BLACK HISTORY MONTH: February 6, 2023 – RESPECT for Aretha!
Her hits weren't as limited to the 1960s as we think!
If you’re a 5th grader faced with a spelling test and the word “RESPECT” is on your list, you’re lucky. Aretha Franklin already did the work for you.
(Sings in my head: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T… find out what it means to me!”)
And sure, we all think of Aretha’s storied career in the 1960s with songs like “Respect,” “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman,” “Think,” and many others. But don’t sleep on ’80s Aretha! Her comeback in the ’80s was a storied homecoming to the pop and R&B charts, and well-timed for her introduction as the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
If you need a refresher, here’s some what what Aretha brought in the ’80s.
The title track of the album, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who.”
From the same album, and perfect for a cruise, “Freeway of Love.”
Duet style with George Michael on “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me.”
…and female empowerment style on “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves” with Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics.
Songs like these are enough to be a career of hits on their own – so don’t discount ’em. And today, TURN ‘EM UP for Aretha!
