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Just over two weeks ago, we said goodbye to one of the greatest singer/songwriters of the 20th century... to REAL, respectable, rock-'n-roll royalty!
Yes, "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin departed from this life with a pomp, ceremony and flair befitting only the most revered of monarchs.
It was a resplendent affair, memorably underscored by a procession of more than 100 pink Cadillacs, a tribute to her massive hit Freeway Of Love.
Watching on television I, like most others witnessing this spiritual spectacular, couldn't help but remember the mountain of timeless music with which she has blessed us, the many trails which she has blazed for women in music and the astounding musical talent with which she wowed us again and again.
As a little, buck-eyed Ohio girl in the late 70's I used to hear my parents talking about this huge hit song "Respect" by a singer called Aretha Franklin.
Although the song was catchy, at the time I didn't think much of it and wrote off Ms Franklin as just another one-hit, wonderful blast from the past.
A few years later, that name would confront me again whilst watching music serials of the day like Solid Gold, Star Search, Soul Train and Showtime At The Apollo (yes, this white girl from the mid-west actually watched those shows).
Almost all of my favorite artists gave credit to this name, this elusive lady, for influencing and inspiring them to pursue a career in music.
I thought to myself, "I wonder who this 'Aretha Franklin' is?". I would soon get my answer.
The year was 1985. I remember because it was the same year that a young, impressive songstress (soon to be known as Whitney Houston) burst onto the music scene.
A popular radio DJ decided to play a song called Freeway Of Love, coincidentally recorded by the mysterious Ms Franklin. I was glad to finally have the chance to see what all the fuss concerning this "old" lady was about.
The track started and I could immediately tell that she had some major pipes!
But that was no big deal because so did Whitney, plus I had already been dazzled by hits from undisputed divas like Diana Ross, Minnie Ripperton and Olivia Newton-John.
And then it reached "the bridge". My insides ignited as Ms Aretha belted out a crescendo note: husky yet shrill, earthy yet sweet... and so stirringly soulful!
It was the first time that someone other than a gorgeous, Fonz-esque hunk like George Michael had managed to make my hair stand on end, give me goose-pimples and boil my blood... all with one note! Holy crap!!!
That southern preacher's daughter had taken me to church and back with a "Holy Ghost" moment - so fast - I hadn't even noticed that my soul had ever left the room!
After her prompt Who's Zoomin' Who? follow-up track, I realized that from then on, whenever I heard the name "Aretha Franklin", I would sit up and take notice.
Just one year later, Ms Aretha was caught burning up hit radio again, this time alongside the late, great George Michael.
He'd been riding a wave of popularity ever since leaving his hit band Wham! to go solo, and Aretha's explosive, earthy tone was the perfect foil for his angelically silken, vocal brand of ambrosia... God, that man could sing!
Their hit single I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) became one of the biggest, most popular, most singable dance jams of the mid-80's, remaining a personal favorite of mine to this day.
The video was pretty cool too, shot primarily in black-and-white - a rarity in those early days of MTV.
Another thing that stood out about Aretha was her piano skills.
You see, 80's pop was chock-full of singing piano-men like Elton John, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow and Lionel Richie, but not since the likes of Carly Simon, Carole King and Roberta Flack in the 70's had girls had a pop pianist to look up to.
Aretha had blazed that trail since the 60's, inspired those three greats to join her club in the 70's and then continued on her own in the 80's.
In an industry absolutely dominated by men, Aretha Franklin stood tall and shone brightly for all to see. She even heroically risked her career and fame by lending her voice to both the civil and women's rights movements.
Only in researching this article did I realize that I knew Aretha's music long before I was aware of it.
I remember singing "Jump, jump, jump to it!" along to the radio at 5 years old. There was a point in the song where the singer did some improv involving a soulful strain, followed by some scatting.
It went something like "Ooooooh, da dee ba. Shabba-dabba-da-dee-ba!". That was my favorite part of the song, and I would always listen out for it.
So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Jump To It was sung by none other than "the Queen" herself!
Now that I replay it in my head, I can't understand why I never figured it out for myself... I mean, that voice is so distinctively Aretha's!
Hence my love affair with Ms Franklin began not in 1985 (as previously stated) but actually in 1982.
I was also amazed to discover her immense catalog of hit songs. They've made her the most charted female artist in the history of Billboard magazine with 77 Hot-100 entries, 17 top-10 pop singles, 100 R&B entries and 20 number-1 R&B singles.
Some of these musical gems were self-penned, including:
- (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,
- Chain Of Fools,
- I Say A Little Prayer,
- Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do),
- I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You),
- Rock Steady,
- Call Me,
- Ain't No Way,
- Don't Play That Song (You Lied),
- Think,
- Day Dreaming,
- Something He Can Feel,
- Ever Changin' Times and the afore-mentioned
- Respect,
- Jump To It,
- Who's Zoomin' Who?,
- Freeway Of Love and
- I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
Together these radio blockbusters amassed her 18 Grammy Awards, including the first eight reserved for the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, between 1968 and 1975.
They also blessed her with more than 75 million record sales worldwide.
It's no wonder, therefore, that this queen of divas received her crowning glory in 1987 as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's first female inductee.
| Last Time On Donna's Glorious Giveaways: | |
In summary, Aretha Louise Franklin may have been born the simple daughter of a Baptist minister, but by age 18 her exceptional voice, pianistic prowess and songwriting skills had transformed her from a "natural" woman into a musical collage of titanic talent.
May "Her Musical Majesty" rest in peace.
Donna
P.S. I'll leave you with an interesting piece of trivia:
What do the King of Rock-'n-Roll and the Queen of Soul have in common, besides music and their nationality?
Aretha was born in the same place where Elvis died - Memphis, TN. What a weird coincidence!
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