Co-written by Aretha and her then-husband/manager , the lyrics are often viewed through the lens of their turbulent marriage.
Backed by the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section —including Jimmy Johnson on guitar and Roger Hawkins on drums—the track features a driving, propulsive beat that bridges the gap between gospel and emerging funk. Aretha Franklin - Think [1968] (Original Version)
Beyond its initial success, "Think" saw major rebirths, most notably in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers , where Franklin famously performed it as Mrs. Murphy. Co-written by Aretha and her then-husband/manager , the
Critics consistently rank it among the greatest songs of the 1960s, with Pitchfork placing it at #15 on its list of the decade's top tracks. It remains a definitive statement of Franklin’s status as the . Murphy
Musically, the original version is a "pulsating swinger" built on a foundation of Southern soul.
Aretha Franklin's is more than just a soul classic; it is a three-minute masterclass in musical defiance. Released in May 1968 as the lead single from her album Aretha Now , the song reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B charts for three weeks. Musical Composition and Vocal Performance
While ostensibly about a "hard-luck love affair," the song evolved into a dual anthem for the feminist and Civil Rights movements .