Aretha Franklin - Don't Play That Song [HD]

Aretha Franklin sings 'Don't Play That Song' from her 1970 Atlantic album 'Spirit in the Dark'. This song was written by Betty Nelson and Ahmet Ertegun. The lyrics are below with comments about the song, album, and Aretha Franklin.

Note: In its new 2023 list of the 200 greatest singers Rolling Stone ranked Aretha Franklin number one.

[Vinyl/18-Images/WAV]

Don't Play That Song (Singer: Aretha Franklin)

Don't play that song for me
'Cause it brings back memories
Of days that I once knew
The days that I spent with you

Oh no, don't let 'em play it (oh no)
It fills my heart with pain (it hurts)
Please, stop it right away
'Cause I remember just what he said

He said: "darling..." (darlin' I, I love you)
And I know that he lied (oh, he lied)
You know that you lied (oh, he lied)
You know that you lied, lied, you lied (to me)

Hey mister, don't play it no more
Don't play it no more
I can't stand it
Don't play it no more (no more)
No more (no more), no more
Whoa-whoa (can't stand it)

I remember on our first date
He kissed me and he walked away
I was only seventeen
I'd never dream he'd be so mean

He told me, "darling..." (darling, I love you)
Baby, baby, you lied (darling, I need you)
You, you lied (darling, I love you)
You know that you lied (you lied)
Lied (you lied), you lied (to me)

Oh-oh-oh, darling (darling, I love you)
You know that you lied, yeah (darling, I need you)
You know I know you lied (darling, I love you)
Darling, you lied (you lied) you lied
(You lied) you lied, go on and hurt me
You lied (to me)

Oh, whoa-oh, you lied (don't play it no more)
Oh, baby don't play it no more (don't play it no more)
Don't do it, don't play it no more (for me), no more (for me)
I can't stand it no more (don't play it no more)
Oh hey, don't play it no more (don't play it no more)

Songwriters: Ahmet Ertegun, Betty Nelson
[Lyrics from Musixmatch]

Personnel: Lead Vocals - Aretha Franklin, Background Vocals - Margaret Branch, Brenda Bryant, Almeda Lattimore, Guitar - Buzz Feiten, Keyboards - Michael Utley & Jim Dickinson, Drums - Sammy Creason, Bass Guitar - Tommy McClure, Piano - Aretha Franklin.

Wikipedia states:

"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" is a song written by Ahmet Ertegun and Betty Nelson, the wife of soul singer Ben E. King. It was first recorded by King and was the title track on his third album Don't Play That Song! (1962). The song reached number 2 on the U.S. R&B singles chart and number 11 on the pop chart when released as a single on Atco Records in 1962. In Europe, it ranked at #10 in Italy on FIMI National Charts between 1962 and 1963.

Aretha Franklin covered the song for her nineteenth studio album, Spirit in the Dark, released on Atlantic Records in 1970. Her version, performed with the Dixie Flyers, was released as a single in 1970 and peaked at number 1 for five weeks on the R&B singles chart and number 11 on the pop chart. Franklin's version was certified gold with sales over a million copies. It reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. This was the first of two covers Franklin did of songs made popular by King. The other was her cover of "Spanish Harlem" in 1971.

In 1962, the French singer Johnny Hallyday released a single with a French adaptation of the song under the title Pas Cette Chanson!

Other acts to have recorded or performed the song include Keith Locke and The Quests, Peppino di Capri, Adriano Celentano in 1977 and Mariah Carey. It was also performed to great acclaim on the first season of American Idol by Kelly Clarkson, the eventual winner. More recently Sam Moore duetted the song with Bekka Bramlett on his 2006 album Overnight Sensational. The British soul singer Beverley Knight included a cover of the song on her 2016 album Soulsville. Bruce Springsteen recorded the song for his 2022 album, Only the Strong Survive.

Spirit in the Dark is the seventeenth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on August 24, 1970, by Atlantic Records. It received critical acclaim, but was met with middling sales, despite having two hit singles, "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", which peaked at #1 R&B, #11 on the Hot 100, and "Spirit in the Dark", peaking at #3 R&B and #23 Hot 100, in Billboard magazine. It was Aretha's first Atlantic album to fall short of Billboard's Top 20, but it is now considered to be one of Aretha's classic Atlantic LPs.

Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With global sales of over 75 million records, Franklin is one of the world's best-selling music artists.

As a child, Franklin was noticed for her gospel singing at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was a minister. At the age of 18, she was signed as a recording artist for Columbia Records.