Aretha Franklin, “Wonderful” | Music Lifts 🎶 🏋

In the 50^th edition of Music Lifts, we’re uplifted by the late, great soul icon, Aretha Franklin performing “Wonderful.”

Welcome to Music Lifts 🎶 🏋, a column that seeks to highlight songs that encourage, inspire, and uplift the spirit; songs that exude fortitude, positivity, and resolve, even in the face of adversity.  Featured songs aren’t genre-specific; songs may or may not be faith-based. The goal is for these songs to make you feel better – be LIFTED to new heights!  So, for the 50^th edition of Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 (2022), we highlight 🎵 “Wonderful” as performed by 🎙 Aretha Franklin.

“I just gotta let you know / In case you didn’t know / I-I-I-I-I-I think you’re wonderful.” Ah, how great it is to feel wonderful, particularly when it comes from the late, great, Queen of Soul, 🎙 Aretha Franklin. The Grammy voters must’ve felt wonderful listening to 🎵 “Wonderful” from 💿 So Damn Happy considering it won Franklin another 🏆 Grammy (Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance).  Honestly, it is a beautiful song, filled with the positive side of love.  “Wonderful” was not written by Franklin, but the songwriting is in capable hands: 🎼 ✍ Aleese Simmons, Katrina Willis, Phillip “Silky” White, and Ron “AMEN-RA” Lawrence, who also produces.

“Wonderful” is all about those feel good, love vibes. In the first verse, she sings, “’Cause the vibe we share feels so comfortable / Is it possible someone could make me lose control.” Everyone hopes for that when it comes to love, which makes the lyrics relatable. Where unrequited love is incredibly painful, to have someone “Feeling me like I’m feeling you” is a godsend.  Of course, doubt arises too – “Questioning what this is / If it’s too good to be true / I don’t want to fool myself / ‘Cause I’m fallin’ hard for you” – but The Queen doesn’t dare kill the vibe! The dedication is real, the vocals are fire, and the production is bright, soulful, and incredibly warm. What I’m saying is, the lift is real here, and it hasn’t expired two decades after the arrival of this award-winning gem.

🎙 Aretha Franklin • 💿 So Damn Happy • 🏷 Arista • 📅 2003

Aretha Franklin, “Wonderful”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 No. 50 (2022) [📷: Arista, cottonbro studio, Brent Faulkner, Itzel Sandoval, The Musical Hype, Neeraj Nagdeve, Pexels, Pixabay]