The article highlights Carole King’s admiration for Aretha Franklin, whom King regarded as the benchmark for vocalists. It argues that Franklin’s powerful, expressive delivery transformed songs into definitive performances, making her influence particularly significant to the songwriters whose work she recorded.

A central example is ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’, written by King and Gerry Goffin with producer Jerry Wexler for Franklin in 1967. Franklin’s version became one of her signature recordings, while King later recorded the song herself; the comparison illustrates why King viewed Franklin’s singing as an exceptionally high standard.