Album · Aretha Franklin
Young, Gifted and Black by Aretha Franklin
Young, Gifted and Black is an album by Aretha Franklin, released in 1972. 2 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 8 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Rock Steady”, on 7 lists with a best position of #101.
Young, Gifted and Black, Aretha Franklin's eighteenth studio album, hit the racks on Atlantic in early 1972 with Jerry Wexler producing, and it finds the Queen of Soul fully in charge. The title comes from Nina Simone's 1969 "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", and the record wears that pride easily, the gospel fire of her Detroit church upbringing burning under slinky grooves.
"Rock Steady" is a tight, funky strut, while "Day Dreaming" floats in on a soft, dreamy haze, the lady showing she can whisper as well as she wails. The album climbed to number 2 on the R&B albums chart and 11 on the main chart, went gold in short order, and brought her the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Young, Gifted and Black on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rock Steady | 7 | #101 | – | 2001–2025 | |
| 2 | Day Dreaming | 1 | #1736 | – | 2020 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.