Bruce Springsteen confirms Harry Potter producers turned down a song he wrote for the films

It seems even the Boss' power knows a limit

Bruce Springsteen has confirmed a long-gestating rumour that he wrote a song for the Harry Potter franchise, only to have it turned down by producers.

The song, titled "I'll Stand By You," was said to be inspired by Springsteen's experience reading the JK Rowling novels to his eldest son.

"That is true," the 67-year-old told BBC Radio 2 in a rare interview on Wednesday (20 October). "They didn't use it."

He described the song as dissimilar to his usual style, stating: "It was a big ballad that was very uncharacteristic of something I'd sing myself. But it's something that I thought would have fit lovely."

Springsteen fan forum BruceBase wiki claims that the musician offered the song to Chris Columbus, director of the series' first film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), but author Rowling had a contract stipulation that prevented the use of commercial songs in the franchise.

The singer was in London to promote the release of autobiography Born to Run which is available to buy in bookstores now.