The best Aretha Franklin songs
The top 3 according to 150 votes from people: Respect · (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman · Day Dreaming. (Updated Dec 6, 2025.)
The Queen of Soul's greatest songs, from Respect, Rolling Stone's greatest song of all time, to I Say a Little Prayer.
Top 14
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1
Respect
1967. Her Otis Redding cover; Rolling Stone's greatest song of all time.
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2
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
1967. By Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
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3
Day Dreaming
1972. Soft and jazzy.
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4
I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)
1967. Number one on Billboard's ranking.
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5
Freeway of Love
1985. Her eighties comeback.
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6
Rock Steady
1971. Funk at full power.
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7
Ain't No Way
1968. A soaring soul ballad.
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8
Baby I Love You
1967. Second on Billboard's ranking.
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9
Chain of Fools
1967. A minor-key song about being fooled.
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10
Think
1968. Her anthem of freedom, famous from The Blues Brothers.
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11
Young, Gifted and Black
1972. A Nina Simone song made her own.
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12
I Say a Little Prayer
1968. Her Bacharach cover; first for the AOTY community.
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13
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
1987. A number one duet with George Michael.
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14
Spanish Harlem
1971. Her version of the Ben E. King classic.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (1)
Natural Woman over Respect? I'll allow it, that performance at the Kennedy Center Honors is unforgettable