Aretha Franklin - Angel (Atlantic Records 1973)

“Angel“ is a soul ballad recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. The song was co-written by Aretha’s sister, Carolyn, and Sonny Saunders. Aretha co-produced the song with Quincy Jones and it originally appeared on Aretha’s 1973 album “Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)“. It was released as a single in June 1973 and went on to top the US R&B Singles chart for two weeks while reaching number twenty on the Pop chart. The single sold over 900,000 copies. Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer and songwriter. Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father, C. L. Franklin, was minister. In 1960, at the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but only achieving modest success. Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as “Respect“, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman“, “Spanish Harlem“ and “Think“. By the end of the 1960s she had gained the title “The Queen of Soul“. Franklin eventually recorded a total of 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries and 20 number-one R&B singles, becoming the most charted female artist in the chart’s history. Franklin also recorded acclaimed albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Lady Soul, Young, Gifted and Black and Amazing Grace before experiencing problems with her record company by the mid-1970s. After her father was shot in 1979, Franklin left Atlantic and signed with Arista Records, finding success with her part in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers and with the albums Jump to It (1982) and Who’s Zoomin’ Who? (1985). In 1998, Franklin won international acclaim for singing the opera aria “Nessun dorma“, at the Grammys of that year replacing Luciano Pavarotti. Later that same year, she scored her final Top 40 recording with “A Rose Is Still a Rose“. Franklin’s other popular and well known hits include “Rock Steady“, “Jump to It“, “Freeway of Love“, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who“, “Chain Of Fools“, “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)“, “Something He Can Feel“, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)“ (with George Michael), and a remake of The Rolling Stones song “Jumpin’ Jack Flash“. Franklin has won a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Franklin has been honored throughout her career including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in which she became the first female performer to be inducted. She was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In August 2012, Franklin was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Franklin is listed in at least two all-time lists on Rolling Stone magazine, including the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. On August 13, 2018, Franklin was reported to be gravely ill at her home near Detroit. She was reported to be under hospice care and surrounded by friends and family. Stevie Wonder and Jesse Jackson, among others, had visited her. Franklin died at home in Detroit on August 16, aged 76. The cause was reported to be advanced pancreatic cancer. I got a call the other day It was my sister Carolyn, sayin’ “Aretha, come by when you can I’ve got somethin’ that I wanna say“ And when I got there she said “You know rather than go through a long drawn out thing I think the melody on the box will help me explain“ Gotta find me an angel To fly away with me Gotta find me an angel Ooo and set me free My heart is without a home I don’t want to be alone I gotta find me an angel In my life, in my life Too long have I loved So unattached within So much that I know That I need somebody so So I’ll just go on Hoping that I find me someone Gotta find me an angel in my life In my my life I know there must be someone Somewhere for me Oh I lived too long Without the love of someone And there’s no misery Ooooh oooh like the misery I feel in me I gotta find me an angel in In my life (You’ll meet him now don’t you worry) In my life (Keep lookin’ and just keep cookin’) In my life (He’ll be there, now don’t you worry) In my life.