Listen to Aretha Franklin’s cherishable isolated vocals on ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman’
Aretha Franklin was one of the definitive voices of soul, R&B, jazz and blues. From the 1950s up until her death in 2018, Franklin had a prolific career as one of the biggest-selling artists of all time.
The star was noticed as a gospel singer at her father, C. L. Franklin’s, Michigan church when she was a child. Her father was also a civil rights activist, and his powerful voice, which made him known as the man with the “million-dollar voice,” attracted visits from the likes of Martin Luther King and gospel singer Clara Ward, who became romantically involved with Franklin’s father.
The presence of Ward, who was a successful name in her own right, inspired Franklin, who saw her as a role model. Franklin’s father encouraged his daughter’s singing career, taking her on “gospel caravan” tours where she would perform for people. He helped her to sign her first record deal with J.V.B. Records, who released Franklin’s first single, “Never Grow Old.” By 14, Franklin had already released a live album entitled Songs of Faith.
It seemed as though Franklin was always destined to be a star. At 16, she was sometimes travelling with the Soul Stirrers, and recognised by Dinah Washington as the “next one,” as told to Quincy Jones. Franklin sang at Martin Luther King’s funeral, and met the likes of Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye during this period of her life, which inspired her to become a professional musician.
Franklin was signed to Columbia Records when she was 18. However, by 1966 she found actual success when she decided to sign with Atlantic Records instead. Popular songs of hers during this period included ‘I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),’ ‘Respect,’ and ‘Chain of Fools.’
Around this time, she also recorded a string of commercially and critically lauded albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Lady Soul, and Young, Gifted, and Black. Franklin was one of the biggest names in the industry, and managed to record a whopping 112 songs that charted on the US Billboard Charts.
Not only that, but she also won 18 Grammy Awards, making her one of the most successful female Grammy Award winners of all time. According to the Official Charts Company, Franklin’s most streamed and downloaded song is ‘Respect,’ which acted as her international breakthrough in 1967, two years after its initial conception by Otis Redding. With 22 million streams and 141,000 downloads in the UK alone, Franklin’s version is often mistaken as the original.
However, ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman,’ has been revealed to be the icon’s third most streamed/downloaded song after ‘I Say a Little Prayer.’ The track is one of Franklin’s greatest, with 5.8 million streams and 44,000 downloads in the UK to date.
The song was written by Carole King and her husband Gerry Goffin, who co-wrote some massive international pop hits together during the 1960s, including ‘Go Away Little Girl’ and ‘The Loco-Motion.’ Lou Adler, who owned Ode Records, said of Goffin: “Goffin is one of the best lyricists in the last 50 years. He’s a storyteller, and his lyrics are emotional. ‘Natural Woman,’ ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.’ These are perfect examples of situations, very romantic, almost a moral statement. Coming out of the 1950s, with the type of bubble gum music, and then in 1961, Gerry is writing about a girl who just might let a guy sleep with her and she wants to know, ‘is it just tonight or will you still love me tomorrow?’ Goffin could write a female lyric. If he could write the words to ‘Natural Woman,’ that’s a woman speaking. Gerry put those words into Carole’s mouth. He was a chemist before he was a full time lyricist. He’s very intelligent and obviously emotional.”
The song also features the backing vocals of the other Franklin sisters, Erma and Carolyn, which help to tie the whole song into a beautiful masterpiece. Co-writer King also recorded a version of the song, which ended up on her 1971 album Tapestry, produced by Adler.
Check out Franklin’s isolated vocals for the track below, which showcases the natural, emotive quality she possessed that made her such a powerful force.
