… And mine is “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)”. Especially after I took up marathon-running. As a runner,
sometimes you come across a hill that’s too steep, a flat that’s too long, a
path that’s too rough. You need that track that will make you overcome that
hill, beat that flat, win over that path. “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I
Love You)” has that quality. It’s a rocket-powered, piano-riff-rich,
bass-hook-driven monster of a song. And on top of everything you have the
soaring vocals of the Queen of Soul. Vocals that sing a song of both surrender
and love (“You’re a no good heart breaker/You’re a liar and you’re a
cheat/And I don’t know why/I let you do these things to me/My friends keep
telling me/That you ain’t no good/But oh, they don’t know/That I’d leave you if
I could”).
This is a song about flawed humanity. About what we
do and the lengths we go to when we love that other person. Even when that
other person hurts us so bad. Whereas blues is pain and soul is reaffirmation,
“I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)” is a cross between both
genres. It is Aretha doing what she did throughout her entire stellar musical
career: combining pleasure and suffering.
It is the reason why, when this song comes on my mp3
player, I get that extra burst of energy. It is the combination of brains,
brawn (in the form of Aretha’s emotionality) and voice. It is the piano riffs,
the bass line, but above all the chops, the pipes. The thought that she only
ever took hold of melodies she could feel. And if she felt them, rest assured,
so did you.
© 2018
I love her Gospel, but for me it's the version of "Think" from the Blues Brothers film.
ReplyDelete"Chain of Fools". I love that song.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I have a track, but this one has motivated you for sure.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tribute. I hope (fervently) that she knew how much she meant to so many.
ReplyDeleteA nice post here - thank you.
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful tracks from her, that will live on.
RIP Aretha.
All the best Jan
She sure could belt them out indeed. Respect!
ReplyDeleteAs Albert Einstein once said: "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music."
ReplyDeleteAn eloquent post and a wonderful tribute, CiL ....
I was a fan of Aretha Franklin. Oh what a voice she had. I shall probably be humming her songs all day but in particular I will remember how much my husband liked her.
ReplyDeleteOhh I love Aretha!!All of her songs.Beautiful voice.Thanx for sharing
ReplyDeleteShe was some talented lady.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. That was one of my favorites as well. She was the best.
ReplyDeleteI love THINK the way she sings it in the Blues Brothers movie.
ReplyDeleteMay she rest in peace
ReplyDeleteExcellent choice! And I appreciate your observations. I'm very fond of "Until You Come Back to Me."
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute. I wonder if she had any idea how empowering her music was... how empowering her very presence was. Like you said, she made you feel the words, and when she died, the world of music and the world, in general, lost a special lady.
ReplyDeleteI agree...a truly wonderful tribute...to the most amazing woman!
ReplyDeleteA talent like hers will never ever be equaled.
She will be sadly missed...:(
Have a Great Weekend.:))
Beautiful voice. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Excellent tribute. She will be missed
ReplyDeleteShe was an amazing woman, but I'll always best remember her in "The Blues Brothers"
ReplyDeleteToo many wonderful tracks to choose i think
ReplyDeleteLa reina cantante, que tremenda voz, inigualable.
ReplyDeleteIt was a big loss, but her music lives on. Thanks for this tribute to a talented woman.
ReplyDelete