I agree with you that this song, and Aretha’s 80s music in general, don’t always get the love they deserve. Fantastic write-up! I love that entire album.
(For some reason, the "Post" button wasn't working on a reply to you, Matt, or David. So, I'll give it a try here! I was trying to reply, David, to your comment below about her 2 "A" labels)!
Hey, David! Broad overview, broad brush: 1961-1967, Columbia: The Internship: She was under the thumb of the namby-pamby A&R guidance of Mitch Miller (artists hated him. Rosemary Clooney couldn't stand the "Come On-a My House" Miller made her sing, or face being cut from the label); I later heard Aretha wanted to do the pop stuff to follow in the footsteps of landmark artists like Nat "King" Cole, and the lane she thought would help her with crossover popularity.
1967-1979, Atlantic: The Legend is Born: Jerry Wexler, Ahmet Ertegun (and so many more) guide her, and carefully craft her image to attract white/pop audiences without diluting her natural gift (or alienating a burgeoning Black audience), and made sure to find suitably soulful material, and surround her with the "right" musicians to even "toughen" the pop songs she still dabbled in (Bacharach/David, Lennon/McCartney).
1980 and following, Arista: Clive wouldn't be axed by Columbia til '73, which means Clive (however involved with her artistic output he may have--or not--been there) had her talent ripped right out from under him on her '67 Atlantic signing. I'd love to think Clive wanted to have the "Queen" he had just missed when she moved to Atlantic.
It was quite an undertaking to (not unlike Tina Turner's '80s output) to maneuver a radically new and different record-selling landscape (adding MTV to the mix), and with Clive at the helm, he made sure the pieces were in place for her there.
Thanks for listening, David, and thanks for the space, Matt!😁👍
Her two great eras as a singer were for two "A" labels: Atlantic and Arista. The stuff she did elsewhere is astounding in its own right, but pales in comparison.
I'm more or less there with you, David. I'm very much looking forward to the Aretha discography ranking project this year. It will take months, but it will be so worth it.
Great song Matt! Actually that whole album features a lot of enjoyable tunes, including the title track, Another Night, and Sisters Are Doing it For Themselves w/Eurthmics.
I think we need to make mention of the incredible pocket that Narada provides from the drums on this track. It’s very Motown based with the snare pattern on all quarter notes and the iconic Motown fill that is repeated throughout the song. I know I’m biased as a drummer but come on, who else was playing this groove with such authenticity in the mid 80’s?
Nice piece, Matt! I just read it AFTER I wrote my comment overviewing her career! You pinpointed a lot of what I outlined about her pre-Arista days....good onya! I like to test my long-term memory when I can!
I agree with you that this song, and Aretha’s 80s music in general, don’t always get the love they deserve. Fantastic write-up! I love that entire album.
Changing that oversight one write-up at a time. Thanks Andres!
(For some reason, the "Post" button wasn't working on a reply to you, Matt, or David. So, I'll give it a try here! I was trying to reply, David, to your comment below about her 2 "A" labels)!
Hey, David! Broad overview, broad brush: 1961-1967, Columbia: The Internship: She was under the thumb of the namby-pamby A&R guidance of Mitch Miller (artists hated him. Rosemary Clooney couldn't stand the "Come On-a My House" Miller made her sing, or face being cut from the label); I later heard Aretha wanted to do the pop stuff to follow in the footsteps of landmark artists like Nat "King" Cole, and the lane she thought would help her with crossover popularity.
1967-1979, Atlantic: The Legend is Born: Jerry Wexler, Ahmet Ertegun (and so many more) guide her, and carefully craft her image to attract white/pop audiences without diluting her natural gift (or alienating a burgeoning Black audience), and made sure to find suitably soulful material, and surround her with the "right" musicians to even "toughen" the pop songs she still dabbled in (Bacharach/David, Lennon/McCartney).
1980 and following, Arista: Clive wouldn't be axed by Columbia til '73, which means Clive (however involved with her artistic output he may have--or not--been there) had her talent ripped right out from under him on her '67 Atlantic signing. I'd love to think Clive wanted to have the "Queen" he had just missed when she moved to Atlantic.
It was quite an undertaking to (not unlike Tina Turner's '80s output) to maneuver a radically new and different record-selling landscape (adding MTV to the mix), and with Clive at the helm, he made sure the pieces were in place for her there.
Thanks for listening, David, and thanks for the space, Matt!😁👍
Thanks Brad for that breakdown! A terrific overview of Aretha's career in stages.
Her two great eras as a singer were for two "A" labels: Atlantic and Arista. The stuff she did elsewhere is astounding in its own right, but pales in comparison.
I'm more or less there with you, David. I'm very much looking forward to the Aretha discography ranking project this year. It will take months, but it will be so worth it.
Such a great album choice. Her vocals and the arrangement is just sublime.
What an excellent word for it: sublime. Thanks Jon!
Great song Matt! Actually that whole album features a lot of enjoyable tunes, including the title track, Another Night, and Sisters Are Doing it For Themselves w/Eurthmics.
Absolutely Dan! :) Aretha had a bunch of bangers in the 80s that the culture doesn’t put enough respect on IMO. They still sound great.
A definite staple when I was a DJ in the '80s.
I think we need to make mention of the incredible pocket that Narada provides from the drums on this track. It’s very Motown based with the snare pattern on all quarter notes and the iconic Motown fill that is repeated throughout the song. I know I’m biased as a drummer but come on, who else was playing this groove with such authenticity in the mid 80’s?
Thanks for reading and commenting Brian! As a fellow drummer, I feel this is an oversight on my part :P
Keep up the great work!!
Nice piece, Matt! I just read it AFTER I wrote my comment overviewing her career! You pinpointed a lot of what I outlined about her pre-Arista days....good onya! I like to test my long-term memory when I can!
Haha my pleasure, thanks Brad :)