58 Years Ago, Aretha Franklin's 'Think' Reached No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Chart

Few artists have cemented their status among the pantheon of legendary musical artists like Aretha Franklin did. The Queen of Soul has been crowned the greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone, not once, but twice. Franklin has released 39 studio albums over the course of her six-decade career, along with a whopping 112 songs that charted on various Billboard charts, including her wildly successful cover of "Respect."

While that tune is widely considered to be her signature song, Franklin's other hits deserve to be regarded with the same reverence. There's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Day Dreaming," "Chain of Fools," "I Say a Little Prayer," and her iconic duet with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)."

There's also "Think," which, on this day 58 years ago, hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. It became her sixth single to take the top spot on said chart. Originally released on May 2, 1968 (with its B-side "You Send Me"), this soul-fusion classic entered the chart on May 18 before peaking at No. 1 on June 15. It achieved Gold certification in six countries.

Billboard hailed the track as a "pulsating swinger" in the same vein as "Respect," while Cash Box lauded it for its "tremendous rhythmic drive." Franklin co-wrote "Think" with her then-husband Ted White. It was one of the only songs she penned herself.

The single was the first tune on her 13th studio album, Aretha Now, which was released on June 14, 1968. The defiant lyrics delve into self-respect, autonomy, and freedom. Franklin left her husband in 1968, and they divorced the following year, so it's hard not to see their tumultuous union reflected in the track's bold lyricism. Admittedly, there's a perennial quality to "Think"—a timelessness. It still resonates even decades later.

Franklin re-recorded "Think" for The Blues Brothers soundtrack and again in 1989 for her 32nd studio album, Through the Storm. For the aforementioned 1980 film, Franklin performed a new version of her hit single in a musical sequence that required her to lip-sync.

Where does "Think" rank on your list of greatest Aretha Franklin songs?

source https://www.mensjournal.com/news/58-years-ago-today-iconic-1968-soul-classic-hit-no-1-and-it-still-holds-up