Five vocal performances that prove Aretha Franklin was a genius
When looking at the greatest singers in history, most people automatically think of the sounds of opera. Even though plenty of mainstream vocalists have made great strides with their voices, everyone tends to venture to the days of Pavarotti when talking about what “real singing” is supposed to be. That singing genre may have its place, but no one could belt quite like Aretha Franklin.
From the first time she arrived on the music scene, Franklin had her knack for soul music down to a science. Whether it was singing traditional love songs or talking about women’s place in society, Franklin never sang a note that didn’t come from her soul, making tracks that felt like extensions of her personality whenever she stepped behind the microphone.
It wasn’t as if Franklin didn’t have competition, either. In a world dominated by vocal virtuosos like Marvin Gaye and even the upcoming rock bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Franklin was always willing to push herself beyond what was needed, making any other artist look like a decent lounge singer compared to her.
It’s not like her presence hasn’t been felt in the years since, with every singer from Whitney Houston to Ariana Grande pulling from her playbook when they started out. Other artists might be more gritty, and some might have a broader range to work with, but when talking about inhabiting one’s voice and putting their soul down on vinyl, we can only sit back and bask in the glory of ‘The Queen’.
Five iconic Aretha Franklin moments:
5. ‘Chain of Fools’ – Lady Soul
Imagine for a second that you’ve never heard the name ‘Aretha Franklin’ before. For all you know, this is just another soul singer that you have yet to get around to throughout time and want to try out Lady Soul as your jumping-on point. From the first few seconds of guitar strumming, Franklin’s booming voice comes on and practically blows you across the room from the minute she starts singing.
Throughout ‘Chain of Fools’, Franklin is playing to every one of her strengths, having that kind of booming range that can only come from someone who’s been around the block a couple of times with loose lovers. Since the song is based on a loose vamp of just one chord, Franklin has you by the throat throughout the whole song, making the track feel like you’re in the room as her background vocalists harmonise behind her. Definitely one of her best moments, but we’re only starting to play with perfection.
4. ‘You Send Me’ – Aretha Now
Any standard Aretha Franklin vocal is the musical equivalent of looking into the sun…the soul can only take so much before it gets hurt. While you can feel like you’re in the presence of greatness whenever she opens her mouth, it is always a bit too much to listen to all at once. Franklin could tone it down when she wanted to, though, and her sensitive side came out when singing this Sam Cooke classic.
While Cooke was already known as one of the modern founders of soul music, Franklin made the song her own by bringing an innocence to the song. Even though very little is changed from the arrangement, Franklin has the kind of vocal range that makes it sound like she’s singing to you personally whenever she comes on, wanting nothing more than to talk about the bliss she feels whenever she’s with her lover. She may be singing about someone who sent her on a ride, but her voice has been sending people on an emotional rollercoaster for years now.
3. ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman’ – Lady Soul
Every soul singer is only as good as their ability to do ballads. For all of the posturing that you can do onstage and being able to scream into the microphone in time, one can only go so far before they’re doing a cheap imitation of James Brown. Franklin was always more about understanding the meaning behind every word she sang, and ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman’ is still one of the most assuring love songs she ever made.
Then again, the greatest parts of the song come from how she delivers every single line. From the way that she slowly moves her way through the verses before hitting the chorus with everything she has, Franklin can switch up her style on a dime, including going back into sensual mode halfway through the title drop, practically stretching out every note so each one hits you in the chest. Rock and roll may have already been trying to make music with an edge to it, but you don’t need loud guitars to make someone feel something when they hear you sing.
2. ‘Precious Lord Take My Hand/ You’ve Got a Friend’ – Amazing Grace
Most artists have to spend years of training trying to hone their vocal skills. For all of the diva-like scat-singing that has been meme’d to high heaven thanks to artists like Mariah Carey and Christine Aguilera, a lot gets lost in how practical those vocal exercises are for soul singers. As for Franklin, she always got her best singing done at church, and her live gospel album Amazing Grace blended both sides of her sound halfway through.
Starting with the traditional song ‘Precious Lord Take My Hand’, Franklin turns this song of worship and quickly segues into a breathtaking version of Carole King’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ without breaking a sweat. Although the songs may look much different when taken out of context, it all seems totally natural whenever Franklin sings it. Music has always been a spiritual exercise for everyone who tries it, and putting a secular song into the mix just reaffirms the higher power at play, no matter what the words are.
1. ‘Respect’ – I Never Loved a Way The Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin had already been brought up in a society that was still dominated by males. For all of the great soul singers that were coming out of Motown Records when she got the ball rolling, there always seemed to be twelve male-fronted groups for every female vocalist. Franklin was going to stake her claim as the greatest in her field, though, and she was going to use one of her male counterparts to do it.
Taking the basis of the Otis Redding song of the same name, ‘Respect’ would become an anthem for women’s rights, asking for just a little bit of respect whenever her man gets home after a long day. While many know the tune more for its cultural significance, Franklin owns every minute of time, making the song sound like it could be sung by any woman around the world. Even after he heard it, Redding admitted that the song didn’t belong to him anymore. There was a new queen in town, and her voice was bound to echo throughout music history until the end of time.
