3 Eternal Classic Songs by Aretha Franklin

She has the greatest, most powerful, most torrential singing voice of all time. Even without reading it, you know who the person is. That’s right, soul singer Aretha Franklin. By just opening her mouth, the triumphant human spirit comes forth. And with this voice, Franklin has given her skills to a plethora of songs. Some of which, of course, have become timeless.

Here below, we wanted to dive into a trio of such songs. Three tunes that human beings will hear on the radio, on record, or in whatever other form for as long as music is enjoyed. Indeed, these are three eternal Aretha Franklin songs.

[RELATED: Remember When Aretha Franklin Sang to Carole King at the Kennedy Center Honors?]

“Respect” from I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)

Originally written by Otis Redding and released in 1965, Aretha Franklin made the song her own and released it two years later on the album I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You. With her behind it, the song became one of feminist empowerment and earned her two Grammy Awards in 1968 for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording and Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female. It has also become her biggest song to date. On it, the powerhouse singer offers,

Hey, what you want
Baby, I got
What you need
Do you know I got it?
All I’m askin’
Is for a little respect when you come home
Hey baby when you get home
mister

I ain’t gonna do you wrong while you’re gone
Ain’t gonna do you wrong ’cause I don’t wanna
All I’m askin’
Is for a little respect when you come home
Baby when you get home
Yeah

“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” from Lady Soul (1968)

Released on the 1968 album Lady Soul, this song is the result of good, true love. So many songs are written about the dissolution of relationships. But this is the opposite, one that honors a strong one. Sometimes love does work out, sometimes a person can lift up their partner in a way that they want to sing from the rooftops. This track is evidence of that. Sings Franklin,

Looking out on the morning rain
I used to feel so uninspired
And when I knew I had to face another day
Lord, it made me feel so tired

Before the day I met you
Life was so unkind
You’re the key
To my piece of mind

‘Cause you make me feel
You make me feel
you make me feel
Like a natural woman

“I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” from I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)

Released in 1967 on the album of the same name (that also includes “Respect” and “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”), this song is about loving someone through hardships, through pain. Sometimes your heart wants something that’s not right for you—who hasn’t been there? Sometimes it’s just carnal attraction. The track also opens with one of the most sincere, terrific keys lines, over which Franklin, a lightning bolt, starts to sing. On the stirring offering, Franklin sings,

You’re a no good heartbreaker
You’re a liar and you’re a cheat
And I don’t know why
I let you do these things to me
My friends keep telling me
That you ain’t no good
But oh, they don’t know
That I’d leave you if I could

I guess I’m uptight
And I’m stuck like glue
‘Cause I ain’t never
I ain’t never, I ain’t never, no, no loved a man
The way that I, I love you

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