“Give me the fireworks”

Narada Michael Walden on recording the Queen Of Soul

Narada Michael Walden met Aretha in the early 1980s and helmed her 1985 smash, Who’s Zoomin’ Who?. The two worked together for more than 30 years, with Walden producing and writing for her and even playing in her touring band. It was one of the longest professional relationships she had. “First,” he recalls, “I’d record here in California and put my demo singers on it, just to show her how I heard the song. Then she’d take it, memorise it, change up what she wanted to change up. She’s going to bring to it what she wants to bring to it. I recall one time wanting to make a little lyric change, and I walked up to the music stand but there was no paper there. She had it all memorised! She worked the change out in her brain.

“She didn’t want to sing too much, because it took a lot out of her. She would warm up a little, and then she’d say, ‘OK, I’m ready.’ And from that point on, she’s making a hit record. I’d always get the fireworks first. We’d record the ending of a song first, when she’s fresh. Give me a few good endings. Give me the fireworks. Get all the spirit out. If you get that done right away, then you can go back to that very first verse, settle down and make sure you’ve got enough melody, enough simplicity.”