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I’ve been watching the historical drama series Genius: Aretha on the National Geographic Channel recently. The role of Aretha Franklin is expertly interpreted by Cynthia Erivo, who deserves serious credit for her rich and nuanced portrayal of the Queen of Soul.
As the series moves through various stages of Franklin’s life and career, it is renewing my interest in her vast and diverse catalogue.
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Did you know that Aretha Franklin won the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance eleven times, including every year from 1968-1975? Yes, she won it eight years in a row.
50 Love Song - Sara Bareilles | Hot 100 Peak: No. 4 (2008)
The singer from Eureka, Calif. made her chart debut with this song. Although it didn t reach No. 1 on the Hot 100, it topped the Adult Contemporary and Adult Pop Songs charts and was the No. 1 song of the year on the annual recaps of those two lists.
49 Baby Love - The Supremes | Hot 100 Peak: No. 1 for four weeks (1964)
When this song reached the top of the Hot 100, the Supremes became the first Motown act to have two No. 1s. Just a few months earlier, they were known around Berry Gordy s company as the no-hit Supremes, but that changed when their previous single, Where Did Our Love Go, achieved pole position.
The 1992 version of the song will always be associated with
Whitney Houston. “The first time that I heard Whitney’s version of (the song), I just about wrecked my car. I was heading home, and all of a sudden, I had the radio on, and I just heard the a cappella part: ‘If I should stay…’ It kind of got my attention, but it hadn’t registered yet. And I thought, ‘What?’ All of a sudden, she went into the chorus, and I thought, ‘Oh my god! This is
I Will Always Love You!”,”
Dolly Parton, the original singer of the song, said in an interview some years ago.