Singer Aretha Franklin and her hit song “Respect” are now sitting at the No. 1 spot in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 greatest songs.
The publication poured over many rock, soul, and pop songs in putting together its massive list. Aretha Franklin, who died on Aug. 16, 2018, at 76, had 112 songs chart on Billboard.
Now, this is the first time that the 500 songs list has been updated in 17 years. Aretha Franklin, also known as “The Queen of Soul,” sits atop the mountain of music with Public Enemy at No. 2 with their hit, “Fight the Power.”
Nos. 3 through 10 are Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever,” Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” and Outkast’s “Hey Ya!”
USA Today reported that The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Fleetwood Mac all rose up in the rankings. They all had hit songs that were part of Billboard charts.
What about current acts seeing their positions change upward? They include Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, Lil Nas X, The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift. They reached the top 100 songs list.
Still, Aretha Franklin stands above everyone and her ranking is fitting for a queen.
Aretha Franklin Grew Up In Detroit Church Singing Gospel Songs
Aretha Franklin grew up in the church, singing gospel hymns while her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, was pastor at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.
“Music changes so fast, the pace of change within the music space is incredible,” Rolling Stone music editor Christian Hoard said in an interview with NBC News. “We focused on having a very diverse votership so the list ended up much more inclusive, fresher.”
Rolling Stone said the decade of the 1970s had the largest representative on the 500-song list.
Jennifer Hudson Shared Her Final Conversation With Franklin
Jennifer Hudson opened up about her last conversation with Franklin three years after her death.
Hudson was selected to play Franklin by Franklin herself. She will play the singer in the upcoming movie, “Respect.”
The actress and singer said she spoke with Franklin days before her passing on Aug. 16, 2018.
“The last time I heard her voice was Aug. 8,” Hudson told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s odd that here we are again, on Aug. 8, three years later. Right after we spoke, they told me she was no longer competent enough to speak, but she sang to me on our call, and we talked about my son and his cooking. She loves to cook, and so does he. I sent her a video of him cooking. I truly miss hearing from her.”
