Aretha Franklin

Songwriter: James Booker Aretha Franklin

You know I love you baby from A to Z
But some' about you keep a-worrying me
Sometimes you love me and sometimes you don't
Sometimes you will and then sometimes you won't

Oh, you're so swell baby when you're well
You're so swell baby when you're well
You're so swell, baby, when you're well
But you stay sick so long

Keep on conniving and your living too
True love ain't never gonna smile on you
You pace the floor honey, you sit and cry
Pull out your hair and then you wonder why

Oh, you're so swell baby when you're well
You're so swell baby when you're well
You're so swell baby when you're well
Oh but you just stay sick so long

You build me up and then you let me down
Gimme little smile but then you change it to frown
Yeah if you love me like you say you do
How could you love me after you've been too?

Oh hun-hun-hun
You're so swell oh when you're well
You're so swell baby when you're well
Do you know that you're so swell when you're well
Oh but you just stay sick so long

Yeah yeah-yeah
Fool that I am not to put you down
Gimme little smile and then you change it to a frown
Yeah if you love me like you say you do
Tell me how could you love me after you've been too?

Ooooh ho ho when you're well
You're so swell baby when you're well
Then you're here so swell baby when you're well
Oh but you just stay sick so long

Do you know that you're ha yeah...
So swell when you're well?
You're so swell!
So swell baby when you're well
Let me hear you now!
Oh but you just stay sick so long

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!
Uh-huh... you're so swell baby when you're well
Uh-huh yeah yeah!
Oh but you just stay sick so

Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah!
You're so swell baby when you're well
You're so swell baby when you're well
You're so swell baby when you're well
Oh but you just...
So sick, so sick, you honey yeah

Do you know ah hah
But you just stay sick so...
So sick, so sick!
Yeah-heah, yeah-heah!

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

Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)

From the album

Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) (1973)

Aretha Franklin popular songs

So Swell When You’re WellAretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)