street Band.

He added, after playing the recording on Rotolo’s show, that the session was about a year ago.

Springsteen previously played two Dunlap songs, “Times Like This” and “Rockin’ Here Tonight,” on his “From My Home to Yours” SiriusXM DJ show. Before playing “Times Like This,” he said that Dunlap “in my opinion, is simply one of the best rock ‘n’ roll songwriters we have. He deserves a much, much larger audience than he’s gathered.”