We all know that Aretha Franklin‘s vocal abilities elevated her music to legendary status time and again over her illustrious career. But she also rose to the occasion at times as a songwriter, most notably on her scorching 1968 hit single “Think.”
What is the song about? What events in her life helped in its creation? And what classic comedy movie gave the song, and Aretha herself, a boost more than a decade after it was recorded? It’s time to think about “Think,” one of the best from the Queen of Soul.
Triumph and Tragedy
Like many female artists who started their careers in the ’60s, Aretha Franklin struggled to find her artistic sweet spot, in part because the decision-makers tried to shape her into something she wasn’t. Luckily, a move to Atlantic Records began her working relationship with producer Jerry Wexler, who surrounded her with the best players.
On top of that, Franklin started to create her signature sound, one which combined the grace of gospel with the grit of R&B. By the time she reached her Aretha Now album in 1968, she was hitting on all cylinders, having recorded a series of wildly successful albums and singles in the previous year.
While all this was going on, Franklin was dealing with tumult within her own life. Her rocky marriage to Ted White was only a year from imploding. And the April 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. was a major blow, as she was close friends with King and worked beside him in his fight for civil rights. She sang at his funeral, but less than a week later, she was in New York City recording “Think.”
Aretha the Writer
Aretha Franklin and Ted White are credited as co-writers of “Think.” Some in Franklin’s circle have claimed over the years that White actually had nothing to do with the song. While there’s no real way to tell if that’s true at this point, it certainly jibes with “Think” seemingly like a pretty direct statement from Franklin to someone mistreating her.
The message of “Think” also resonated with the younger generation questioning authority at that particular pressure point in American history. The fact that Franklin repeats the word Freedom several times in the lyrics clearly seems a reference to King’s message.
In 1980, the comedy The Blues Brothers featured Franklin as a diner waitress berating her boyfriend with a performance of “Think.” The movie came out at a time when her career was in a bit of a funk, and the appearance paved the way to the commercial resurgence she enjoyed in the ’80s.
What is the Meaning of “Think”?
What’s so impressive about the lyrics to “Think” is how they flawlessly seesaw back and forth between direct accusations at a single person and wider messages to the audience at large. The chorus is pretty pointed, as Franklin warns away anyone doing her wrong: You better think, think about what you’re trying to do to me.
It helped she was such a stunning vocalist that she could fast-talk her way through lyrics like the following and make them hit home with attitude: There ain’t nothing you could ask I could answer you but I won’t / But I was gonna change, but I’m not / If you keep doing things I don’t. In the midst of those attacks, she pulls back and seems to be recommending vigilance to her listeners: People walking around every day, playing games, taking scores / Trying to make other people lose their minds, but be careful you don’t lose yours.
When she begins belting out the refrain of Freedom, she is both declaring it for herself and calling on everyone listening to demand it for themselves. An incredibly well-written song delivered by an inimitable vocalist: It’s no wonder “Think” is one of the first tracks that comes to mind when considering the massive musical legacy of Aretha Franklin.
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Photo by Peter Tarnoff/Mediapunch/Shutterstock
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