Aretha Franklin, Until You Come Back to Me | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 75^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” by Aretha Franklin.

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 75^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on, “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” performed by Aretha Franklin.

“Though you don’t call anymore / I sit and wait in vain,” Aretha Franklin sings in the first verse of her soul classic, “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)”. She continues, persistently, “I guess I’ll rap on your door (Your door) / Tap on your window pane (Tap on your window pane).” In other words, man, she’s going to make you come back to her, PERIOD! This love song is the fifth track on her 1974 LP, Let Me In Your Life. The songwriting is sublime, thanks to the pen of Clarence Paul, Morris Broadnax, and – wait for it – the one-and-only Stevie Wonder! “Until You Come Back to Me” IS a Stevie Wonder cover.  It reached no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974 after debuting on the charts in 1973. Franklin, Arif Mardin, and Jerry Wexler produced this 1970s pop-soul gem.

All aspects of “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” make it a showstopper.  The relatable songwriting goes a long way.  The relationship has expired, yet, the love hasn’t – at least from one person’s perspective.  “I’m going to swallow my pride (My pride) / I’m going to beg you to please, baby please see me (Baby won’t you see me?)” Franklin and her awesome background vocalists proclaim in the second verse.  Her dynamic lead vocals are the biggest draw of “Until You Come Back to Me” – no surprise.  She’s commanding, expressive, nuanced, and playful with her vocal performance. Call it what it is, a masterclass.  But, also, the instrumental – the musical accompaniment – is the cat’s meow too! The palette is smooth and soulful, idiomatic of the 70s.  The bass line is robust and the groove cooks. One of the finest features is the flute soloing by Joe Farrell.  All told, “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” is EVERYTHING.  This is one of the best songs in the Aretha Franklin catalog.

Aretha Franklin // Let Me In Your Life // Atlantic // 1974

Aretha Franklin, Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do): Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 75 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Atlantic; OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom via Pixabay]