Aretha Franklin had a voice like none other. She was an unparalleled figure in the history of music, and upon her passing at the age 76, her talent is what will generations to come will remember. But, in our glowing obituaries, let us also remember the Queen of Soul for her kick-ass character. In celebration of Franklin and the impact she had, we’ve collected a handful of her off-stage contributions to culture, whether they be fiery quotes, interview clips or reminders to the world that she is the one and only Aretha Franklin. Her memorable moments are too numerous to list in full, but it sure is inspiring to try.
When she gave us all a lesson in shade
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Franklin is pressed to share her thoughts on the next generation of divas. When Adele and Alicia Keys are brought up, she uses the words “good” and “young.” And then, when prompted to give an opinion of Taylor Swift, Franklin deadpans: “great gowns, beautiful gowns.” HA. Hey, it’s still better than the “no comment” reaction Nicki Minaj received.
When she offered to post bail for Angela Davis
Back in 1970, counterculture activist Angela Davis was arrested in connection to a California courtroom uprising that left four people dead in a shoot-out with police. Davis not was later found not guilty of the charges, but during the time she was still in prison, Aretha Franklin told Jet magazine that she intended to pay Davis’s bail,”whether it’s $100,000 or $250,000,” because she “wants freedom for Black people.”
When she responded to a columnist who called her too “bosomy”
When New York Post columnist Liz Smith suggested that the Queen of Soul “must know she’s too bosomy to wear such clothing” back in 1983, Franklin responded by writing into the newspaper.
“How dare you be so presumptuous at to presume you could know my attitudes with respect to anything other than music,” she wrote. “Obviously I have enough of what it takes to wear a bustier and I haven’t had any complaints, I’m sure if you could you would. When you get to be a noted and respected fashion editor please let us all know.”
In 1993 NY Post columnist Liz Smith wrote: "[Aretha Franklin] must know she’s too bosomy to wear such clothing, but she just doesn't care what we think, and that attitude is what separates mere stars from true divas.”
Aretha wrote to her… pic.twitter.com/wpm6JlbqDa
— Letters of Note (@LettersOfNote) August 16, 2018
When she compared love to dieting
“Falling out of love is like losing weight,” she said to The Independent in 2011. “It’s a lot easier putting it on than taking it off.”
When she wore a meme-able hat to Obama’s inauguration
There has never been a more glorious hat at an America president's inauguration than Aretha Franklin's hat at Obama's in 2009 pic.twitter.com/xvdmIkg7pY
— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) August 16, 2018
Here’s a fun fact. Aretha Franklin sang at the inaugurations of three presidents: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. At Obama’s history-making 2oo9 inauguration, Franklin sang “My Country, ‘Tis Of Thee” — and she did so wearing a large, big-bowed hat by milliner Luke Song. Having appeared on the television screens of millions of people, the impressive hat went on to become one of the first real Internet memes. Images of the hat photoshopped on cats, politicians and Star Trek characters — amongst many others — made the rounds for several weeks.
When she wanted more of Beyoncé’s “Bootylicious”
In a 2014 interview with the Toronto Star, Franklin named Queen Bey among her five favourite artists, saying: “She is a worker, like all Virgos, and I appreciate that. Bootylicious. Oh yes, I want to get me some of that.”
When she made an appearance in The Blues Brothers
For a star of her stature, Aretha Franklin’s acting IMDB is relatively short. Which is fine: not every music icon needs to dabble in Hollywood. (There are lots of artist, *cough Swift*, who shouldn’t.) That said, Franklin’s appearance in the 1980’s comedy The Blues Brothers as a slippers-wearing waitress who schools her man with an energetic performance of “Think,” is truly iconic.
When she demanded respect for everyone — even toddlers
“Everybody wants respect,” she said to Rolling Stone in 2014. “In their own way, three-year-olds would like respect, and acknowledgment, in their terms.”
The post 8 Times Aretha Franklin Was an Off-Stage Icon appeared first on FASHION Magazine.
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