Rock Steady (Aretha Franklin song)
"Rock Steady" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Aretha Franklin | ||||
from the album Young, Gifted and Black | ||||
A-side | "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)" | |||
Released | February 15, 1971 (Criteria - Master #21312) October 11, 1971 (Atlantic #2838) [1] | |||
Recorded | unedited, undubbed master w/o horns at Criteria in Miami different edit / mix at Atlantic in Manhattan[2] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:15 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Aretha Franklin | |||
Producer(s) | Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin, Jerry Wexler | |||
Aretha Franklin singles chronology | ||||
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"Rock Steady" is a song written and performed by Aretha Franklin and released in 1971, from the album Young, Gifted and Black.[3] The single reached the #9 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. It also peaked at #2 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart. The original A-side, a rendition of the song "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)", peaked at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart.
Personnel[]
- Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, piano
- Donny Hathaway – electric piano, organ
- Bernard Purdie – drums
- Cornell Dupree – guitar
- Richard Tee – organ
- Chuck Rainey – bass guitar
- The Sweethearts of Soul (Brenda Bryant, Margaret Branch, Pat Smith) [4] — backing vocals
- Robert Popwell, Dr. John – percussion
- The Memphis Horns
- Wayne Jackson – trumpet
- Andrew Love – tenor saxophone
- Gene Paul – engineer
- Jerry Wexler – production
- Tom Dowd – horn arrangement, production
- Arif Mardin – production
Chart positions[]
Charts | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 2 |
Cover versions[]
- The first known cover of the song was in 1972 by who recorded a whip-snapping cover for their sole eponymous album.
- The Jackson Sisters recorded a cover of the song in 1976 for their eponymous album.
- In 1987, a house version of the song was recorded by singer Dalis and released on Trax Records.
- Patti Austin covered the song on her 1994 album That Secret Place.
- Prince released a version on his 2007 live album, Indigo Nights. The song features Beverley Knight.
- In 2008 the song was sampled by Japanese R&B singer Namie Amuro in her own song, "Rock Steady".
- Richard Elliot also covered this song as an instrumental in 2010 off his album, which was also titled Rock Steady. Aretha's vocals were replaced by Rich's saxophone.
- Dawn Robinson of the group En Vogue did a solo cover of the song on 1998's Dr. Dolittle soundtrack.
- The song is used as a diegetic track in Driver: San Francisco.
- Rap group People Under the Stairs mention the song in their song "The Next Step II".
- Daryl Hall and John Oates covered the song on their 2004 album Our Kind of Soul.
- Regina Love covered the song in The Voice (U.S. season 9).
- In 2012, Christine Anu covered the song on her album, Rewind: The Aretha Franklin Songbook.
- Rap duo EPMD sampled the beat and Franklin's lyrics (more pronounced on the remix) for their 1989 single "I'm Housin" from their debut LP Strictly Business.
- Spanish rock rap band Def Con Dos sampled the horn section of the song's chorus on their song "".
Usage in media[]
"Rock Steady" appeared in the 2017 American comedy-drama film The Upside.
External links[]
- Jisi, Chris. "Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady"". Bass Player. New Bay Media. Archived from the original on 2010-08-09. – session details
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
References[]
- ^ Discogs - Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen Of Soul - 2007-10-16th reMastered 2CD, Rhino / Atlantic (R2 272188) US
- ^ Discogs - Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen Of Soul - 2007-October reMastered 2CD, Rhino / Atlantic (8122799703) Australia
- ^ Discogs - Young, Gifted and Black - 1972-January-24th LP, Atlantic (SD 7213) US
- ^ Discogs - the Sweethearts Of Soul - (profile, aliases, discography)
Categories:
- 1971 singles
- Aretha Franklin songs
- Funk songs
- Songs written by Aretha Franklin
- Prince (musician) songs
- Song recordings produced by Arif Mardin
- Song recordings produced by Tom Dowd
- Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler
- 1971 songs
- Atlantic Records singles