Aretha Franklin: THE QUEEN OF SOUL

Posted on August 16, 2018 by rikyrah

The Queen of Soul is gone.
As long as I’ve been alive, Aretha Franklin was here.
I have heard so many folks say that they felt like Aretha Franklin was family.
I understand that. To me, like so many others, she’s Auntie Re. The Aunt that kept it real. The Aunt that could throw down. The Aunt that would tell you the truth – and, Auntie Re told you the truth through her songs.

Aretha Franklin was the soundtrack for Black woman. Didn’t matter what kind of Black woman you were, Aretha Franklin had a song, and an album for you. After all, she’s had a career that spanned 6 decades. She has sung with pretty much everyone who was anyone for the past 60 years in music, in front of the microphone and in the recording studio. She has known everyone in the music business.

Someone on the radio while I was going home said something so true…
As long as Aretha Franklin has been in music, did we ever hear negative stories about her? All we heard was about her graciousness, her professionalism, her realness. I think a lot of that has to do with her being from Detroit and never growing away from Detroit. Through good times, and bad, Aretha Franklin was Rev. Franklin’s daughter from Detroit.

There are so many moments that you can recall from her life. Being raised in the church, and who her father was, she was right in the middle of all the action of the Civil Rights Movement. She was an activist, and a Citizen of the World before that was a ‘thing’.

Your mother, grandmother, Aunties got you listening to Aretha Franklin. You listen to her music…but, it took getting older to understand what Aretha Franklin was telling you. As you got older, you understood the meaning of the lyrics. As you got older, your soul connected with her voice. I can remember when she first touched my soul…the song that made you play it over and over because you thought that Aretha Franklin was singing just to you.

I have loved to see the tributes to her. The stories. The pictures of her over the years. Aretha Franklin defined Black Beauty….the history of Black women and beauty can be seen through Aretha Franklin.

One hundred years…two hundred years from now…they will study Aretha Franklin…they will be listening to her music.
There is a reason why Rolling Stone named her the #1 Singer – period.

I’m not a writer. Just a fan. A fan who weeps. A fan who is so happy to have lived during her time.

Please share your favorite videos. Stories. Memories. Ways she touched you. How she spoke to you.

 

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122 Responses to Aretha Franklin: THE QUEEN OF SOUL

  22. Ametia says:
    August 17, 2018 at 12:21 pm

    DO.RIGHT.WOMAN

    Reply
  33. Ametia says:
    August 17, 2018 at 9:44 am

    All HAIL the QUEEN.

    Reply
  37. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    August 17, 2018 at 6:51 am

    Ametia, your beautiful tribute to Ms. Aretha Franklin has deeply touched my heart as you remembered her gifts and the truths she shared.

    Rest in melodies, power, and peace, Ms. Aretha Franklin. You will live on in my heart!

    Video: “Published on May 4, 2017
    Aretha Franklin sings Amazing Grace Rev. James Cleveland on Piano”
    https://youtu.be/SlTQJzZwBSY&rel=0

    Reply
  40. lorraineanne says:
    August 17, 2018 at 3:07 am

    I am deeply touched by this post, as I too, admired and adored Aretha.
    Thank you for sharing.

    If you have a chance, I would really appreciate it if you could check out my blog. It’d mean a lot https://rawdumplings.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  53. Liza says:
    August 16, 2018 at 9:45 pm

    I remember this…

    Reply
  54. Liza says:
    August 16, 2018 at 9:32 pm

    Reply
  55. Liza says:
    August 16, 2018 at 9:24 pm

    Reply
  57. Liza says:
    August 16, 2018 at 9:16 pm

    Lester Holt did a tribute to Aretha Franklin on the NBC Nightly News. He closed with this one.

    Reply
  58. SouthernGirl2 says:
    August 16, 2018 at 8:41 pm

    I feel such sadness listening to her songs. They touch the soul.

    Reply
  81. SouthernGirl2 says:
    August 16, 2018 at 7:41 pm

    RIP #QueenOfSoul

    Aretha Franklin – Jump, Jump, Jump To It

    Reply
  91. SouthernGirl2 says:
    August 16, 2018 at 7:17 pm

    The Queen has left us. 😢😢😢😢😢

    Reply
  93. SouthernGirl2 says:
    August 16, 2018 at 7:14 pm

    OOOh baby, what you done to me……………………🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

    Aretha Franklin – (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

    Reply
  96. rikyrah says:
    August 16, 2018 at 7:10 pm

    AIN’T NO WAY
    #ArethaFranklin
    Ain’t no way
    For me to love you
    If you won’t let me
    It ain’t no way
    For me to give you all you need
    If you won’t let me

    this is the first song that spoke to my soul

    Reply
    • SouthernGirl2 says:
      August 16, 2018 at 7:25 pm

      I love love Respect. Natural Woman speaks to my soul. *Goosebumps* OOOh baby, what you done to me………… when you’ve fallen so deeply in love. 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

      Reply
  104. rikyrah says:
    August 16, 2018 at 6:54 pm

    There is no “Formation” without “Respect.” David Remnick on Aretha Franklin’s legacy:

    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/04/04/aretha-franklins-american-soul?mbid=social_twitter

    Reply

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