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Young, Gifted and Black is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin, released in early 1972, by Atlantic Records. The album climbed to number 2 on Billboard's R&B albums survey and peaked at Number 11 on the main album chart. It was quickly certified Gold by the RIAA. Its title was cut from "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", recorded and released by Nina Simone in 1969.
| Young, Gifted and Black | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 24, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | August 12, 1970 – February 16, 1971[1] | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 44:46 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Aretha Franklin chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Young, Gifted and Black | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A[2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [3] |
Franklin won a 1972 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.[4]
In 2003, the television network VH1 named it the 76th greatest album of all time.[5] In 2020, it was ranked number 388 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[6]
Songs
editYoung, Gifted and Black contains original songs written and performed by Franklin, such as "Day Dreaming" and "Rock Steady". It also features cover versions of songs by other artists, including "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" by Nina Simone, as well as "I've Been Loving You Too Long" by Otis Redding, "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles, and "Border Song (Holy Moses)" by Elton John.[7]
Critical reception
editJason Birchmeier of AllMusic wrote that "Young, Gifted and Black certainly ranks highly among [Franklin's] studio efforts, with many arguing that it may be her greatest. [...] If you really want to go song by song, you'd be hard-pressed to find any throwaways here -- this is quite honestly an album that merits play from beginning to end."[1]
In 2003, the television network VH1 named Young, Gifted and Black the 76th greatest album of all time.[5] In 2020, the album was ranked number 388 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[6]
In 2018, Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield praised Franklin's cover of "The Long and Winding Road" from the album as "the greatest of all Beatle covers — the one that improves most on the original and defines everything the song is about".[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)" | Jim Doris | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Day Dreaming" | Aretha Franklin | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Rock Steady" | Aretha Franklin | 3:15 |
| 4. | "Young, Gifted and Black" | 3:34 | |
| 5. | "All the King's Horses" | Aretha Franklin | 3:56 |
| 6. | "A Brand New Me" |
| 4:26 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "April Fools" | 3:29 | |
| 8. | "I've Been Loving You Too Long" | 3:36 | |
| 9. | "First Snow in Kokomo" | Aretha Franklin | 4:04 |
| 10. | "The Long and Winding Road" | 3:38 | |
| 11. | "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" |
| 3:42 |
| 12. | "Border Song (Holy Moses)" | 3:22 |
Personnel
edit- Aretha Franklin – lead vocals (all), piano (1–4, 6, 8–12), celesta (5), piano, Fender Rhodes (7)
- Cornell Dupree – guitar (2–5, 7–12)
- Hugh McCracken – guitar (1, 6)
- Don Arnone – acoustic guitar (2)
- Donny Hathaway – Hammond organ (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9), piano, Fender Rhodes (2)
- Billy Preston – Hammond organ (4, 10, 12)
- Chuck Rainey – bass guitar (2–5, 7, 9–12)
- Eric Gale – bass guitar (1, 6)
- Robert Popwell – bass guitar (8), percussion (3)
- Bernard Purdie – drums (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11)
- Ray Lucas – drums (4, 10, 12)
- Al Jackson Jr. – drums (1, 6)
- Dr. John – percussion (3)
- The Memphis Horns – horns (3, 8)
- Neal Rosengarden – trumpet (9), vibraphone (5)
- Hubert Laws – flute (2, 7, 11)
- Pat Smith – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7–9, 11)
- Carolyn Franklin – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 8–10)
- Erma Franklin – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 8–10)
- Margaret Branch – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7–11)
- Ann S. Clark – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7–9, 11)
- The Sweet Inspirations – backing vocals (1, 4, 6, 12)
- Ronald Bright – backing vocals (12)
- J. R. Bailey – backing vocals (12)
- Sammy Turner – backing vocals (12)
Chart positions
edit| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[9] | 11 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] | 2 |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[11] | 295 |
Singles
edit| Year | Title | US Pop[12] | US R&B[13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "Border Song (Holy Moses)" | 37 | 5 |
| 1971 | "Rock Steady" | 9 | 2 |
| 1972 | "All the King's Horses" | 26 | 7 |
| 1972 | "Day Dreaming" | 5 | 1 |
| 1972 | "Oh Me Oh My (I'm A Fool For You Baby)" | 73 | 9 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Young, Gifted and Black - Aretha Franklin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 262–263.
- ^ "Aretha Franklin". GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Hoye, Jacob, ed. (2003). 100 Greatest Albums. MTV Books/Pocket Books. p. 172. ISBN 978-0743448765.
- ^ a b "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Sheafer, Silvia Anne (2014). The Life of Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul. Legendary African Americans. Enslow Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 978-0766062252.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (16 August 2018). "Why Nobody Sang the Beatles Like Aretha". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "ヤング、ギフティッド・アンド・ブラック| アレサ・フランクリン | ORICON NEWS" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2021.