Aretha Franklin on Singing for Pope Francis and Her Next Album

Among the admirers greeting Pope Francis on Saturday in Philadelphia, the last stop on his tour of the United States, will be American royalty. Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, is scheduled to perform that night for the pope at the Festival of Families concert, along the city’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with a million people expected to attend.

She will be joined by Mark Wahlberg, the event’s host, along with the Fray, Juanes, Jackie Evancho and other performers. But perhaps no other artist could be as prepared as Ms. Franklin, 73, who has sung over the years for Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth and President Obama, to name only a few.

On Thursday, Ms. Franklin discussed her trip to the festivities, her impressions of Pope Francis and how Jay Z fits into the equation. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.

Q. I know you prefer to travel only by tour bus — did you drive all the way from your home in Detroit to Philadelphia?

Yes we did. It was lovely! I didn’t really do anything. I just rested all the way into Philadelphia. I had a trillion things to do at home — tons of stuff on my desk, my front steps needed doing and like a trillion emails a day, going back and forth about the trip and the people that were going to be there and all that sort of thing. We got it all done, I think, but it’s still not quite over. Email is going on all day, every day.

This is sort of old hat for you — you’ve performed for many dignitaries and world leaders. Do these events ever make you nervous?

It’s never old hat. I never take it for granted. If it’s new, it’s new. Every once in awhile there are butterflies. Every once in awhile. I wouldn’t say anyone makes me nervous — just a tiny butterfly here and there.

You’ve said you’ll be singing “Amazing Grace.” Why that song?

Because “Amazing Grace” is universal. It’s loved and appreciated by all faiths and, I expect that there will be a cross-section of faiths in the audience Saturday night.

Can we expect anything secular — “Respect,” or something in between, like “I Say a Little Prayer”?

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Mmm, I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to be doing. It’ll be a very nice surprise.

Pope Francis made his first visit to the United States in September 2015, meeting followers and dignitaries in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. Explore the full coverage from The Times.

Your father, the Rev. C. L. Franklin, was a prominent civil rights activist and a Baptist preacher. What would he think of his daughter performing for the leader of the Catholic Church?

I think that he would be thrilled. My dad listened every Sunday to other faiths and other churches, other ministers, popes. If it was religious, he was listening. He was a theologian himself.

Speaking of my dad, I’m giving the pope a boxed set of my dad’s sermons on CDs — 25 volumes: the 23rd Psalm, “The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest,” “Dry Bones in the Valley,” “Jacob Wrestled With the Angel” and so on.

What will you say to the pope if you have a moment to greet him personally?

I would just love to hear him speak on world peace. And I would like for him to meet my family, of course. I’m waiting — they’ll let me know. He’s had some kind of schedule, though, I’m telling you. But he’s stepping right along. He looks like he’s really, really, really enjoying it.

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Are there specific aspects of Pope Francis’s message that speak to you most?

His humility and his concern with people, how he refers to himself as the son of an immigrant — I’m most impressed with that. That just tells me that he remembers who he is and his person, and particularly, honoring his father: “I am the son of.” And the fact that he is not overwhelmed by his title. He remembers where came from and who he is, as well as being the pope. There is greatness in humility, so I appreciate that.

I also like the idea of some possible change in the Vatican. I like the idea that he sent some of his assistants out to install showers in St. Peter’s Square. You can see that he adores the people and the people adore him. I was looking at his boyhood picture and you just see a goodness about him.

Is there anything he’s said thus far in his papacy that you disagree with?

No, nothing at all.

Along with Pope Francis, you’re on a bill with Andrea Bocelli, Juanes and the comedian Jim Gaffigan — are you a fan of any of the other performers?

I enjoy them all. Sister Sledge, you forgot them. I would love to have a duo with Mr. Bocelli — we’ll get our day one day.

You’ve said that you’ll be taking a semi-retirement moving forward.

Next year [interrupted by news footage of the pope leaving Washington, D.C.]. The pope is pulling away — American Airlines, there it goes. I’m watching TV while I’m talking to you. Lotta folks out there. I love the pageantry that D.C. had at his reception. I’ve never seen the White House that beautiful. Did you see that lighting on top of the White House? Have you ever seen that before? I think they must have had that put there just specially. All of the pomp and pageantry was just great. They certainly received the holy father appropriately.

Tell me about your retirement.

I’m not going to be doing as many concerts as I have been — three a month lately. I’ll do one a month, maybe two a month. But I’m going to spending time with my grandchildren. That’s what I want to do.

I drove 4,200 miles round-trip to Los Angeles [for concerts in August]. I went from Detroit to L.A. and I did several concerts out there. I was supposed to meet Mr. Davis — Clive Davis — in Las Vegas to talk about re-signing with RCA. But after driving 2,100 miles the one way and three concerts and all of the backstage guests and pictures, I was just beat by the time we got to Las Vegas. So I had to reschedule that. But there’s going to be new product coming up and they’re all going to be originals. I would say the first of the year.

What can you say about Sydney Pollack’s 1972 documentary about your album, “Amazing Grace,” which is currently in legal limbo?

There’s a gag order. I can’t talk to you about it at all.

Jay Z’s streaming service Tidal is going to have live video of Saturday’s concert on the Internet. Do you keep up with the battles over online streaming?

Sometimes I do. Jay Jay?

Jay Z.

Jay Z? You mean the rapper Jay Z? What’s the name of that company? I hadn’t heard that. What I think is great about the hip-hoppers is they are very aggressive young businessman. That’s great. They’re setting a very good example for others to follow.
Correction: September 26, 2015

An earlier version of a headline with this article misspelled the given name of a singer who will be performing for Pope Francis at the Festival of Families concert. As the article correctly notes, she is Aretha Franklin, not Arethra.

Aretha Franklin

When asked by Patricia Smith of the Boston Globe how she felt about being called the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin’s reply was characterized by grace but no false modesty. “It’s an acknowledgment of my art,” she mused. “It means I am excelling at my art and my first love. And I am most appreciative.” Since she burst onto the public consciousness in the late 1960s with a batch of milestone recordings, Franklin has served as a standard against which all subsequent soul divas have been measured.

The combination of Franklin’s gospel roots and some devastating life experiences have invested her voice with a rare—and often wrenching—authenticity. “It was like I had no idea what music was all about until I heard her sing,” confessed singer-actress Bette Midler, as cited in Ebony. Though Franklin’s work in ensuing decades has rarely matched the fire—or the sales figures—of her most celebrated singles, she has remained an enduring presence in contemporary music. The release of several CD retrospectives in the 1980s and 1990s, her 1999 autobiography, and her celebrated 2003 tour seemed to guarantee that her influence would continue unabated.

Birth of a Gospel Singer

Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee. She was raised in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of famed minister C. L. Franklin and gospel singer Barbara Franklin, who left the family when Aretha was small and died shortly thereafter. “She was the absolute lady,” the Queen of Soul told Ebony’s Laura B. Randolph, while at the same time admitting that her memories of her mother are few. For his part, the Reverend Franklin was no retiring clergyman; indeed, he enjoyed the popularity and, to some degree, the lifestyle of a pop star. He immediately recognized his daughter’s prodigious abilities, offering to arrange for piano lessons; the child declined, instead teaching herself to play by listening to records.

Franklin’s talent as a singer was such that her father took her on the road with his traveling gospel show. She sang regularly before his congregation at Detroit’s New Bethel Baptist Church as well, and it was there that her performance of “Precious Lord,” among other gospel gems, was captured for posterity. She was 14 years old but already a spellbinding performer. Producer Jerry Wexler—who shepherded Franklin to

At a Glance…

Born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, TN; daughter of Clarence L (a Baptist minister) and Barbara Franklin (a gospel singer); married Ted White (a businessman and music manager), 1961 (divorced); married Glynn Turman (an actor), 1978 (divorced, 1984); children: Clarence, Edward, Teddy Richards, Kecalf Cunningham.

Career: Performed with father’s touring revue, recorded gospel music for Chess label, 1950s; singer and songwriter, 1960-; Columbia Records, recording artist, 1960-67; Atlantic Records, recording artist, 1967-80; actress, 1980-; Arista Records, recording artist, 1980-.

Awards: 15 Grammy awards, including 1995 lifetime achievement award; honorary Doctor of Law degree, Bethune-Cookman College, 1974; American Music Award, 1984; Ebony magazine, American Black Achievement Award, 1984; declared “natural resource” of home state of Michigan, 1985; first woman inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1987; Entertainment Weekly magazine, named one of the greatest entertainers of the twentieth century, 1999; Black Entertainment Television (BET), Walk of Fame Award, 2003.

Addresses: Record company— Arista Records, 6 West 57th St., New York, NY 11019; 9975 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

greatness on behalf of Atlantic Records some years later—was stunned by the 1956 recording.“The voice was not that of a child but rather of an ecstatic hierophant [a priest in ancient Greece],” he recalled in his book Rhythm and the Blues.

Franklin’s life was no church social, however. She became a mother at age 15 and had her second child two years later. “I still wanted to get out and hang with my friends,” she recollected toEbony’s Randolph, “so I wanted to be in two places at the same time. But my grandmother helped me a lot, and my sister and my cousin. They would babysit so I could get out occasionally.”

Though she was first and foremost inspired by gospel music—the performance of “Peace in the Valley” by family friend Clara Ward at a funeral was a seminal influence on her desire to sing—Franklin soon became interested in non-religious music. Rather than dissuade her from this secular path, as some might have expected, her father encouraged her. In 1960 she traveled to New York, embarked on vocal and dance lessons, and hired a manager. She then began recording demonstration tapes.

Marriage of Gospel and Pop

While the R&B stars of Detroit’s Motown label won a crossover, or white, audience by tempering their wicked grooves with a playful elegance, their southern counterparts never bothered to tone down the raw physicality of the music. Like singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles, who has often been credited with the invention of “soul music,” Franklin brought the fire of gospel to pop music, her spiritual force in no way separated from her earthy sexuality.

Celebrated Columbia Records executive John Hammond was so taken by Franklin’s recordings that he signed her immediately. Her first Columbia album was issued in the fall of 1960. While a few singles made a respectable showing on the charts, it was clear that the label wasn’t adequately showcasing her gifts, either in its choice of material or production. “I cherish the recordings we made together,” remarked Hammond in Rhythm and the Blues, “but, finally, Columbia was a white company [that] misunderstood her genius.”

Franklin’s manager at the time, Ted White, was also her husband; they agreed that she should pursue other options when her contract expired. Wexler leapt at the opportunity to sign her to Atlantic; he originally intended to send her to Memphis to record with the staff of the legendary Stax/Volt studios, who’d already made landmark recordings with the likes of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Wexler himself had his hands full with other projects, but the task of producing Franklin’s first Atlantic sides ultimately fell to him, Arif Mardin, and Tom Dowd.

Wexler brought Franklin to the Florence Alabama Music Emporium (FAME) studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record with a unique group of musicians adept in soul, blues, pop, country, and rock. This able crew was stunned by Franklin’s power and prowess. Accompanying herself on piano, she deftly controlled the tone and arrangement of the songs she performed; this was an integral part of Wexler’s strategy to capture her natural brilliance on tape. Backing vocals were provided either by her sisters Carolyn and Erma or by the vocal group the Sweet Inspirations, which featured Cissy Houston, mother of future singing star Whitney Houston. Wexler also brought in young rock lions like guitarists Duane Allman and Eric Clapton for guest spots.

Unfortunately, only one of two songs—“I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)”—was finished when White and one of the musicians had a drunken row. White grabbed Franklin and they vanished for a period of weeks. Wexler balanced jubilation with anxiety; radio programmers around the country embraced “I Never Loved a Man,” and distributors clamored for an album, but the artist was nowhere to be found. At last she surfaced in New York, where she completed the unfinished “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”; in Wexler’s words, “the result was perfection.”

Earning RESPECT

Franklin’s first album for Atlantic, I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You), was released in 1967, and several hit-filled LPs followed. During this crucial period she enjoyed a succession of smash singles that included “I Never Loved a Man,” the rollicking “Baby I Love You,” the pounding groove “Chain of Fools,” the supercharged “Think,” which she wrote, the tender, anthemic “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman,” and a blistering take on Otis Redding’s “Respect.” The latter two would become Franklin’s signature songs. With “Natural Woman,” according to theBoston Globe‘s Smith, “She gathers broken women in the circle of her arms, stitches our wounds with a wondrous thread.”

Franklin’s version of “Respect,” coming as it did at a crucial point for black activism, feminism, and sexual liberation, was particularly potent. Wexler noted that Franklin took Redding’s more conventional take on the song and “turned it inside out, making it deeper, stronger, loading it with double entendres.” What’s more, he noted, “The fervor in Aretha’s magnificent voice”implied not just everyday respect but “sexual attention of the highest order,” as implied by the“sock it to me” backup chorus she and her sisters devised.

Writer Evelyn C. White, in an Essence piece, referred to “Respect” as a revolutionary force in her own life. Franklin’s “impassioned, soulful licks and sly innuendos about sexual pleasure made me feel good about myself,” she wrote, “both as a black American and as a young girl about to discover sex.” Eventually, the song would become an American pop standard; its spelling out of the title word would be referenced in countless articles and commercials. At the time of its release, however, it served primarily as a fight song for social change. It scored two trophies at that year’s Grammy Awards.

Franklin’s voice was crucial to the soundtrack of the era, and not just as a record playing on the radio. Franklin’s father was a close friend of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and as a result, she herself was close to King and his family. When the crusading minister was assassinated in 1968, Franklin was enlisted to sing at his funeral. Wexler described her performance of “Precious Lord” as “a holy blend of truth and unspeakable tragedy.”

Franklin also sang the National Anthem at the Democratic Party’s riot-marred 1968 convention in Chicago. Yet even as her soulful wail soothed a number of difficult national transitions and transformations, Franklin’s own changes were hidden from view. “I think of Aretha as ‘Our Lady of Mysterious Sorrows,’” Wexler wrote. “Her eyes are incredible, luminous eyes covering inexplicable pain. Her depressions could be as deep as the dark sea. I don’t pretend to know the sources of her anguish, but anguish surrounds Aretha as surely as the glory of her musical aura.”

Despite her inner turmoil, Franklin enjoyed phenomenal commercial success during these years. A number of other blockbuster Atlantic albums followed her debut on the label, and she proceeded to take home Grammys every year between 1969 and 1975. Still, she did not rest on her laurels; rather, she constantly explored rock and pop records for new material and recorded cover versions of songs by the Beatles, Elton John, the Band, Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. “She didn’t think in terms of white or black tunes, or white or black rhythms,”noted Wexler. “Her taste, like her genius, transcended categories.”

In 1972 Franklin sang at the funeral of gospel giant Mahalia Jackson, which suggested her stature in the gospel world; it was no surprise when Amazing Grace, an album of church music she recorded with Wexler, soared up the pop charts that year. At the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977, she provided an a capella rendition of “God Bless America.”

A Period of Decline

Having parted ways with husband/manager Ted White some years earlier—stories circulated in the press charging that he’d struck her in public—Franklin married actor Glynn Turman in 1978. They divorced some six years later. By the end of the 1970s, her record sales had dwindled, but she took an attention-getting turn in the Blues Brothers movie, in which she both acted and sang; the film and the Blues Brothers albums, recorded by Saturday Night Live funnymen and blues and soul fanatics Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, helped fuel a new mainstream interest in 1960s soul.

In 1980 Franklin elected to leave Atlantic and sign with Arista Records; the label’s slick production and commercial choice of material earned greater sales than she had enjoyed for some time, particularly for the single “Freeway of Love.” She earned three more Grammys during the decade. Nonetheless, Dave DiMartino of Entertainment Weekly groused that most of her hits at Arista “have been assembled by big-name producers like Narada Michael Walden and might have easily featured another singer entirely—like, say, label mate Whitney Houston.”DiMartino also objected to the relentless pairing of Franklin with other stars for much-hyped duets, remarking, “Like… Aretha Franklin needs a gimmick?” Most critics agree that Franklin’s 1980s recordings do not stand up to her earlier or her later work.

In 1979 Franklin’s father was shot by a burglar in his home and fell into a coma. He died several years later, having never regained consciousness. As Ebony’s Randolph wrote, “When you’ve said as many goodbyes as Aretha, it’s impossible not to be palpably shaped by loss.” The singer cited a point during her father’s hospitalization as the most difficult decision of her life. “We had to have a trach [a tracheotomy, a procedure that involves cutting through the vocal chords],” she confided, “and we were afraid it would affect his voice, which was certainly his living.”

The Queen Is Still On

Despite the difficulties of the early 1980s, further triumphs lay ahead for Franklin. She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, won a Grammy for best soul gospel performance in 1988, and was the subject of an all-star documentary tribute broadcast on public television. She also sang at the inauguration of president Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1997, and won a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1995. Franklin might not have been the commercial powerhouse that some of her younger acolytes, like Houston and Mariah Carey, had become, but when she appeared in the VH1 television program “Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin” in 2001, she confirmed that she truly was one of the great entertainers of the century.

Franklin moved back to the Detroit area in the mid-1990s and began to assert more control over her musical career. She announced her intention to start a record label, which would be called World Class Records. “I’m looking for space,” she told the Boston Globe. “I’m the CEO.” With her new label she was able to promote the musical careers of her sons, Kecalf Cunningham, Eddy Richards, and Teddy Richards.

In 1998 Franklin released a new album, A Rose Is Still a Rose. With tracks produced by rising stars Sean “Puffy” Combs (later known as P. Diddy) and Lauryn Hill, the album showed that Franklin could keep up with current hip-hop sounds. Critics hailed the album as her best effort in many years, and she followed it in 2003 with So Damn Happy, which featured collaborations with contemporary stars Mary J. Blige and Troy Taylor, and music veterans like Burt Bacharach. Though the albums proved that Franklin could keep up with musical trends, what made them stand out was the thing that had always made Franklin great: her voice. The producers seemed to understand what Franklin’s fan always knew: that her voice was a natural treasure.

Franklin had always performed occasionally, but in 2003 she set out on an extensive tour to sold-out dates across the country. Though many wondered if “The Queen Is On” tour would be her last, Franklin told Jet:

“I’m going to always be singing. Singing is definitely my thing….”

Selected works

Discography

The Great Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1960.

The Electrifying Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1962.

The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1962.

Aretha Franklin’s Greatest Hits, Columbia, 1967.

I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You) (includes “I Never Loved a Man [the Way I Love You],” “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” “Baby I Love You,” and “Respect”), Atlantic, 1967.

Aretha Arrives (includes “[You Make Me Feel Like a] Natural Woman” and “Chain of Fools”), Atlantic, 1967.

Take a Look, Columbia, 1967.

Lady Soul, Atlantic, 1968.

Aretha Now, Atlantic, 1968.

Aretha in Paris, Atlantic, 1968.

Soul ’69, Atlantic, 1969.

Aretha’s Gold, Atlantic, 1969.

This Girl’s in Love with You, Atlantic, 1970.

Spirit in the Dark, Atlantic, 1970.

Aretha Live at Fillmore West, Atlantic, 1971.

Young, Gifted and Black, Atlantic, 1972.

Amazing Grace, Atlantic, 1972.

The Beginning/The World of Aretha Franklin 1960-1967, Columbia, 1972.

Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), Atlantic, 1973.

Let Me in Your Life, Atlantic, 1974.

Everything I Feel in Me, Atlantic, 1975.

Ten Years of Gold, Atlantic, 1977.

Sweet Passion, Atlantic, 1977.

Almighty Fire, Atlantic, 1978.

La Diva, Atlantic, 1979.

Aretha, Arista, 1980.

Jump to It, Arista, 1982.

Get It Right, Arista, 1984.

Who’s Zoomin’Who? (includes “Freeway of Love”), Arista, 1985.

Aretha, Arista, 1987.

Love All the Hurt Away, Arista, 1987.

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, Arista, 1988.

Through the Storm, Arista, 1989.

What You See Is What You Sweat, Arista, 1991.

Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings, Atlantic, 1992.

Greatest Hits: 1980-1994, Arista, 1994.

A Rose Is Still a Rose, Arista, 1998.

So Damn Happy, Arista, 2003.

Films

The Blues Brothers, 1980.

Blues Brothers 2000, 1998.

Recordings with other artists

Curtis Mayfield, Sparkle (soundtrack), 1976.

“Think,” The Blues Brothers (soundtrack), 1979.

“Jumpin’Jack Flash,” Jumpin’Jack Flash (soundtrack), 1986.

George Michael, “I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me),” Columbia, 1987.

“If I Lose”, White Men Can’t Jump (soundtrack), EMI, 1992.

All Men Are Brothers: A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield, 1994.

Television

“Aretha,” 1986.

“Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul,” 1988.

“Duets,” 1993.

“Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin,” VH1, 2001.

Writings

Aretha: From These Roots (autobiography; with David Ritz), Villard, 1999.

Sources

Books

Gourse, Leslie, Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul, F Watts, 1995.

Rees, Dafydd, and Luke Crampton, Rock Movers & Shakers, Billboard, 1991.

Werner, Craig Hansen, Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul, Crown, 2004.

Wexler, Jerry, and David Ritz, Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music, Knopf, 1993.

Periodicals

Billboard, February 28, 1998, pp. 13-14.

Boston Globe, June 14, 1991, p. 39; March 21, 1994, p. 30; September 29, 1995, p. 55.

Detroit Free Press, June 10, 1994, p. 3D; June 18, 1994, p. 2A.

Ebony, April 1995, pp. 28-33; August 1998, pp. 90-93.

Entertainment Weekly, May 15, 1992, p. 64; Nov. 1, 1999, p. 81.

Essence, August 1995, pp. 73-77.

Jet, August 21, 1995, p. 33; May 18, 1998, pp. 60-65; September 29, 2003, pp. 58-64.

Newsweek, October 4, 1999, p. 68.

Aretha Franklin Stages a Low-Key Return at Radio City Music Hall

Aretha Franklin performs at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Dino Perrucci

At 72, the Queen of Soul has been a royal mostly in repose, laying low over the past decade; canceled shows and reports of ill health haven't been encouraging. But with news of a major LP nearing completion, Aretha Franklin's two-night run at Radio City Music Hall in New York City — a make-up for dates postponed in January — felt like a comeback, albeit a low-key one.

Low key for a queen, that is. On the first night, after a fanfare by her big band (led by longtime collaborator H.B. Barnum and featuring an 11-piece brass section), Franklin strode out in a lipstick-red off-the-shoulder gown and a fur stole, which she tossed onto the Hammond organ console. What followed was an uneven set that often felt like a private party, complete with Facebook-y slide show, rambling shout-outs to colleagues, a lengthy joke about a dog that ate Jimmy Choo footwear and, periodically, incredible singing.

Franklin introduced "Say a Little Prayer" as "a tune by Mr. Burt Bacharach — thanks for the million-seller!" With lead vocal parts delivered by her backing singers (a five-member chorus led by emeritus soul accompanist Fonzi Thornton), its unusual structure gave Franklin a chance to ramp up. Her voice has thinned a bit, but ramp up she did, unfurling jazzy, gospel-style vocal runs. It was followed by solid versions of "Angel" (her 1973 hit co-written by her sister Carolyn) and "Hooked on Your Love" (from Sparkle, her 1976 collaboration with the late Curtis Mayfield, who she described as "the black Bach"). But it wasn't until she dug into her 1967 barn-burner "I Never Loved a Man The Way That I Love You," swooping and soaring across octaves, that you could fully hear the Aretha of yore: fierce, tender, indomitable.

Then, six songs in, she was gone. The band riffed off a Stevie Wonder song, brought out three able-bodied go-go dancers, and laid into an extended version of Pharrell's "Happy," with the emcee urging the audience to dance. Pardon me? Why in hell should we be dancing to a half-baked cover of the year's most overplayed pop jingle when we came to hear the Queen of Soul? Thankfully, Aretha reappeared before there was too much time to ponder that question, this time in a sparkling white gown that signaled it was gospel time. "Old Landmark," the rafter-rocker from Franklin's 1972 landmark Amazing Grace, turned Radio City into a Baptist church, Aretha calling the spirit with impressive force, kicking off her shoes to pad the stage barefoot, and launching into an extended testimonial section. "My name is Franklin; I come from a prayin' family!" she declared, sharing a tale of receiving a grim medical diagnosis. "A few years later," she continued, "I went back for my CAT scan, and they said, ‘what we saw in the X-ray before, it ain't there no more!' Can I get a witness?!" 

She got many — the crowd, whooping and clapping, was old enough to be familiar with such scenarios. Sure, the show was too brief; it had sound problems, skipped a huge number of classics and petered out with a perfunctory reading of "Respect." Franklin didn't preview her forthcoming set, a reported collaboration with Babyface and Andre 3000 overseen by her old friend Clive Davis. (Aretha covering Adele's "Rolling in the Deep"? We'll take two, please.) And the gospel interlude was a reminder that the long-stalled documentary on the Amazing Grace LP remains, 40-plus years after the fact, in limbo. And yet: in the presence of Aretha Franklin and her still-monumental voice, ultimately, one can only give thanks.

Aretha Franklin Receives Harvard Honorary Degree

Aretha Franklin sings the National Anthem at the opening of the 363rd Commencement Ceremony at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Paul Marotta/Getty Images

Aretha Franklin has racked up more than a few superlatives in her incredible career: The Queen of Soul, Rolling Stone's Greatest Singer of All Time, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Kennedy Center honoree. Now add "Harvard graduate" to that list. Franklin received an honorary degree during the prestigious Ivy League university's commencement yesterday, Billboard reports. Franklin joined former President George H.W. Bush and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg as recipients.

The last time Aretha performed a patriotic song at a high-profile event – "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at President Barack Obama's first inauguration in January 2009 – Franklin spawned a popular meme thanks to her flamboyant hat. Aretha sported some similarly unlikely headwear when she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Harvard ceremony: a traditional black graduation cap with a crimson gown. Franklin herself played the piano for the soulful rendition of our National Anthem, which was gleefully filmed by a bunch of star struck smart people. Watch Aretha's performance below:

Earlier this year, Franklin told Rolling Stone about linking up with Andre 3000 for a future project. "Andre 3000 is going to be aiding in producing some of the tracks," said Franklin. "I love everything he does. He’s got a groove that I really, really like." The singer also revealed that she may cover Beyonce for a future track for her next album. "I like 'Bootylicious,' 'Survivor' – my little granddaughter loves 'Survivor,'" she said. "She’s a worker," Franklin says of Beyonce. "And I can appreciate that. I’m a worker."

Aretha Franklin Covers Adele, Details New 'Diva Classics' Tribute LP

Aretha Franklin has released a cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" ahead of her upcoming covers album. Frank Hoensch/Redferns via Getty Images

Adele is one of the most acclaimed soul singers of her generation. But now she's earned major "Respect" from the all-time greatest, Aretha Franklin, who's shared her cover version of "Rolling in the Deep." Franklin gives the 2011 smash a fiery makeover, tossing off melismatic vocal runs and even incorporating the chorus from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Motown classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

Related: Where Does Aretha Franklin Rank on Rolling Stone's List of the 100 Greatest Singers?

The cover tune, available to stream below, is the first single from the 72-year-old Franklin's new covers LP, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, out October 21st on RCA Records. 

The album's track list spans numerous eras and styles of soul – from Etta James' bluesy 1960 staple "At Last" to Sinéad O’Connor's minimal 1990 pop ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U" to Alicia Keys' anthemic 2007 R&B smash "No One." In addition to singing throughout, Franklin also plays piano on a version of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On."

The album was co-produced by Franklin and Sony Music Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer Clive Davis and features additional production work from André 3000, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Harvey Mason Jr., Terry Hunter and Eric Kupper. A limited edition vinyl will be available for pre-order on September 30th, and select retailers are offering a download of Franklin's "Rolling in the Deep" with digital pre-order. 

Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics track list. 

1. "At Last" (Etta James Cover)
2. "Rolling In The Deep" (Adele Cover)
3. "Midnight Train To Georgia" (Gladys Knight and The Pips Cover)
4. "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor Cover)
5. "People" (Barbra Streisand Cover)
6. "No One" (Alicia Keys Cover)
7. "I’m Every Woman" (Chaka Khan Cover) / "Respect"
8. "Teach Me Tonight" (Dinah Washington Cover)
9. "You Keep Me Hangin’ On" (The Supremes Cover)
10. "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Sinéad O’Connor Cover)

Aretha Franklin Talks Adele Cover, Clive Davis' Influence and 'Real' Singers

Aretha Franklin and Clive Davis attend the 92nd Street Y Presents An Evening With Aretha Franklin, Clive Davis and Anthony DeCurtis. Nomi Ellenson/FilmMagic

When it came time for Aretha Franklin to put her stamp on "Nothing Compares 2 U," the Queen of Soul reached back – past 1990, when Sinéad O’Connor recorded her landmark cover of the track, and even past 1985, when Prince wrote it for the Family – all the way to the early 1960s

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"I went back to my days in New York, down in the Village where I started," Franklin, 72, tells Rolling Stone backstage at the grand 92Y event hall in Manhattan's Upper East Side. "Back to [jazz clubs] the Village Vanguard and the Village Gate, where my dad brought me. I stayed down there with the jazz greats Horace Silver and Charlie Mingus, Coltrane… It just doesn’t come any better than that."

That swinging era is channeled in Franklin’s emotive cover of "Nothing," in which she scats playfully over the punchy brass bleats and ringing percussion of a bohemian bop troupe. The cut – produced by Andrè 3000 of Outkast – is one of the 10 tracks on Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, the vocal icon’s new album of cover songs. A fitting endeavor for the artist who redefined "Respect" by Otis Redding and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel, the album is set for release on October 21st on RCA Records.

"Andrè called me after [they recorded the track] and said, 'One word: amazing,'" adds Clive Davis, 82, Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music. "I proposed the covers album concept to Aretha. The criteria was: how do you find the song you love, that you want to pay respect to, but do it with creativity, originality, difference?"

The songs that made the grade have Franklin’s distinct gospel-imbued delivery and span generations. Adele's 2010 pop staple "Rolling in the Deep," deftly entwined midway with Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough," is the husky first single, and Franklin performed it recently on Letterman (with a backing vocal assist by Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney and Franklin’s longtime collaborator who also appears on the album). Adele, Franklin said, makes the grade as a true diva: "She’s a really good writer with very heavy, deep lyrics," she explains. "She’s got something to say and she says it a little differently than the norm. But Miss Adele is not one to be messed with, listening to those lyrics!"

Diva Classics also includes a languid spin through Alicia Keys' "No One" (paced, at the creator’s suggestion, with reggae-Caribbean inflection) and swinging, piano-heavy versions of "At Last" (made classic by Etta James) and "Midnight Train to Georgia" (first recorded by Cissy Houston, but made famous by Gladys Knight and the Pips).

Franklin said revisiting those songs afforded her a nostalgic look at her youth, where she grew up near Motown Records' studio in Detroit, as well as at her earliest performing days in the South. "I grew up with these songs. I told [Motown Records founder] Berry [Gordy], 'You owe me a lot of money. I bought a lot of those records,'" she recalled, as Davis laughed heartily. "I had a wonderful time singing those songs; I identify with them. Gladys and I worked some of the same clubs coming up, like the Royal Peacock in Atlanta."

Later in the evening, in the 92Y’s main theater, Franklin and Davis sat for a lengthy onstage interview with Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis. Before an elated crowd that clapped more frequently than the average State of the Union address, Franklin and Davis played five previously unheard tracks from the record (along with "Rolling") and divulged secrets of their longtime partnership. ("We’re both Aries – we have a lot of fire," joked Franklin, while Davis called their long lineage together "a thrill, an honor.")

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Of the premiered album tracks, "I Will Survive" (originally by Gloria Gaynor) was a runaway crowd favorite – thanks, in part, to Franklin’s savvy mid-song shift into a few bars of "Survivor" by Destiny’s Child – and "I'm Every Woman" (Chaka Khan) drew surprised shrieks for its unannounced mash-up with Franklin’s seminal rendition of "Respect." (This time, the chorus’ sprightly "sock it to me" refrain is elongated into sultry murmurs.) Franklin and Davis danced merrily in their chairs throughout the album interludes, snapping their fingers; Davis repeatedly and gleefully hooted "Turn it up!" to the amenable sound tech.

Franklin, clad in a vibrant yellow pantsuit, cited "savoir faire" as the premier quality of a "real singer," and grinned as she recalled subsidizing her childhood roller-skating and chili dog budget with church singing performances. Davis, who partnered with Franklin after the singer’s late-1960s golden run on Atlantic Records that yielded her hits "Respect" and "Chain of Fools," was a clear and guileless fan throughout; he called her voice "as great as it ever was – still unique and glorious." (He also struck a harmonious sartorial note with Franklin, as his citrus-green tie and pocket square matched Franklin’s attire.)

In one emotionally charged moment, Davis recalled Franklin’s glamorous performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" (from Les Misérables) at the 1993 presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton – a poignant moment in which Franklin spontaneously changed the lead lyric to "I had a dream," in vein of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic speech. "The president and his wife were visibly gasping," Davis recounted mistily.

When discussion turned to Franklin’s legacy, she spoke favorably of singers rising in her stead. "It really is an honor if I can be inspirational to a younger singer or person," she said. "It means I’ve done my job." DeCurtis wound down the exchange by asking Franklin who she’d like to see star in a biopic of her life – Jennifer Hudson and Audra McDonald made the shortlist – and about songs that have brought her to tears. The Queen answered with a regal self-effacement: "I’ve probably cried with a lot of songs – in teenage crushes, adult crushes," she said wryly. A diva’s work is never done.

Aretha Franklin on Feminism, Beyonce and Who Should Star in Her Biopic

Aretha Franklin onstage in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 8th, 2014. Paras Griffin/Getty

Listen," Aretha Franklin says to a waiter as she points at her fish sandwich. "Don't you have the smoked salmon?" She's sitting in the restaurant at New York's Ritz-Carlton on a rainy Friday afternoon, wearing a bright fur coat, hair spilling out of a winter cap. The waiter explains that Franklin's lunchtime staple – salmon and cream cheese on whole-wheat bread – isn't on the menu anymore. "But I will talk to the chef," he adds quickly. "He will do it for you right now."

Franklin, 72, just finished signing a stack of copies of her new album, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, her first recording since she was reportedly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010. Franklin canceled several shows at the time; tabloids had her on deathwatch. When she was honored at the Grammys the next year, she looked noticeably thinner. Franklin denied the diagnosis, but last June, onstage at Radio City Music Hall, she recalled receiving a grim diagnosis from doctors: "[I told them,] 'You burn the midnight oil, you read books, but you really don't know that much about me. You see, I come from a praying family.' . . . A couple of years later, I went back to the hospital, and those same doctors are saying, 'Miss Franklin, the thing we saw before, we don't see no more.' Hallelujah!"

This week, Respect, a new biography by David Ritz, has been getting a lot of publicity – and Franklin is not happy about it. Ritz ghostwrote Franklin's 1999 autobiography but was unsatisfied with the results. "Self-reflection doesn't come easy to her," Ritz says. So, drawing from his interviews with her and her close family, he published a book that details the wild offstage promiscuity of the Fifties gospel circuit as well as Franklin's troubled marriage to Ted White, who managed her before their divorce in 1969. "[It's] a very trashy book – all lies," she said recently.

Today, Franklin is careful with her words and at times combative. When I ask if I can record our conversation, she flatly declines. "You can take notes," she says. When I mention praise in the book from her sister Carolyn – "She slips into a zone when she sings . . . and connects to the Holy Spirit" – Aretha cringes. "I don't think Carolyn ever said anything like that. That doesn't even sound like Carolyn." 

Aretha with Clive Davis Kevin Mazur/Getty

Franklin's new album – on which she covers Gladys Knight's "Midnight Train to Georgia" and Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" – reunites her with Clive Davis, who helped revive her career in the Eighties with a series of hits on his Arista label. Davis had been pushing Franklin to record an album of diva classics for years, sometimes over dinner at the Four Seasons. According to Davis, Franklin hasn't lost any fire. "She's come back in peak form," he says. "The wonder of Aretha is she can do any song. And with very, very few exceptions, two takes is as close to the maximum as she does."

For Franklin, the album is a chance to prove herself in a pop world with more divas than ever. "It was never as competitive as it is now," Franklin says. "People are being very selective about what they spend their money on. I understand that this year they haven't had any platinum records. I hope to have the first one. That would be fabulous."

Soon, the salmon hors d'oeuvre arrives, which she offers me. "A little caviar, too," she says, savoring a bite. "Great!"

Franklin has lived in Detroit for most of her life, but visiting New York reminds her of when she moved there in 1960. She was 18 and had just been signed to Columbia Records. "I always had a chaperone," she says with a smile. "I was working with the jazz greats – Charlie Mingus, John Coltrane, Blue Mitchell. All of the best of the best."

Franklin had been a star in the gospel world for years before signing to Columbia. At 12, she joined her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin – whose sermons sold millions of copies on Chess Records – on the road. "His delivery was very dynamic," she says. "If he had chosen to be a singer, he would've been a great one." Her favorite sermon of his was "A Wild Man Meets Jesus," about a man who goes insane, abandons his family and winds up living in a graveyard. Jesus sails through a rainstorm to meet him and exorcises him of demons, to the dismay of townspeople who prefer the man as the village idiot. "The man walks into someone he immediately knows is superior and supreme to him, without any words," says Franklin. "That's what I love about that. It underscores a supreme being."

Franklin was no stranger to big personalities growing up – her parents' parties included Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Sam Cooke. "I had a teenage crush on him," Franklin says of Cooke. "Very classy, very classy. He came from the church, so it would be hard not to have class."

Franklin's early records sold poorly – her Columbia material was lounge-y and overly slick, and she was mistakenly marketed as a supper-club soul singer in the mold of Dinah Washington. She didn't become the Queen of Soul until she signed to Atlantic Records in 1966. There, she was backed by the Muscle Shoals rhythm section and produced by Jerry Wexler, who added a funky, psychedelic edge to match her gospel fervor. "Jerry asked me to play the piano [in the studio]," she says. "You could call my piano my trademark, or one of my trademarks." 

Soon, Franklin was topping the charts with songs like 1967's "I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)" and "Respect," which she singles out as her two favorite songs in her catalog. "Everybody wants respect," she says. "In their own way, three-year-olds would like respect, and acknowledgment, in their terms." As for the "sock it to me" backing vocals in "Respect," she clarifies: "There was nothing sexual about that. Some people thought that, but it wasn't."

Franklin lights up when she remembers February 16th, 1968. The mayor of Detroit christened it Aretha Franklin Day, ahead of her show that night at Cobo Hall. "Dr. King was there, my dad was there," she recalls. "When we walked into the arena and became visible to the audience, then the crowd erupted. It was like the ceiling was coming down."

Songs like "Respect," "Chain of Fools" and "Think" became anthems for the civil rights and women's liberation movements, though Franklin downplays her influence on the latter: "I think that's Gloria Steinem's role. I don't think I was a catalyst for the women's movement. Sorry. But if I were? So much the better!" Today, she praises Beyoncé for carrying the torch for feminism in pop. "Astrologically, for what it's worth, she's a Virgo, like Michael Jackson," Franklin says. "A very hard worker."

Franklin's classic work earned her the top spot on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest singers of all time, in 2008. "I went, 'What?' I did a triple take!" It's one of dozens of accolades she's earned in recent years: There are also honorary doctorates from Harvard and Yale, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. "Hard to beat that," she says. "But 20 Grammys is not bad either."

These days, Franklin does her best to keep up with pop culture. ("If you missed something, you can always go to YouTube.") She listens to a lot of pop radio. "I like 'Bang Bang,' " she says. "Ariana Grande – I like her a lot." She's not as keen on Taylor Swift, who ended up beating Franklin to the first platinum album of the year. "I heard 'Shake, Shake' – is that what it's called?" she says. What does she think? "I love her gowns. I went to her website and saw she wore Oscar de la Renta. I tried to order that gown. I love whoever is dressing her. She wears some beautiful clothes."

The last movie she saw was Get On Up, the James Brown biopic. "It was good, up to a point," she says. "I met with the producers prior to that movie. Had we agreed on a creative approach, it would've been my movie." She says she's in negotiations again for her own biopic – she even has someone in mind for the lead role: Audra McDonald, who won a Tony for portraying Billie Holiday in Lady Day. "It would be her job to bring it home," Franklin says. "The question is whether she has that ability."

Franklin has some other big plans in mind: She hopes to teach a "master class" at Carnegie Hall and would like to record with both Smokey Robinson ("the fact that we haven't yet is crazy") and Stevie Wonder. "I saw him play Robert De Niro's tribute the other night, and Stevie was so good. The level of music was 'Whoa!' You should've been there."

Franklin will play one-off shows throughout the coming year, sprinkling in covers from the new album alongside her biggest hits. "I find new ways to just keep it fresh for me," she says. "I still don't think I would do anything else. I guess I could've been a prima ballerina. Or a nurse. Aretha Nightingale!"