Aretha's version is definitely better. I would love to see them react to her version of Dr. Feelgood live. She would bring down the house with that in concert. Probably my favorite by her.
Jay & Amber! The backup singers are Aretha's younger and older sisters Carolyn & Erma! That's why the song sounds so seamless and natural! Peace & Love!!!
Jay & Amber, you'll love her "You Make Me Feel Like (A Natural Woman)" ; "Chain Of Fools" and "Spanish Harlem"!!!! Dionne Warwick's original is outstanding, but as usual, Aretha makes "Say A Little Prayer" her own. Its a Burt Bacharach/Hal David song 1966.
This is one singer I wish I had seen in concert. There is just NO ONE who can sing like Aretha. Several times watching her sing live on tv, the hair on the back of my neck would stand up and I got such chills. I listened to her sing Amazing Grace and just could NOT stay in my seat. I've never had that reaction to any other singer. If you get a chance, check out Aretha doing Opera at the Grammy's - spectacular!
I remember in the early years of American Idol, some singers tried to over embellish their songs with all sorts of runs. I always said, "You shouldn't do that kind of stuff unless your name is Aretha Franklin." She could pull those things off in her sleep. And wanting more when she finished. Unfortunately, none of those folks was named Aretha. And, it sounded like it.
@@hammathguy3995 I think part of that is the structure of the show where you get such a short time to show what you can do. The performers are looking for a moment rather than a full presentation.
From the New Yorker: Etta James [jazz legend] once recalled listening to Franklin’s version of Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael’s standard “Skylark.” In the second verse, Franklin jumps an octave. “I had to scratch my head and ask myself, How the [F] did that [B] do that? I remember running into Sarah Vaughan [jazz legend], who always intimidated me. Sarah said, ‘Have you heard of this Aretha Franklin girl?’ I said, ‘You heard her do ‘Skylark,’ didn’t you?’ Sarah said, ‘Yes, I did, and I’m never singing that song again.’ ”
This was originally done by Dionne Warwick in 1967 won Grammy for Best female pop vocal performance. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David,who wrote a lot of her songs
The Bassist on this session is Tommy Cogbil April 8,1932 - December 7, 1982, he was one of the greatest and underrated bassist of all time. Unfortunately he died of Stroke, a brain aneurysm at the age of 51. He is the favorite bassist of Aretha Franklin and the many music studios, 🎙️ he also played with Elvis and etc. I am a bassist because of Tommy Cogbil.
Guys, please check out 'Heartbreaker' by Dionne Warwick. A song written by the BEE GEES. And speaking of the Bee Gees, check out 'Rest Your Love on Me'. You'll be absolutely blown away by the sound of this song. It's a completely different sound than any other Bee Gees Song.
I live in Detroit and was lucky to see her in one of her last concerts. I was second row next to Detroit dignitaries. As she walked off the stage, she waved to me and the Detroit dignitary next to me. I thought I can die happy now. She is truly the Queen of Soul.
When Aretha died here in Detroit in 2018, her funeral was a big deal. Carried live on local and national news channels. Eulogies from many stars and had a procession from the church to cemetery that featured over 100 pink Cadillacs. RIP Lady Re.
The great Cissy Houston (Whitney’s mom) & her group Sweet Inspirations sing back-up on this song. Cissy revolutionized background vocals. She was genius at vocal harmonies & producing vocals.
If you haven’t heard Ain’t No Way you should definitely check it out, it’s an underrated Aretha song! As an added bonus it also has Whitney Houston’s mother on backing vocals.
Whitney Houston's mother's name is Cissy Houston a famous singer in her own right. she is also the maternal aunt to Dionne Warwick who did the song originally, It's probably why Aretha got permission to cover it.
Dana says- Ok guys, I can't help it. Every time I hear this song, I think of the hilarious scene from My Best Friend's Wedding. If you haven't seen this movie gem, please add it to your list. You'll love it.
I really enjoy her collaboration with George Michael. It ended up being up her last #1 hit. It's called; "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me". It's so good.
Absolutely one of my all-time favorites! You must see it! Amazing 80’s video too! George was a huge fan so it’s amazing to see them performing together.
Aretha is the Queen of Soul for a reason. Check out "You Make Me Feel Like A (Natural Woman)", especially the Kennedy Center Honors version when she sang it for Carole King. Also "Until You Come Back To Me", "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me" with George Michael, and of course "Respect".
Aretha has 18 Grammy Awards nominated 44 times. You definitely must explore her catalog. The background vocals on this and most of her songs are done by her sisters.
The background vocalists are the Sweet Inspirations comprised of Cissy Houston and 3 others- they are Phenomenal. They go from unison to harmony singing during sections. The vocal arrangements and ability of the Sweet Inspirations and of course Aretha is a sound to behold. JUST GENIUS💫
Aretha has an extensive catalog of music but my favorite is "Who's Zoomin' Who." I think I love it because she released it in 1985 and it brings back great memories out dancing with friends! 💖
Aretha had a huge catalog of legendary hits in the 60’s and 70’s, and I love that her longevity stayed by having many 80’s hits as well, she was hot in the 80’s!
Aretha Franklin - Spirit in The Dark - 1971 live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco (with Ray Charles) Rare video. The song was over UNTIL Aretha found RAY CHARLES back stage and she pulled him out to bring a whole new life to that Spirit in The Dark! Aretha was there in the "Hippie Capitol" to see if these kids would be receptive to Soul Music.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the context of this song. This is a Vietnam war era song, and the woman is saying a little prayer several times during every day for her husband, who is fighting in Vietnam.
the way she sings, she's indeed the queen of soul! "A Natural Woman"(written by Carole King) "Who's Zoomin' Who?" "Rock Steady" "Something He Can Feel" "Respect" "Call Me" "Chain Of Fools" "Jump To It" "Spanish Harlem" "Think" "Ain't No Way" "Baby, I Love You" "Until You Come Back To Me" "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves"(with Annie Lennox, of Eurythmics) and quite a few more...
This is a really good song , but the next one you should react to should be "Chain Of Fools", soulful and funky at the same time. This up-tempo song rocks the house. This album version is fire. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kmKZ5v1D778.html
@@RedBud315 I think the first one for me that I remember is R-E-S-P-E-C-T, but she had so many hits in the 60's and 70's and it's all love. She was an amazing artist.
See Aretha Franklin Bring Obama to tears with a Surprise performance of - You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. - Co-writer Carol King's reaction was priceless.
The natural call and response sounds so natural because her sister Carolyn was a backup singer on this and many of Aretha's biggest hits including the ones written by Carolyn including "A'int No Way". Their father was a pastor and singer on the radio in Detroit and that is where she found her voice . She is a very under rated musician on the piano
One of the great live performances of all time is Aretha's tribute to Carole King, at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016, where she sang King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." And one of the better versions of that performance, where her singing shines through, thanks to the audio balance, is at this link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6dO1kGAXBO0.html.
As others have mentioned, Dionne Warwick has a great version of this song. My favorite Aretha song is Chain of Fools. BTW, Fanny has a song called "Queen Aretha".
Ok there is MISINFORMATION in these comments y’all. Here’s the facts: The BACKGROUND singers here are the Sweet Inspirations, led by Cissy Houston- Whitney Houston’s mother. Cissy Houston is the aunt of Dionne Warwick, who recorded the original version of this song. Dionne Warwick led the Sweet Inspirations before going solo! Aretha’s sisters Erma and Carolyn were frequent collaborators but they are not on this track.
Love the Queen of Soul, a title well deserved. "Natural Woman" Palease Powerful voice, was famous but I thought not as much as she should have been received in all communities. Her voice is soulful and sexy. Oh and "Natural Woman was a Carole King song but noone can sing like Aretha, so smooth. If she came out now what a talent, there was so many great bands in those days.
When Carol King got inducted into the Kennedy Center Honoree's Aretha showed up when she was in her 80's just to sing Natural Woman and Carol was so honored. Carol King just like Aretha are American treasures for sure. On a side note, a friend of mine named Dionne Warwick also did a fabulous job on this song.
Carol was a prolific writer. If you played her songs back to back it would take over 5 hours. Her reaction to Aretha showing up when she was honored at the Kennedy center is priceless. As is seeing Obama shed a tear.
This song means so much to me…I played it often when my husband was going through chemo and radiation…it’s beauty and simplicity was very uplifting during a very hard time. Natural Woman is my second favorite.
Aretha Franklin (as well as Chaka Khan) built the foundation of her fan base when allowed to sing, displaying full range. In the late 70s, producers began to push an era of screaming lyrics (ala "Think"). Real fans took a step back. "Chain Of Fools" has excellent backup as well.
This song was immortalized in a movie you should watch -My Best Friend’s Wedding starring Julia Roberts. Erin Brockovich and Pretty Woman are also highly recommended!
The back up vocalists are The Sweet Inspirations, an American R&B girl group founded by Emily "Cissy" Houston (née Drinkard), mother of Whitney Houston, and sister of Lee Warwick (herself the mother of well-known sisters Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick).
The structure of this song, with the back-up singers is known as call and response, developed in the Black American community. I just love it.. Also, one of my favorites by Aretha is, "Angel." Would love to see you guys react to it.
You would love the performance Aretha gave at the Grammys, filling in for Pavarotti. She sang opera at a moment’s notice and brought the house down. It was an unbelievable performance.
Until You Come Back To Me (1973) is probably my favorite Aretha song, although I love so many of hers. It's just gorgeous, and Aretha's vocals are soulful but not overwrought. Written by Stevie Wonder.
This is one of my favorite Aretha songs. When my son was a baby, I used to sing this (usually badly) & dance around with him. My parents introduced me to Motown & I was happy to share that with my boy.
You MUST do "Amazing Grace" from her live "Amazing Grace" with Rev. James Cleveland. She BLOWS everyone in her era out the water. Janis Joplin.. Dionne Warwick.. Dusty Springfield.. It's a MUST to hear her range😱😱
I know you two have reviewed Pavorotti’s Nussun Dorma. Pav was under the weather and Aretha stepped in to perform it at the Grammys at the last minute. She sang in Italian flawlessly. You have to listen to it.
Dionne Warwick - I Say A Little Prayer 1967 - Was 1st and the version that I remember and have. When Dionne appeared on the masked singer, praying hands was a clue. It was written by Hal David (words) and Burt Bacharach (music) and you can hear Burt's signature instrumentation in the original. Notably a trumpet.
Aretha's cover of "I Say A Little Prayer" peaked @ #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the R&B/Soul chart in 1968. The previous year, 1967, Dionne Warwick's original recording of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song, peaked @ #4 Pop and #8 R&B/Soul. Aretha was one of the few artists who could take a major hit recording and add her own spin to it and come up with another hit not too long after the original recording was a hit on the charts. In the late 1960s - early 1970s, Aretha covered hits by The Band ("The Weight"), Elton John ("Border Song"), The Beatles ("Eleanor Rigby"/ "Let It Be"), Simon & Garfunkel ("Bridge Over Trouble Water"), among other titles and charted her own hits.
Let me echo the sentiments of those who say you would love her rendition of "You Make Me Feel Like (A Natural Woman." And let me add that the song was written by Carole King. When the Kennedy Center Honors honored Carole King a few years back, they trotted out an aging Aretha Franklin to perform the song, and it simply blew Carole away (along with the rest of us). A timeless classic! And one of those songs that belongs in the American Woman Songbook. So many Aretha songs to hear. I suppose you've probably already done her #1 hit and one of the most iconic R&B anthems of all time, "Respect." But here are a few others. "Think" (she performed it in The Blues Brothers movie, but I would recommend using the original studio version). "Baby I Love You," "The House that Jack Built," "See Saw," "Chain of Fools." She even did a cover of a Beatles song, "Eleanor Rigby." In the '70s, her music took a somewhat milder tone with hits like "Rock Steady," "Day Dreaming" and "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)." Then in the '80s, her career took a whole different turn when Clive Davis got hold of her and she signed with his label, Arista Records. That's when she had such hits as "Freeway of Love" (a GREAT record!),"Who's Zoomin' Who," and her duet with George Michael (formerly of Wham!) called "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)." But honestly, of all the songs Aretha performed in her illustrious career, the one that puts goosebumps on my arms every time I watch and listen was when she was pressed into action literally at the very last minute and replaced her friend Luciano Pavarotti at the 1998 Grammy Awards show. Pavarotti was scheduled to receive the Living Legend Award, but had to call in sick so he was unable to perform the number he had rehearsed, "Nessun Dorma," with his orchestra. But they had rehearsed it in HIS key, and it was too late to change the arrangement. The key was lower than the one Aretha prefers to sing in. But she was probably the only person in the building who had just performed "Nessun Dorma" two nights earlier at another show. So, against the advice of her handlers, Aretha agreed to take on the challenge and performed in Pavarotti's place that night, essentially saving The Grammy Awards show from disaster. The result was one of the most remarkable moments in music history and one of those legendary performances that once you see it, you will never forget it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-k33sINjn9o0.html
Some of the best songs of the 1960s and early 70s were written by the brilliant duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Dionne Warwick, Aretha, Dusty Springfield, and so many others sung their beautiful songs. This is definitely one of them.
Aretha can SANG. But this song really belongs to Dionne Warwick. She's the GOAT on this song. As a reminder, Diana Ross did a classic cover of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Theme from Mahogany."
Pure Aretha Classic! I'd Love to hear more Dionne Warwick... 'Anyone Who Had a Heart' would be my first choice, but also 'Don't Make Me Over'. I was thinking Ms. Warwick sang original of this song, and seems to be confirmed in other comments. Thx for the Review Guys - Have a GREAT Labor Day Weekend! :)
I used to sing this to my baby daughter (Summer 93). I love this so much it became one of "our" songs. She is now 29 but I have literally played this to her this very moment.
Love Aretha. I always used to wonder who it was playing the piano on her songs & I just recently found out it is Aretha! It seems to me that all girls that are daughters of preachers learned how to play piano. At least back in the day that was true. I love her gospel influences in her music.
Very cool version. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard it before. I only remember Dionne Warwick’s classic rendition being on the radio every day when I was little.
So well said! Aretha is known for a good reason. She is one of the true greats of music! You can't go wrong listening to her; I'll watch you react to any/all of her songs. :)
FYI...those backup singers you were complementing were Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney), Estelle Brown, Myrna Smith, and Sylvia Shemwell. They actually sang backup on Aretha and Dionne's recording of this song.
Please, please PLEASE check out "Ain't No Way". Breathtaking. The long, high background note (supposedly by Whitney Houston's mother, Cissy) is from another world.
This is my favorite Aretha song! My favorite part is when she keeps repeating “forever” and “together”. Also I’m so glad you mentioned the backup vocals bc I’ve always loved them as well. People don’t talk about them nearly as much as they should.💜
