Aretha Franklin

Songwriter: J. Leslie McFarland

[Verse]
Mmm, maybe I'm a fool
For loving you so
And maybe, maybe I'm a fool
I don't, I don't really know
Mmm, but I can't
I can't stop loving you, darling, oh yes
Though I tried, oh yes
And maybe, maybe your goodbye was so mean
So mean and unfair
Though you made me cry
My love's still there
Mhm, and I know
I know that I'll long for your kisses, oh
Until I die
Oh yes, until I die

[Bridge]
Well, I said all of my friends
All of my friends have told me
They said
"Aretha, why don't you find
You really need to find somebody new"
Yeah, oh yeah
But what they don't know
What they just don't know is in my heart
I'd missing, oh
That that someone was you
So, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

[Outro]
So if you should decide
If you should decide to try me once more
All you got to do
All you got to do is knock on my door
And I'll say
I'll say that I've taken you back
If taking you back would be foolish
Then maybe, oh, maybe I'm a fool
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Aretha Franklin is both a 20th and 21st century musical and cultural icon known simply by her first Aretha. She is the reigning and undisputed “Queen Of Soul” with a legacy that spans five decades. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Aretha began her career singing gospel at her father, minister C. L. Franklin’s church as a child. In 1960, at the age of 18, Aretha embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records with modest success.

After moving to Atlantic Records in 1967, she released a steady string of US top ten hits through 1973 including “Spanish Harlem”, “Chain Of Fools”, “Baby I Love You”, “Since You’ve Been Gone”, “Daydreaming”, “The House That Jack Built”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", ”Think“ and her first chart-topper “Respect” – a song that also won Aretha her first of 18 Grammys. During this time, several of her songs were also successful overseas.

By the mid-70s, Aretha’s commercial success waned and she left Atlantic for Clive Davis' Arista Records in 1980. Her 1982 song “Jump to It,” returned her to the top 40 for the first time in six years. 1985’s Who’s Zoomin' Who? got her back into the top 10 twice with its title track and “Freeway Of Love”. Four more songs reached the top 40 through 1986.

more tracks from the album

Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo

From the albums

Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo (1961)
Aretha Sings The Blues (1980)

Aretha Franklin popular songs

Maybe I’m a FoolAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo