It would be an exercise in futility to try and choose the best love song of the 1960s. Just when you think you have settled on the one, somebody will ask, “What about this one?” And you may just have to change your mind.
Yet if someone were to engage in such an exercise most would agree Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” would be in the running. The lyrics are sparse but poignant. The music is somber and yet uplifting. And Aretha’s vocals are powerful.
How powerful? Oh baby, what ya done to me. That’s how powerful.
Aretha – who would become known as the Queen of Soul partly because of this song – takes us through the doldrums of being “so uninspired” and “feeling so tired” when having to face another day. She transitions to the love that brought her peace of mind then soars to the revelation that her significant other now makes her “feel like a natural woman.” There have been over 230 versions of the song covered by artists such as Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, and Peggy Lee. As good as those covers are, Aretha’s vocals are unmatched.
Feeling like a natural woman can take on many meanings, from the physical to the emotional to the powerful. Aretha’s vocal along with the orchestration tells us it is an all-encompassing sense of purpose and well being. Overall, the performance is a shattering one.
Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote the song in 1967 based on a suggestion for Jerry Wexler, the co-owner of and producer for Atlantic Records. They gave him a songwriting credit for the suggestion. Aretha’s recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. It is also #90 in the 2021 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
Carole King was actually the first to record the song as a demo in 1967. She also recorded a version for her 1971 Tapestry album. It is a solid effort but Aretha’s is the benchmark. When Carole King was a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honors award in 2015, Aretha performed the song in her honor. Nearly sixty years after she first recorded it and at 73, she made it soar to new heights.
“A Natural Woman” and “Respect,” another Aretha Franklin hit, became anthems for both the civil rights and feminist movements burgeoning in the 1960s. She was an avid champion of these causes throughout her lifetime. And for many of us, she will always be the Queen of Soul.
