# Aretha Franklin, R.I.P **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [August 16, 2018, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730 "2018-08-16T14:10:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/21 "2018-08-16T17:02:47Z")
Weird coincidence: The King of Rock and the Queen of Soul both died on August 16. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/22 "2018-08-16T17:27:33Z")
When Frank Sinatra died I heard some commentators on the radio discussing the man and his music. They played a bit of one of his songs, “You make me feel so young” I think it was, and it dawned on me that NOTHING that anybody could SAY about him would speak so eloquently as the music itself. As it was then with The Chairman of the Board, so it is now with The Queen of Soul. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/23 "2018-08-16T18:07:50Z")
And what do we have now? Beyonce? Please. Music was better back in the day… ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/24 "2018-08-16T18:15:22Z")
Greatest female vocalist ever as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/25 "2018-08-16T18:33:16Z")
A true giant has left us. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/26 "2018-08-16T19:06:01Z")
RIP. Thanks for the memories. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/27 "2018-08-16T19:16:49Z")
Never a better voice than her. This is tragic. Let’s play the music and love it all. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/28 "2018-08-16T19:38:30Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Daydreamin’ is the song that I always have to repeat when it comes up on my list. She will always have by RESPECT. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/29 "2018-08-16T19:45:33Z")
My favorite Aretha song: [I Never Loved a Man (the way that I love you)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waS0rKeuzg8) Her version of [Chain of Fools](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrcUNChhOP0) is unrivaled. I love it as much as **Red Wiggler** does. Long let her spirit and sound ring loud and proud. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/30 "2018-08-17T05:55:48Z")
RIP, Aretha. ☹ Or rather, R-E-S-P-E-C-T. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/31 "2018-08-18T21:01:44Z")
In heaven, she’ll learn what really happens if you take out T-C-P from R-E-S-P-E-C-T. (And before anyone leaps to correct me, I am aware that this is not the actual lyric, but I sure thought it was for the longest time.) ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/32 "2018-08-19T03:22:06Z")
Such a loss. Besides That Voice, she was a great piano player too. [“Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”](https://youtu.be/Ht7odW7VFU0) [“Won’t Be Long”](https://youtu.be/G1p92gQTQCg) [“Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)”](https://youtu.be/rsMGHzOQrps) [“Evil Gal Blues”](https://youtu.be/khBG1ZY1a8M) I’ve been watching/listening to a lot of Aretha today. Most recently I’ve been finding Jazz and Gospel songs she sang, such as [“Running Out of Fools”](https://youtu.be/KkGXWq0wHYo) ([here’s another](https://youtu.be/344-JRkgELU), much more soulful, version) [“Young, Gifted and Black”](https://youtu.be/qFidgjq9rIo) and [“Precious Lord (Take My Hand”)](https://youtu.be/HVMeRULuUB4) (and by the way, anyone who loves that song needs to [watch Rev. Thomas Dorsey tell the story](https://youtu.be/KiehRFbpwlk) of how he came to write that song. It’s devastating.) Finally, just because I needed to smile again, this [spirited cover of “Mockingbird”](https://youtu.be/y0URYw27qd0) is so much fun. Aretha looks like she’s having a grand old time, as does Ray Johnson, who does a great job of keeping it straight playing the piano and singing while Aretha is doing her amazing thing. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/33 "2018-08-19T04:15:09Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > My favorite Aretha song: [I Never Loved a Man (the way that I love you)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waS0rKeuzg8) [Mine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw6w3rK69VA). _It Ain’t Fair_, featuring the great Duane Allman on guitar. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/34 "2018-08-19T05:15:28Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > And what do we have now? Beyonce? Please. > > Music was better back in the day… Let’s not get sidetracked from talking about Aretha, but Ariana Grande did Natural Woman on Jimmy Fallon and did a good job. One of my favourites is Aretha’s version of Ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive. It was my own little pep talk song when I go all whingey and woe is me. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/35 "2018-08-19T15:33:34Z")
I don’t know how true it was but when I was in Iceland it was rumored that “Aretha” was pretty close to a slang term meaning “to fuck” in Icelandic. As a consequence, the local AFRS DJs would introduce her songs as being by, “Miss Franklin.” God speed, Miss Franklin, God speed. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/36 "2018-08-19T18:34:17Z")
An additional thought . . . When I first heard the song “Until You Come Back to Me” I was immediately taken by it. Then I found out it was a Stevie Wonder song. I listened to his recording. All I could think was, “how can anyone do Stevie Wonder better than Stevie Wonder?” She did. To me that is a huge complement and tribute. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/37 "2018-08-19T18:38:47Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > To me that is a huge complement and tribute. Yes, and she “out-Carole-Kinged” with “Natural Woman” too ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/38 "2018-08-19T22:26:17Z")
For those who haven’t heard it, [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjhmwzf_mh0)is a cool song _ **about** _ Aretha Franklin. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/39 "2018-08-19T22:56:17Z")
I like some of Aretha’s hits. I would turn up the radio when they came on. I Say A Little Prayer is my favorite song. I don’t own any of her albums. I should get her greatest hits for my mp3 player. Great artist that will be missed. RIP ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730/40 "2018-08-20T00:05:32Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I don’t own any of her albums. I bought one relatively recently (ie not years and years ago), just because I saw her name on it. Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics. There’s a difference in her voice as an old(er) person and when she was “a kid”, but it’s Aretha. She had “star quality”. sigh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aretha-franklin-r-i-p/819730.md?page=3)