Aretha Franklin

Songwriter: Bobby Scott

Producer: Bobby Scott

[Verse 1]
Come all you fair and tender maiden
Be careful how you love your men
They're like the stars on a summer's mornin'
First they'll appear and then they're gone

[Verse 2]
If only I were a tiny sparrow
And I had wings and could fly so high
I'd fly to my false lover
There I'd stay 'til he loved like I

[Verse 3]
But as I am no tiny sparrow
And have no wings so I can't fly
Away to love somebody
Weep and pass my troubles by
Weep and pass my troubles by

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

Tiny Sparrow: The Bobby Scott Sessions

From the album

Tiny Sparrow: The Bobby Scott Sessions (2011)

Aretha Franklin popular songs

Tiny SparrowAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Tiny Sparrow: The Bobby Scott Sessions