Aretha Franklin

Released: September 1, 1961

Songwriter: Joe Young (Lyricist) Sam M. Lewis Jean Schwartz

Producer: John Hammond

[Verse]
Rock-a-bye your baby with a Dixie melody
When you croon, croon a tune from the heart of Dixie
And just place my cradle, mammy mine
Right on the Mason-Dixon line
And swing it from Virginia
To Tennessee with all the love that's in you
Weep no more, my lady
Sing that song for me
Little joy, just as though
You had me on your knee
A million baby kisses I'm gonna deliver
The minute that you sing that Swanee River
Rock-a-bye your rock-a-bye baby with a Dixie melody

[Bridge]
Oh, people want my fair lady
Why don't you sing the song for me?
And little joy just as though
You're happy right now
A million baby kisses I said, said I'm gonna deliver
The minute that you sing that Swanee River
Rock-a-bye your rock-a-bye baby with a Dixie melody
One more time, yeah

[Outro]
A million baby kisses I'm gonna deliver
The minute that you sing that Swanee River
Rock-a-bye your rock-a-bye baby with a Dixie melody, oh

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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The Electrifying Aretha Franklin

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The Electrifying Aretha Franklin (1962)

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Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie MelodyAretha Franklin

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The Electrifying Aretha Franklin