When you’ve gotten as a lot rhythm and soul as Alicia Keys, what an honor and tribute it’s, to observe the Queen, the First Girl, Aretha Franklin, without end often known as the Queen of Soul!
“I By no means Liked a Man (The Means I Love You)” is a 1967 single launched by American soul singer Aretha Franklin. Launched on Atlantic Information, as the primary massive hit of her profession, it turned a defining track for Franklin, peaking at primary on the rhythm and blues charts and quantity 9 on the pop charts. The B-side was “Do Proper Girl, Do Proper Man”. Earlier than this Franklin had positioned solely two Prime 40 singles on the pop chart throughout her modest tenure with Columbia Information.
Aretha Franklin had made 9 albums whereas below contract to Columbia Information however had remained commercially unsuccessful. When Columbia Information let Franklin’s contract lapse in 1966, Atlantic Information producer Jerry Wexler shortly signed her, taking her in January 1967 to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, together with recording engineer Tom Dowd and Franklin’s then-husband Ted White. Wexler had organized for Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill from Stax to hitch the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Part at Rick Corridor’s FAME Studios.
Musicians on the document included Melvin Lastie on trumpet, King Curtis and Charles Chalmers on tenor saxophone, Willie Bridges on baritone saxophone, Spooner Oldham on Wurlitzer electrical piano, Chips Moman and Jimmy Johnson on guitar, Tommy Cogbill on bass guitar, and Roger Hawkins on drums.
The primary track they labored on was one which Franklin had introduced along with her, written by Ronnie Shannon.
After signing Franklin, Wexler requested her to document a blues track. Franklin later says of her Atlantic tenure that “they only informed me to take a seat on the piano and sing”. From the very first chord that Aretha performed on the piano, it was clear to everybody that it was a magic second. It was at that time that Spooner Oldham, who had been employed to play piano, stepped apart to play the electrical piano. Inside minutes of Franklin’s recording, Wexler knew he had successful.
The FAME session was later disrupted by a struggle between Ted White and trumpeter Melvin Lastie after Lastie was seen flirting with Franklin, leaving the B-side, “Do Proper Girl, Do Proper Man” unfinished. Wexler recorded extra songs with Franklin in Atlantic’s New York Metropolis studio, with some members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Part flown in to finish “Do Proper Girl” and numerous different tracks (together with “Respect”).
“I By no means Liked a Man” rose to #9 on the Billboard Scorching 100 and have become Franklin’s first #1 hit on the R&B charts. It was additionally the title of Franklin’s first Atlantic LP. Franklin would quickly change into a famous person after the discharge of this track. The track has since been known as a pivotal second in rock and roll. It ranked #189 on Rolling Stone’s listing of the five hundred Best Songs of All Time.
The creation of the track is expounded within the 2005 BBC Two documentary sequence Soul Deep, together with interviews with the unique personnel together with Franklin, Shannon (demonstrating the central riff on electrical piano), and Wexler.
Swedish pop group Roxette included the track of their MTV Unplugged present, in 1993. The track was later coated by Aerosmith as “By no means Liked a Lady” on 2004’s Honkin’ on Bobo a set of previous blues and R&B songs. The track has additionally been carried out on American Idol by contestants Sabrina Sloan in season 6 and Alexis Grace in season 8. Each performances obtained a lot acclaim. Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Spencer Wiggins and Jennifer Hudson have additionally coated the track.
There are a variety of renditions of this track on YouTube together with Franklin performing it on the Girl Soul particular from 1968. A dwell recording featured on the album “Aretha in Paris” (1968).[citation needed]
The track was sung by Maria Doyle within the 1991 Alan Parker movie The Commitments, and appeared on the movie’s soundtrack album. It additionally featured within the 1995 film Main Payne, and the 2007 film This Christmas, starring Loretta Devine.[citation needed]
Garth Brooks recorded the track for the 2013 “Blue-Eyed Soul” album within the Blame It All on My Roots: 5 A long time of Influences compilation.
