Does Aretha Franklin Write Their Own Music? Songwriting Credits & Scores

By the Numbers

41

Studio Albums

427

Tracks Credited

14%

Self-Written

more than 75 million

Records Sold

57

Years Active

556

Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 61 / 427 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 427 tracks: how many Aretha Franklin wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Aretha Franklin has a writing credit14%

10%

4%

86%

Sole author43tracks10%

Co-written18tracks4%

Outside writers366tracks86%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Aretha Franklin's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 427 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)14%

Composer (music)14%

Producer21%

Performer96%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Aretha Franklin's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 14%

0%

8%

0%

8%

0%

36%

18%

0%

20%

10%

0%

10%

42%

30%

0%

33%

44%

18%

11%

10%

0%

50%

11%

30%

33%

20%

13%

0%

22%

11%

25%

22%

9%

27%

0%

17%

0%

1961Aretha

1962The Electrifying Aretha Franklin

1962The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin

1963Laughing on the Outside

1964Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington

1964Runnin' Out of Fools

1965Yeah!!!

1966Soul Sister

1967I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

1967Take It Like You Give It

1967Aretha Arrives

1968Lady Soul

1968Aretha Now

1969Soul '69

1969Soft and Beautiful

1970This Girl's in Love with You

1970Spirit in the Dark

1971Aretha Live at Fillmore West

1972Amazing Grace

1972Young, Gifted and Black

1973Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)

1974Let Me in Your Life

1974With Everything I Feel in Me

1975You

1976Sparkle

1977Sweet Passion

1978Almighty Fire

1979La Diva

1980Aretha

1981Love All the Hurt Away

1982Jump to It

1983Get It Right

1985Who's Zoomin' Who?

1986Aretha

1989Through the Storm

1991What You See Is What You Sweat

1998A Rose Is Still a Rose

2003So Damn Happy

2008This Christmas, Aretha

2011A Woman Falling Out of Love

2014Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics

Early · 8% written

Mid · 21% written

Late · 15% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

7%

1960s

Aretha, The Electrifying Aretha Franklin +13 more

22%

1970s

This Girl's in Love with You, Spirit in the Dark +11 more

18%

1980s

Aretha, Love All the Hurt Away +5 more

15%

1990s

What You See Is What You Sweat, A Rose Is Still a Rose

14%

2000s

So Damn Happy, This Christmas, Aretha

9%

2010s

A Woman Falling Out of Love, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Aretha Franklin sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Aretha Franklin

Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Whitney Houston5%

The Jacksons24%

Eric Clapton40%

Michael Jackson51%

Stevie Wonder64%

George Michael80%

Prince96%

14%Aretha Franklin

Pure Performer0%

Songwriter~50%

Complete Author100%

Discography 41 albums

19610%

Aretha

Columbia

12 tracks

19620%

The Electrifying Aretha Franklin

Columbia

12 tracks

19628%

The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin

Columbia

12 tracks

19638%

Laughing on the Outside

Columbia

12 tracks

19640%

Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington

Columbia

10 tracks

19640%

Runnin' Out of Fools

Columbia

12 tracks

19658%

Yeah!!!

Columbia

12 tracks

19660%

Soul Sister

Columbia

11 tracks

196736%

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Atlantic

11 tracks

196718%

Take It Like You Give It

Columbia

11 tracks

19670%

Aretha Arrives

Atlantic

11 tracks

196820%

Lady Soul

Atlantic

10 tracks

196810%

Aretha Now

Atlantic

10 tracks

19690%

Soul '69

Atlantic

12 tracks

19690%

Soft and Beautiful

Columbia

10 tracks

197010%

This Girl's in Love with You

Atlantic

10 tracks

197042%

Spirit in the Dark

Atlantic

12 tracks

197130%

Aretha Live at Fillmore West

Atlantic

10 tracks

19720%

Amazing Grace

Atlantic

14 tracks

197233%

Young, Gifted and Black

Atlantic

12 tracks

197344%

Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)

Atlantic

9 tracks

197418%

Let Me in Your Life

Atlantic

11 tracks

197411%

With Everything I Feel in Me

Atlantic

9 tracks

197510%

You

Atlantic

10 tracks

19760%

Sparkle

Atlantic

8 tracks

197750%

Sweet Passion

Atlantic

10 tracks

197811%

Almighty Fire

Atlantic

9 tracks

197930%

La Diva

Atlantic

10 tracks

198033%

Aretha

Arista

9 tracks

198120%

Love All the Hurt Away

Arista

10 tracks

198213%

Jump to It

Arista

8 tracks

19830%

Get It Right

Arista

8 tracks

198522%

Who's Zoomin' Who?

Arista

9 tracks

198611%

Aretha

Arista

9 tracks

198925%

Through the Storm

Arista

8 tracks

199122%

What You See Is What You Sweat

Arista

9 tracks

19989%

A Rose Is Still a Rose

Arista

11 tracks

200327%

So Damn Happy

Arista

11 tracks

20080%

This Christmas, Aretha

DMI

11 tracks

201117%

A Woman Falling Out of Love

Aretha

12 tracks

20140%

Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics

RCA

10 tracks

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Aretha Franklin427 tracks

JW137 AM80 CO59 TD59 RM45 JH24

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. JW Jerry Wexler · AM Arif Mardin · CO Clyde Otis · TD Tom Dowd · RM Robert Mersey · JH John Hammond

The Writers & Producers Behind Aretha Franklin 6 key collaborators

JW

Jerry Wexler

Producer

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You / Aretha Arrives / Lady Soul / Aretha Now137 tracks

AM

Arif Mardin

Producer

This Girl's in Love with You / Spirit in the Dark / Amazing Grace / Young, Gifted and Black80 tracks

CO

Clyde Otis

Producer

Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington / Runnin' Out of Fools / Yeah!!! / Soul Sister59 tracks

TD

Tom Dowd

Producer

Soul '69 / This Girl's in Love with You / Spirit in the Dark / Young, Gifted and Black59 tracks

RM

Robert Mersey

Producer

The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin / Laughing on the Outside / Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington / Take It Like You Give It45 tracks

JH

John Hammond

Producer

Aretha / The Electrifying Aretha Franklin24 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Despite her iconic status, Aretha Franklin was primarily an interpreter rather than a songwriter. The vast majority of her catalog consists of songs written by professional composers, from Otis Redding's "Respect" to Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." Her Columbia years presented a versatile pop-jazz vocalist; Atlantic reframed her as the defining voice of soul. The separation of performer and songwriter was standard in 1960s R&B, and Franklin's catalog embodies that tradition more fully than almost any other artist.

Quick Facts

SalesOne of the best-selling artists ever, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide
GrammysWon 18 Grammy Awards, including the first eight Best Female R&B Vocal Performance trophies
Rock Hall firstIn 1987 became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
RespectTurned Otis Redding's song into a feminist and civil rights anthem
Her own penWrote signature songs herself, including 'Think,' 'Rock Steady,' and 'Day Dreaming'

Creative Fingerprint

One of music's greatest interpreters, not a writer: Aretha Franklin is credited on only about 14% of her catalogue, transforming songs written by others into definitive versions while writing a handful of her own classics.

The Story

Known as the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1942 and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She began her recording career at Columbia Records in 1960 before a landmark move to Atlantic Records in 1967, where she produced a string of era-defining soul and R&B classics including "Respect," "Chain of Fools," and "I Say a Little Prayer." Her four-octave vocal range and gospel-rooted phrasing made her one of the most celebrated vocalists in history, spanning 38 studio albums over five decades across Columbia, Atlantic, and Arista Records. She passed away in Detroit on August 16, 2018.

Awards & Recognition

Won 18 Grammy Awards, including the first eight Best Female R&B Vocal Performance awards (1968-1975)

In 1987 became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

One of the best-selling music artists of all time, with more than 75 million records sold

Widely regarded as the greatest singer in the history of popular music

Frequently Asked Questions Aretha Franklin

Did Aretha Franklin write her own songs?

Mostly no, and that is the point. Aretha Franklin is credited on only about 14% of her catalogue. She was one of the greatest interpreters in music history, taking songs written by others, like Otis Redding's 'Respect' and Carole King's 'Natural Woman,' and making them definitively her own. She did write some classics herself, including 'Think,' 'Rock Steady,' and 'Day Dreaming.'

Did Aretha Franklin write 'Respect'?

No. 'Respect' was written and first recorded by Otis Redding in 1965. Aretha Franklin's 1967 version reworked it, adding the 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T' spelling and the 'sock it to me' backing, and it became a feminist and civil rights anthem far bigger than the original.

Who wrote 'Think'?

'Think,' from Aretha Now (1968), was written by Aretha Franklin with her then-husband Ted White. It is one of her own compositions and a signature song, later revived in The Blues Brothers film.

Why is Aretha Franklin called the Queen of Soul?

The title reflects her unmatched command of soul and gospel singing. It was cemented when Chicago radio host Pervis Spann crowned her at a 1960s performance, and it has been her defining nickname ever since.

How many Grammys did Aretha Franklin win?

Aretha Franklin won 18 Grammy Awards from 44 nominations, including the first eight awards ever given for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, from 1968 through 1975.

How many albums did Aretha Franklin release?

This catalogue covers dozens of studio albums across six decades, from her 1961 debut through her final years, spanning soul, gospel, R&B, and pop.

Was Aretha Franklin in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Yes. In 1987 Aretha Franklin became the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recognising her towering influence on soul and popular music.

What genre is Aretha Franklin?

Aretha Franklin sang soul, R&B, and gospel with pop and blues influences, bringing church-rooted power to secular songs like 'Respect,' 'Chain of Fools,' and 'Natural Woman.'

Sources

Wikipedia: Aretha Franklin