Aretha Franklin’s A Natural Woman: Why The Song Still Moves Us, 50 Years On

When Aretha Franklin died, the clip that was shared most generally – the most potent reminder of her raw, soul-stirring emotional force – was a 2015 performance of her 1967 hit (You make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

The rendition at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony brought a tear to Barack Obama’s eye and left the song’s co-writer Carole King in raptures.

It was also the song that Ariana Grande and Alicia Keys both turned to when they individually performed tributes after the Queen of Soul died on Thursday.

“This is one of my favourite songs,” Keys told Beats 1 Radio. “I think this is probably all of our favourite songs. That’s why I wanted to choose it.”