It's the end of an era: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, passed away last week (Aug. 16, 2018) at the age of 76.
Aretha started out singing in her church's gospel choir in Detroit, Michigan. She gained incredible fame in the sixties and by the end of the decade earned the title "The Queen of Soul."
Out of her 112 singles that made the Billboard charts, 77 of them earned spots on the Hot 100 chart! Let's take a look back at her top 10 biggest chart-topping hits.
10. "Bridge Over Troubled Water/Brand New Me"
Both "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Brand New Me" are covers, but these soulful gospel-inspired versions recorded by Aretha Franklin peaked at #6 on Billboard's Hot 100 on June 5, 1971.
9. "Day Dreaming"
It was rumored that this song was about Temptation's singer Dennis Edwards, and in 1999 Aretha confirmed it! "Day Dreaming" peaked at #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 on May 6, 1972.
8. "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone"
This classic hit peaked at #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 on March 30, 1968.
7. "Baby I Love You"
This was the only single released from her 1967 album, Aretha Arrives, and peaked at #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 on September 9, 1967.
6. "Freeway of Love"
"Freeway of Love" earned Aretha a Grammy Award and peaked at #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 on August 31, 1985.
5."Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"
Stevie Wonder had a hand in writing this song and was the first person to record it. However, his version was not released as a single and wasn't released on an album until three years after this version that recorded by the Queen of Soul herself. Aretha Franklin's version peaked at #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 on February 23, 1974.
4. "Spanish Harlem"
Originally recorded by Ben E. King, Aretha's cover peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 on September 11, 1971, outperforming the original version on the charts.
3. "Chain of Fools"
This classic hit single peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 on January 20, 1968 and subsequently appeared on several of Aretha's albums.
2. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" with George Michael
Ms. Franklin topped the charts in 1987 with '80s icon, George Michael. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 on April 18, 1987.
1. "Respect"
It comes as absolutely no surprise that "Respect" was Aretha's first chart-topping hit! It peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 on June 3, 1967, giving all over the world an anthem to demand R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
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Article Image: Atlantic Records (Published before 1978 without a copyright notice) [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons.
