Aretha Franklin songs: I Say A Little Prayer and her other greatest hits that prove why she was the Queen of Soul

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Jochan Embley16 August 2018

The world is a poorer place now Aretha Franklin has left us. Following a battle with pancreatic cancer, the American singer passed away on August 16 in Detroit, surrounded by friends and family. She was 76.

For the past half-century, she stood a titan of American music. After a modestly successful singing career in the first half of the 1960s, she signed to Atlantic Records. From 1967 to 1970, in a period of fervent creativity in which she released seven studio albums with the label, she recorded a string of songs that would establish her as the pre-eminent artist of the soul movement. All but one of the songs listed here were released during those three years.

She had songs that changed the course of musical history, fuelled social change and made presidents cry. She was a peerless vocalist, owner of a voice that was imbued with a greater depth, passion and verve than any other. She was, undoubtedly, the Queen of Soul, even if it feels there will be no succession in this royal family. She was, and will remain, irreplaceable.

These are 10 of the finest songs she ever released, listed in no particular order, from the covers she transformed into definitive versions to the original compositions that broke ground in ways few could have imagined. Long will she be missed.

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (1967)

Since its first release, there have been countless performances of this song that will remain only in the memories of those present, but this one was captured on film in all its heart-pounding glory. It happened in 2015 at a ceremony celebrating the song’s original writers, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and it brought the house down. President Obama was moved to tears, Carole King was visibly enraptured and the entire audience gave one of those rare things: an entirely sincere, utterly necessary standing ovation. The performance proved what a force of nature Franklin remained even into her seventh decade. It also showcased the majesty of the song, none of which had wilted in the half-century since it was written.

I Say A Little Prayer (1968)

Franklin was a master of reinvention. The original version of this song was originally recorded in 1967 by Dionne Warwick — another titan of soul — but this was a redefinition, an elevation. The whole thing was slowed down, allowing its deep passion time to permeate. Its verse was sultry, the chorus joyously cathartic. With backing from The Sweet Inspirations, Franklin’s lead vocals were allowed freedom to glide and erupt. She made it about her love and her little prayers. It was her song.

Respect (1967)

Songs can come to define an era or a movement — the pain and confusion of the Vietnam war rippled through What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye; the alienation and anger of 1970s British youth was captured by the Sex Pistols with God Save the Queen; much more recently, Kendrick Lamar gave a soundtrack to Black Lives Matter with his song Alright. Respect by Aretha Franklin is one of those anthems. She subverted the lovelorn desperation of Otis Redding’s original and turned it into an unapologetic feminist statement, a beacon for the black women who strived for change during the civil rights movement. There’s no shyness here — she literally spells out what she wants — or rather demands it, in that iconic chorus.

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Think (1968)

When Franklin sings about freedom it’s as if she’s the very embodiment of the word. On the chorus of Think, the opening track off her 1968 album, her voice is soaring, unchained and unrestrained. It’s the definition of what it sounds like to be free. The track is another of Franklin’s most powerful feminist statements, as she clearly addresses her game-playing lover: “I ain’t no psychiatrist, I ain’t no doctor with degrees/ But it don’t take too much high IQ to see what you’re doing to me”. It clocks in at just two minutes and 20 seconds, but it’s an absolute showstopper.

I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) (1967)

This is the song that heralded the beginning of Franklin’s golden period signed to Atlantic Records — and what a start it was. It captured righteous indignation, passion, conflict and conviction — everything that made Franklin and her voice so very soulful. The recorded version is of course special, but it’s also well worth listening to the live version, released in 1968, on the Aretha in Paris album. The instrumentation is rather more subdued, but that only gives more space for the strength and depth of Franklin’s already commanding voice.

Chain of Fools (1967)

Bringing together gospel, jangling rock n’roll guitars and a swaggering drumbeat, Chain of Fools was a new type of soul — Franklin’s type of soul — with music that smouldered and cracked as it went along. The woman she portrays in her lyrics is the strong and clear-eyed, one we would come to know closely. She is well aware she’s part of a lover’s insincere drama, but cannot help but give in to temptation — ultimately, she's human.

Dr Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business) (1967)

This bluesy stroll is one of Franklin’s steamier affairs. It simmers with the sounds of organs and flowing pianos before boiling over with an impassioned crescendo: “Taking care of business is really this man’s game/ And after one visit to Dr Feelgood/ You’ll understand why Feelgood is his name”. Franklin’s roaring voice is lit by the fire of the song — each line she belts out burns.

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Ain’t No Way (1968)

It was these kind of expansive, slow-burning ballads that found Franklin at her most wonderfully heart-rending. Her voice is given the room to fulfil its cinematic potential and boy does she use it. Ain’t No Way, penned by Aretha’s sister, Carolyn, is a feat of songwriting and vocal performance. Each chord change sounds exactly as it should, each cadence lands precisely where it needs to, every melody floats, dips and rises with preternatural skill. It’ll break your heart and then put it all back together again, all within the space of four minutes.

Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (1967)

This song, the B-side to I Never Loved a Man, is another heartfelt plea for love, both in a personal and societal sense: “They say that it’s a man’s world/ But you can’t prove that by me/ And as long as we’re together, baby/ Show some respect for me.” Franklin’s voice is achingly sincere, forlorn but undefeated, set against the melancholy, gospel-flecked instrumentation and backing vocals.

Spanish Harlem (1971)

Originally released by Ben E King in 1960, this song has been covered almost to within an inch of its life — Cliff Richard, The Mamas & The Papas, Neil Diamond and, erm, Bowling for Soup have all put their spin on it. Still, it’s Franklin’s version that looms over the rest. It’s an ode to the beauty that can be found in Harlem, a neighbourhood in disrepair at the time, with a funky, flamenco-tinged instrumental bouncing off Franklin’s textured vocals. She added an extra couple of words to the refrain (“There is a rose in black and Spanish Harlem”, rather than just “Spanish Harlem” on the original), making this, in part, an celebration of the vibrant integration of the area.

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