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Young, Gifted and Black
Studio album by Aretha Franklin
Released	January 24, 1972
Recorded	August 12, 1970 – February 16, 1971
Studio	Atlantic, New York City Criteria, Miami
Genre	Soul
Length	44:46
Label	Atlantic Rhino
Producer	Tom Dowd Arif Mardin Jerry Wexler
Aretha Franklin chronology
Aretha's Greatest Hits (1971) Young, Gifted and Black (1972) Amazing Grace (1972)
Singles from Young, Gifted and Black
"Border Song (Holy Moses)" Released: 1970 "Brand New Me" Released: March 19, 1971 "Rock Steady"/"Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)" Released: October 11, 1971 "Young, Gifted and Black" Released: January 18, 1972 "Day Dreaming"/"I've Been Loving You Too Long" Released: February 1972 "All the King's Horses"/"April Fools" Released: 1972

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Christgau's Record Guide	A
Rolling Stone

Young, Gifted and Black is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin, released in early 1972, by Atlantic Records. The album climbed to number 2 on Billboard's R&B albums survey and peaked at Number 11 on the main album chart. It was quickly certified Gold by the RIAA. Its title was cut from "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", recorded and released by Nina Simone in 1969.

Franklin won a 1972 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

In 2003, the television network VH1 named it the 76th greatest album of all time. In 2020, it was ranked number 388 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Songs

Young, Gifted and Black contains original songs written and performed by Franklin, such as "Day Dreaming" and "Rock Steady". It also features cover versions of songs by other artists, including "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" by Nina Simone, as well as "I've Been Loving You Too Long" by Otis Redding, "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles, and "Border Song (Holy Moses)" by Elton John.

Critical reception

Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic wrote that "Young, Gifted and Black certainly ranks highly among studio efforts, with many arguing that it may be her greatest. If you really want to go song by song, you'd be hard-pressed to find any throwaways here -- this is quite honestly an album that merits play from beginning to end."

In 2003, the television network VH1 named Young, Gifted and Black the 76th greatest album of all time. In 2020, the album was ranked number 388 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

In 2018, Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield praised Franklin's cover of "The Long and Winding Road" from the album as "the greatest of all Beatle covers — the one that improves most on the original and defines everything the song is about".

Track listing

Personnel

• Aretha Franklin – lead vocals (all), piano (1–4, 6, 8–12), celesta (5), piano, Fender Rhodes (7)
• Cornell Dupree – guitar (2–5, 7–12)
• Hugh McCracken – guitar (1, 6)
• Don Arnone – acoustic guitar (2)
• Donny Hathaway – Hammond organ (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9), piano, Fender Rhodes (2)
• Billy Preston – Hammond organ (4, 10, 12)
• Chuck Rainey – bass guitar (2–5, 7, 9–12)
• Eric Gale – bass guitar (1, 6)
• Robert Popwell – bass guitar (8), percussion (3)
• Bernard Purdie – drums (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11)
• Ray Lucas – drums (4, 10, 12)
• Al Jackson Jr. – drums (1, 6)
• Dr. John – percussion (3)
• The Memphis Horns – horns (3, 8)
• Neal Rosengarden – trumpet (9), vibraphone (5)
• Hubert Laws – flute (2, 7, 11)
• Pat Smith – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7–9, 11)
• Carolyn Franklin – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 8–10)
• Erma Franklin – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 8–10)
• Margaret Branch – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7–11)
• Ann S. Clark – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7–9, 11)
• The Sweet Inspirations – backing vocals (1, 4, 6, 12)
• Ronald Bright – backing vocals (12)
• J. R. Bailey – backing vocals (12)
• Sammy Turner – backing vocals (12)

Production

Day Dreaming, Rock Steady, All The Kings Horses, I've Been Loving You Too Long, First Snow In Kokomo were recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida. Recording Engineers: Ron Albert and Howard Albertand Chuck Kirkpatrick. Produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin

Chart positions

Singles

References

1. ^ "Young, Gifted and Black - Aretha Franklin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
3. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 262–263.
4. "Aretha Franklin". GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2020.
5. ^ Hoye, Jacob, ed. (2003). 100 Greatest Albums. MTV Books/Pocket Books. p. 172. ISBN 978-0743448765.
6. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
7. Sheafer, Silvia Anne (2014). The Life of Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul. Legendary African Americans. Enslow Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 978-0766062252.
8. Sheffield, Rob (16 August 2018). "Why Nobody Sang the Beatles Like Aretha". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
9. "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
10. "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
11. "ヤング、ギフティッド・アンド・ブラック| アレサ・フランクリン | ORICON NEWS" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
12. "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
13. "Aretha Franklin Chart History (Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2021.

• 1972 albums
• Aretha Franklin albums
• Albums produced by Tom Dowd
• Albums produced by Arif Mardin
• Albums produced by Jerry Wexler
• Atlantic Records albums
• Rhino Entertainment albums
• 1970s covers albums