Aretha Franklin

[Verse]
If ever i would leave you, it wouldn't be in summer
Seeing you in summer, i never would go
Your hair streaked with sunlight, your arms red as flame
Your face with a luster that puts gold to shame
And if i'd ever leave you, it couldn't be in autumn
Just how i'd leave in autumn, i never, never would know
I've seen how you sparkle when fall nips the air
I know you in autumn and i must be there
Oh would i leave you running merrily, merrily, merrily through the snow?
Or on a wintry evening when you catch the fire's glow?
If ever i would leave you, it wouldn't be in springtime
Knowing how in springtime i'm bewitched, bewitched, bewitched by you so
Oh, no, not in springtime, summer, winter, or fall
If ever i would leave, leave you at all

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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Sweet Bitter Love

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Sweet Bitter Love (1970)

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If Ever I Would Leave YouAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Sweet Bitter Love