Aretha Franklin - Think [1968] (original Version) May 2026

Aretha Franklin's is more than just a soul classic; it is a three-minute masterclass in musical defiance. Released in May 1968 as the lead single from her album Aretha Now , the song reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B charts for three weeks. Musical Composition and Vocal Performance

Musically, the original version is a "pulsating swinger" built on a foundation of Southern soul.

While ostensibly about a "hard-luck love affair," the song evolved into a dual anthem for the feminist and Civil Rights movements . Aretha Franklin - Think [1968] (Original Version)

Backed by the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section —including Jimmy Johnson on guitar and Roger Hawkins on drums—the track features a driving, propulsive beat that bridges the gap between gospel and emerging funk.

Critics consistently rank it among the greatest songs of the 1960s, with Pitchfork placing it at #15 on its list of the decade's top tracks. It remains a definitive statement of Franklin’s status as the . Aretha Franklin's is more than just a soul

Co-written by Aretha and her then-husband/manager , the lyrics are often viewed through the lens of their turbulent marriage.

Beyond its initial success, "Think" saw major rebirths, most notably in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers , where Franklin famously performed it as Mrs. Murphy. While ostensibly about a "hard-luck love affair," the

Released less than a month after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , the insistent refrain of "Freedom" mirrored the era's sociopolitical calls for justice and resilience.