“Freeway of Love” by Aretha Franklin

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A throwback to the mid-80s for a late-career gem from arguably the greatest soul singer ever.

Can we all agree that Aretha Franklin’s 1980s output is worthy of a reassessment?

After leaving Atlantic and following Clive Davis to Arista in 1980, her sound definitely got a makeover. There were fewer emotionally wrenching ballads (though that doesn’t mean there were none) and perhaps fewer instances where you’d be able to tie her songs directly to her gospel roots. But, as far as sturdy, radio-ready R&B goes, there’s plenty of good-to-great material here. I could’ve easily gone with her Grammy-winning cover of “Hold On I’m Comin’” or the Luther Vandross-produced monster that is “Get it Right.” However, my favorite 80s single from Aretha, which stands head and shoulders above the rest, is undoubtedly “Freeway of Love.”

Not dissimilar to Tina Turner’s successful strategy, Aretha used this song and the ensuing album, Who’s Zoomin’ Who, as a way to frame her voice with a “younger sound” (her words and wishes, by the way) To accomplish this, she turned to Narada Michael Walden, the producer-songwriter who’d helped propel artists like Whitney Houston, Stacy Lattisaw, and, later on, Mariah Carey to superstardom. Listening to the track again, I can picture Whitney or Mariah knocking this one out of the park, too, though not quite in the same way Aretha does. Her voice is more mature, more knowing, alternating between soothing reassurance and soaring urges to “drop the pedal and go.” It wouldn’t be the same with someone else behind the mic.

Peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 1985, “Freeway” was Franklin’s highest-charting single in over a decade. It topped the Hot Black Singles chart (yes, that’s actually what it was called before industry chart-makers came to their senses and started using the slightly less racist framing of “R&B”) for five consecutive weeks and was primarily responsible for Zoomin’ hitting Platinum status—a first for Arista. Though she’d enjoy continued success for the rest of the decade, scoring another blockbuster with the George Michael collab “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” she’d never hit this level of pop music excellence again.

No one disputes the enormity of her legacy or influence on today’s pop and R&B singers. What gets lost in the conversation is how consistent she was throughout her career and how willing she was to refresh her sound to suit the times. Those aspects of her 80s releases deserve more love.

A couple of celebrity sightings before wrapping up:

• The saxophone playing comes courtesy of the late Clarence Clemons, who many of you will know from his work as part of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
• That synth bass (which still sounds incredible, by the way) on the recording was performed by none other than Randy Jackson, who many of you know from his work (can we call it that?) as a judge on American Idol.