Love and God’s Speed
to the remarkable
ARETHA FRANKLIN
Queen of Soul
who died early this morning in Detroit
THE GUARDIAN
16 August 2018
Aretha Franklin, ‘the queen of soul’, dies aged 76
One song, six decades: Aretha Franklin sings (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
– https://youtu.be/bduBUwbpgAo
Freddie Mercury greatly admired Aretha Franklin:
Freddie Mercury Interview on Night Fright on Singing Love of Aretha Franklin
– https://youtu.be/rEB9w9FV50g
TRANSCRIPT
E & OE
But do you think people steal from each other and rock and roll a lot?
FREDDIE MERCURY: All the time. All the time, yeah, but they’re stealing and they’re robbing and they’re sort of acts of murdering so I mean it just depends. I mean, yeah, everybody steals. Sometimes you’re still without even thinking it, you know.
I don’t just sit down and listen to everybody and say, “Okay I’m gonna snatch that phrase” or whatever. I’m not gonna get influenced like Aretha Franklin’s like phrasing is just wonderful. I wish I could sing like her, you know.
The phrasing is just so beautiful – just so effortless and it’s just – she just sings like a dream. it’s just like she doesn’t have to think about it. I mean, when I have to sing I have to think about it. I think okay I have to sort of practice a few phrases and then do it, Whereas I can tell we’re just listening to Aretha Franklin’s records that, I mean, she just goes in there and it’s just effortless.
Having said that I’m sure she would call me up and say “…. Wait a minute” It just sounds so effortless and it’s all sort of spontaneous phrasing and things, which is what I love and I sometimes try to do that. It’s like a song called ‘Somebody to Love’ and that was the Gospel element. And Aretha was doing all the Gospel stuff I just loved that. The big, big humongous choir behind her, sort of like like tidal waves behind her singing, you know. you know. That’s what I like.
That’s one element of Queen because I mean the multi-tracking, harmonies and all that. There’s various ways of doing harmonies and the gospel side of harmonies is just stupendous.