"Aretha" is a song by British female singer-songwriter Rumer

Rumer (musician)

Rumer is the professional name of the British female singer-songwriter Sarah Joyce . Her stage name was inspired by the author Rumer Godden. Rumer's voice has been described by The Guardian as being reminiscent of Karen Carpenter...

. Produced by award-winning UK TV and musical composer Steve Brown, it is the second single to be released from her debut album Seasons of My Soul

Seasons Of My Soul

-Charts:-Certifications:-Release history:...

. A music video was made for the song and was added to YouTube on 6 October 2010. The song has been added to the BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

 A-List.

Background

In an interview with Digital Spy

Digital Spy

Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....

 she was asked to describe her single:

"It's a very soulful ballad about a little girl who goes to school listening to Aretha Franklin on her headphones. She's having trouble at school and her mother's suffering from mental illness and she hasn't got anyone to talk to, but Aretha Franklin comes to life and encourages her and speaks to her through her imagination."

She was also asked why she chose Aretha Franklin:

"She's the Queen of Soul! If you're going to write about somebody who embodies the spirit of music itself you go to the top of the list - and there she is! Her voice is probably the closest you get to God. There's an incredible amount of passion and heartbreak in her voice as she's lost a lot of family members. She's just got something in her voice that puts her at the top of the tree and there's no negotiation."

Critical reception

Robert Copsey of Digital Spy

Digital Spy

Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....

described some lines as "unnvervingly honest" sung with Rumer's "smouldering tones".

Track listings

Chart performance

"Aretha" debuted on the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 at number 72 on 31 October 2010. It also entered the Dutch Singles Chart

MegaCharts

MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...

 at number 47 on 19 March 2011.
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Chart (2010/11)	Peak position

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
United Kingdom	24 October 2010	Digital download	Atlantic Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
	25 October 2010	CD single