"Ain't No Way" is a song written by singer-songwriter

Carolyn Franklin Carolyn Ann Franklin (May 13, 1944 – April 25, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter. Biography Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Barbara Siggers Franklin and C. L. Franklin. The youngest of six children, they moved to Buffalo, ...

and sung by her elder sister

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

as the B-side to her 1968 hit, "

(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" is a song by singer Aretha Franklin. Released as a single from her '' Lady Soul'' album in 1968, the song was successful, debuting at number 31 and peaking at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for ...

". This song should not be confused with a different song of the same title, recorded by Aretha Franklin on her 2003 CD '' So Damn Happy'': "Ain't No Way" by Barry J. Eastmond and

Gordon Chambers Gordon Anthony Chambers (c. 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer who has written songs for more than 75 recording artists including Angie Stone, Yolanda Adams, The Isley Brothers, Brandy, Trey Songz, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBell ...

History

Written by Carolyn Franklin, her sister Aretha recorded the song and released it on her acclaimed '' Lady Soul'' album. Released as the B-side of her top-five hit single, "

", the song peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 9 on the Hot R&B Singles Chart in 1968. Carolyn and members of

the Sweet Inspirations The Sweet Inspirations are an American R&B girl group from Newark, New Jersey, founded by Cissy Houston who are mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists but who are also a Grammy-nominat ...

performed backing vocals on the track. The Sweet Inspirations' founder

Cissy Houston Emily Drinkard (September 30, 1933 – October 7, 2024), known professionally as Cissy Houston, was an American soul and gospel singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Houston began singing with three of her siblings in the family gospel group, T ...

showcased her

operatic Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

upper range during Franklin's bridges and the ending of the track.

Covers

* In 1974,

Shirley Brown Shirley Brown (born January 6, 1947, West Memphis, Arkansas) is an American R&B singer, best known for her million-selling single " Woman to Woman", which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1975. Biography Brown was born in West Memphis, bu ...

recorded an outtake cover of the track in her album '' Woman to Woman''. * In 1983,

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

made her world debut on ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series had runs on two different networks on NBC (1962–1963) and CBS (1969–1972) but is most known for its run on first-run syndication from 1965 to 1 ...

'' singing the tune with mother Cissy Houston. Whitney performed the track several times during her 1994 U.S. Bodyguard World Tour. In 1997, she performed it live on her 1997 HBO special, '' Classic Whitney Live from Washington, D.C.'', and the 1999 VH-1 '' Divas Live'' special as a duet with

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

. * In 1988, singer

Jean Carn Jean Carn, also spelled Jean Carne (born Sarah Jean Perkins; March 15, 1947) is an American R&B/soul and jazz singer. In mid-career, she added a final ''e'' to her name. Carn is a vocalist credited with a five-octave vocal range. Biography Carn ...

covered the song for her album ''You're a Part of Me''. * In 1991, Cheryl Pepsii Riley scored a top 50 US R&B hot with a version produced by

Full Force Full Force is an American music group of hip hop and R&B singers, songwriters and producers from Brooklyn, New York. Members *B-Fine (Brian George) – drums and drum programming, backing vocals *Shy Shy (Hugh Junior Clark) – bass guita ...

taken from her album ''Chapters''. * In 2005,

covered the track as a duet with

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

off LaBelle's ''

Classic Moments ''Classic Moments'' is a studio album by American singer Patti LaBelle. It was her second full-length release with Island Def Jam's Def Soul Classics imprint and released on June 21, 2005 in the United States. The album features LaBelle's renditio ...

'' album, with their version peaking at number 18 on the R&B charts. LaBelle had previously performed the song in tribute to Franklin twice in 1994, at the

Essence Awards ''Essence'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women. History Edward Lewis, Clarence O ...

and the

Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...

. *

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

performed in 2011 the song to great acclaim in a tribute to Aretha Franklin during the

53rd Grammy Awards The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights pri ...

. * Amber Riley, who portrays Mercedes Jones in TV series ''Glee'', covered the song in 2011 for the show's season 2 episode 17 ” A Night of Neglect”. * In 2011,

Joe Bonamassa Joseph Leonard Bonamassa ( ; born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his inde ...

and

Beth Hart Beth Hart (born January 24, 1972) is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "LA Song (Out of This Town)" from her second album ''Screamin' for My Supper''. The single was a number ...

covered the song in their collaborative album, '' Don't Explain''. * In 2013, singer Sasha Allen performed the song in the U.S. TV series '' The Voice''. * In December 2017, singer

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...

covered the song for ''Spotify Singles''. * In 2017, British group Corners sampled the song in their track of the same name on their debut album, ''Corners''. * For the television special ''Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration for the Queen of Soul'',

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...

, who was chosen by Franklin to portray her in her biopic, performed the song to widespread acclaim as part of a medley including "

Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also th ...

" and "

Think In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, and delibe ...

". *

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress and singer. Known for her work on both stage and screen, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Cynt ...

covered the song for BBC Proms 2022.

Credits

*Lead vocal and piano by Aretha Franklin *Background vocals by

and Carolyn Franklin *Additional background vocals by

*Produced by

Jerry Wexler Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...

Charts

References

{{authority control 1968 singles 2005 singles Songs written by Carolyn Franklin Aretha Franklin songs Patti LaBelle songs Mary J. Blige songs Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler Female vocal duets 1968 songs Atlantic Records singles