Queen of Soul.
November 20, 2007 3:08 AM   Subscribe

 
Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me.

Yeah, baby!

nice post
posted by psmealey at 3:11 AM on November 20, 2007


Before I put on my make-up to go to my suckass job, I say a little prayer for you, flapjax, for this great post.
posted by wafaa at 3:25 AM on November 20, 2007


Urethra.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:33 AM on November 20, 2007


Effigy, how original! Watch it, though, you can get banned for that kind of thing ;-)
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:41 AM on November 20, 2007


Aretha.
posted by Reggie Digest at 3:47 AM on November 20, 2007


Reggie, at the risk of being accused of moderating my thread, I will reply to your comment: I watched all the clips I posted. I insured that they were all live performances, and that they were all good live performances, cause even the great Aretha Franklin is represented by some not-so-great performances there on YouTube. That's the filtering that I did. Dig?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:52 AM on November 20, 2007


Mushroom, mushroom!
posted by horsemuth at 3:54 AM on November 20, 2007


Dug. It's nice to know things like that going in, though.
posted by Reggie Digest at 3:55 AM on November 20, 2007


Don't worry about it, Flapjax. The problem is that some people assume that others are as lazy as they are. This is an indisputably excellent post.
posted by psmealey at 3:56 AM on November 20, 2007


Shoulder, pearls, wave.

There is no other queen.
posted by Wolof at 3:59 AM on November 20, 2007


Couldn't you have bothered to find something about her that wasn't a youtube link? Or even to write a sentence of text explaining that all there is to see here are a bunch of Aretha performances?
posted by MCTDavid at 4:19 AM on November 20, 2007 [2 favorites]


Amazingly "Aretha aretha aretha aretha Aretha Aretha aretha Aretha aretha aretha aretha Aretha Aretha aretha", is a grammatically correct sentence.
posted by brevator at 4:33 AM on November 20, 2007 [1 favorite]


Buffalo!
posted by psmealey at 4:36 AM on November 20, 2007


Where's "Freeway of Love?" That's what I paid to see!
or
Wow, I've never heard of this songstress! What a strange name! She has a nice voice.

But thanks: I'm sure I'll dial up the ArethaTube via this post a couple-a times
posted by not_on_display at 5:10 AM on November 20, 2007


Would this be a "Mint Franklin" collection?
Sorry, I'll shaddup now.

posted by not_on_display at 5:11 AM on November 20, 2007


So what's this post all about, then?
posted by Pecinpah at 5:16 AM on November 20, 2007


Mulva. Mulva. Mulva. Mulva. Mulva.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:24 AM on November 20, 2007


Arriba!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:58 AM on November 20, 2007


A few months ago I picked up a greatest hits Aretha Franklin album at Value Village. I was never into her really, but I thought there was a song or two on there I rather liked so it was worth the few dollars it cost.

I took it home and basically listened to it for the next week. For the first time I really got why they call her the Queen of Soul. God, what I wouldn't give to have that big sexy squall of hers rather than the soft little alto I do have.

The funny thing is, the first time I played it, my next door neighbours were playing Shania Twain. (I'm white; they're black.) I figured they, like me, were thinking, "Why is she listening to HER?"
posted by orange swan at 6:07 AM on November 20, 2007


Considering that she is a true master you'd think there would be more film coverage of her performances out there. PBS made an American Masters episode about her but I have still yet to see it, the library doesn't have it and neither do any of the torrent sites. There definitely seems to be a real absence of quality Aretha video. I wonder if somebody is sitting on a master archive for some reason.
posted by well_balanced at 6:52 AM on November 20, 2007


Ah, the Queen of Soul.
Surprising there are not better YouTube choices of her music. You're right flapjax, you had to do filtering. Hers is some of my favorite music, ever. A soundtrack of my life's joy, yearning, sadness, hope and what I like to dance to best.

In 1967, age 13, sitting in the K&D Deli on Madison Avenue, between 97th and 98th Streets on the edge of Spanish Harlem, where the Haves turf and the Have Nots turf dovetail, licking a Welch's grape popsicle, I heard Respect for the first time. Her voice was huge. It seemed like she could do anything with that voice. So full of power, emotion and freedom. Dammit, she wanted R.E.S.P.E.C.T. And she was going to get it.

As a young white girl who'd grown up in South Africa and Jamaica, when it was changing from colonial rule to independence and now in Civil Rights marches time America, her voice felt like a cannon and that song an anthem cannonball. It transcended being just a love song with a catchy beat. Things were going to be Different. Aretha's music has graced my life since then. How lucky I feel to have grown up to her songs.

Interesting to find out RESPECT was originally sung by Otis Redding, asking for a woman's respect but it was sung by Aretha and then became associated with the feminist movement.

In 1986, Franklin did nearly as well with an album simply titled Aretha which yielded her first number-one pop single in two decades with the George Michael duet, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". The album is noteworthy for the striking cover which was Andy Warhol's last work before his death.


huh, Whoda thunk Andy Warhol's last work would be for an Aretha album? I like him better for that.

Don't know any other singer I like to listen to more with her ability to soar so finely across the octaves. Got to see her live once too, pay homage. Had no idea, until reading that Wiki entry, that she'd had such a hard life.
posted by nickyskye at 7:41 AM on November 20, 2007 [3 favorites]


ps Otis Redding wrote and sang RESPECT, this is his version. It's a whole other planet. Fascinating how different it is, and I love him.

Another thing, reading the Wiki entry, it says Franklin is the second most honored female singer in Grammy history after Alison Krauss. I'd heard of this Alison Krauss but couldn't remember her music. Oh, her.

Can't decide whose songs are more codependent, Country's, Pop's or Motown's. When are they going to write emotionally healthy lyrics?
posted by nickyskye at 7:53 AM on November 20, 2007


Y'know, if you hadn't insisted on putting periods after each instance of her name, I could have made a mildly amusing "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" joke.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 8:02 AM on November 20, 2007


Two Aretha Albums you may not realize you love(yet).

Sparkle
Aretha sings, Curtis Mayfield makes the tunes. That means it's REALLY REALLY good.


Amazing Grace
Just in case anyone was planning on not weeping uncontrollably,I want Aretha's Amazing Grace played at my funeral. Bring extra hankies, cause it's 11 minutes of awesome. I don't believe in god, and have never been a christian, but I'm glad Aretha believes in him, cause this album rules.
posted by billyfleetwood at 8:21 AM on November 20, 2007 [1 favorite]


Thanks, flapjax. A great way to start the day.
posted by rtha at 8:48 AM on November 20, 2007


Wonderful to hear another dimension of her singing. Thanks billyfleetwood. Excerpts of her Amazing Grace. From her album, Amazing Grace, it's really lovely.
posted by nickyskye at 9:10 AM on November 20, 2007


Is one of those [too many to click through] clips of her singing that aria where she stood in for the sick guy? Or is that online somewhere?
posted by gottabefunky at 9:53 AM on November 20, 2007


There were some real surprises in there. I only wish there was more information about the performances. YouTube links with actual information attached to them would be a big improvement.

-- "My Baby's Face," very young Aretha looks like Maria Callas.
-- "Shoop shoop," I think that's Billy Preston on keyboard. Did he play with everyone?
-- Robert Di Niro introduction? what was that all about?
-- "Say a little prayer," live version good, studio version--she owned Dionne Warwick's original, and I like Dionne Warwick.
-- the big climax in "Dr. Feelgood," the best ever. Don't send me no doctor.

I'm just really glad this was the music that we got to grow up to.

(of course, I was 5 at the time.)
posted by cogneuro at 10:01 AM on November 20, 2007


You mean 'Nessun Dorma,' at the 1998 Grammys, filling in for Luciano Pavarotti? Here's the audio, anyway, and here's an excerpt. Alternately, here she is singing the same aria at a different event.
posted by box at 10:03 AM on November 20, 2007


This was cool, but would have been cooler if you generated it as a playlist, and linked that.
posted by wuwei at 11:08 AM on November 20, 2007


BillyFleetwood, Aretha's "Amazing Grace" was played at Freddie Mercury's funeral per his pre-arranged request. He was a major Aretha fan, and often said that he would've loved for her to record a version of Queen's "Somebody to Love."
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:23 AM on November 20, 2007


To this day, whenever I see her, I crave four fried chickens, and a Coke.

[I love that woman.]
posted by quin at 11:42 AM on November 20, 2007


Badger. Badger. Badger.

(Hope this works; the site is blocked where I work.)
posted by neuron at 1:08 PM on November 20, 2007 [1 favorite]


he would've loved for her to record a version of Queen's "Somebody to Love."

She really should. That would be awesome.
posted by Reggie Digest at 5:28 PM on November 20, 2007


Your post inspired me to go uptown to the K&D Deli. It's not there any more but the K&D Liquor Store is. Stood inside in honor of Aretha and first hearing her. Nice feeling.
posted by nickyskye at 5:58 PM on November 20, 2007


ps that last link was a special treat. Thanks fj.
posted by nickyskye at 6:04 PM on November 20, 2007


You are so very welcome, n!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:06 PM on November 20, 2007


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