Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin (25 March 1942 - 16 August 2018) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin was also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock.

Song lyrics


Find out what it means to me''' R-E-S-P-E-C-T Take care … TCB Sock it to me, Sock it to me, Sock it to me.
 * '''R-E-S-P-E-C-T
 * Lines added among her 1967 alterations to the 1965 song "Respect", originally written by Otis Redding

And I'll feel a thrill. You said I do, And I said I will. I tell you that I'll stay true, And give you just a little time. Wait on me baby, I want you to be all mine. I just get so blue. Since you've been gone, baby (why'd you do it? why'd you have to do it?)
 * Speak your name
 * "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone", written with Teddy White, from Lady Soul (1968)

Playin' games and takin' scores. Tryin' to make other people lose their minds. Well be careful you don't lose yours. Oh think (think) Think about what you're tryin' to do to me. Woo-hoo think (think) Let your mind go let yourself be free. You need me (need me) And I need you (don't cha know) Without each other There ain't nothin' we two can do.
 * People walkin' around everyday,
 * "Think", written with Teddy White, from Aretha Now (1968)

And when he's lonesome and feelin' love starved I'll be there to feed it I'm givin' him a little bit for each day He turns me right on when I hear him say (Hey baby let's get away, let's go somewhere far) (Baby can we?) Well I don't care.
 * I want to be what he wants when he wants it, and whenever he needs it
 * "Day Dreaming", from Young (1972)

With a feelin' from side to side Sit yourself down in your car And take a ride. And while you're movin' Rock steady Rock steady baby. Let's call this song exactly what it is (What it is -what it is - what it is)
 * Step n' move your hips
 * "Rock Steady", from Young (1972)

Scopin' for love In the crowd, I caught your eye You can't hide your stuff. You came to catch You thought I'd be naive and tame You met your match I beat you at your own game.
 * You walked in on the sly
 * "Who's Zoomin' Who", written with Preston Glass and Narada Michael Walden, from Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985)

About Aretha Franklin

 * In order to become Aretha Franklin you really have to be able to assess an inheritance and find yourself able to use it.
 * 1980 interview in Conversations with James Baldwin edited by Louis H. Pratt and Fred L. Standley (1989)


 * What made her talent so great was her capacity to live what she sang. Her music was deepened by her connection to the struggles and the triumphs of the African American experience growing up in her father’s church, the community of Detroit, and her awareness of the turmoil of the South. She had a lifelong, unwavering commitment to civil rights and was one of the strongest supporters of the movement. She was our sister and our friend. Whenever I would see her, from time to time, she would always inquire about the well-being of people she met and worked with during the sixties. When she sang, she embodied what we were fighting for, and her music strengthened us. It revived us. When we would be released from jail after a non-violent protest, we might go to a late night club and let the music of Aretha Franklin fill our hearts. She was like a muse whose songs whispered the strength to continue on. Her music gave us a greater sense of determination to never give up or give in, and to keep the faith. She was a wonderful, talented human being. We mourn for Aretha Franklin. We have lost the Queen of Soul.
 * John Lewis, "Congressman John Lewis on Aretha Franklin: ‘One of God’s precious gifts’", Atlanta Journal-Constitution (August 16, 2018)


 * Hopefully, these characters bring us closer to a sense of self: honest and honored. Icons: Toussaint Louverture to José Martí to lesser known heroes, Atahualpa and Denmark Vesey. We lace our visions with Celia Cruz and Aretha Franklin.
 * Ntozake Shange, Wild Beauty: New and Selected Poems (2017)