Aretha Franklin

Songwriter: Luther Vandross Marcus Miller

Producer: Luther Vandross

[Intro]
Pretender
Ooh, pretender

[Verse 1]
I wake myself up every time
I daydream of love for you and me
'Cause I'm just fooling myself
I should remember
You're just a pretender of love

[Chorus]
(Nothing but a pretender)
Can't love no one
(Pretending to be in love)
Ooh, pretender
(No one but a pretender)
Can't love no one
(Pretends to be in love)

[Verse 2]
You can't trust the imagination
It never tells you who's for real
You don't give love
You're just a lender
I should remember
That you're just a pretender

[Chorus]
(Nothing but a pretender)
Can't love no one
(Pretending to be in love)

[Bridge]
Oh but I wanted (To be your)
I wanted to be (To be your lover)
To be what you wanted
Everything you could need
Oh yeah (Every)
You were everything (I could dream of)
I ever could dream of
But I really (Should be your)
Really should be (Should be your lover)
Keeping your, feeling your, having your love
Oh, pretender (Pretender)
Pretender, give me your love
Oh, ooh, yeah

Pretender, why can't you be for real?
Ah baby
Pretender, why won't you believe in what you feel?

Well, I thought you were mine, baby, all the time
And I know that you dig what I'm sayin'
It's a player's dream just to have a fool
But sweet baby, I ain't playin'
It's funky nothin's, baby

[Outro]
(Nothing but a pretender)
Can't love no one
(Pretending to be in love)
Ooh, pretender
(No one but a pretender)
Can't love no one
(Pretends to in love)
Oh, pretender
(Nothing but a pretender)
Can't love no one
(Pretending to be in love)
Ooh, pretender
(No one but a pretender)
Pretender
(Pretends to in love)
Oh, pretender
(Nothing but a pretender)
Can't love no one
(Pretending to be in love)
Ooh, pretender
(No one but a pretender)
Can't love no one
(Pretends to be in love)

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

Get It Right

From the album

Get It Right (1983)

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PretenderAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Get It Right