Aretha Franklin

Songwriter: Dave Clark (USA) B.B. King

Producer: Jerry Wexler Tom Dowd Arif Mardin

[Verse 1]
Everybody wants to know, they ask me why I sing the blues
Everybody wants to know now, why I keep crying the blues
Well, I’ve been around little while
And I’ve paid some dues, yes, I have
People laying in ghetto flats, cold and numb
Looking at roaches, telling bedbugs to move over and give ‘em some
Oh, it’s hot in here, that’s one reason I’m singing the blues, yeah
Been around a long time
God knows I’ve paid a few dues, yes, I have

[Bridge]
Stood in line at the County Hall
Heard a man say: “We’re gonna build some high rises for y’all
Up in renewal, work on a removal, talk to me, yeah”
Don’t feel bad about it, just trying to be free

[Verse 2]
I don’t want my kids growing up to be no fools
You keep rapping to me y’all ain’t got no room in school, yeah
And you want to know why I’m singing the blues, yeah
Been around a little while
And I’ve seen some people paying dues, yes, I have

[Verse 3]
Some of my friends told me I was born to lose
But when I looked around they were singing the same old kind of blues, now
And you want to know why I’m singing ‘em this evening, yeah
Don’t be saying those, everybody pays some dues sometimes
Yeah, sing the blues now

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

Spirit in the Dark

From the album

Spirit in the Dark (1970)

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Why I Sing The BluesAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Spirit in the Dark