"Ain't No Way" is a song written by singer-songwriter Carolyn Franklin and sung by her elder sister

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

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 from her ''Lady Soul'' album in 1968, the song was successful, debuting at number 31 and peaking at number 5 on the Hot 100 for five weeks, and spending thr ...

". 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.

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

Cissy Houston Emily "Cissy" Houston ( ''née'' Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, Houston embar ...

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

Covers

* In 1974, Shirley Brown recorded an outtake cover of the track in her album '' Woman to Woman''. * In 1983, Whitney Houston made her world debut on '' The Merv Griffin Show'' 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. Classic Whitney: Live from Washington, D.C., were live concerts by Whitney Houston. The concerts were held at historic DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. on October 3 and 5, 1997. The second-night concert was broadcast live via HBO, which w ...

'', 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, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

. * In 1988, singer Jean 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 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 R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

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 rendition ...

'' 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'' is a 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. Smith, Cecil Hollingsworth and Jon ...

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 American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...

. * Christina Aguilera 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 Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986), sometimes known mononymously as RILEY, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). For her perform ...

, 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 "A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series ''Glee'', and the thirty-ninth episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the Unite ...

”. * In 2011, Joe Bonamassa and Beth Hart 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 Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...

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, 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 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 the process of ...

" and " Think".

Credits

*Lead vocal and piano by Aretha Franklin *Background vocals by the Sweet Inspirations and Carolyn Franklin *Additional background vocals by

*Produced by

Jerry Wexler Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

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