It is almost impossible to think about American music without hearing that piano intro. You know the one. It’s sharp, it’s urgent, and it precedes a voice that didn't just sing notes—it commanded the air around them. Aretha Franklin wasn't just a hitmaker. She was a tectonic shift in the culture. When we talk about Aretha Franklin greatest hits songs, we’re usually talking about a specific window of time in the late 1960s where she seemed to be channel-tuning the entire soul of a nation.
She had 112 singles chart on Billboard. Think about that for a second. 112.
But it wasn't always a sure thing. Before she became the "Queen of Soul" at Atlantic Records, she spent years at Columbia Records being molded into a jazz stylist or a pop crooner. It didn't quite fit. She was good—Aretha was always good—but she wasn't Aretha yet. It took a trip to Muscle Shoals and a producer named Jerry Wexler who finally told her to just sit at the piano and play. That was the spark.
The Song That Changed Everything: Respect
Most people think "Respect" is an Aretha original. It isn't. Otis Redding wrote it and recorded it first in 1965. His version is great, but honestly? It’s a completely different animal. Otis was singing as a tired man coming home, pleading for a little credit from his woman.
When Aretha got ahold of it in 1967, she flipped the script. Literally.
She and her sisters, Erma and Carolyn, worked out the arrangement in a small Detroit apartment. They added the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" spelling. They added the "sock it to me" refrain, which was just a popular slang phrase at the time, though people have read a thousand different meanings into it since. By the time they finished, it wasn't a plea anymore. It was a demand.
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It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there. But the chart position is almost secondary to what the song did for the Civil Rights Movement and the feminist movement. It became a global anthem for anyone who felt overlooked.
When She "Aretharized" the Classics
Aretha had this terrifying ability to take a song that someone else had already made a hit and basically delete the original from public memory. Jerry Wexler called it "Aretharizing."
Take "I Say a Little Prayer." Dionne Warwick had a massive hit with it just a year before Aretha touched it. Warwick’s version is polished, sophisticated, and light. Then Aretha and The Sweet Inspirations started messing around with it in the studio during a rehearsal for the Aretha Now album.
They recorded it in one take. One.
The result was a deeper, funkier, more gospel-infused version that feels like a conversation with the divine rather than just a pop song. It’s one of those Aretha Franklin greatest hits songs that proves she didn't need to write the lyrics to own the message.
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The Ballads That Broke Hearts
It wasn't all powerhouse belting, though. You can't talk about her best work without mentioning "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." Carole King co-wrote it specifically for Aretha after Jerry Wexler shouted the title out of a moving car window at her on a New York street.
The song is a masterclass in vocal dynamics. It starts as a whisper—vulnerable, almost tired—and builds into that soaring, triumphant chorus. It’s arguably one of the most perfect marriages of songwriter and performer in history.
Why Aretha Franklin Greatest Hits Songs Still Rule the Charts
There is a gritty realism in her 70s output that often gets overshadowed by the 60s hits. "Rock Steady" and "Day Dreaming" show a woman who was fully in control of her sound. She wrote both of those, by the way. "Rock Steady" is pure groove—she gave a lot of the credit to Donny Hathaway for the arrangement, but that driving, percussive piano is all Aretha.
Then came the 80s. A lot of legends from her era faded away when synthesizers and MTV took over. Not the Queen.
She jumped in feet first. "Freeway of Love" gave her a massive comeback in 1985, complete with a pink Cadillac in the video and a sax solo by Clarence Clemons. Then she teamed up with George Michael for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)." It went straight to number one. She proved she could navigate pop, rock, and soul regardless of the decade.
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The Gospel Root
Even when she was singing about "Who's Zoomin' Who," that church upbringing was always right under the surface. You can hear it in her 1971 cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Paul Simon actually told Rolling Stone that when he first wrote it, he thought, "Boy, I bet Aretha could do a good job on this."
She didn't just do a good job. She took a folk-rock hymn and turned it into a two-million-selling R&B masterpiece that felt like it was recorded on a Sunday morning in the middle of a sermon.
A Quick Look at the Numbers
If you’re looking to build a playlist or buy a vinyl, these are the heavy hitters that defined her career:
- Respect (1967): The signature song. Number one on the Hot 100.
- Chain of Fools (1967): That legendary tremolo guitar intro and the "one-chord" groove.
- Think (1968): A powerhouse she co-wrote with her then-husband Ted White.
- Spanish Harlem (1971): A cover of Ben E. King that she made hers by changing the lyrics to "A rose in Black in Spanish Harlem."
- A Rose Is Still a Rose (1998): A late-career gem written and produced by Lauryn Hill, proving she could still dominate in the neo-soul era.
The Secret to Her Longevity
Honestly, it was the piano. People forget Aretha was a virtuoso pianist. When she sat down at those keys, she wasn't just a singer being backed by a band; she was the conductor. She dictated the rhythm, the emotional "pocket," and the phrasing.
She was also notoriously private and sometimes difficult in the studio, but that was because she knew exactly what she wanted to hear. She wasn't interested in being a puppet for a label.
Whether she was singing at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. or at the inauguration of Barack Obama, the Aretha Franklin greatest hits songs were the soundtrack to the most pivotal moments in American history. They aren't just "oldies." They are active, living documents of a woman who refused to be anything less than spectacular.
If you want to truly understand the Queen, don't just stick to the radio edits. Dig into the live recordings from the Fillmore West. Listen to the way she stretches a three-minute song into a ten-minute spiritual experience. That’s where the real magic is.
Step-by-Step Guide to Exploring the Queen’s Catalog
- Start with the "Atlantic" Era: Listen to the album I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You from start to finish. It’s the blueprint for soul music.
- Watch the "Amazing Grace" Documentary: If you haven't seen the 2018 film of her recording her live gospel album in 1972, do it tonight. It explains everything about where her voice came from.
- Compare the Covers: Listen to the original versions of "Respect," "I Say a Little Prayer," and "Bridge Over Troubled Water," then listen to Aretha's versions back-to-back. Notice how she changes the rhythm and the "feel."
- Explore the 80s Revival: Check out the Who's Zoomin' Who? album to see how she successfully transitioned into the era of big hair and synthesizers without losing her soul.
- Create a "Deep Cuts" Playlist: Include tracks like "Ain't No Way" and "Spirit in the Dark" to appreciate her range beyond the massive radio hits.