The Swamp

This seems to happen to her a lot. I'm not being snarky, just saying I've seen several stories in the past about her proximity to death and she's cheated it every time. Hope she's got one more in her.

brian wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 11:05 am This seems to happen to her a lot. I'm not being snarky, just saying I've seen several stories in the past about her proximity to death and she's cheated it every time. Hope she's got one more in her.

True, those times she was only mostly dead.

We're all just dancing around the joke right?

I know she's become kind of a joke in recent years - the aging diva and all that.

But good lord, her vintage stuff is phenomenal.

Thread can be moved to official status.

Died on the same date as Elvis.

True story -- I de-friended my only brother on Facebook after he called Aretha Franklin a "bitch" on Facebook.

(It was a straw breaking the camel's back kinda thing, but still don't regret it.)

Man, that voice could have knocked down a wall!

and definitely an under-rated piano player as well.

Long Live The Queen!

You know, one thing I hate is mawkishness, and while there is plenty of that in the crowd shots during this song from the Kennedy Centre Honors (of Carole King in this segment), but ignore that stuff and what you get is a stunning performance from a woman who looks every one of her 73 years.

An amazing swan song...

Damn, that's fucking amazing. Got all the feels over here.

The ultimate tribute is that there really isn't a good 7 letter word for dead.

D-c-e-a-s-e-d.

Find out what It means to you.

mister d wrote: ↑Thu Aug 16, 2018 9:07 pm The ultimate tribute is that there really isn't a good 7 letter word for dead.

E-x-p-i-r-e-d?

Good enough.

Yeah, that or the more intentional U-N-A-L-I-V-E were the best I came up with before deciding to call out my failures instead.

National Reviewer Editor: Hey, I bet that @baseballcrank guy has some good opinions about Aretha!



Ok....Linda Ronstadt was/is great. But nowhere in the same league as Aretha (and I'm sure she'd be the first to tell you that).

But Kelly Fuckin' Clarkson?

Both of them are great singers in my opinion. But absolutely not even same sport as Aretha.

I couldn’t name one song by Ronstadt or Clarkson. That doesn’t mean they aren’t great singers, but they aren’t legends.

To me, Aretha is up there with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Etta James etc. People like Mariah and Kelly are second tier by A LOT.

Just one bfj’s $.02.

Mariah, Celine, Shania, Gloria, and Carole were second tier.

Proof:

bfj wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:13 am I couldn’t name one song by Ronstadt or Clarkson. That doesn’t mean they aren’t great singers, but they aren’t legends.

To me, Aretha is up there with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Etta James etc. People like Mariah and Kelly are second tier by A LOT.

Just one bfj’s $.02.

I know there are Linda Ronstadt fans here, but that writer's comment that she is more versatile is asinine. Listen to Aretha sing gospel.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:32 am

bfj wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:13 am I couldn’t name one song by Ronstadt or Clarkson. That doesn’t mean they aren’t great singers, but they aren’t legends.

To me, Aretha is up there with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Etta James etc. People like Mariah and Kelly are second tier by A LOT.

Just one bfj’s $.02.

I know there are Linda Ronstadt fans here, but that writer's comment that she is more versatile is asinine. Listen to Aretha sing gospel.

Hell, Aretha sang fucking opera.

Tongue slightly in cheek - but comparing Aretha (unfavourably) to Linda Ronstadt and Kelly Clarkson sounds a bit racist.

The versatility comment too because you know that dipshit just meant “can’t sing not black”.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:34 am Mariah, Celine, Shania, Gloria, and Carole were second tier.

Proof:

Carole King is 2nd tier. The others form a line at tier #3.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:56 am Tongue slightly in cheek - but comparing Aretha (unfavourably) to Linda Ronstadt and Kelly Clarkson sounds a bit racist.

It was most assuredly dog whistling. Much the same way Fox News put up a picture of Patti Labelle in their Aretha obit.

I'm a Linda Ronstadt fan, but as DiS said above, she herself would gladly say that Aretha deserves to be viewed head and shoulders above her.

Kelly Clarkson? OK. I'm old and unfamiliar with her work. I wasn't even aware she was considered third tier.

How about even if those singers were in her echelon, it's really fucking bad form to mention them at all, especialy to paint the subject in a somewhat negative light, unless their careers were intertwined somehow.

Giff wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 11:56 am How about even if those singers were in her echelon, it's really fucking bad form to mention them at all, especialy to paint the subject in a somewhat negative light, unless their careers were intertwined somehow.

The National Review saw to it to marginalize a pioneering, African American woman in her obituary. There's no way any of those other singers appreciated being mentioned like that. Just terrible form.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:56 am Tongue slightly in cheek - but comparing Aretha (unfavourably) to Linda Ronstadt and Kelly Clarkson sounds a bit racist.

Racism? Coming from the National Review? Get outta here...

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 1:53 pm

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:56 am Tongue slightly in cheek - but comparing Aretha (unfavourably) to Linda Ronstadt and Kelly Clarkson sounds a bit racist.

Racism? Coming from the National Review? Get outta here...

Don;t know why I kept tongue in cheek.

Implied crosspost from the Onion thread

This is actually a pretty huge deal.

There's gonna be a meme with Bill Clinton oogling Ariana Grande, I guarantee it.

Also, I initially thought this was John McCain's funeral and was very, very confused.

Johnnie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 31, 2018 11:28 am There's gonna be a meme with Bill Clinton oogling Ariana Grande, I guarantee it.

Also, I initially thought this was John McCain's funeral and was very, very confused.

It was just Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson were debating how inappropriate her funeral attire was.

She sounds like she's breathing in when she sings. Its weird as hell.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Fri Aug 31, 2018 11:44 am

Johnnie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 31, 2018 11:28 am There's gonna be a meme with Bill Clinton oogling Ariana Grande, I guarantee it.

Also, I initially thought this was John McCain's funeral and was very, very confused.

It was just Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson were debating how inappropriate her funeral attire was.

Watched the "Genius: Aretha" series on NatGeo and it very justifiably ends with this performance at the Grammys. Stepping in literally last-minute and just fucking destroying with an aria. Just an absolutely jaw-dropping performance and probably didn't appreciate it at the time, even though it wasn't exactly under-reported.

(The show itself was kinda "meh". Hoping for more from the movie this summer starting Jennifer Hudson.)

Going to give the NatGeo show a whirl, just because I've been listening to a lot of Aretha lately (far more than when she was alive).

I mean, listen to this one. Makes my goosebumps get goosebumps.

Jesus! This is as good as music gets.