Jeez, where do you even start with Aretha? I’d nominate this line from “Chain of Fools” …
My doctor said, “Take it easy”
… where she trills through a couple of octaves on the first syllable of “easy.” It sounds effortless, and at the same time brings home how painful the suggestion is.
Here are a couple, both incredible voicing of the very first line of the song. The immediate response the first time I heard these was to wonder, where in the hell does that voice come from?
Patty Loveless, You’ll Never leave Harlan Alive
In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky, That’s the place where I trace my bloodline
Neko Case, Furnace Room Lullaby
All night, all I hear, all I hear’s your heart
In the Pretenders’ “Back on the Chain Gang,” Chrissie Hynde goes to town on the last word in this line at the end of the bridge:
For making us part
It starts off defiant, then drifts into longing, and finally into a wordless sigh that doesn’t stop until she hits the next verse.
(I just played it and remembered that the wordless sign part is multitracked. Still powerful, but maybe not world-class singing.)
And Eng-land’s, scuuuuuuhh-REE-MIIIIIINNN
burpo_the_wonder_muttGuest
Dolly Parton sang it better.
No she didn’t. Nothing wrong with Dolly’s version of this song or singing on it, but it isn’t as impressive as Whitney’s delivery of that line. Dolly would be the first to tell you so.
I’m pretty sure it’s “dreaming” not “screaming” if only because of John Savage’s book of the same name. But Lydon slurred so many of his words I’m sure I’ve misheard a fair chunk of them.
Heh, upon re-listening you could be right.
Electric Light Orchestra “Turn To Stone” where they sing:
YesI’mturningtostonecuzyouain’tcominghomewhyain’tyoucominghomeifI’mturningtostoneyou’vebeengoneforsolongandIcan’tcarryonyesI’mturningI’mturningI’mturningtostone!!"
Every day, in your indigo eyes
I watch the sunset but I don’t see it rise
From Jackie Blue by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
In a humorous vein, from “Death Rattle Dazzle” :
Like a forensic pediatrician I’ll complete this inquisition,
I will name the neonatal from the cradle that proved fatal,
I will find the perpetrator who did murder to their mater…
(Hiding behind martyg):
YEAH! What s/he says! 
One of the more impressively sung words?
Another that comes to mind is Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody “But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away” the transition from the softness of the preceding lyrics to the raspy harshness of this line is outstanding.
Dylan’s opening line to “Like a Rolling Stone”.
Yeah, I know you’ve heard it a million times. But try listening one more time with fresh ears.
“Once upon a time you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime in your prime…didn’t you?”
It’s the pause, and then the “didn’t you?” that gets me. It turns the line from a statement into a question. It is accusatory. “Didn’t you?” She knows damn well she did. Dylan snarls the line at her.
Then of course we get, “how does it feeeeeel?”
mmm
(full disclosure - I borrowed this thought from a book about Dylan I just started reading)
In the fifties Italian MDAP flight students frequently sang this while marching:
o bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,
They said it was banned in Italy.
I couldn’t wait to get home with the first album I bought with my own hard-earned allowance. Ripped the plastic off, cranked it up.
And It Stoned Me and Moondance led into the gentle high relaxed vocals of Crazy Love. The last “lovvve” is held… and suddenly “There’s a CARAVAN…”
For vocal stylings, I like the end of Mariah Carey’s Vision of Love
If it’s not queueed up to that point, it starts about 2:45
“Can anyboooooooody… FIIIIIIIIIND me… SOMEBODY TOOOOOOO love?”
Sends a shiver down my spine every time.