Aretha Franklin

Released: November 16, 1964

Songwriter: Ed Cobb

Producer: Clyde Otis

Every little bit hurts
Every little bit hurts

Every night I cry, every night I sigh
Every night I wonder why
You treat me cold
Yet you won't let me go

Every little hurt counts (every little hurt counts)
Every little hurt counts

You say you're coming home
Yet you never phone, leave me all alone
My love is strong for you, and I'd do wrong for you
I can't take this loneliness you've given me
And I just can't go on giving my life away

Oh, come back to me (come back to me)
And I'll make you see (I'll make you see)
That I can give you all the things
That you wanted before
If you will stay with me, oh yeah

Every little bit hurts
Every little bit hurts

To you I'm a toy and you're the boy
Who has to say when I should play
Yet you hurt me, desert me

Oh, come back to me (come back to me)
And I'll make you see (I'll make you see)
That I can give you all
The things that you wanted before
If you will stay, stay with me

Every little bit hurts
Every little bit hurts
Every, every little bit hurts
Every little bit hurts

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

Runnin’ Out of Fools

From the album

Runnin’ Out of Fools (1964)

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Every Little Bit HurtsAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Runnin’ Out of Fools