Listen to Aretha Franklin’s stunning isolated vocals for ‘Think’
As the 20th century hit its midpoint, music entered the most revolutionary period in its history. The 1950s and 1960s would spawn new genres and subcultures, innovative recording techniques, and lifelong stars. Beatlemania changed the industry forever, while Woodstock represented the pinnacle of hippie counterculture. The decade was also home to the boom of soul.
With triumphant horns and gospel sensibilities, soul married artistic expression with the African-American experience and became intertwined with the Civil Rights Movement. At the centre of both the genre and the movement was Aretha Franklin. The soul singer infused her music with discussion of social inequality, a force for change inside and outside of her music until her death in 2018.
With unparalleled vocal control and range, Franklin secured a place not only as one of the greatest singers in soul but one of the greatest singers of all time. She influenced the likes of Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston and even became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Alongside her singing talent, Franklin was unwavering in her commitment to her beliefs, making demands for respect and freedom throughout her music. Her biggest hit, ‘Respect’, has become an anthem of female empowerment. “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me,” she defiantly declares in the chorus, the force of her words only enhanced by her powerful vocals.
Another of her most enduring tracks, ‘Think’, is equally defiant and powerful. Released in 1968 and written with her husband, Ted White, the song opens with bouncy piano notes and declarations of “You better think about what you’re trying to do to me.” While the verses are devoted to Franklin’s demands for respect, the chorus gives way to repeated and soaring statements of “Freedom”.
Throughout the track, Franklin demonstrates her vocal prowess, her voice seemingly soaring higher and higher with each line she sings. This effect is only enhanced when the instrumentals are removed and her vocals isolated, allowing her powerful words and intonations to shine.
Over half a century on from its first release, ‘Think’ remains one of Franklin’s most important hits and an unwavering statement about respect and freedom. It demonstrates her rightful claim to the crown as the enduring ‘Queen of Soul’ and her place in music history as one of the greatest singers of all time.
Listen to Aretha Franklin’s stunning isolated vocals for ‘Think’ below.
