PURE POWER ... AND SOUL
Franklin, 76, had a sound like no other
Aretha Franklin didn’t write “Respect.” She wasn’t even the first to release it
— Otis Redding wrote and recorded the song two years before Franklin’s 1967 version. But the song is forever Franklin’s.
With the spelling out of the title and the “sock it to me” refrain, she gave it a new, fearless feel. But it was her voice, that tender-toforceful magic voice, that made it hers.
This was one of the Queen of Soul’s superpowers, to record any tune and own it entirely.
Over and over again in the late ’60s and early ’70s, she pulled titles from rock’s young songbook and improved on already genius performances. Her covers of the Band’s “The Weight,” the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” all outshine the impressive originals.
Franklin, who died yesterday at the age of 76, leveraged her artistry and assertiveness into a career that lasted nearly 60 years. Where other pop singers of the era cooed and oohed, Franklin pulled together a bold gospel attitude (she sang in her father’s Detroit church as a teen), smart pop-craft instincts and dash of the blues for a unique sound no other singer could ever quite master.
After a few early ’60s singles made a moderate impact on the charts, she hit home runs with Atlantic Records that redefined the musical landscape: “Respect,” “I Never Loved a Man,” “Chain of Fools,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and a dozen other masterpieces.
Her fiery approach made her stand out from many tamer artists, including much of the Motown roster. Some of this came from her work in the studio with such down-and-dirty rock musicians as Duane Allman, King Curtis and Spooner Oldham. But Franklin was an underrated writer (and piano player) who often inserted that same “Respect” roar into both melody and lyrics — she wrote or co-wrote “Think,” “Spirit in the Dark,” “Rock Steady” and many more.
Her talent, success and earned bravado transformed her into a pop icon, a feminist icon and an icon of black America. Her album “Young, Gifted and Black,” her 20th by just 1972, notably won her one of her 18 Grammy Awards. Her status didn’t change as she moved toward a deeper gospel sound, then a disco phase, then straight into Top 40 in the ’80s.
So often people thought she was done. Then she roared back with a sublime single, as she did with the 1987 throwback duet, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” with George Michael, or her 1998 collaboration with Lauryn Hill, “A Rose Is Still a Rose.”
It’s no surprise Michael or Hill sought out Franklin. Every modern soul singer, every feminist musician and genre-jumping artist owes her a debt.
From Annie Lennox to Beyonce, John Legend to Adele, the echo of Franklin’s legacy can be heard through generations.