Aretha Franklin

Released: January 24, 1972

Songwriter: Aretha Franklin

Producer: Arif Mardin Jerry Wexler Tom Dowd

[Verse]
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put our two hearts together again

[Verse 1]
We sat on a wall of happiness
We sat on a wall of love
We sat on a wall of security so high above
With his arms all around me
It was like a fairy tale
Two people so in love
Tell me how could it fail

[Pre-Chorus]
The walls started shakin' her love right out
Happiness is given away, security is fallin' down
He fell, I fell, all there is left to tell

[Chorus]
Is all the king's horses, all the king's men
Couldn't put our two hearts together again
All the king's horses, all the king's men
Couldn't put our two hearts together again

[Pre-Chorus]
Walls started shakin', I heard love crying out
Happiness is given away, security is tumbling down
He fell, I fell
And all there is left to tell

[Chorus]
Is all the king's horses, all the king's men
Couldn't put our two hearts together again
Couldn't put our two hearts together again
Couldn't put our two hearts together again
Couldn't put our two hearts together again

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

Young, Gifted and Black

From the album

Young, Gifted and Black (1972)

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All the King’s HorsesAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Young, Gifted and Black