Aretha Franklin

Songwriter: Ronnie Wilkins John Hurley

Producer: Jerry Wexler Tom Dowd Arif Mardin

[Verse 1]
Billy Ray was a preacher's son
And when his daddy would visit he'd come along
When they gathered around and starting talking
That's when Billy would take me walking
Out through the back yard we'd go walking
Then he'd look into my eyes
Lord knows, to my surprise

[Chorus]
The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, ooh, yes he was
Ohh alelujiah

[Verse 2]
Being good isn't always easy
No matter how hard I try
When he started sweet-talking to me
He'd come'n tell me "Everything is all right
Baby baby "Everything is all right"
Can I get away again tonight now

The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, ooh, yes he was
Yes he was, he was, ooh, yes he was
Hmmmm

[Verse 3]
How well I remember
The look that was in his eyes
Stealing kisses from me on the sly
Taking time to make time
Telling me that he's all mine
Learning from each other's knowing
Looking to see how much we've grown and

[Chorus]
The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, ooh, yes he was
Allelujiah..
Allelujiah
Son of a preacher man
Son of a preacher man
Allelujiah yeah
Son of a preacher man
Allelujiah for the son
He was the only boy yes he is that could ever reach me
Yes he is that could ever reach me

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.

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