Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul

In 1997, Shania Twain released the song “Man I feel like a woman!”. The catchy melody immediately made this song a huge hit, but it’s the meaning of the lyrics that made it the feminist anthem that is still loved after so many years. The music video itself is empowering as it shows a confident Shania in the spotlight surrounded by her male musicians. However, the lyrics are what this analysis is more focused on. Twain sings about being her true self and letting loose. The song is an example of feminism, because it challenges gender stereotypes, the pressure put on girls to look a certain way and gender norms. The argument will be structured in three paragraphs, each developing on one of the ideas found in the thesis.

She has risen from a poor background and was ranked the richest African American of the 20th Century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history and was once the world’s only black billionaire. She is also known as the most influential woman in the world, both older generations and young.

This is one of Aaliyah’s contributions that will forever go down in history. Due to the fact that when Aaliyah first started singing she was a very known person to the public especially since she was young herself. Aaliyah absence then and now will forever be apart of the music history she will forever be remembered as someone who contributed to the golden era of R&B. Aaliyah also was a dancer and she had a certain style to the clothes she wore. She also had a voice like no other and that's another reason as to why she contributed to the golden era of R&B. Aaliyah contributed a lot of things to her genres of music and that's what makes her a all time favorite in

During the 1960’s, Nina got involved with the current events – the civil rights fight – as an activist. Outraged by the events and her own struggles this led her to take action; She used her music to try to change society. Her music was often anthems for civil right movements - such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee - during the 1960s and 1970s. After almost 50 years of music, Nina Simone

Antebellum band and compose a song called “Thy Will”. She said, “I was still going to my

Aretha was born into a family that attended church, her father who was a Baptist preacher and gospel singer parents. She was the fourth of five children, and lost her mother from a heart attack, four years after her parents had gotten divorced. Aretha was then moved with her dad and siblings to Michigan where they attended a church named, Detroit’s New Baptists. Her father was recognized as a preacher and her talent was starting to peek out when she would sing at her Father’s congregation. She was mostly self-taught herself and was known to be a child prodigy, with a nice voice and a gifted pianist.

She began singing solo’s at New Bethel Church. At the age of fourteen Aretha’s talent for singing was recognized by her father, and he started managing her shortly after, so he could get her a recording deal. She started off by going on the road with her father and singing at various churches while he preached. This resulted in Aretha Franklin getting signed to her first record deal with J.V.B. Records Label. Her first studio album was titled “Songs Of Faith”. Although this did not put her on the map as the Queen of Soul. Aretha decided at the age of 18 that she wanted to go in the direction of Sam Cooke and sing Pop music. It was not until she signed with the Columbia Records in 1960, that she had her first single chart the Billboard on the Hot 100 with her song “Won’t Be Long” off her first pop studio album Aretha: With the Ray Bryant Combo. With her talent Franklin was able to record in diverse genres such as vocal jazz, blues, standards, rhythm and blues and doo-wop. In 1962, she released two more studio albums: ‘The Electrifying Aretha Franklin’ and ‘The Tender,The Moving,Swinging Aretha Franklin’. Her number-one R&B singles are “Respect” in 1967, “Chain Of Fools” in 1967, “Think” in 1967, and “Share Your Love With Me” also in 1967. In 1968 Aretha performed at Dr. Martin Luther King’s Funeral. She also performed at the presidential inauguration of Jimmy Carter. Doing her music is the reason why Franklin is where she is now and why she is known as the queen of

Her rise to fame and privileged life also identify her as a tragic hero, the famous family that she was surrounded with helped her to develop her love for music and aided the jumpstart of her career. Finally, Whitney had personal and decisive flaws, including a lack of self esteem concerning her personal character and a poor spouse choice, which ultimately lead Whitney to experience a downfall that included alcoholism, drug abuse, and, eventually, death. America was left void of their hero, once a mere young girl with stunning talent, beauty, and

She was the starving musician, the jazz singer who did all she could to stay alive and still do what she loves. The dedication she displayed to jazz is not easy to explain. She was a perfectionist in her fashion, depending upon her excellent ear, unique voice and honesty and love for people to keep her love alive.

Mahaila Jackson’s voice became one of the constant voices heard in homes all over the country. Not only was her voice constant sound in the African-Americans community, but it was loved in many homes of people with various ethnic backgrounds. People loved to hear her sing because her music had a way of lifting spirits. Even in hours of despair Mahalia Jackson’s music

It is said that this hard lifestyle began to affect her work. Her songs were no longer filled with youthful emotions, but a sort of bitter regret. Even with the change in her music still had a great impact on other artists of her time and later. (www.numberonestars.com, 2010)

Majority of African American women get judged on the day to day basis. When scrolling through social media there will be large amounts of individuals who will bully or even belittle a colored female because of the natural kinks of her hair, her sense of fashion, the full shaped curves of her body, and the color of her skin . The poem “Still I Rise” by the well-known poet, Maya Angelou, specifically describes the reasons why she had so much confidence; even if she were to be judged by her appearances and mindset. This poem is about embracing females, but it mainly introduces similar life situations that many African American women have experienced. The symbols and point of view that Angelou specifically added in her poem made her readers realize that there are many meanings to this poem.

Crowned as "The Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin is one of the most honored female vocal artists of the last 50 years. She is an American soul singer, songwriter as well as a pianist. Her soulful, soaring voice has earned her mythic status over the years. It has been said that Aretha was a child prodigy of the golden age of gospel and was the anointed successor to gospel singers Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson. Many idolize her and her musical intelligence to this day. She is said to be one of the most quintessential sounds of America alongside The Beetles, The Stones, and Louis Armstrong.

Life is full of loss and you cannot avoid experiencing it and well as sorrow. As people grow up they come to realize that the world is not as it seemed to be when they were younger. They get more independent and their perspective of life changes. They will have to realize that they are not going to live forever. In the short story The Hurt Man, written by Wendell Berry and published in 2003, we meet Mat who learns all of this.

The songs “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion and Huey Lewis both could be connected to Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet. However, they both have different meanings. The one by Celine Dion talks about how they are just now falling in love and how they love specific characteristics about each other. The one by Huey Lewis tells about what love is, and all the emotions that people can feel because of love.