Why did Nile Rodgers refuse to work with Aretha Franklin?
Since Daft Punk sparked a renaissance in his career, Nile Rodgers has been one of the most visible figures in the music industry. Rodgers will happily attend any major televised musical event, wheel out his white Stratocaster, and play with any artist who asks politely. However, Rodgers hasn’t always been this relaxed in regards to working with other musicians, and once turned down the opportunity to produce the work of Aretha Franklin.
In 1980, Rodgers and his Chic bandmate Bernard Edwards were a two-man hit machine. As well as having a string of hits themselves, they’d produced Sister Sledge’s iconic debut album, We Are Family. Additionally, the duo used their production skills to assist Blondie singer Debbie Harry on her first solo album and worked with Diana Ross.
In contrast, Franklin’s career was travelling in the other direction. While she was once a superstar, those days of troubling the Billboard Hot 100 were in the past. Despite her immense talent, the ‘Queen of Soul’ was out of vogue. It had been over half a decade since her last hit, and Franklin knew it was time for reinvention.
As Chic were spearheading the pop movement, which had adopted the disco scene, and Franklin wanted a slice of the pie. Naturally, Rodgers was a huge fan of her voice and took the chance to meet with the legendary singer. However, the Chic man didn’t believe she needed to make this career move and couldn’t bring himself to support it.
Speaking to MOJO after her death, Rodgers said: “We only had one meeting, but she wanted to write the songs. And she played this song ‘I’m Gonna Be The Only Star Tonight Down At The Disco’ [late recorded as ‘Only Star’] because for some reason somebody had convinced Aretha Franklin that disco was so happening she had to do a disco record”.
He added: “And I told her, point blank, ‘there’s no way I’m going down in history as the guy who wrote Aretha Franklin’s disco hit’, at least not that one. She had written it and the guy who did The Hustle, Van McCoy, a terrific arranger, he did the album [1979’s ‘La Diva’ with co-producer Charlie Kipps]. I couldn’t believe he did it. It’s just not a good song”.
While ‘Only Star’ wasn’t a hit for Franklin, and Rodgers dodged a bullet by not having it on his CV, he still immensely enjoyed the experience of working with her in the studio, describing the encounter as beautiful. He continued: “I gotta tell you, that one meeting with her I don’t think I ever experienced anything so beautiful in my life. Just sitting next to Aretha Franklin at the piano and have her sing. As much as I hated the song, it sounded like an angel was singing in my ear.”
A few years later, it was Aretha’s time to shine again as she clawed back into the mainstream by doing what she always did best — soul music. Franklin was the ‘Queen of Soul’ for a reason, and disco was best left to others, as Rodgers well knew.
