Aretha Franklin

[Verse]
It’s knowing that your door is always open
And your path is free to walk (free to walk, free to walk, free to walk, free to walk)
That makes me know that I can leave
My sleeping bag behind your couch (yes it’ll be right there)
Yes it does (yes it’ll be right there)
It’s knowing I’m not shackled by forgotten words and bonds
And your ink stains that have dried upon some line
Keeps you on the back roads (back roads)
By the rivers of my memory (memory)
It keeps you ever gentle on my mind (gentle on my mind, yeah)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, oh (gentle on my mind, yeah)
It’s not clinging to some rocks and ivy planted
On some column now that binds me, no, it don’t
Or something that somebody said
Because they thought we fit together walking
We did it, baby
It’s knowing that the world will not be cursing or forgiving
When they turn around and find
That you’re moving on the back roads (back roads)
You’re still on my memory (memory)
You’re ever gentle on my mind (gentle on my mind, yeah)
Yes, I’m baby (gentle on my mind, yeah)

[Outro]
Yeah, you are gentle (gentle on my mind, yeah)
You are gentle (gentle on my mind, yeah)
You are gentle and gentle (gentle on my mind, yeah)
You are gentle on the back roads (gentle on my mind, yeah)
Yeah, yeah (gentle on my mind, yeah)
You are gentle on my mind (gentle on my mind, yeah)
Say that, babe (gentle on my mind, yeah)
You are gentle on my mind (gentle on my mind, yeah)
Yeah (gentle on my mind, 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

Soul ’69

From the album

Soul ’69 (1969)

Aretha Franklin popular songs

Gentle On My MindAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Soul ’69