"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" is a 1967 song by American
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
singer
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 ...
released as a single by the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
label from her album ''
Lady Soul''. The lyrics were written by
Gerry Goffin from an idea by Atlantic
producer Jerry Wexler, and the music was composed by
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
. Written for Franklin, the record reached number 8 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and became one of her signature songs. It made history on the
UK Singles Chart a week after her death, finally becoming a hit almost 51 years after it was first released, entering at No. 79. Franklin also included a live recording on the album ''
Aretha in Paris'' in 1968.
King herself recorded the song for her 1971 album ''
Tapestry''. The numerous cover versions of the song include recordings by
Mary J. Blige and
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
, both of which charted in the same year (1995). At the 2015
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 ...
, Franklin performed the song to honor award-recipient King.
Background and release
Written by the partnership of
Gerry Goffin and
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
, the song was inspired by
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
co-owner and producer
Jerry Wexler. As recounted in his autobiography, Wexler, a student of African-American musical culture, had been mulling over the concept of the "natural man", when he drove by King on the streets of New York. He shouted out to her that he wanted a "natural woman" song for
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 ...
's next album ''
Lady Soul''. Goffin and King went home and wrote the song that night.
In thanks, they granted Wexler a co-writing credit.
''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' said that "from the vocal standpoint, the side is unmatched; and in the
ork and production departments, excellent work add up to a shattering performance" and that the song builds to "new emotional peaks" from a "shattering" beginning.
In 1999, the 1967 recording of the song by Aretha Franklin on Atlantic Records was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame. The version ranked #90 in Rolling Stone's
500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2021.
Personnel
*
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 ...
– lead vocals
*
Spooner Oldham – piano
*
Tommy Cogbill – bass
*
Eric Gale
Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and jazz fusion guitarist.
Biography
Eric Gale was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. His grandfather was English, and Gale had relatives in Venezuela and Bar ...
– guitar
*
Gene Chrisman – drums
*
The Sweet Inspirations,
Carolyn Franklin and
Erma Franklin
Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American gospel and soul singer. She recorded the original version of " Piece of My Heart", written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns in 1967, for which she was nom ...
– background vocals
*Strings conducted by
Ralph Burns
Charts
Certifications
Carole King version
Carole King recorded "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" for her 1971 ''
Tapestry'' album, a record that became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Her rendition is done in a stripped-down, slower-tempo arrangement as compared to the original,
an arrangement that features only King's piano and Charles Larkey's bass.
King's vocal makes no attempt to duplicate Franklin's power or style,
instead singing in her own more conversational voice.
In a review of ''Tapestry'' at the time for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'', critic
Jon Landau praised the rendering of "Natural Woman" as one of the album's "pleasantest moments" and "an entirely fresh and original interpretation".
A retrospective review for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
comments that her recording of it for ''Tapestry'' "take
on added resonance when delivered in her own warm, compelling voice."
Writing for ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'', music journalist Jenn Pelly says that while King's version is not the definitive one, it does "carry the bespoke power of a woman reckoning with her history in song ... Of course King's 'Natural Woman' does not summon the heavens with the same earth-shattering force as the Queen of
Soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
's version ... But the grasping of King's 'you make me's and the fluttering of her 'feel's are charged with the force of a person attempting to turn herself inside out. In the voice of Aretha, 'Natural Woman' is glory. In the voice of King, it is, like all of ''Tapestry'', an act of pure conviction."
"A Natural Woman" was included in King's concert performances at the time, during which she sought to deflect comparisons to the original by suggesting that the audience listen to it in the frame of reference of the
demo recording for Franklin that it had originally been.
Mary J. Blige version
American singer
Mary J. Blige recorded a cover version of "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" for the ''
New York Undercover'' TV series soundtrack (1995). Her version was produced by
James Mtume and it reached number 23 on the
UK Singles Chart and number 95 in the United States. It was later added to the international versions of her 1994 album, ''
My Life''. The music video was directed by
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the Rush Hour (film series), ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', ''Red Dragon (2002 film), Red Dragon'', ''X-Men: The Last Stand'', ''Tower Heist ...
.
Track listings
US Cassette single –
UPTCS-55139
# "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" – 2:56
# "
Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz" – 3:55 (Performed by
Lost Boyz)
US CD single –
UPTDS-55139
# "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" – 2:56
# "
You Bring Me Joy" (
E-Smoove's Soul mix) – 5:22
US 12" single –
UPT12 55152
# "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" – 2:56
# "You Bring Me Joy" (E-Smoove's Soul mix) – 5:22
# "You Bring Me Joy" (E-Smoove's Funk mix) – 4:39
UK Cassette single –
MCSC 2108
# "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" – 2:57
# "
Be Happy" (
Puffy remix) – 4:40
UK 12" single –
MCST 2108
UK CD single –
MCSTD 2108
# "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" – 2:57
# "Be Happy" (Puffy remix) – 4:40
# "Mary's Joint" (Puffy remix) – 3:27
# "Changes I've Been Going Through" (
Teddy Riley remix) – 4:30
Charts
Release history
Celine Dion version
Canadian singer
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
recorded a cover version of "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" for the tribute album to
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
, ''
Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King'', which was released on October 31, 1995. Dion's version was produced by
David Foster and released as a promotional single in selected countries in October 1995. It entered the Canadian charts, reaching number 47 on Top Singles
and number four on
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
.
In the United States, it peaked at number nine on ''
Radio & Records''s Adult Contemporary chart
and number 31 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
s
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
chart.
In March 1996, the song was included on the international editions of Dion's next studio album, ''
Falling into You''. In 2008, it was featured on the North American edition of her greatest hits album, ''
My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection''.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
VH1 Divas version
On April 14, 1998,
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
,
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 ...
,
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
,
Shania Twain,
Gloria Estefan and
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
performed the song during the ''
VH1 Divas'' concert at the
Beacon Theatre,
New York. The six vocalists were recruited by the cable music network
VH1 to raise money for
Save the Music, their education charity. Hyped extensively in the press, the event was a ratings winner for VH1 – so successful, in fact, that the network arranged to have the concert released on disc and tape on October 6, 1998. At that time "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (performed by all the divas) was released as a radio single in selected countries. It reached number nine on the airplay chart in Belgium Wallonia on January 5, 1999.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natural Woman, You Make Me Feel Like A
1967 songs
1967 singles
1995 singles
Aretha Franklin songs
Carole King songs
Celine Dion songs
Mary J. Blige songs
Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
Atlantic Records singles
MCA Records singles
Uptown Records singles
Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler
Songs with lyrics by Gerry Goffin
Songs written by Carole King
Songs written by Jerry Wexler
Soul ballads