"(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

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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

, 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

'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

– 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 ''

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'', 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

recorded a cover version of "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" for the tribute album to

, '' 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 ...

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,

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

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