It is one of those songs that feels like it has existed since the dawn of time. You hear that opening piano chord, Aretha Franklin’s voice climbs into that first verse, and everything else in the room just kinda stops. But the answer to who wrote song Natural Woman isn’t just a single name on a dusty record sleeve. It is actually a fascinating collision of three of the most influential minds in 20th-century music history.
Gerry Goffin. Carole King. Jerry Wexler.
That is the trio. If you were looking for a simple "Aretha wrote it" answer, you’re actually off the mark, though her performance is what breathed life into the ink. Without her, it’s just a nice poem. With her, it’s a monument.
The day Jerry Wexler shouted out a car window
The year was 1967. New York City was the center of the universe for soul and pop. Jerry Wexler, the legendary producer and co-owner of Atlantic Records, was cruising down a Manhattan street in a limousine with Carole King and her husband/songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin.
Wexler was a giant. He’s the guy who basically coined the term "Rhythm and Blues." He had this vision for Aretha—who had previously been languishing at Columbia Records doing jazz standards—and he wanted to give her something that captured her raw, earthy essence.
Legend has it that Wexler leaned over and told Goffin and King that he wanted a "natural woman" song for Aretha’s next big hit. He didn't have lyrics. He didn't have a melody. He just had those two words: "Natural Woman." He wanted a song that felt like it grew out of the soil.
Goffin and King went home that night. They didn't wait. By the next morning, they had finished it. Think about that for a second. One of the greatest anthems of the soul era was written in a single night because a producer had a hunch while stuck in traffic.
Carole King’s unexpected soul
Most people know Carole King from Tapestry. They think of the 70s, the long hair, the soft-rock brilliance of "It's Too Late." But before she was a solo superstar, she was a hit-making machine at the Brill Building.
When you ask who wrote song Natural Woman, you're really asking about the peak of the Goffin-King partnership. Gerry Goffin wrote the lyrics. He had this uncanny, almost psychic ability to write from a female perspective. He captured that feeling of being "uninspired" and "half-alive" until finding a love that makes you feel whole.
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Carole King provided the music. She understood the gospel roots that Aretha came from. She crafted a melody that starts low, almost like a prayer, and then explodes into that massive, soaring chorus.
- Gerry Goffin: Lyrics
- Carole King: Music
- Jerry Wexler: Title and concept (and a production credit)
Wexler actually got a songwriting credit for the title, which was a common practice back then for producers who provided the "spark" for a hit. It wasn't just ego; his direction changed the course of music history.
Aretha Franklin: The final author
Technically, Aretha didn't write the words. But honestly? She authored the soul of it.
When she walked into American Sound Studio in Memphis to record "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," she transformed what Goffin and King had written. The songwriters are the architects, but Aretha is the cathedral.
The recording session itself was pure magic. You had the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section—a group of white session musicians from Alabama—providing this incredibly deep, funky, and soulful pocket. They understood the "Natural Woman" vibe perfectly.
Aretha’s sisters, Carolyn and Erma, sang the backing vocals. That "ooo-hooo" you hear in the background? That’s family. That’s why it sounds so intimate. It wasn't a corporate product; it was a family affair captured on tape.
Why the credits matter
In the 1960s, the divide between "songwriter" and "performer" was much wider than it is now. Today, we expect stars to write their own material. Back then, it was a craft.
If you look at the 1967 Atlantic 45rpm single, the credits are listed as "Goffin-King-Wexler."
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It’s a masterclass in collaboration. Goffin, a Jewish kid from Queens, wrote the words for a Black woman from Detroit, and it became a universal anthem for everyone. It bridges gaps. It’s a song about identity as much as it is about romance.
The 2015 Kennedy Center moment
If you want to understand the impact of who wrote song Natural Woman, you have to watch the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. Carole King was being celebrated. Aretha Franklin walked out on stage, sat at the piano, and performed the song.
Carole King’s reaction says everything. She was losing her mind in the balcony. Why? Because even fifty years later, the songwriter was still in awe of how the singer interpreted those notes.
Aretha dropped her fur coat to the floor during the bridge. It was a moment of pure, unadulterated power. It reminded everyone that while Goffin and King wrote the map, Aretha was the destination.
Misconceptions about the title
Wait, some people think it's a feminist anthem. Others think it's a love song.
Is it both? Probably.
Gerry Goffin was going through a lot of personal turmoil at the time. His lyrics often reflected a search for stability and meaning. When he wrote "Before the day I met you, life was so unkind," he wasn't just writing a pop lyric. He was writing about a deep human need to be seen for who you actually are—without the masks, without the makeup, just "natural."
Key takeaways for your playlist
- The Architect: Carole King’s piano-heavy composition.
- The Poet: Gerry Goffin’s vulnerability.
- The Spark: Jerry Wexler’s "Natural Woman" title.
- The Voice: Aretha Franklin making it immortal.
The song has been covered by everyone from Celine Dion to Mary J. Blige. Kelly Clarkson has a version. Even Rod Stewart took a crack at it (as "A Natural Man"). But none of them hit like the 1967 original.
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How to explore the song's legacy
If you really want to dive into the history of who wrote song Natural Woman, don't just stop at the credits. Music is about the "why" as much as the "who."
Listen to Carole King’s version on her album Tapestry. It is much more stripped back, slower, and more contemplative. It feels like a woman talking to herself in a mirror rather than a queen addressing a nation. It’s beautiful in a completely different way.
Watch the 'Muscle Shoals' Documentary. This film gives you the background on the studio and the vibe that Wexler cultivated. You’ll see why a group of "swampers" from Alabama were the only ones who could help Aretha find that specific sound.
Read Carole King’s memoir, A Natural Woman. Yes, she titled her whole life story after those two words Jerry Wexler shouted out a car window. She goes into detail about her relationship with Goffin and how they churned out hits while raising kids in the suburbs.
Compare the versions. Play the Aretha original, then the Mary J. Blige cover. Notice how the "Natural Woman" identity shifts through the decades. For Aretha, it was about soul and gospel roots. For later artists, it became a song about empowerment and self-worth.
The legacy of the song isn't just in the royalties or the Hall of Fame inductions. It's in the fact that every time it plays at a wedding, a graduation, or just on a random Tuesday in a grocery store, people stop. They feel something. That is the power of the Goffin, King, and Wexler collaboration. They didn't just write a song; they captured a feeling that doesn't age.
When you’re building your own "Greatest Songs of All Time" list, remember that it took a limousine ride, a sleepless night in a New York apartment, and a woman with the greatest voice in history to make it happen.
Check out the original 1967 recording sessions on YouTube or your favorite streaming platform to hear the raw studio takes. You can actually hear Wexler and the engineers talking in some of the outtakes, which gives you a "fly on the wall" perspective of how this masterpiece was assembled.
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