Released 1967 Genre R&B, Pop | Recorded 1967 Length 3:14 | |
A-side "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" Format Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM) | ||
"Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" (also written "Do Right Woman — Do Right Man") is a single by Aretha Franklin. It was released in March 1967. Rolling Stone listed it as number 476 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Contents
Production
"Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" was written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn. It was produced by Jerry Wexler.
Franklin began recording the song in 1967 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, after completing "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)". While taking a break for the night at the motel, Franklin's then-husband and manager Ted White got into a fight with trumpeter Melvin Lastie after Lastie was seen flirting with Franklin. The following morning, it was found that Franklin and White had left with the song still unfinished. Penn recalled:
"They cut 'I Never Loved a Man' and it was just romping stomping. It was an out and out smash. They cut 'Do Right Woman', it didn't sound right. She wouldn't even sing it. I think I sang it as it went down on the track. . . . They weren't going to cut any more at Rick's because they had a little disagreement, and they had an eight-track in New York and wanted to go eight-track, so we all went up there."
Franklin disappeared for several weeks, later reappearing in New York City. She then finished the song with the help of her sisters Carolyn and Erma. Penn recalled:
"She had put her sisters on it, she'd sang it over, she'd played piano herself, and I realised then you can make anything out of anything with a lot of tracks. I think maybe they had the bass drum and a snare and the bass that they used out of Alabama, and possibly the guitar. . . . And it was such a wonderful record when they played it back. It's still one of the best records I've ever heard by anybody – not 'cause it's my song, but just that record. It'll reach out and get you in your heart."
Song
At the beginning of the song, Franklin sings with a gospel-inspired tone, which continues through the bridge. Through overdubbing, Franklin plays both the piano and the organ. Eventually the song equal to Franklin's hit cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" which Redding says jokingly she "stole".
According to Bill Janovitz of Allmusic, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" contrasts the power of temptation and rewards of fidelity. He notes that its melody is "soothing". Patricia Hill Collins writes that it has a feminist message, urging African-American men to respect women as their equals and not follow the then-common belief that it is "a man's world" by using or abusing them; she also writes that the song urges men to be loyal, responsible, and "sexually expressive".
Although the song is originally heavily inspired by soul, covers have different styles. For example, The Flying Burrito Brothers cover in 1969 was a "country-soul waltz".
Reception
"Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" spent 11 weeks on the charts, peaking at number 9. It was included on Franklin's album I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You and the single was released as the b-side to "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)". Wexler called it "perfection".
In 2004, Rolling Stone selected "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. As of the 2010 edition, it is ranked 476th.
In the 1991 film Cape Fear, the villain uses the song to mislead his victim into believing he was OK.
The song was featured in the 1995 film Dead Presidents.
Covers
From Allmusic.