Day Dreaming

Album: Young, Gifted and Black (1972)
Charted: 5
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In her 12th #1 soul single, Aretha Franklin is day dreaming about a man who will sweep her off her feet. Not just any man, but a specific man. "'Day Dreaming' was rather personal," she told Queen of Soul biographer Mark Bego. "And I was thinking about someone who used to be a friend of mine. I'll give you a hint. Used to be with one of the hottest groups in the country, tall, dark, and fine!"

    It was a big year for mystery men in music. By the end of 1972, Carly Simon famously sang about an unnamed scarf-wearing lothario in "You're So Vain," but for song sleuths, Franklin's clues were much easier to decipher. In 1970, the soul singer recorded "You and Me," written by the tall, dark, and fine Dennis Edwards of the hot vocal group The Temptations. In a 1995 interview with Ebony magazine, Franklin revealed she and Edwards were once engaged but she got tired of waiting for him to commit: "By the time he realized the value of what he had, it was just too late. I was no longer interested. He had drop-kicked me a couple of times and I had just had enough."
  • Franklin's backing band includes Donny Hathaway on electric piano, Bernard Purdie (her then-musical director) on drums, Chuck Rainey on bass, Cornell Dupree on electric guitar, and Don Arnone on acoustic guitar. Bringing some jazz cred to the single is Grammy Award winner Hubert Laws on flute. The album version conjures a psychedelic daydream with a jazzy intro and outro, but both sections were omitted for radio play.
  • This has been recorded by Mary J. Blige, Corinne Bailey Rae, Natalie Cole, and Penny Ford. Rapper Cam'ron also covered it on his 2002 album, Come Home With Me. Rapper T.I. also used the melody in "Let's Get Away" from the 2003 album Trap Muzik.
  • The album is named for Nina Simone's 1970 Civil Rights anthem "Young, Gifted And Black," which Franklin also released as a single (and won the 1973 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance).

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.