Podcasts about God Only Knows

Music journalist and broadcaster, Jude Rogers, joins Jack and Robin this week to unveil her Personal Beatles. Jude is a fabulous writer known for her work at The Word, Q Magazine and the BBC, and her recent memoir The Sound of Being Human, is a beautifully written look at the way music shapes our lives. In this week's Pick a Song, we discuss Fixing a Hole form SP'sLHCB. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or on Patreon to gain access to this and all the other extended version of the podcast. Links of Note:The Sound of Being Human: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ps3awhe37yqhk748dcre7/AMJIZRPJgch4Ho3kmwpbKTo?rlkey=niehfdravxe48s56m6r8rmscn&dl=0Jude's open letter to Paul McCartney: https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/paul-mccartney-at-80-you-were-with-me-when-i-last-saw-my-dad-39tdlfs0pDavid Bennett on God Only Knows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NaJsJfPD0k Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Wilson - God Only KnowsDavid Bowie - God Only KnowsBrad Mehldau - God Only Knows (Live)The Manhattan Transfer & WDR Funkhausorchester - God Only KnowsMonica Mancini - God Only Knows (featuring Brian Wilson & Take 6)Jimmy Webb - God Only KnowsJohn Pizzarelli - God Only Knows

In this 474th episode of “Elton Jim” Turano's “CAPTAIN POD-TASTIC,” Jim Turano believes God only knows what pop music would be without Brian Wilson.

Sly Stone's passing. The leader of the fun and funky 1960s/70s group Sly & the Family Stone died from lung disease and left behind him some extraordinary music as well as an enigmatic legacy. Today it was announced by his family that Brian Wilson, founder of the Beach Boys and the musical brains behind beloved hits like “Good Vibrations,” “God Only Knows,” “California Girls” and many others, has died. The cause of death is unknown at this time, but he was placed under a conservatorship in May 2024 due to his declining health. Music historian Scott Shea states that, “These were two California visionaries who both came from musical families and their individual musical heritages helped shape a movement in the 1960s. We may never anything like this again. They will be missed.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot pay tribute to the late musical genius Brian Wilson, who died at age 82. They'll discuss Wilson's transcendent music, including doing a deep dive on his masterpiece, Pet Sounds.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eEvRnGMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:The Beach Boys, "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967The Beach Boys, "In My Room," Surfer Girl, Capitol, 1963The Beach Boys, "Lonely Sea," Surfin' USA, Capitol, 1963The Beach Boys, "Don't Worry Baby," Shut Down Volume 2, Capitol, 1964The Beach Boys, "Surf's Up," Surf's Up, Brother/Reprise, 1971The Beach Boys, "Still I Dream of It (Original Home Demo, 1976)," Good Vibrations:Thirty Years of the Beach Boys, Capitol, 1993The Beach Boys, "Sloop John B," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Four Freshman, "I Remember You," Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones, Capitol, 1955The Gamblers, "LSD-25," Moon Dawg!/LSD-25, World Pacific, 1960The Beach Boys, "I'm Waiting for the Day," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "Let's Go Away for Awhile," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "Caroline No," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "You Still Believe in Me," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "Pet Sounds," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "Hang On to Your Ego," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "That's Not Me," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beach Boys, "Little Deuce Coupe," Pet Sounds, Capitol, 1966The Beatles, "Nowhere Man," Rubber Soul, Parlophone, 1965The Beatles, "She's Leaving Home," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Horsegirl, "2468," Phonetics On and On, Matador, 2025See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sly Stone's passing. The leader of the fun and funky 1960s/70s group Sly & the Family Stone died from lung disease and left behind him some extraordinary music as well as an enigmatic legacy. Today it was announced by his family that Brian Wilson, founder of the Beach Boys and the musical brains behind beloved hits like “Good Vibrations,” “God Only Knows,” “California Girls” and many others, has died. The cause of death is unknown at this time, but he was placed under a conservatorship in May 2024 due to his declining health. Music historian Scott Shea states that, “These were two California visionaries who both came from musical families and their individual musical heritages helped shape a movement in the 1960s. We may never anything like this again. They will be missed.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

In this episode of Screens in Focus, Diana and Renee celebrate Brian Wilson and the timeless music of the Beach Boys, with a special focus on the emotional brilliance of “God Only Knows.” Following Wilson's recent passing, they explore the band's unforgettable impact on film, TV, and pop culture, from the perfect song ending in Love Actually  to 50 First Dates and the powerful biopic Love & Mercy. They share personal stories, favorite tracks, and reflect on how the Beach Boys' music has shaped generations. Plus, they recommend nostalgic summer movies like The Sandlot, The Way, Way Back, Chasing Mavericks, and more—perfect for sunny-day viewing. At 10:15, Diana shares Cindy's reflection on the perfect ending of Love Actually with God Only Knows, along with her own emotional connection to the song. At 37:56, Sam shares a heartfelt memory tied to Wouldn't It Be Nice and 50 First Dates. 00:00 – Intro: Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys   00:45 – Personal Reflections on Their Music   01:59 – Iconic Songs & Memories   04:11 – Tributes and Covers   10:15 – Sharing Cindy's Beach Boy Memory 11:28 – Beach Boys in Movies & Pop Culture   12:58 – *Love & Mercy* Biopic   15:57 – Musical Influence & Legacy   21:34 – Music's Emotional Impact in Film   24:17 – Favorite Movie Music Moments   28:14 – Personal Soundtrack Picks   31:27 – Summer Movie & TV Recs   37:30 – Closing Thoughts   37:56 – Sam's Message On Her Beach Boys Memory   38:44 – Final Farewell   To Sir With Love - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV1qmmMwc9M Renee Hansen:  https://linktr.ee/renee.hansen  https://reneehansen.journoportfolio.com                           Follow and subscribe to Screens in Focus. Website: www.screensinfocus.com Email: screensinfocus@gmail.com  X https://x.com/screensinfocus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screensinfocuspodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/screensinfocus  Feedback and TV/Movie Recommendations:    Google voice (669) 223-8542‬  Free background music from JewelBeat.com: www.jewelbeat.com  

Send us a text In this heartfelt episode, we pay tribute to one of the most visionary minds in music history—Brian Wilson. From the sun-drenched harmonies of the Beach Boys to the introspective genius of Pet Sounds, we explore the legacy of a man who redefined the possibilities of pop. We'll revisit his most iconic compositions and reflect on his personal and creative struggles. Whether you're a lifelong fan or discovering his genius for the first time, join us as we celebrate the sound, soul, and spirit of Brian Wilson. Support the showBrowse the 33/24 Archives: Check out the backroom! Follow us: Instagram Facebook Watch us on YouTube!

On the 104th Episode of Dorm Damage With Tom & Zeus, the guys discuss the recent passing of both music legends Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone. Recently the music world lost two giants, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and Sly Stone from Sly and the Family Stone. It is almost impossible to describe their impact on popular music. Tom & Zeus discuss their legacy and their impact on the guys. Play some of their incredible music today because "God Only Knows" if we will ever see talents like theirs again. To Purchase The Beach Boys' “Made In The USA” On Amazon Click Below:   The Beach Boys "Made In The USA"   To Purchase Shout It Out Loudcast's KISS Book “Raise Your Glasses: A Celebration Of 50 Years of KISS Songs By Celebrities, Musicians & Fans Please Click Below:   Raise Your Glasses Book   For all things Shout It Out Loudcast check out our amazing website by clicking below:   www.ShoutItOutLoudcast.com   Interested in more Shout It Out Loudcast content?  Care to help us out?  Come join us on Patreon by clicking below:   SIOL Patreon   Get all your Shout It Out Loudcast Merchandise by clicking below:   Shout It Out Loudcast Merchandise at AMAZON   Shop At Our Amazon Store by clicking below: Shout It Out Loudcast Amazon Store   Please Email us comments or suggestions by clicking below: ShoutItOutLoudcast@Gmail.com   Please subscribe to us and give us a 5 Star (Child) review on the following places below: iTunes Podchaser Stitcher iHeart Radio Spotify   Please follow us and like our social media pages clicking below: Twitter Facebook Page Facebook Group Page Shout It Out Loudcasters Instagram YouTube   Proud Member of the Pantheon Podcast click below to see the website: Pantheon Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Um Boia sentido, cheio de nuances que vão do delírio da vitória do Yago e Bettylou até a nostalgia duma juventude muito bem vivida explorando ondas perfeitas com o amor da sua vida.Celebramos a vida e obra de dois feiticeiros da arte de fazer músicas, Brian Wilson e Sly Stone.A trilha tem Abaco Dream com Life And Death In G & A, Brian Wislon com sua versão de Caroline No, Beach Boys com Fall Breaks And Back To Winter (Woody Woodpecker Symphony) e God Only Knows e Sly & the Family Stone com Everyday People.

Special Edition: Charlotte Cox's Desert Island DiscsHost: Graham Coath | Guest: Charlotte Cox (Channel 4's Virgin Island)In this unique and heartfelt episode of My Music, Graham Coath sits down with Charlotte Cox, recent star of Channel 4's bold and brilliant show Virgin Island. But today, Charlotte isn't just a reality TV personality; she's an emerging bass player, a passionate care worker, and a music lover with an impeccable ear and a story to tell.Swapping island isolation for musical introspection, Charlotte shares her personal ‘desert island discs' – six tracks that trace her journey through identity, relationships, self-discovery, and joy. From indie anthems and post-punk poetry to a beautifully chosen guilty pleasure, each song is a window into her rich, complex, and often hilarious life.Alongside musical musings, Charlotte opens up about her unconventional upbringing, her work supporting neurodivergent young adults, the emotional rollercoaster of being on a filmed island with strangers, and how the experience led to an ADHD diagnosis and deeper self-awareness.Expect:

In this heartfelt and music-filled episode of Friends Talking Nerdy, Professor Aubrey and Tim the Nerd pay tribute to the legendary Brian Wilson, whose groundbreaking work with The Beach Boys and beyond shaped the sound of a generation. With his recent passing, the duo reflects on Wilson's impact as a songwriter, producer, and sonic visionary, revisiting some of their favorite tracks that showcase his brilliance.From the lush harmonies of “God Only Knows” to the teenage wistfulness of “In My Room,” and from the psychedelic innovation of “Good Vibrations” to the timeless charm of “California Girls,” Professor Aubrey and Tim the Nerd explore what makes Brian Wilson's music so emotionally resonant and musically adventurous. They dive into the stories behind these songs, their personal memories tied to the music, and how Wilson's vulnerability, creativity, and defiance of pop norms continue to inspire artists today.Other songs discussed include the upbeat surf anthem “Surfin' USA,” the haunting beauty of “Caroline, No,” the dreamy optimism of “Wouldn't It Be Nice,” and the introspective melancholy of “I Just Wasn't Made For These Times.” Whether you're a lifelong fan or just discovering the genius of Brian Wilson, this episode is a celebration of one of pop music's true pioneers.Tune in for a conversation full of admiration, nostalgia, and deep appreciation for a man who taught the world how to feel through music.Check out the playlist for this episode on YouTube.As always, we wish to thank Christopher Lazarek for his wonderful theme song. Head to his ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for information on how to purchase his EP, Here's To You, which is available on all digital platforms.Head to Friends Talking Nerdy's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for more information on where to find us online.

In this thought-provoking episode of Mark and Pete, we explore three very different but equally fascinating stories shaping headlines in 2025. First, Britain has officially scrapped the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act, sparking a national debate: will this compassionate move address homelessness or simply lead to an explosion of tent cities in UK towns and cities? We unpack the political, social, and biblical implications of this controversial decision. Next, we pay tribute to Brian Wilson, the legendary co-founder of The Beach Boys, who passed away at 82. From Good Vibrations to God Only Knows, Wilson redefined pop music with his innovative harmonies and studio wizardry while battling personal demons. We reflect on his extraordinary musical legacy and enduring spiritual themes found in his work. Finally, we lighten the mood with the wonderfully eccentric Lambeth Country Show, where British humour is on full display. This year's viral vegetable carvings — including “Papal Corn Clave” and “Mo Salad” — offer a welcome dose of joyful absurdity. As always, Mark and Pete bring Scripture, wit, and common sense to the week's news — offering a unique Christian perspective on the stories behind the headlines.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support.

W/C 9th June 2025Now you know I like a good sitcom, and you also know that I rate Not Going Out very highly and certainly worthy of special mention.Well the new series landed last night, and the BBC dropped all six episodes which resulted in us watching the first four. I am pleased to report that it is a strong as ever, but the reason I mention it is because the second episode called Doll is really very clever.I am not quite sure how you begin to put together a narrative like that, the whole thing is a little uncomfortable (and certainly quite unnerving) but it hard not to be swept along in the subtext.If you can get the iPlayer, you might want to give it a go.Stay safe.God Only Knows - BBC (Various)Sloop John B - Brian Wilson & Alan JardineStairway to Heaven - Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Jason Bonham, et alTherapy For Me (or TFM as I now refer to it) is a bit of an audio curiosity. It started out as a mechanism for me to clear my head, with the hope that by saying stuff out loud it would act as a little bit of self-help. It's remains loose in style, fluid in terms of content and raw - it's a one take, press record and see what happens, affair.If you want to keep in touch with TFM and the other stuff I do then please follow me on Facebook, Insta, Twitter or Patreon. Thanks for getting this far.

Brian Wilson fondateur et génie musicale des Beach Boys disparaissait cette semaine à l'âge de 82 ans. Rendons-lui hommage avec l'une de ses plus grandes chansons « God only knows » interprété par les Beach Boys. Ecoutez Le tube de la matinale avec Vincent Perrot du 14 juin 2025.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Wilson, who has died at the age of 82, was the creative force behind The Beach Boys. He wrote and produced many of their hits, including "I Get Around," "Help Me Rhonda," and "God Only Knows." Wilson spoke to Terry Gross in 1988 and 1998 about creating the distinctive Beach Boys sound and his decision to leave the Beach Boys to pursue a solo career. Plus, Ken Tucker reviews new albums by Willie Nelson and Ken Pomeroy.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, we light a candle for lost legends and torch a few bad takes. In Follow Up, Molly White reminds us that giving a damn still matters—despite the rising tide of apathy (and flaming robotaxis in downtown L.A.). Protesters across the country chant “No Kings!” while Elon does his best impression of a bootlicker groveling back to Trump. Meanwhile, we take a moment to reflect on 2025's greatest hits: riots, rollbacks, and rampant idiocy.In the news, Uber decides buses are cool again—but shittier and more expensive. The UK jumps into the robotaxi game while Tesla, shockingly, misses another launch date. French Tesla fans are suing over the brand's fashy vibes, Google is ghosting employees via buyout, and Meta's trying to buy its way to artificial godhood. Oh, and Trump's launching an AI chatbot. What could go wrong? Elsewhere, China turns off AI so kids can cheat the old-fashioned way, Disney and Universal are gunning for Midjourney, and Shopify goes stablecoin with Coinbase and Stripe.Media Candy's popping off: Foundation returns, Strange New Worlds prepares for its final warp, and Spaceballs is back—with the original cast! Meanwhile, we review Mythfits, Princess of Power, and the slow striptease that is David Zaslav's credibility. On the gadget front: forget your canned air—go full vacuum-blower-keyboard-cleaner madness. And in The Dark Side with Dave, stormtroopers vlog, AI kills joy, and we race the beam in retro game land. Finally, we say goodbye to a few greats—Sly Stone, Brian Wilson, Ananda Lewis, Douglas McCarthy, and Apple legend Bill Atkinson. Play God Only Knows, pour one out, and stay grumpy.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/701FOLLOW UPIt matters. I care. by Molly WhiteWaymo Halts Service in Downtown Los Angeles After Its Taxis Are Set on FireWhat to know about 'No Kings' protests against Trump's policiesWhat It Was Like in the Shit in 2025Elon Cuck Apologizes to Donald TrumpIN THE NEWSUber's New Shuttle Is Basically a Bus, but WorseThe UK will get its first robotaxis next yearWith Roadblock After Roadblock, Is Tesla's Robotaxi Launch Doomed to Fail?Tesla's Robotaxi Launch Date Was Supposed to Be Today, But We're Shocked to Hear That It's Been Pushed Back - Shocked, we say.French Tesla customers file lawsuit over brand becoming 'extreme-right' symbolGoogle offers buyouts to employees across the company, including SearchMeta is reportedly forming an 'AI Superintelligence' teamThe Trump Administration Is Launching an AI ChatbotChina Takes on Student Cheating by Shutting Off AI Nationwide During ExamsAI Therapy Bots Are Conducting 'Illegal Behavior,' Digital Rights Organizations SayDisney and Universal file major copyright lawsuit against Midjourney over AI-generated charactersShopify partners with Coinbase and Stripe in landmark stablecoin dealMEDIA CANDYMythfits PodcastMarina - PRINCESS OF POWERFoundation — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - July 11th‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Will End With a Fifth and Final SeasonSpaceballs Sequel Set for 2027 with Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks, and Bill Pullman All ReturningDavid Zaslav Has No ClothesThe GaugeAPPS & DOODADSSupertone ClearBlue ScoldThe Real Problem With BlueskyCompressed Air Duster with Air Blower 160000RPM Vacuum Cleaner and Air Duster 4 in 1 Keyboard Cleaner,No Canned Air Duster,Electir Air Duster,Replaces for Compressed Air Cans &Vacuum Cleaner for PCBLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless 10 in. String Trimmer/Edger with 1.5Ah Battery and ChargerTHE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingA Stormtrooper Vlog | The Adventures of Dave and GregSoapy “Verticals” Helping to Keep Hollywood Employed in L.A. As Film and TV Projects LeaveHow AI is killing joyFinding Atari Games in Randomly Generated DataRacing The Beam: The Story of StellaAnalogue PocketCLOSING SHOUT-OUTSStremioSly Stone, Pioneering Bandleader and Funk Virtuoso, Dead at 82SLY LIVES!The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson Dies at 82Sting Performs Moving Cover of “God Only Knows” in Tribute to Brian Wilson: WatchStrong Songs - "God Only Knows" by The Beach BoysAnanda Lewis, Host of MTV's ‘Total Request Live' and ‘Hot Zone,' Dies At 52Nitzer Ebb's Douglas McCarthy has died at 58RIP: Bill Atkinson, co-creator of Apple Lisa and MacSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 43 and 44, the sages continue their discussion of oaths, focussing on the magic that can occur when people are in agreement with one another. How does this relate to the amazing life and work of a musician we lost just this week? Listen and find out.

Wilson, who has died at the age of 82, was the creative force behind The Beach Boys. He wrote and produced many of their hits, including "I Get Around," "Help Me Rhonda," and "God Only Knows." Wilson spoke to Terry Gross in 1988 and 1998 about creating the distinctive Beach Boys sound and his decision to leave the Beach Boys to pursue a solo career. Plus, Ken Tucker reviews new albums by Willie Nelson and Ken Pomeroy.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Pat Angeli du 16-20 RFM vous raconte en quelques minutes l'histoire d'un titre, d'un album ou d'un artiste mythique !Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

God Only Knows why the Pat Walsh Show is just three hours long, I guess you can't have too much of a good thing! The third hour is about.. you guessed it! The Beach Boys! Our love goes out to Brian Wilson.

Brian Wilson, fondateur des Beach Boys et génie derrière Pet Sounds, s'est éteint à 82 ans. Compositeur visionnaire, il a révolutionné la pop malgré ses luttes personnelles. Retour sur l'héritage unique d'un artiste inclassable.Notre équipe a utilisé un outil d'Intelligence artificielle via les technologies d'Audiomeans© pour accompagner la création de ce contenu écrit.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

...a special tribute to the timeless tunes...of Brian Wilson

Ce mercredi soir, Marjorie Hache vous accompagne pour deux heures de rock et pop avec des classiques de R.E.M., Roy Orbison et Pantera. Les nouveautés incluent Garbage avec "Get Out Of My Face Aka Bad Kitty", extrait de leur album "Let All That We Imagine Be The Light", ainsi que "Background Noise" de Pulp, extrait de leur nouvel album "More", le remier depuis 24 ans. En hommage à Brian Wilson qui vient de disparaitre, on écoute "God Only Knows". La soirée continue avec Witch, groupe zambien de Zamrock, et le single "Queenless King" et Andy Shauf et son projet Foxwarren avec "Deadhead". La reprise du soir est "Take Me To The River" d'Al Green, interprétée par Lorde. L'émission se termine avec Oasis et leur classique "Be Here Now". Garbage - Get Out My Face Aka Bad Kitty Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator Beach Boys - God Only Knows R.E.M. - Uberlin Dinosaur Pile Up - Big Dogs Stretch - Why Did You Do It Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good Pulp - Background Noise Roy Orbison - You Got It House Of Protection - Fire Neil Young - Hey Hey My My (Into The Black) Ty Segall - Buildings Lorde - Take Me To The River Travis - Why Does It Always Rain On Me Wolf Alice - Bloom Baby Bloom Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze Pantera - Walk Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama (Live At Live 8, Hyde Park, London) The Boomtown Rats - I Dont Like Mondays Radiohead - In Limbo Foxwarren - Deadhead Royal Blood - Out Of The Black Nick Drake - Place To Be Limp Bizkit - Take A Look Around Oasis - All Around The World Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Heaven-Grandpa Bill. It's 2025, and I can't help but think through Byron Athene's distinction between "Heaven" and "Paradise" for our upcoming NEXT SHOW 6/26/25- "The BH Sales Kennel Kelp Holistic Healing Hour." This is a fantastic point for discussion, as the terms are indeed often used interchangeably, yet carry different connotations depending on the context.Here's an expansion on potential distinctions Byron Athene might draw, allowing GB and our listeners to "presuppose" his elaboration:Distinguishing Heaven and Paradise: Presupposing Byron Athene's InsightByron Athene, as a renowned psychotherapist and psychoanalyst, likely approaches these terms with an eye towards their psychological, spiritual, and perhaps even their etymological nuances, rather than purely theological dogma. His background suggests a focus on the human experience of these concepts.Here are several ways he might distinguish Heaven and Paradise:1. Heaven as a Transcendent Realm vs. Paradise as an Immanent StateHeaven (Transcendent/Afterlife): Byron might define Heaven as a distinct, ultimate destination or a post-mortem realm that is separate from our earthly existence. This aligns with many traditional religious views where Heaven is the dwelling place of God, angels, and departed souls after death, a place of eternal reward and spiritual perfection beyond human comprehension in this life.Paradise (Immanent/Experiential): In contrast, Paradise might be presented as a state of being or experience that can be accessed or created within this earthly life. It refers to moments or periods of profound peace, beauty, joy, and harmony that are experienced here and now. It could be the Garden of Eden archetype – a lost or attainable state of perfect communion with nature and self.2. Heaven as a Theological Concept vs. Paradise as a Universal ArchetypeHeaven (Theological/Specific): Heaven is often a term heavily loaded with specific religious doctrine and dogma. Its definition can vary significantly between faiths (Christian Heaven, Islamic Jannah, etc.), tied to particular beliefs about God, salvation, and the afterlife. It often implies a specific set of criteria for entry.Paradise (Archetypal/Universal): Paradise, on the other hand, might be presented as a more universal, primal, and archetypal concept, residing deep within the collective unconscious (a Jungian perspective might fit here). The idea of a lost paradise, a perfect beginning, or an idyllic state of innocence and abundance appears across countless cultures, myths, and personal dreams, even outside of formal religion. It speaks to a fundamental human yearning for peace, harmony, and wholeness.This distinction allows for a more nuanced and inclusive discussion, moving beyond rigid theological definitions to explore the universal human yearning for peace, joy, and ultimate belonging, both in this life and beyond.Get ready for a rich discussion, Grandpa Bill! This distinction promises to be a very insightful segment.#HeavenVsParadise,#HeavenAndParadise,#AfterlifeConcepts,#BeyondTheVeil,#ByronAthene,#PsychotherapyInsights,#SpiritualDistinctions,#ConsciousnessExploration,#GrandpaBillPodcast,#HolisticHealingHour,#SpiritualWellness,#MindBodySpirit,#ExistentialQuestions,#UnlockingParadise,#PodcastLife,#DeepConversations,#SpiritualJourney,

Karl-Anthony Towns is unstoppable against Indiana but the only thing that can stop him is himself! When Towns picks up early fouls he halts the Knicks momentum and takes away from the impact of the game. KAT is too good of a player to let that happen. If NY controls turnovers & limits early foul trouble, we can see a repeat of Game 5 for Game 6. The Knicks didn't come this far to lose now... Troy Mahabir breaks all of this down! SHOW CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 01:06 - KAT Explains Early Foul Issues 02:21 - Towns On Early Foul Trouble: "God Only Knows" 03:30 - KAT Gives Credit To Knicks Bench For Helping During Foul Issues 05:21 - Towns Wants NY To Use Precious Achiuwa More 07:51 - Towns Habits Causing Foul Issues 08:45 - Knicks Will Force A Game 7! 10:09 - Physical Game 6 Coming... LISTEN NOW TO GET YOUR KNICKS FIX! Catch the latest special interviews, shorts, fan interactions, and more by following the show! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you don't miss another episode! Rather Watch the latest Knicks Recap episode? Catch us on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheKnicksRecap Follow The Knicks Recap on all social media platforms! Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheKnicksRecap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheKnicksRecap/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/u/TheKnicksRecap?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheKnicksRecap/ Rather Listen to The Knicks Recap on a different platform? Catch us on ALL of your favorite streaming platforms: Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3SKSl8o Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3QrEfr6 iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-knicks-recap-a-new-yor-100895112/ Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3QoZrOd Other Pod Channels: https://anchor.fm/the-knicks-recap Grab our MERCH featuring some of the graphics you've seen us create to take your Knicks fandom to the NEXT LEVEL: MAIN STORE: https://theknicksrecap.myspreadshop.com/ CashApp: $TheKnicksRecap Have a comment about the show, an interview, or a graphic idea? Reach out to The Knicks Recap on ALL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS!

God Only Knows When the Devil Comes for You: A Second Chance at Life by Ryan T Reichert Ourprotectordevelopment.com Amazon.com Our Protector Development, God Only Knows When the Devil Comes for You tells a story through the lends of a second chance at life with multitudes of failure but also some great miracels too. It is a faith journey which guides the reader through one's life and reflection, where some tools are developed so one can use them to protect themselves with God in their life and Jesus Christ by their side. It is a born-again Christian's work to help anyone else before they might have to go through the same trials or as they are going through the flames in their journey. One child of God just wants to be of service to another child of God.

Send us a textOn this episode, Tom and Bert discuss the Fun Facts about Songs of the 1960's.Let the debates begin, are these all "True" Facts or do the guys have some Fact Checking of their own to do? Listen in and you'll get the usual challenges and banter that the guys toss around.  It's ALL in Good Fun! Chapter Highlights:(4:49) "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen(7:42) "The Girl from Ipanema" by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz(10:00) "Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel(11:45) "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys(12:45) "Respect" by Otis Redding(23:25) "Can't take my eyes off of you" by The 4 Seasons(29:04) "My Generation" by The Who(31:47) "The Twist" by Chubby Checker(34:11) "When a Man loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge(43:58) "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals(49:14) "I got you Babe" by Sonny and Cher(53:07) "Palisades Park" by Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon(55:25) "Yesterday" by The Beatles Enjoy the show!You can email us at reeldealzmoviesandmusic@gmail.com or visit our Facebook page, Reel Dealz Podcast: Movies & Music Thru The Decades to leave comments and/or TEXT us at 843-855-1704 as well.

Jarek Smietana, Gary Bartz – African Dream – 8:56 Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran – God Only Knows – 3:31 Christian McBride – Ballad of Ernie Washington – 5:34 Nina Simone – Ain’t Got No / I Got Life – (Groovefinder Remix) – 3:18 Sonny Rollins – God Bless the Child – Remastered – 7:26 Charles […]

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Returning to albumtoalbum for a long-overdue reunion is renowned actor, occasional Dalek and author of The Complete David Bowie, Nicholas Pegg. Nick's an old friend of the podcast and has tackled some of David Bowie's most acclaimed albums in previous episodes - as well as exploring entire eras (our 198More series of chats take an overview of Bowie's singles, soundtracks and various off-extramural activities 1981 - 1989). Now, he's back to tackle one of the most challenging artefacts in the Bowie oeuvre - the much-maligned 1984 album Tonight. A rag-tag bag of semi-sentient cover versions, marimbas, an absolutely bracingly brilliant long-form promo video (very 1984) a couple of superb Bowie evergreens, some blue-and-brown-eyed reggae and uncharacteristically insipid production, Tonight might not be the worst album of 1984, but it fell short of what long time Bowie fans had come to expect. Clearly geared to what Bowie assumed were his new Let's Dance-era fans, the album was recorded almost straight after the massive Serious Moonlight tour, without the satisfying thwack that conceptual cohesion and creative conviction characterising Bowie's best work to date. Here, Bowie opted to work with a young British producer, Derek Bramble, who had little awareness of Bowie's work. As Nick says in this episode, Bramble's lack of public profile might have appealed to Bowie, after the megawatt presence of Nile Rogers on Let's Dance. Fair enough. But then, getting happening, in-demand producer, most recently with The Police, Hugh Padgham on board, in the junior role of engineer, wasn't Bowie's brightest idea. In this episode, we kick off by looking back at the lead-up to the album's recording (in Canada), a cast of characters including Derek Bramble, Hugh Padgham, Iggy Pop and Carlos Alomar and the album's first three tracks - Loving The Alien, Don't Look Down and the unforgettable cover version of the Beach Boys' God Only Knows.  With thanks to Nicholas Pegg, and Leah Kardos for the background music. During the conversation, we have references from Chris O'Leary, Charles Shaar Murray and that Bowie resource par excellence, bowiebible.com

Robert Hinchliffe – Words Upon an Ocean Wayne Shorter ft. Milton Nascimento - Ponta de Areia Norma Tanega – Now Is The Time The Langley Schools Music Project – God Only Knows David Johansen - Flamingo Road Psychic TV - The Orchids Samantha Jones - Today Without You Roy Harper – How Does It Feel

2024 Fall TV Preview: It is everyone's favorite time of the year! Fall TV Preview is here and they have a ton of crap ready to throw right in your face and shove down your throat. Doctor Shows: Always a staple! We got eccentric doctors this season! Some of them can't see faces and some of them have to work on a cruise ship. Travis Kelce: This fucking guy just won't go away. He's also invading our game shows and our Ryan Murphy's shows! FUCK YOU WATCH THIS!, THE BEAR!, RICK ROSS!, JAY Z!, THE DEVIL IS A LIE!, JAPAN!, PLANNED PARENTHOOD CANTINA!, LIVE MAS!, FALL TV!, NEW SHOWS!, BULLSHIT!, AUSTRALIAN!, MOCKUMENTARY!, THE OFFICE!, MODERN FAMILY!, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY!, ST. DENIS!, PARKS AND REC!, KRAMPUS!, CONNECTION PROBLEMS!, DAVID ALAN GRIER!, DAG!, KEVIN BACON!, SITCOMS!, POPPA'S HOUSE!, LAUGH TRACK!, COMMUNITY!, HAPPY'S PLACE!, REBA IS BACK!, BAR!, NOBODY WANTS THIS!, NETFLIX!, KRISTEN BELL!, ADAM BRODY!, SERIES!, RABBI!, JEWISH!, WHORE PODCAST!, DR. ODYSSEY!, ZACHARY QUINTO!, SYLAR!, HEROES!, SPOCK!, MASSIVE HEAD INJURY!, AWAKENINGS!, BROADWAY!, GOD ONLY KNOWS!, BLACKHOLE SUN!, SOUNDGARDEN!, NCIS ORIGINS!, JOSHUA JACKSON!, PACEY!, CRUISE SHIP!, DOCTOR!, BRILLIANT MIND!, POOL!, BEACH!, KAITLIN OLSON!, HIGH POTENTIAL!, CLEANING LADY!, DETECTIVE!, CASES!, COLUMBO!, RAIN MAN!, GOOD WILL CUNTING!, MATLOCK!, KATHY BATES!, ELDER!, UNASSUMING!, RESCUE HI SURF!, TRAVIC KELCE!, ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A CELEBRITY!?, GROTEQUIRIE!, RYAN MURPHY!, AARON HERNANDEZ!, AMERICAN SPORTS STORY!, YOUNG SHELDON SPIN OFF!, GEORGIE AND MANDY'S FIRST MARRIAGE!, DEXTER ORIGINAL SIN!, WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE!, HEY DUDE!, SALUTE YOUR SHORTS!, BOY MEETS WORLD!  You can find the videos from this episode at our Discord RIGHT HERE!

In this episode of Dem Vinyl Boyz, we dive into one of the most influential albums in music history—The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, released in 1966. Often regarded as a masterpiece, Pet Sounds redefined what a pop album could be, blending lush harmonies with complex production techniques and introspective lyrics that transcended the surf rock sound The Beach Boys were known for. Featuring timeless tracks like "Wouldn’t It Be Nice," "God Only Knows," and "Sloop John B," Pet Sounds captured Brian Wilson’s genius as a producer and songwriter. The album's orchestral arrangements and emotional depth set it apart, influencing countless musicians and marking a turning point in the evolution of popular music. In this episode, we’ll explore the making of Pet Sounds, discussing Brian Wilson’s innovative recording techniques, the challenges the band faced during production, and the album’s impact on the music industry. We’ll also reflect on how Pet Sounds continues to inspire artists across generations and remains a beloved album among fans. Join us on Dem Vinyl Boyz as we celebrate Pet Sounds, an album that pushed the boundaries of pop music and remains one of the most revered records of all time.

Lance Wallnau headlines the so-called "Courage Tour," an evangelical road show that aims to mobilize religious conservatives to vote, serve as election workers and spread the gospel of Trumpism. Wallnau, 68, is a business consultant, self-proclaimed prophet and firebrand influencer in the growing charismatic Christian movement. He views Donald Trump as a once-in-a-thousand years figure - flawed but divinely chosen to navigate chaotic times. Major travels to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to speak with Wallnau and religious scholar and author Matthew Taylor about the impact evangelicals could have on the 2024 election. Join us!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick Only Knows (What Andy Would Do) (To the tune of "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys) [Verse 1] They play with the heat, it's more than just fun, When Nick hits a note, Andy comes undone, If ever they part, they'd still feel the pull, Nick only knows when Andy gets full. [Chorus] Nick only knows what Andy would do, When they're together, oh girl you'll feel it too, If you should ever watch, you'd feel it too, Nick only knows what Andy would do. [Bridge] (Saxophone melody) (Musical interlude with vocal harmonies) [Outro] Nick only knows, Nick only knows, Nick only knows what Andy would do. {written by our cumputer overlords at chatgpt} We're psyched to partner up with our buddies at Volume.com! Check out their roster of upcoming live events and on-demand shows to enrich that sweet life of yours. Call, leave a message, and tell us if you think one can get addicted to mushrooms: (720) 996-2403  Check out our new album!, L'Optimist on all platforms Follow us on Instagram @worldsavingpodcast For more information on Andy Frasco, the band and/or the blog, go to: AndyFrasco.com Check out our good friends that help us unwind and sleep easy while on the road and at home: dialedingummies.com Produced by Andy Frasco, Joe Angelhow, & Chris Lorentz Audio mix by Chris Lorentz Featuring: Arno Bakker

For this special Bonus episode, we're re-releasing an episode of Scott's old podcast Pop Unmuted. Tying in with our most recent episode where Comedian and Musician Allie Goertz chose "God Only Knows" as the greatest song she's ever heard in her entire life, this 2016 episode of Pop Unmuted finds Scott and his cohost Kurt Trowbridge breaking down the Beach Boy's song on a music theory level, analyzing the chord and melody structure to answer what should be a simple question: What key is this song in?   Be sure to go back and listen to our full episode with Allie Goertz and check out Kurt Trowbridge's website Crownnote.com, a social platform for making your own personal music charts   @gr8songpod on twitter, instagram, and tiktok @ScottInterrante on instagram @Katherinethegr8 on instagram Theme music: "Kratos In Love" by Skylar Spence Mixing Assistance by Michael Isabella Podcast Art designed by Roger Feeley-Lussier

Writer/Comedian/Musician Allie Goertz joins us to talk about her new album of Nine Inch Nails covers, Peeled Back, balancing listening to music and podcasts, and the greatest song she's ever heard in her entire life, "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys! Plus, Scott and Katherine discuss Katy Perry's "Woman's World" and the viral "Apple" dance. Follow Allie on instagram or twitter @alliegoertz and get Peeled Back wherever you listen to music   @gr8songpod on twitter, instagram, and tiktok @ScottInterrante on instagram @Katherinethegr8 on instagram Theme music: "Kratos In Love" by Skylar Spence Mixing Assistance by Michael Isabella Podcast Art designed by Roger Feeley-Lussier We're now on YouTube! Like And Subscribe, as they say, @gr8songpod

Today, we're diving deep into something that's been heavy on my heart—those complicated, often painful relationships in our lives. You know, the ones I'm talking about—the ones that ache deep within you and keep you up at night. Our nearest and dearest struggles either with our spouses, children, parents, siblings, churches or even colleagues- can leave us feeling lost, overwhelmed, and desperate for answers or even an escape hatch at times.  I've been there, friends. Oh, have I been there. And I know how crippling it can feel. But here's the beautiful truth I've discovered on this journey: the relationship we need to heal most is often with ourselves. I know it might sound counterintuitive and maybe even a little selfish, but stick with me here because this is where the magic happens. In this episode, we're exploring what I like to call the "magic sauce" of relational healing: - Why healing your relationship with yourself is the key to unlocking clarity and wisdom with how to deal with all other relationships - How our relationship with ourselves profoundly impacts every area of our lives - A special 7-day mirror exercise that might feel uncomfortable at first, but could change everything - The spiritual perspective on self-love and soul care and its critical importance in our walk with God Takeaway quote: "As we heal our relationship with ourselves, I'm telling you, other relationships around us are healed. And as we find boundaries, we find clarity." Verse mentioned: Jeremiah 1:5 "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born, I set you apart." Song mentioned: "God Only Knows" by King & Country If you're ready to go deeper in this healing journey, learn more about the Feel Better Journey coaching program at www.danisumner.com/thefeelbetterjourney With love and gratitude, Dani

This podcast covers New Girl Season 4, Episode 11, LAXmas, which originally aired on December 9, 2014 and was written by Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson and directed by Trent O'Donnell. Here's a quick recap of the episode:In this episode, Jess, Nick, Winston, Schmidt, Cece, and Coach are traveling for Christmas despite doubts and setbacks.This episode got an 8/10 rating from both Kritika and Kelly; Kritika's favorite character was Schmidt and Kelly's favorite was Nick.While not discussed in the podcast, we noted other references in this episode including:Santa - The opening play blamed Santa for eating “Gingy's” arm. Additionally, Jess thought the man at the bar with the white beard was Santa. We talked about Santa for our Pop Culture reference on our podcast in S2 E11 - Santa.Annie - When Jess is pleading with Barry for plane tickets, Barry says he sarcastically says, “Oh, I didn't know that [it was Christmas]. I thought they just did a black version of Annie for no reason.”HBO GO - Schmidt proposed to Cece that they should wait in the first-class lounge, “like the other HBO GO subscribers.”Oprah Winfrey - Barry quoted Oprah Winfrey in this episode, saying: "Greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude."McDuck - Nick thought Ryan's family had “McDuck money” based on the picture of his house in England.Downton Abbey / Anna and Mr. Bates - When looking at the picture of Ryan's house the gang asked where the characters from Downton Abbey were and if they had seen the show.Scrubs - When Jess and Barry were talking at the bar, Barry said meeting his ex-boyfriend's family over the holidays was worse than the last season of Scrubs.Billy Joel / "Piano Man" / "Goodnight Saigon" - When Schmidt was recounting to the guy in the lounge that he was from Long Island, and not Manhattan, he exclaimed aspects of Long Island culture, including Billy Joel and some of his songs.Paul Dano - Barry shared that he thought Paul Dano was on Nick and Winston's flight where they got first class seats.Daniel Craig - When Schmidt shared to Cece that the guy in the lounge disrespected something more important to him than “any stupid lounge”, Cece questioned if it was  Daniel Craig's tailoring.Thanks for listening and stay tuned for Episode 12! Music: "Hotshot” by scottholmesmusic.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram or email us at whosthatgirlpod@gmail.com!Website: https://smallscreenchatter.com/

Clay has always had a bit of a distaste for The Beach Boys…can Michael change his mind with the song “God Only Knows”?  * Audio Clips: With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles God Only Knows - The Beach Boys Wouldn't It Be Nice - The Beach Boys Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band - The Beatles I Get Around - The Beach Boys --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/igotasong/message

The Richard Syrett Show, May 15th, 2024 HOW NATIONS ESCAPE POVERTY The miraculous transformation of two seemingly disparate nations —Poland and Vietnam— from socialist sinkholes of misery into vibrant, prosperous, opportunity-rich economies https://nations-escape-poverty.com Ranier Zitelman, German historian sociologist, multiple best-selling author whose books include: Hitler's National Socialism, The Power of Capitalism and In Defense of Capitalism.. His latest book is How Nations Escape Poverty. THE CULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE Twenty-one years into Australia's official permanent drought, drought is at an historical low. The press says Arizona has become too hot for people to live. Meanwhile...it is still snowing on May 11 and people are still skiing. Tony Heller, Founder of Real Climate Science dot com We should follow New Zealand on housing and free up more land for growth https://financialpost.com/opinion/canada-new-zealand-housing-free-up-land  Wendell Cox – Senior Fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy with expertise in housing affordability and municipal Policy https://fcpp.org/ OPEN LINES Mirrored image of King Charles' new portrait 'reveals face of Baphomet'  https://www.wnd.com/2024/05/creepy-mirrored-image-king-charles-new-portrait-reveals-baphomet-face/ THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY May 13th In 1967, The Monkees' second album, More of The Monkees, hit No.1 on the UK chart. Interestingly, there were only four albums that reached the top spot that year: The Sound of Music soundtrack, which spent 17 weeks at No.1, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for 25 weeks, and The Monkees' first and second albums.  May 13th In 1967, The Supremes scored their tenth No.1 single in the US with “The Happening,” the theme song to the 1967 film of the same name. It was the final single under the name “The Supremes,” as the group changed their name to “Diana Ross & The Supremes” before their next release.  May 14th In 1988, Led Zeppelin reunited for Atlantic Records' 40th-anniversary party at Madison Square Garden, appearing with drummer Jason Bonham, who stood in for his late father, John Bonham. Their second reunion since splitting, the band's performance was disorganized and tense, as Jimmy Page and Robert Plant had argued about playing “Stairway to Heaven” prior to performing. Page described the appearance as “one big disappointment” and Plant agreed, noting that “the gig was foul.” Foreigner, Genesis, Ben E. King, and Wilson Pickett were among the other acts taking the stage.  May 16th On this day in music, May 16, 1966, The Beach Boys released their 11th studio album, Pet Sounds. Written, produced, and arranged primarily by Brian Wilson, the album was revolutionary for a variety of reasons – including its broad use of instrumentation (including a synthesizer, theremin, bike bells, and even soda cans), as well as Wilson's ambitious production techniques, which found him turning the studio into an instrument itself. Featuring hits like “Wouldn't It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows,” the album was transformative within the music industry and within popular culture, influencing countless producers, engineers, songwriters, and musicians. Today, it is considered to be among one of the greatest albums of all time, while it was added to the National Recording Registry in 2004.   Jeremiah Tittle, Co-Host of “The 500 with Josh Adam Myers” Podcast, CEO/Founder of Next Chapter Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter: @podgaverockInsta: @podgaverockSpecial Guest Hosts: Chris BendtThe Beach Boys' “God Only Knows" from the 1966 album "Pet Sounds" released on Capital. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher and produced by Brian Wilson.Personel:Carl Wilson – lead vocals, twelve-string electric guitarBruce Johnston – backing vocalsBrian Wilson – backing vocalsOther Personel:Terry Melcher – tambourineThe Wrecking Crew - session musiciansThe Sid Sharp Strings - string sectionCover:Performed by Josh Bond, Neal Marsh, and Chris BendtIntro Music:"Shithouse" 2010 release from "A Collection of Songs for the Kings". Written by Josh Bond. Produced by Frank Charlton.Other Artists Mentioned:The Beatles "Getting Better" 

Twitter: @podgaverockInsta: @podgaverockSpecial Guest Hosts: Chris BendtThe Beach Boys' “God Only Knows" from the 1966 album "Pet Sounds" released on Capital. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher and produced by Brian Wilson.Personel:Carl Wilson – lead vocals, twelve-string electric guitarBruce Johnston – backing vocalsBrian Wilson – backing vocalsOther Personel:Terry Melcher – tambourineThe Wrecking Crew - session musiciansThe Sid Sharp Strings - string sectionCover:Performed by Josh Bond, Neal Marsh, and Chris BendtIntro Music:"Shithouse" 2010 release from "A Collection of Songs for the Kings". Written by Josh Bond. Produced by Frank Charlton.Other Artists Mentioned:Jerry Lee LewisMatthew McConaughyDazed and ConfusedFor the Kings “Hellbound”Bapa Bendt “Songs for Smith”Whiskey BendtBad Bad WolfThe Beach Boys “Surfin' Safari”The Beach Boys “Kokomo”John StamosFull HouseThe Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”The Beach Boys “Sloop John B”The Beach Boys “Wouldn't It Be Nice”The Beatles “Rubber Soul”The Lovin' Spoonful “You Didn't Have To Be So Nice”The Beatles “Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes “Home”Patti SMith “Because the Night”Paul McCartneyBachGrizzley BearTame ImpalaBeckMGMTSpoonDavid BowieGlen CampbellNeil DiamondElton JohnBen KwellerLike a VersionPentatonix

Imagine what it would be like to move your family of 8 across the ocean only to find out your job had been canceled? That's what happened in the Smallbone family who you probably know as the band For King and Country. Joel Smallbone is here to talk about growing up without a proper bed but with a front-row seat to miracles. He's here to talk about his new film, Unsung Hero. Joel Smallbone is one-half of the 4 time Grammy award-winning duo For King and Country with his brother Luke. They have generated over 2 billion streams, 10 GMA Dove awards, and 17 KLOVE fan awards. You know their songs from For God is With Us, God Only Knows, Joy, and Together. The new movie chronicling their family's journey from Australia to America is called Unsung Hero. It opens in theaters nationwide on April 26. To find out more about Unsung Hero, go to unsunghero.movie Listen to Helen Smallbone's podcast, MumLife Community on AccessMore accessmore.com/pd/MumLife-Community Not feeling too happy as a mom? Get the encouragement you need today in Arlene's book, 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Mom. A lot can happen in 31 days! amazon.com/gp/product/0736963502/?tag=arlenpelli-20 Have a question for Arlene to address on the podcast? Please email Arlene your questions and the topics you want covered on the show! speaking@arlenepellicane.com More Resources for Your Family: Subscribe to Arlene's free email list where she shares what she is learning in her home for yours. happyhomeuniversity.com/subscribe Watch a VIDEO clip from the podcast on Arlene's Happy Home YouTube Channel youtube.com/@arlenehappyhome

Episode 168 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Say a Little Prayer”, and the interaction of the sacred, political, and secular in Aretha Franklin's life and work. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a forty-five-minute bonus episode available, on "Abraham, Martin, and John" by Dion. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources No Mixcloud this week, as there are too many songs by Aretha Franklin. Even splitting it into multiple parts would have required six or seven mixes. My main biographical source for Aretha Franklin is Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz, and this is where most of the quotes from musicians come from. Information on C.L. Franklin came from Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America by Nick Salvatore. Country Soul by Charles L Hughes is a great overview of the soul music made in Muscle Shoals, Memphis, and Nashville in the sixties. Peter Guralnick's Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm And Blues And The Southern Dream Of Freedom is possibly less essential, but still definitely worth reading. Information about Martin Luther King came from Martin Luther King: A Religious Life by Paul Harvey. I also referred to Burt Bacharach's autobiography Anyone Who Had a Heart, Carole King's autobiography A Natural Woman, and Soul Serenade: King Curtis and his Immortal Saxophone by Timothy R. Hoover. For information about Amazing Grace I also used Aaron Cohen's 33 1/3 book on the album. The film of the concerts is also definitely worth watching. And the Aretha Now album is available in this five-album box set for a ludicrously cheap price. But it's actually worth getting this nineteen-CD set with her first sixteen Atlantic albums and a couple of bonus discs of demos and outtakes. There's barely a duff track in the whole nineteen discs. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript A quick warning before I begin. This episode contains some moderate references to domestic abuse, death by cancer, racial violence, police violence, and political assassination. Anyone who might be upset by those subjects might want to check the transcript rather than listening to the episode. Also, as with the previous episode on Aretha Franklin, this episode presents something of a problem. Like many people in this narrative, Franklin's career was affected by personal troubles, which shaped many of her decisions. But where most of the subjects of the podcast have chosen to live their lives in public and share intimate details of every aspect of their personal lives, Franklin was an extremely private person, who chose to share only carefully sanitised versions of her life, and tried as far as possible to keep things to herself. This of course presents a dilemma for anyone who wants to tell her story -- because even though the information is out there in biographies, and even though she's dead, it's not right to disrespect someone's wish for a private life. I have therefore tried, wherever possible, to stay away from talk of her personal life except where it *absolutely* affects the work, or where other people involved have publicly shared their own stories, and even there I've tried to keep it to a minimum. This will occasionally lead to me saying less about some topics than other people might, even though the information is easily findable, because I don't think we have an absolute right to invade someone else's privacy for entertainment. When we left Aretha Franklin, she had just finally broken through into the mainstream after a decade of performing, with a version of Otis Redding's song "Respect" on which she had been backed by her sisters, Erma and Carolyn. "Respect", in Franklin's interpretation, had been turned from a rather chauvinist song about a man demanding respect from his woman into an anthem of feminism, of Black power, and of a new political awakening. For white people of a certain generation, the summer of 1967 was "the summer of love". For many Black people, it was rather different. There's a quote that goes around (I've seen it credited in reliable sources to both Ebony and Jet magazine, but not ever seen an issue cited, so I can't say for sure where it came from) saying that the summer of 67 was the summer of "'retha, Rap, and revolt", referring to the trifecta of Aretha Franklin, the Black power leader Jamil Abdullah al-Amin (who was at the time known as H. Rap Brown, a name he later disclaimed) and the rioting that broke out in several major cities, particularly in Detroit: [Excerpt: John Lee Hooker, "The Motor City is Burning"] The mid sixties were, in many ways, the high point not of Black rights in the US -- for the most part there has been a lot of progress in civil rights in the intervening decades, though not without inevitable setbacks and attacks from the far right, and as movements like the Black Lives Matter movement have shown there is still a long way to go -- but of *hope* for Black rights. The moral force of the arguments made by the civil rights movement were starting to cause real change to happen for Black people in the US for the first time since the Reconstruction nearly a century before. But those changes weren't happening fast enough, and as we heard in the episode on "I Was Made to Love Her", there was not only a growing unrest among Black people, but a recognition that it was actually possible for things to change. A combination of hope and frustration can be a powerful catalyst, and whether Franklin wanted it or not, she was at the centre of things, both because of her newfound prominence as a star with a hit single that couldn't be interpreted as anything other than a political statement and because of her intimate family connections to the struggle. Even the most racist of white people these days pays lip service to the memory of Dr Martin Luther King, and when they do they quote just a handful of sentences from one speech King made in 1963, as if that sums up the full theological and political philosophy of that most complex of men. And as we discussed the last time we looked at Aretha Franklin, King gave versions of that speech, the "I Have a Dream" speech, twice. The most famous version was at the March on Washington, but the first time was a few weeks earlier, at what was at the time the largest civil rights demonstration in American history, in Detroit. Aretha's family connection to that event is made clear by the very opening of King's speech: [Excerpt: Martin Luther King, "Original 'I Have a Dream' Speech"] So as summer 1967 got into swing, and white rock music was going to San Francisco to wear flowers in its hair, Aretha Franklin was at the centre of a very different kind of youth revolution. Franklin's second Atlantic album, Aretha Arrives, brought in some new personnel to the team that had recorded Aretha's first album for Atlantic. Along with the core Muscle Shoals players Jimmy Johnson, Spooner Oldham, Tommy Cogbill and Roger Hawkins, and a horn section led by King Curtis, Wexler and Dowd also brought in guitarist Joe South. South was a white session player from Georgia, who had had a few minor hits himself in the fifties -- he'd got his start recording a cover version of "The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor", the Big Bopper's B-side to "Chantilly Lace": [Excerpt: Joe South, "The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor"] He'd also written a few songs that had been recorded by people like Gene Vincent, but he'd mostly become a session player. He'd become a favourite musician of Bob Johnston's, and so he'd played guitar on Simon and Garfunkel's Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme albums: [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "I am a Rock"] and bass on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, with Al Kooper particularly praising his playing on "Visions of Johanna": [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Visions of Johanna"] South would be the principal guitarist on this and Franklin's next album, before his own career took off in 1968 with "Games People Play": [Excerpt: Joe South, "Games People Play"] At this point, he had already written the other song he's best known for, "Hush", which later became a hit for Deep Purple: [Excerpt: Deep Purple, "Hush"] But he wasn't very well known, and was surprised to get the call for the Aretha Franklin session, especially because, as he put it "I was white and I was about to play behind the blackest genius since Ray Charles" But Jerry Wexler had told him that Franklin didn't care about the race of the musicians she played with, and South settled in as soon as Franklin smiled at him when he played a good guitar lick on her version of the blues standard "Going Down Slow": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Going Down Slow"] That was one of the few times Franklin smiled in those sessions though. Becoming an overnight success after years of trying and failing to make a name for herself had been a disorienting experience, and on top of that things weren't going well in her personal life. Her marriage to her manager Ted White was falling apart, and she was performing erratically thanks to the stress. In particular, at a gig in Georgia she had fallen off the stage and broken her arm. She soon returned to performing, but it meant she had problems with her right arm during the recording of the album, and didn't play as much piano as she would have previously -- on some of the faster songs she played only with her left hand. But the recording sessions had to go on, whether or not Aretha was physically capable of playing piano. As we discussed in the episode on Otis Redding, the owners of Atlantic Records were busily negotiating its sale to Warner Brothers in mid-1967. As Wexler said later “Everything in me said, Keep rolling, keep recording, keep the hits coming. She was red hot and I had no reason to believe that the streak wouldn't continue. I knew that it would be foolish—and even irresponsible—not to strike when the iron was hot. I also had personal motivation. A Wall Street financier had agreed to see what we could get for Atlantic Records. While Ahmet and Neshui had not agreed on a selling price, they had gone along with my plan to let the financier test our worth on the open market. I was always eager to pump out hits, but at this moment I was on overdrive. In this instance, I had a good partner in Ted White, who felt the same. He wanted as much product out there as possible." In truth, you can tell from Aretha Arrives that it's a record that was being thought of as "product" rather than one being made out of any kind of artistic impulse. It's a fine album -- in her ten-album run from I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You through Amazing Grace there's not a bad album and barely a bad track -- but there's a lack of focus. There are only two originals on the album, neither of them written by Franklin herself, and the rest is an incoherent set of songs that show the tension between Franklin and her producers at Atlantic. Several songs are the kind of standards that Franklin had recorded for her old label Columbia, things like "You Are My Sunshine", or her version of "That's Life", which had been a hit for Frank Sinatra the previous year: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "That's Life"] But mixed in with that are songs that are clearly the choice of Wexler. As we've discussed previously in episodes on Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, at this point Atlantic had the idea that it was possible for soul artists to cross over into the white market by doing cover versions of white rock hits -- and indeed they'd had some success with that tactic. So while Franklin was suggesting Sinatra covers, Atlantic's hand is visible in the choices of songs like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "96 Tears": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "96 Tears'] Of the two originals on the album, one, the hit single "Baby I Love You" was written by Ronnie Shannon, the Detroit songwriter who had previously written "I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Baby I Love You"] As with the previous album, and several other songs on this one, that had backing vocals by Aretha's sisters, Erma and Carolyn. But the other original on the album, "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)", didn't, even though it was written by Carolyn: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)"] To explain why, let's take a little detour and look at the co-writer of the song this episode is about, though we're not going to get to that for a little while yet. We've not talked much about Burt Bacharach in this series so far, but he's one of those figures who has come up a few times in the periphery and will come up again, so here is as good a time as any to discuss him, and bring everyone up to speed about his career up to 1967. Bacharach was one of the more privileged figures in the sixties pop music field. His father, Bert Bacharach (pronounced the same as his son, but spelled with an e rather than a u) had been a famous newspaper columnist, and his parents had bought him a Steinway grand piano to practice on -- they pushed him to learn the piano even though as a kid he wasn't interested in finger exercises and Debussy. What he was interested in, though, was jazz, and as a teenager he would often go into Manhattan and use a fake ID to see people like Dizzy Gillespie, who he idolised, and in his autobiography he talks rapturously of seeing Gillespie playing his bent trumpet -- he once saw Gillespie standing on a street corner with a pet monkey on his shoulder, and went home and tried to persuade his parents to buy him a monkey too. In particular, he talks about seeing the Count Basie band with Sonny Payne on drums as a teenager: [Excerpt: Count Basie, "Kid From Red Bank"] He saw them at Birdland, the club owned by Morris Levy where they would regularly play, and said of the performance "they were just so incredibly exciting that all of a sudden, I got into music in a way I never had before. What I heard in those clubs really turned my head around— it was like a big breath of fresh air when somebody throws open a window. That was when I knew for the first time how much I loved music and wanted to be connected to it in some way." Of course, there's a rather major problem with this story, as there is so often with narratives that musicians tell about their early career. In this case, Birdland didn't open until 1949, when Bacharach was twenty-one and stationed in Germany for his military service, while Sonny Payne didn't join Basie's band until 1954, when Bacharach had been a professional musician for many years. Also Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet bell only got bent on January 6, 1953. But presumably while Bacharach was conflating several memories, he did have some experience in some New York jazz club that led him to want to become a musician. Certainly there were enough great jazz musicians playing the clubs in those days. He went to McGill University to study music for two years, then went to study with Darius Milhaud, a hugely respected modernist composer. Milhaud was also one of the most important music teachers of the time -- among others he'd taught Stockhausen and Xenakkis, and would go on to teach Philip Glass and Steve Reich. This suited Bacharach, who by this point was a big fan of Schoenberg and Webern, and was trying to write atonal, difficult music. But Milhaud had also taught Dave Brubeck, and when Bacharach rather shamefacedly presented him with a composition which had an actual tune, he told Bacharach "Never be ashamed of writing a tune you can whistle". He dropped out of university and, like most men of his generation, had to serve in the armed forces. When he got out of the army, he continued his musical studies, still trying to learn to be an avant-garde composer, this time with Bohuslav Martinů and later with Henry Cowell, the experimental composer we've heard about quite a bit in previous episodes: [Excerpt: Henry Cowell, "Aeolian Harp and Sinister Resonance"] He was still listening to a lot of avant garde music, and would continue doing so throughout the fifties, going to see people like John Cage. But he spent much of that time working in music that was very different from the avant-garde. He got a job as the band leader for the crooner Vic Damone: [Excerpt: Vic Damone. "Ebb Tide"] He also played for the vocal group the Ames Brothers. He decided while he was working with the Ames Brothers that he could write better material than they were getting from their publishers, and that it would be better to have a job where he didn't have to travel, so he got himself a job as a staff songwriter in the Brill Building. He wrote a string of flops and nearly hits, starting with "Keep Me In Mind" for Patti Page: [Excerpt: Patti Page, "Keep Me In Mind"] From early in his career he worked with the lyricist Hal David, and the two of them together wrote two big hits, "Magic Moments" for Perry Como: [Excerpt: Perry Como, "Magic Moments"] and "The Story of My Life" for Marty Robbins: [Excerpt: "The Story of My Life"] But at that point Bacharach was still also writing with other writers, notably Hal David's brother Mack, with whom he wrote the theme tune to the film The Blob, as performed by The Five Blobs: [Excerpt: The Five Blobs, "The Blob"] But Bacharach's songwriting career wasn't taking off, and he got himself a job as musical director for Marlene Dietrich -- a job he kept even after it did start to take off.  Part of the problem was that he intuitively wrote music that didn't quite fit into standard structures -- there would be odd bars of unusual time signatures thrown in, unusual harmonies, and structural irregularities -- but then he'd take feedback from publishers and producers who would tell him the song could only be recorded if he straightened it out. He said later "The truth is that I ruined a lot of songs by not believing in myself enough to tell these guys they were wrong." He started writing songs for Scepter Records, usually with Hal David, but also with Bob Hilliard and Mack David, and started having R&B hits. One song he wrote with Mack David, "I'll Cherish You", had the lyrics rewritten by Luther Dixon to make them more harsh-sounding for a Shirelles single -- but the single was otherwise just Bacharach's demo with the vocals replaced, and you can even hear his voice briefly at the beginning: [Excerpt: The Shirelles, "Baby, It's You"] But he'd also started becoming interested in the production side of records more generally. He'd iced that some producers, when recording his songs, would change the sound for the worse -- he thought Gene McDaniels' version of "Tower of Strength", for example, was too fast. But on the other hand, other producers got a better sound than he'd heard in his head. He and Hilliard had written a song called "Please Stay", which they'd given to Leiber and Stoller to record with the Drifters, and he thought that their arrangement of the song was much better than the one he'd originally thought up: [Excerpt: The Drifters, "Please Stay"] He asked Leiber and Stoller if he could attend all their New York sessions and learn about record production from them. He started doing so, and eventually they started asking him to assist them on records. He and Hilliard wrote a song called "Mexican Divorce" for the Drifters, which Leiber and Stoller were going to produce, and as he put it "they were so busy running Redbird Records that they asked me to rehearse the background singers for them in my office." [Excerpt: The Drifters, "Mexican Divorce"] The backing singers who had been brought in to augment the Drifters on that record were a group of vocalists who had started out as members of a gospel group called the Drinkard singers: [Excerpt: The Drinkard Singers, "Singing in My Soul"] The Drinkard Singers had originally been a family group, whose members included Cissy Drinkard, who joined the group aged five (and who on her marriage would become known as Cissy Houston -- her daughter Whitney would later join the family business), her aunt Lee Warrick, and Warrick's adopted daughter Judy Clay. That group were discovered by the great gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, and spent much of the fifties performing with gospel greats including Jackson herself, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. But Houston was also the musical director of a group at her church, the Gospelaires, which featured Lee Warrick's two daughters Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick (for those who don't know, the Warwick sisters' birth name was Warrick, spelled with two rs. A printing error led to it being misspelled the same way as the British city on a record label, and from that point on Dionne at least pronounced the w in her misspelled name). And slowly, the Gospelaires rather than the Drinkard Singers became the focus, with a lineup of Houston, the Warwick sisters, the Warwick sisters' cousin Doris Troy, and Clay's sister Sylvia Shemwell. The real change in the group's fortunes came when, as we talked about a while back in the episode on "The Loco-Motion", the original lineup of the Cookies largely stopped working as session singers to become Ray Charles' Raelettes. As we discussed in that episode, a new lineup of Cookies formed in 1961, but it took a while for them to get started, and in the meantime the producers who had been relying on them for backing vocals were looking elsewhere, and they looked to the Gospelaires. "Mexican Divorce" was the first record to feature the group as backing vocalists -- though reports vary as to how many of them are on the record, with some saying it's only Troy and the Warwicks, others saying Houston was there, and yet others saying it was all five of them. Some of these discrepancies were because these singers were so good that many of them left to become solo singers in fairly short order. Troy was the first to do so, with her hit "Just One Look", on which the other Gospelaires sang backing vocals: [Excerpt: Doris Troy, "Just One Look"] But the next one to go solo was Dionne Warwick, and that was because she'd started working with Bacharach and Hal David as their principal demo singer. She started singing lead on their demos, and hoping that she'd get to release them on her own. One early one was "Make it Easy On Yourself", which was recorded by Jerry Butler, formerly of the Impressions. That record was produced by Bacharach, one of the first records he produced without outside supervision: [Excerpt: Jerry Butler, "Make it Easy On Yourself"] Warwick was very jealous that a song she'd sung the demo of had become a massive hit for someone else, and blamed Bacharach and David. The way she tells the story -- Bacharach always claimed this never happened, but as we've already seen he was himself not always the most reliable of narrators of his own life -- she got so angry she complained to them, and said "Don't make me over, man!" And so Bacharach and David wrote her this: [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "Don't Make Me Over"] Incidentally, in the UK, the hit version of that was a cover by the Swinging Blue Jeans: [Excerpt: The Swinging Blue Jeans, "Don't Make Me Over"] who also had a huge hit with "You're No Good": [Excerpt: The Swinging Blue Jeans, "You're No Good"] And *that* was originally recorded by *Dee Dee* Warwick: [Excerpt: Dee Dee Warwick, "You're No Good"] Dee Dee also had a successful solo career, but Dionne's was the real success, making the names of herself, and of Bacharach and David. The team had more than twenty top forty hits together, before Bacharach and David had a falling out in 1971 and stopped working together, and Warwick sued both of them for breach of contract as a result. But prior to that they had hit after hit, with classic records like "Anyone Who Had a Heart": [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "Anyone Who Had a Heart"] And "Walk On By": [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "Walk On By"] With Doris, Dionne, and Dee Dee all going solo, the group's membership was naturally in flux -- though the departed members would occasionally join their former bandmates for sessions, and the remaining members would sing backing vocals on their ex-members' records. By 1965 the group consisted of Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, the Warwick sisters' cousin Myrna Smith, and Estelle Brown. The group became *the* go-to singers for soul and R&B records made in New York. They were regularly hired by Leiber and Stoller to sing on their records, and they were also the particular favourites of Bert Berns. They sang backing vocals on almost every record he produced. It's them doing the gospel wails on "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms: [Excerpt: Garnet Mimms, "Cry Baby"] And they sang backing vocals on both versions of "If You Need Me" -- Wilson Pickett's original and Solomon Burke's more successful cover version, produced by Berns: [Excerpt: Solomon Burke, "If You Need Me"] They're on such Berns records as "Show Me Your Monkey", by Kenny Hamber: [Excerpt: Kenny Hamber, "Show Me Your Monkey"] And it was a Berns production that ended up getting them to be Aretha Franklin's backing group. The group were becoming such an important part of the records that Atlantic and BANG Records, in particular, were putting out, that Jerry Wexler said "it was only a matter of common decency to put them under contract as a featured group". He signed them to Atlantic and renamed them from the Gospelaires to The Sweet Inspirations.  Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham wrote a song for the group which became their only hit under their own name: [Excerpt: The Sweet Inspirations, "Sweet Inspiration"] But to start with, they released a cover of Pops Staples' civil rights song "Why (Am I treated So Bad)": [Excerpt: The Sweet Inspirations, "Why (Am I Treated So Bad?)"] That hadn't charted, and meanwhile, they'd all kept doing session work. Cissy had joined Erma and Carolyn Franklin on the backing vocals for Aretha's "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You"] Shortly after that, the whole group recorded backing vocals for Erma's single "Piece of My Heart", co-written and produced by Berns: [Excerpt: Erma Franklin, "Piece of My Heart"] That became a top ten record on the R&B charts, but that caused problems. Aretha Franklin had a few character flaws, and one of these was an extreme level of jealousy for any other female singer who had any level of success and came up in the business after her. She could be incredibly graceful towards anyone who had been successful before her -- she once gave one of her Grammies away to Esther Phillips, who had been up for the same award and had lost to her -- but she was terribly insecure, and saw any contemporary as a threat. She'd spent her time at Columbia Records fuming (with some justification) that Barbra Streisand was being given a much bigger marketing budget than her, and she saw Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Dionne Warwick as rivals rather than friends. And that went doubly for her sisters, who she was convinced should be supporting her because of family loyalty. She had been infuriated at John Hammond when Columbia had signed Erma, thinking he'd gone behind her back to create competition for her. And now Erma was recording with Bert Berns. Bert Berns who had for years been a colleague of Jerry Wexler and the Ertegun brothers at Atlantic. Aretha was convinced that Wexler had put Berns up to signing Erma as some kind of power play. There was only one problem with this -- it simply wasn't true. As Wexler later explained “Bert and I had suffered a bad falling-out, even though I had enormous respect for him. After all, he was the guy who brought over guitarist Jimmy Page from England to play on our sessions. Bert, Ahmet, Nesuhi, and I had started a label together—Bang!—where Bert produced Van Morrison's first album. But Bert also had a penchant for trouble. He courted the wise guys. He wanted total control over every last aspect of our business dealings. Finally it was too much, and the Erteguns and I let him go. He sued us for breach of contract and suddenly we were enemies. I felt that he signed Erma, an excellent singer, not merely for her talent but as a way to get back at me. If I could make a hit with Aretha, he'd show me up by making an even bigger hit on Erma. Because there was always an undercurrent of rivalry between the sisters, this only added to the tension.” There were two things that resulted from this paranoia on Aretha's part. The first was that she and Wexler, who had been on first-name terms up to that point, temporarily went back to being "Mr. Wexler" and "Miss Franklin" to each other. And the second was that Aretha no longer wanted Carolyn and Erma to be her main backing vocalists, though they would continue to appear on her future records on occasion. From this point on, the Sweet Inspirations would be the main backing vocalists for Aretha in the studio throughout her golden era [xxcut line (and when the Sweet Inspirations themselves weren't on the record, often it would be former members of the group taking their place)]: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)"] The last day of sessions for Aretha Arrives was July the twenty-third, 1967. And as we heard in the episode on "I Was Made to Love Her", that was the day that the Detroit riots started. To recap briefly, that was four days of rioting started because of a history of racist policing, made worse by those same racist police overreacting to the initial protests. By the end of those four days, the National Guard, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 101st Airborne from Clarksville were all called in to deal with the violence, which left forty-three dead (of whom thirty-three were Black and only one was a police officer), 1,189 people were injured, and over 7,200 arrested, almost all of them Black. Those days in July would be a turning point for almost every musician based in Detroit. In particular, the police had murdered three members of the soul group the Dramatics, in a massacre of which the author John Hersey, who had been asked by President Johnson to be part of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders but had decided that would compromise his impartiality and did an independent journalistic investigation, said "The episode contained all the mythic themes of racial strife in the United States: the arm of the law taking the law into its own hands; interracial sex; the subtle poison of racist thinking by “decent” men who deny they are racists; the societal limbo into which, ever since slavery, so many young black men have been driven by our country; ambiguous justice in the courts; and the devastation in both black and white human lives that follows in the wake of violence as surely as ruinous and indiscriminate flood after torrents" But these were also the events that radicalised the MC5 -- the group had been playing a gig as Tim Buckley's support act when the rioting started, and guitarist Wayne Kramer decided afterwards to get stoned and watch the fires burning down the city through a telescope -- which police mistook for a rifle, leading to the National Guard knocking down Kramer's door. The MC5 would later cover "The Motor City is Burning", John Lee Hooker's song about the events: [Excerpt: The MC5, "The Motor City is Burning"] It would also be a turning point for Motown, too, in ways we'll talk about in a few future episodes.  And it was a political turning point too -- Michigan Governor George Romney, a liberal Republican (at a time when such people existed) had been the favourite for the Republican Presidential candidacy when he'd entered the race in December 1966, but as racial tensions ramped up in Detroit during the early months of 1967 he'd started trailing Richard Nixon, a man who was consciously stoking racists' fears. President Johnson, the incumbent Democrat, who was at that point still considering standing for re-election, made sure to make it clear to everyone during the riots that the decision to call in the National Guard had been made at the State level, by Romney, rather than at the Federal level.  That wasn't the only thing that removed the possibility of a Romney presidency, but it was a big part of the collapse of his campaign, and the, as it turned out, irrevocable turn towards right-authoritarianism that the party took with Nixon's Southern Strategy. Of course, Aretha Franklin had little way of knowing what was to come and how the riots would change the city and the country over the following decades. What she was primarily concerned about was the safety of her father, and to a lesser extent that of her sister-in-law Earline who was staying with him. Aretha, Carolyn, and Erma all tried to keep in constant touch with their father while they were out of town, and Aretha even talked about hiring private detectives to travel to Detroit, find her father, and get him out of the city to safety. But as her brother Cecil pointed out, he was probably the single most loved man among Black people in Detroit, and was unlikely to be harmed by the rioters, while he was too famous for the police to kill with impunity. Reverend Franklin had been having a stressful time anyway -- he had recently been fined for tax evasion, an action he was convinced the IRS had taken because of his friendship with Dr King and his role in the civil rights movement -- and according to Cecil "Aretha begged Daddy to move out of the city entirely. She wanted him to find another congregation in California, where he was especially popular—or at least move out to the suburbs. But he wouldn't budge. He said that, more than ever, he was needed to point out the root causes of the riots—the economic inequality, the pervasive racism in civic institutions, the woefully inadequate schools in inner-city Detroit, and the wholesale destruction of our neighborhoods by urban renewal. Some ministers fled the city, but not our father. The horror of what happened only recommitted him. He would not abandon his political agenda." To make things worse, Aretha was worried about her father in other ways -- as her marriage to Ted White was starting to disintegrate, she was looking to her father for guidance, and actually wanted him to take over her management. Eventually, Ruth Bowen, her booking agent, persuaded her brother Cecil that this was a job he could do, and that she would teach him everything he needed to know about the music business. She started training him up while Aretha was still married to White, in the expectation that that marriage couldn't last. Jerry Wexler, who only a few months earlier had been seeing Ted White as an ally in getting "product" from Franklin, had now changed his tune -- partly because the sale of Atlantic had gone through in the meantime. He later said “Sometimes she'd call me at night, and, in that barely audible little-girl voice of hers, she'd tell me that she wasn't sure she could go on. She always spoke in generalities. She never mentioned her husband, never gave me specifics of who was doing what to whom. And of course I knew better than to ask. She just said that she was tired of dealing with so much. My heart went out to her. She was a woman who suffered silently. She held so much in. I'd tell her to take as much time off as she needed. We had a lot of songs in the can that we could release without new material. ‘Oh, no, Jerry,' she'd say. ‘I can't stop recording. I've written some new songs, Carolyn's written some new songs. We gotta get in there and cut 'em.' ‘Are you sure?' I'd ask. ‘Positive,' she'd say. I'd set up the dates and typically she wouldn't show up for the first or second sessions. Carolyn or Erma would call me to say, ‘Ree's under the weather.' That was tough because we'd have asked people like Joe South and Bobby Womack to play on the sessions. Then I'd reschedule in the hopes she'd show." That third album she recorded in 1967, Lady Soul, was possibly her greatest achievement. The opening track, and second single, "Chain of Fools", released in November, was written by Don Covay -- or at least it's credited as having been written by Covay. There's a gospel record that came out around the same time on a very small label based in Houston -- "Pains of Life" by Rev. E. Fair And The Sensational Gladys Davis Trio: [Excerpt: Rev. E. Fair And The Sensational Gladys Davis Trio, "Pains of Life"] I've seen various claims online that that record came out shortly *before* "Chain of Fools", but I can't find any definitive evidence one way or the other -- it was on such a small label that release dates aren't available anywhere. Given that the B-side, which I haven't been able to track down online, is called "Wait Until the Midnight Hour", my guess is that rather than this being a case of Don Covay stealing the melody from an obscure gospel record he'd have had little chance to hear, it's the gospel record rewriting a then-current hit to be about religion, but I thought it worth mentioning. The song was actually written by Covay after Jerry Wexler asked him to come up with some songs for Otis Redding, but Wexler, after hearing it, decided it was better suited to Franklin, who gave an astonishing performance: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Chain of Fools"] Arif Mardin, the arranger of the album, said of that track “I was listed as the arranger of ‘Chain of Fools,' but I can't take credit. Aretha walked into the studio with the chart fully formed inside her head. The arrangement is based around the harmony vocals provided by Carolyn and Erma. To add heft, the Sweet Inspirations joined in. The vision of the song is entirely Aretha's.” According to Wexler, that's not *quite* true -- according to him, Joe South came up with the guitar part that makes up the intro, and he also said that when he played what he thought was the finished track to Ellie Greenwich, she came up with another vocal line for the backing vocals, which she overdubbed. But the core of the record's sound is definitely pure Aretha -- and Carolyn Franklin said that there was a reason for that. As she said later “Aretha didn't write ‘Chain,' but she might as well have. It was her story. When we were in the studio putting on the backgrounds with Ree doing lead, I knew she was singing about Ted. Listen to the lyrics talking about how for five long years she thought he was her man. Then she found out she was nothing but a link in the chain. Then she sings that her father told her to come on home. Well, he did. She sings about how her doctor said to take it easy. Well, he did too. She was drinking so much we thought she was on the verge of a breakdown. The line that slew me, though, was the one that said how one of these mornings the chain is gonna break but until then she'll take all she can take. That summed it up. Ree knew damn well that this man had been doggin' her since Jump Street. But somehow she held on and pushed it to the breaking point." [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Chain of Fools"] That made number one on the R&B charts, and number two on the hot one hundred, kept from the top by "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" by John Fred and his Playboy Band -- a record that very few people would say has stood the test of time as well. The other most memorable track on the album was the one chosen as the first single, released in September. As Carole King told the story, she and Gerry Goffin were feeling like their career was in a slump. While they had had a huge run of hits in the early sixties through 1965, they had only had two new hits in 1966 -- "Goin' Back" for Dusty Springfield and "Don't Bring Me Down" for the Animals, and neither of those were anything like as massive as their previous hits. And up to that point in 1967, they'd only had one -- "Pleasant Valley Sunday" for the Monkees. They had managed to place several songs on Monkees albums and the TV show as well, so they weren't going to starve, but the rise of self-contained bands that were starting to dominate the charts, and Phil Spector's temporary retirement, meant there simply wasn't the opportunity for them to place material that there had been. They were also getting sick of travelling to the West Coast all the time, because as their children were growing slightly older they didn't want to disrupt their lives in New York, and were thinking of approaching some of the New York based labels and seeing if they needed songs. They were particularly considering Atlantic, because soul was more open to outside songwriters than other genres. As it happened, though, they didn't have to approach Atlantic, because Atlantic approached them. They were walking down Broadway when a limousine pulled up, and Jerry Wexler stuck his head out of the window. He'd come up with a good title that he wanted to use for a song for Aretha, would they be interested in writing a song called "Natural Woman"? They said of course they would, and Wexler drove off. They wrote the song that night, and King recorded a demo the next morning: [Excerpt: Carole King, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (demo)"] They gave Wexler a co-writing credit because he had suggested the title.  King later wrote in her autobiography "Hearing Aretha's performance of “Natural Woman” for the first time, I experienced a rare speechless moment. To this day I can't convey how I felt in mere words. Anyone who had written a song in 1967 hoping it would be performed by a singer who could take it to the highest level of excellence, emotional connection, and public exposure would surely have wanted that singer to be Aretha Franklin." She went on to say "But a recording that moves people is never just about the artist and the songwriters. It's about people like Jerry and Ahmet, who matched the songwriters with a great title and a gifted artist; Arif Mardin, whose magnificent orchestral arrangement deserves the place it will forever occupy in popular music history; Tom Dowd, whose engineering skills captured the magic of this memorable musical moment for posterity; and the musicians in the rhythm section, the orchestral players, and the vocal contributions of the background singers—among them the unforgettable “Ah-oo!” after the first line of the verse. And the promotion and marketing people helped this song reach more people than it might have without them." And that's correct -- unlike "Chain of Fools", this time Franklin did let Arif Mardin do most of the arrangement work -- though she came up with the piano part that Spooner Oldham plays on the record. Mardin said that because of the song's hymn-like feel they wanted to go for a more traditional written arrangement. He said "She loved the song to the point where she said she wanted to concentrate on the vocal and vocal alone. I had written a string chart and horn chart to augment the chorus and hired Ralph Burns to conduct. After just a couple of takes, we had it. That's when Ralph turned to me with wonder in his eyes. Ralph was one of the most celebrated arrangers of the modern era. He had done ‘Early Autumn' for Woody Herman and Stan Getz, and ‘Georgia on My Mind' for Ray Charles. He'd worked with everyone. ‘This woman comes from another planet' was all Ralph said. ‘She's just here visiting.'” [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"] By this point there was a well-functioning team making Franklin's records -- while the production credits would vary over the years, they were all essentially co-productions by the team of Franklin, Wexler, Mardin and Dowd, all collaborating and working together with a more-or-less unified purpose, and the backing was always by the same handful of session musicians and some combination of the Sweet Inspirations and Aretha's sisters. That didn't mean that occasional guests couldn't get involved -- as we discussed in the Cream episode, Eric Clapton played guitar on "Good to Me as I am to You": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Good to Me as I am to You"] Though that was one of the rare occasions on one of these records where something was overdubbed. Clapton apparently messed up the guitar part when playing behind Franklin, because he was too intimidated by playing with her, and came back the next day to redo his part without her in the studio. At this point, Aretha was at the height of her fame. Just before the final batch of album sessions began she appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, and she was making regular TV appearances, like one on the Mike Douglas Show where she duetted with Frankie Valli on "That's Life": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin and Frankie Valli, "That's Life"] But also, as Wexler said “Her career was kicking into high gear. Contending and resolving both the professional and personal challenges were too much. She didn't think she could do both, and I didn't blame her. Few people could. So she let the personal slide and concentrated on the professional. " Her concert promoter Ruth Bowen said of this time "Her father and Dr. King were putting pressure on her to sing everywhere, and she felt obligated. The record company was also screaming for more product. And I had a mountain of offers on my desk that kept getting higher with every passing hour. They wanted her in Europe. They wanted her in Latin America. They wanted her in every major venue in the U.S. TV was calling. She was being asked to do guest appearances on every show from Carol Burnett to Andy Williams to the Hollywood Palace. She wanted to do them all and she wanted to do none of them. She wanted to do them all because she's an entertainer who burns with ambition. She wanted to do none of them because she was emotionally drained. She needed to go away and renew her strength. I told her that at least a dozen times. She said she would, but she didn't listen to me." The pressures from her father and Dr King are a recurring motif in interviews with people about this period. Franklin was always a very political person, and would throughout her life volunteer time and money to liberal political causes and to the Democratic Party, but this was the height of her activism -- the Civil Rights movement was trying to capitalise on the gains it had made in the previous couple of years, and celebrity fundraisers and performances at rallies were an important way to do that. And at this point there were few bigger celebrities in America than Aretha Franklin. At a concert in her home town of Detroit on February the sixteenth, 1968, the Mayor declared the day Aretha Franklin Day. At the same show, Billboard, Record World *and* Cash Box magazines all presented her with plaques for being Female Vocalist of the Year. And Dr. King travelled up to be at the show and congratulate her publicly for all her work with his organisation, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Backstage at that show, Dr. King talked to Aretha's father, Reverend Franklin, about what he believed would be the next big battle -- a strike in Memphis: [Excerpt, Martin Luther King, "Mountaintop Speech" -- "And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other bread?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying, they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right."] The strike in question was the Memphis Sanitation Workers' strike which had started a few days before.  The struggle for Black labour rights was an integral part of the civil rights movement, and while it's not told that way in the sanitised version of the story that's made it into popular culture, the movement led by King was as much about economic justice as social justice -- King was a democratic socialist, and believed that economic oppression was both an effect of and cause of other forms of racial oppression, and that the rights of Black workers needed to be fought for. In 1967 he had set up a new organisation, the Poor People's Campaign, which was set to march on Washington to demand a program that included full employment, a guaranteed income -- King was strongly influenced in his later years by the ideas of Henry George, the proponent of a universal basic income based on land value tax -- the annual building of half a million affordable homes, and an end to the war in Vietnam. This was King's main focus in early 1968, and he saw the sanitation workers' strike as a major part of this campaign. Memphis was one of the most oppressive cities in the country, and its largely Black workforce of sanitation workers had been trying for most of the 1960s to unionise, and strike-breakers had been called in to stop them, and many of them had been fired by their white supervisors with no notice. They were working in unsafe conditions, for utterly inadequate wages, and the city government were ardent segregationists. After two workers had died on the first of February from using unsafe equipment, the union demanded changes -- safer working conditions, better wages, and recognition of the union. The city council refused, and almost all the sanitation workers stayed home and stopped work. After a few days, the council relented and agreed to their terms, but the Mayor, Henry Loeb, an ardent white supremacist who had stood on a platform of opposing desegregation, and who had previously been the Public Works Commissioner who had put these unsafe conditions in place, refused to listen. As far as he was concerned, he was the only one who could recognise the union, and he wouldn't. The workers continued their strike, marching holding signs that simply read "I am a Man": [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "Blowing in the Wind"] The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the NAACP had been involved in organising support for the strikes from an early stage, and King visited Memphis many times. Much of the time he spent visiting there was spent negotiating with a group of more militant activists, who called themselves The Invaders and weren't completely convinced by King's nonviolent approach -- they believed that violence and rioting got more attention than non-violent protests. King explained to them that while he had been persuaded by Gandhi's writings of the moral case for nonviolent protest, he was also persuaded that it was pragmatically necessary -- asking the young men "how many guns do we have and how many guns do they have?", and pointing out as he often did that when it comes to violence a minority can't win against an armed majority. Rev Franklin went down to Memphis on the twenty-eighth of March to speak at a rally Dr. King was holding, but as it turned out the rally was cancelled -- the pre-rally march had got out of hand, with some people smashing windows, and Memphis police had, like the police in Detroit the previous year, violently overreacted, clubbing and gassing protestors and shooting and killing one unarmed teenage boy, Larry Payne. The day after Payne's funeral, Dr King was back in Memphis, though this time Rev Franklin was not with him. On April the third, he gave a speech which became known as the "Mountaintop Speech", in which he talked about the threats that had been made to his life: [Excerpt: Martin Luther King, "Mountaintop Speech": “And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."] The next day, Martin Luther King was shot dead. James Earl Ray, a white supremacist, pled guilty to the murder, and the evidence against him seems overwhelming from what I've read, but the King family have always claimed that the murder was part of a larger conspiracy and that Ray was not the gunman. Aretha was obviously distraught, and she attended the funeral, as did almost every other prominent Black public figure. James Baldwin wrote of the funeral: "In the pew directly before me sat Marlon Brando, Sammy Davis, Eartha Kitt—covered in black, looking like a lost, ten-year-old girl—and Sidney Poitier, in the same pew, or nearby. Marlon saw me, and nodded. The atmosphere was black, with a tension indescribable—as though something, perhaps the heavens, perhaps the earth, might crack. Everyone sat very still. The actual service sort of washed over me, in waves. It wasn't that it seemed unreal; it was the most real church service I've ever sat through in my life, or ever hope to sit through; but I have a childhood hangover thing about not weeping in public, and I was concentrating on holding myself together. I did not want to weep for Martin, tears seemed futile. But I may also have been afraid, and I could not have been the only one, that if I began to weep I would not be able to stop. There was more than enough to weep for, if one was to weep—so many of us, cut down, so soon. Medgar, Malcolm, Martin: and their widows, and their children. Reverend Ralph David Abernathy asked a certain sister to sing a song which Martin had loved—“Once more,” said Ralph David, “for Martin and for me,” and he sat down." Many articles and books on Aretha Franklin say that she sang at King's funeral. In fact she didn't, but there's a simple reason for the confusion. King's favourite song was the Thomas Dorsey gospel song "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", and indeed almost his last words were to ask a trumpet player, Ben Branch, if he would play the song at the rally he was going to be speaking at on the day of his death. At his request, Mahalia Jackson, his old friend, sang the song at his private funeral, which was not filmed, unlike the public part of the funeral that Baldwin described. Four months later, though, there was another public memorial for King, and Franklin did sing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" at that service, in front of King's weeping widow and children, and that performance *was* filmed, and gets conflated in people's memories with Jackson's unfilmed earlier performance: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord (at Martin Luther King Memorial)"] Four years later, she would sing that at Mahalia Jackson's funeral. Through all this, Franklin had been working on her next album, Aretha Now, the sessions for which started more or less as soon as the sessions for Lady Soul had finished. The album was, in fact, bookended by deaths that affected Aretha. Just as King died at the end of the sessions, the beginning came around the time of the death of Otis Redding -- the sessions were cancelled for a day while Wexler travelled to Georgia for Redding's funeral, which Franklin was too devastated to attend, and Wexler would later say that the extra emotion in her performances on the album came from her emotional pain at Redding's death. The lead single on the album, "Think", was written by Franklin and -- according to the credits anyway -- her husband Ted White, and is very much in the same style as "Respect", and became another of her most-loved hits: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Think"] But probably the song on Aretha Now that now resonates the most is one that Jerry Wexler tried to persuade her not to record, and was only released as a B-side. Indeed, "I Say a Little Prayer" was a song that had already once been a hit after being a reject.  Hal David, unlike Burt Bacharach, was a fairly political person and inspired by the protest song movement, and had been starting to incorporate his concerns about the political situation and the Vietnam War into his lyrics -- though as with many such writers, he did it in much less specific ways than a Phil Ochs or a Bob Dylan. This had started with "What the World Needs Now is Love", a song Bacharach and David had written for Jackie DeShannon in 1965: [Excerpt: Jackie DeShannon, "What the "World Needs Now is Love"] But he'd become much more overtly political for "The Windows of the World", a song they wrote for Dionne Warwick. Warwick has often said it's her favourite of her singles, but it wasn't a big hit -- Bacharach blamed himself for that, saying "Dionne recorded it as a single and I really blew it. I wrote a bad arrangement and the tempo was too fast, and I really regret making it the way I did because it's a good song." [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "The Windows of the World"] For that album, Bacharach and David had written another track, "I Say a Little Prayer", which was not as explicitly political, but was intended by David to have an implicit anti-war message, much like other songs of the period like "Last Train to Clarksville". David had sons who were the right age to be drafted, and while it's never stated, "I Say a Little Prayer" was written from the perspective of a woman whose partner is away fighting in the war, but is still in her thoughts: [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "I Say a Little Prayer"] The recording of Dionne Warwick's version was marked by stress. Bacharach had a particular way of writing music to tell the musicians the kind of feel he wanted for the part -- he'd write nonsense words above the stave, and tell the musicians to play the parts as if they were singing those words. The trumpet player hired for the session, Ernie Royal, got into a row with Bacharach about this unorthodox way of communicating musical feeling, and the track ended up taking ten takes (as opposed to the normal three for a Bacharach session), with Royal being replaced half-way through the session. Bacharach was never happy with the track even after all the work it had taken, and he fought to keep it from being released at all, saying the track was taken at too fast a tempo. It eventually came out as an album track nearly eighteen months after it was recorded -- an eternity in 1960s musical timescales -- and DJs started playing it almost as soon as it came out. Scepter records rushed out a single, over Bacharach's objections, but as he later said "One thing I love about the record business is how wrong I was. Disc jockeys all across the country started playing the track, and the song went to number four on the charts and then became the biggest hit Hal and I had ever written for Dionne." [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "I Say a Little Prayer"] Oddly, the B-side for Warwick's single, "Theme From the Valley of the Dolls" did even better, reaching number two. Almost as soon as the song was released as a single, Franklin started playing around with the song backstage, and in April 1968, right around the time of Dr. King's death, she recorded a version. Much as Burt Bacharach had been against releasing Dionne Warwick's version, Jerry Wexler was against Aretha even recording the song, saying later “I advised Aretha not to record it. I opposed it for two reasons. First, to cover a song only twelve weeks after the original reached the top of the charts was not smart business. You revisit such a hit eight months to a year later. That's standard practice. But more than that, Bacharach's melody, though lovely, was peculiarly suited to a lithe instrument like Dionne Warwick's—a light voice without the dark corners or emotional depths that define Aretha. Also, Hal David's lyric was also somewhat girlish and lacked the gravitas that Aretha required. “Aretha usually listened to me in the studio, but not this time. She had written a vocal arrangement for the Sweet Inspirations that was undoubtedly strong. Cissy Houston, Dionne's cousin, told me that Aretha was on the right track—she was seeing this song in a new way and had come up with a new groove. Cissy was on Aretha's side. Tommy Dowd and Arif were on Aretha's side. So I had no choice but to cave." It's quite possible that Wexler's objections made Franklin more, rather than less, determined to record the song. She regarded Warwick as a hated rival, as she did almost every prominent female singer of her generation and younger ones, and would undoubtedly have taken the implication that there was something that Warwick was simply better at than her to heart. [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer"] Wexler realised as soon as he heard it in the studio that Franklin's version was great, and Bacharach agreed, telling Franklin's biographer David Ritz “As much as I like the original recording by Dionne, there's no doubt that Aretha's is a better record. She imbued the song with heavy soul and took it to a far deeper place. Hers is the definitive version.” -- which is surprising because Franklin's version simplifies some of Bacharach's more unusual chord voicings, something he often found extremely upsetting. Wexler still though thought there was no way the song would be a hit, and it's understandable that he thought that way. Not only had it only just been on the charts a few months earlier, but it was the kind of song that wouldn't normally be a hit at all, and certainly not in the kind of rhythmic soul music for which Franklin was known. Almost everything she ever recorded is in simple time signatures -- 4/4, waltz time, or 6/8 -- but this is a Bacharach song so it's staggeringly metrically irregular. Normally even with semi-complex things I'm usually good at figuring out how to break it down into bars, but here I actually had to purchase a copy of the sheet music in order to be sure I was right about what's going on. I'm going to count beats along with the record here so you can see what I mean. The verse has three bars of 4/4, one bar of 2/4, and three more bars of 4/4, all repeated: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer" with me counting bars over verse] While the chorus has a bar of 4/4, a bar of 3/4 but with a chord change half way through so it sounds like it's in two if you're paying attention to the harmonic changes, two bars of 4/4, another waltz-time bar sounding like it's in two, two bars of four, another bar of three sounding in two, a bar of four, then three more bars of four but the first of those is *written* as four but played as if it's in six-eight time (but you can keep the four/four pulse going if you're counting): [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer" with me counting bars over verse] I don't expect you to have necessarily followed that in great detail, but the point should be clear -- this was not some straightforward dance song. Incidentally, that bar played as if it's six/eight was something Aretha introduced to make the song even more irregular than how Bacharach wrote it. And on top of *that* of course the lyrics mixed the secular and the sacred, something that was still taboo in popular music at that time -- this is only a couple of years after Capitol records had been genuinely unsure about putting out the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows", and Franklin's gospel-inflected vocals made the religious connection even more obvious. But Franklin was insistent that the record go out as a single, and eventually it was released as the B-side to the far less impressive "The House That Jack Built". It became a double-sided hit, with the A-side making number two on the R&B chart and number seven on the Hot One Hundred, while "I Say a Little Prayer" made number three on the R&B chart and number ten overall. In the UK, "I Say a Little Prayer" made number four and became her biggest ever solo UK hit. It's now one of her most-remembered songs, while the A-side is largely forgotten: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer"] For much of the

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