Genius (2017–…): Season 3, Episode 6 - Aretha: Amazing Grace - full transcript
Aretha records her album "Amazing Grace" in an older James Cleveland's church; while Little Re discovers that she's pregnant with her second child.
Previously on Genius.
Wait a minute now,
there was a pizza box
on the piano.
Sorry.
It makes the
piano sound different.
Who's this guy she's with?
It's Ken Cunningham, he's solid.
I checked.
You're calling the shots;
you're making the arrangements.
Sounds like you're
the producer too.
Where's my
producer credit, Jerry?
No artist gets producer credit.
Not The Who, not The Stones,
not even The Beatles.
It just isn't done.
Powder blue!
Reverend James is going to
be our new choir director.
I've heard a lot about you.
I haven't played too
much since having the baby.
It's time
to start playing again.
King Curtis, when you play,
you're my second voice.
Second voice to Aretha Franklin,
I'll take that.
Keep your hands visible, sir.
It's because I'm CL Franklin.
How much help
do ya'll need from me?
You just got to flaunt
your power, don't you?
Because I'm
my mother's daughter.
Miss you, Mommy.
I want to go live
with Mommy in Buffalo.
You're not being fair!
She waited too long to
stand up for herself and
it killed her.
And I refuse to let that be me.
You're burning
the candle at both ends.
My advice is to slow down.
- Love you.
- Love you, too.
No! No!
You broke my heart.
You said you
we're gonna help me.
Stop that crying!
Will you trust him?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Hey, it's all right.
It's all right,
it's just a bad dream.
That's all.
Everything's going to be okay.
How many more
am I going to have?
Well, the doctor
says it's not uncommon,
but you came here to
get well and that's what
you're going to do,
just give it time.
I keep, I keep dreaming
about my mother and I can't,
I can't get to her.
I can't, I can't see her face.
It'll be 20 years this spring.
And, well,
with King Curtis dying I,
I feel like I lost my way.
I have to find a way
to get back to myself.
Now, listen.
Don't, don't be so
hard on yourself, sugar.
Remember, you've been running
hard for a really long time.
It's only right you have
some feelings when you stop.
How bout you get dressed.
You want to get dressed, huh?
You know your father
will be here soon unless
you need me to hold him off.
I mean it's only been a
couple weeks and I know it
takes a lot of energy from you.
No, it's all right.
You sure?
Mm‐hmm,
I don't want him to worry.
Look at you.
Hey, baby. You eating all right?
They, they got someone
for you to talk to,
you know, with the,
the therapy and whatnot.
Hey, I like that,
that Ken fella.
You done finally
found a good one.
Keep him.
Why didn't
you let Momma take us?
What, what?
Why didn't
you let Momma take us?
She, she, she didn't
want to take you, babe.
That's, that's not true.
Do you have any idea
what the people would have said
if the pastor's wife
took the, the children?
So, you were worried
about what people would say?
What happened between
your mom and I is none
of your concern, baby.
This is, is this what
they're teaching you here?
This, oh, damnit.
Come on, Retha.
I'm not going in.
What? Retha?
Can you, can you,
you take this inside and,
and light a candle
for King Curtis?
I just need a minute.
- Baby come...
- Please? Please.
Hallelujah.
I'm going to put my
trust in the Lord.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Now, let's go back!
♪ Now let us all. All go b ♪ k
♪ Back to the old.
Old landmark. ♪
♪ Now let us all. All go back ♪
♪ Back to the old.
Old landmark. ♪
♪ Let us all. Back to the old ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪
♪ Let us stay in the
service of the Lord. ♪
♪ Heal and pray ♪
♪ Heal and pray. ♪
♪ In the old. Old landmark ♪
♪ Heal and pray, in the old ♪
♪ Old landmark. ♪
♪ Heal and pray, in the old ♪
♪ Hear our prayer. ♪
♪ Glory, glory. ♪
♪ Glory, oh, hey! ♪
♪ Let us stay in the
service of the Lord ♪
♪ Whoa, let us all.
All go back. ♪
♪ All go back. Old landmark. ♪
♪ Let us all. All go back ♪
♪ Go back. Old landmark ♪
♪ Let us all. All go back ♪
♪ Go back. Old landmark ♪♪
Father, God, we come here today!
Lord there is a,
there's a saint among us.
Amen!
Who may feel
like they've been mistreated,
Father, God.
Not because they have done
something wrong, Father, God.
But because there's something
extremely right about them.
Yeah!
Isaiah 53:5
tells us the pierce in your side
is from our transgressions.
Yes!
He was crushed
for our iniquities.
Yes!
The punishment
that brought us peace
is on Him.
By these wounds we are
made whole, Father, God.
God is working things out for
you even if you don't feel it.
Have faith. Be faithful.
For where there is faith,
hope grows,
and miracles blossom.
Father, God, thank you!
Thank you for this congregation!
♪ Come on and
shout, shout, shout it ♪
♪ Ho, you gotta shout it ♪
♪ He healed you, you
better run and shout ♪
♪ He saved you, you
better run and shout ♪
♪ Shout, shout, shout,
shout‐shout‐shout ♪
♪ Shout, shout, shout,
shout‐shout‐shout ♪
♪ Glory, glory, glory, glory. ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
shout it, shout it. ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
shout it, shout it. ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
shout it, shout it. ♪
♪ Shout, shout, shout
Shout‐shout‐shout‐shout. ♪
♪ Shout‐shout‐shout‐shout‐shout‐
shout‐shout ♪
♪ Glory, glory, glory, glory
Lord ain't
gonna be waitin' for you,
but I will be.
I knew it was you the
moment you walked in here.
That scarf and them
glasses ain't fooling nobody.
You could come in here with
a paper bag over your head,
I'd know it was you.
I wasn't trying
to hide from you now.
You know you
should have called me before
you did that Andy Williams Show.
Now, why I need to
call you about Andy Williams?
That terrible,
red feather duster thing.
I mean I could have saved
you a whole mess of trouble.
I stand by my
red feather duster.
Well, all right.
I ain't here to
argue with the Queen.
I hear you're taking a break.
You, you earn that vacation.
It's not that kind of time off.
Are you okay, Re?
I will be.
I feel like I,
I feel like I got lost.
Maybe I, I got to
where I was going,
and it was nowhere
I wanted to be.
Well, you know,
you always have a
home in the House of God.
I know, I know.
I, I want to record
a Gospel album.
- Back to your roots.
- Not exactly.
I want to record
it here with you,
your choir, your church.
Not your daddy's church?
No.
Does he know about this yet?
No.
I want to find my own
way and I can't do that with
my daddy around.
He's part of the reason
I was pulled apart
in the first place.
I know. I was there, I saw it.
Well, you know he ain't
going to take this laying down.
That's okay.
It's how it has to be.
Okay.
Let's do it,
let's make a Gospel album.
Well, all right.
Mm‐hmm.
If you ready, I'm ready.
Everyone,
don't forget to do your
reading for tomorrow.
And I've graded some
of your essays.
Do better next time, yes?
See you tomorrow.
Thank you, Ms. Lowrey.
Oh, Aretha.
Come here for a second.
You did a beautiful
job on your essay.
Thank you, Mrs. Lowrey.
I'm going to
show it to Mrs. Drake this
afternoon and propose
that you be one of our
ninth grade graduation speakers.
Thank you, Mrs. Lowrey.
You can
maybe start with a little
welcome to everyone.
Like this?
Good afternoon
ladies and gentlemen.
First of all,
I'd like to congratulate
my fellow graduates.
Exactly.
You know, I used to
sing in the choir with
your mother, Barbara.
She was very smart,
just like you.
She would be so proud of
the student that you've become.
You'll be a natural
as one of our speakers.
Thank you, Mrs. Lowrey.
Sorry, I've gotta run,
I'm going to be late
for choir practice.
Okay. Keep practicing.
♪ Back to the old landmark ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪♪
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Come on Rufus, what ya
doing back there, huh?
Naomi, you're making
the altos look bad.
Hey, hey, hey, Ruth,
you ain't even
open up your mouth.
From the top, let's go.
♪ Now let us all ♪
♪ All go back ♪
♪ Back to the old landmark ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪
♪ Let us all go back ♪
♪ All go back. ♪
♪ To the old landmark. ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪
♪ Now let us all ♪
♪ All go back ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪♪
♪ And we'll stay in
the service of the Lord
Yes, hey, hey, hey.
All right now, all right now.
All right now, Re, this
is what I need you to do.
I need you to come in
after the second bar, right,
I need you to sing out loud
throughout the bridge, okay?
Reverend
Brother Cleveland, if, if,
if my daughter
needs any instruction,
she'll get it from me,
not from you.
Understood?
Yeah, I get it.
Reverend Franklin,
I'm just trying to.
Aretha's voice is
a gift from the Lord.
The less we do
with it, the better.
Now, if you were wise CL,
you'd remember the heavenly
source of Aretha's gift
yourself from time to time.
Mm‐hmm. Mm‐hmm.
Let's go from the top.
Pow! Pop!
It's a great idea, right?
And, and James has
been kind enough to let us
have his church.
Yeah, absolutely.
So, what's that look?
Well, the acoustics
in here are not the best.
I've been here
plenty of times and listen
to the choir
without any problems.
Okay.
Well, a bigger
issue is the size.
I mean how many people can
fit in here; 30, 40, max?
Well, James and I
were thinking of maybe doing
this over two nights.
Okay, so now we're up to 80.
I mean I'm concerned
about the scope.
I mean do you really want
to go from playing huge
amphitheaters to recording a
bunch of old‐time Gospel songs
in a place the size
of my living room?
Old‐time?
I'm going to be singing
popular songs and weaving it
with Gospel music
in a way that you've
never heard before.
I know, I know.
I, I just don't want us to
be moving backwards is all.
Well, maybe
sometimes you've got to
move backwards to move forwards.
Listen, I even got
the cover on press.
- Another one of Ken's?
- Mm‐hmm.
People love what he did
for the cover of Greatest Hits.
Check it out.
Oh.
That's great, that's beautiful.
Okay.
Listen, I, I know
that The Rolling Stones
didn't get producer
credit on their album and
I know that The Beatles
didn't either but
that is not my concern.
I'm going to produce this album,
it's the only way it can happen.
I can see it now, Jerry.
It's beautiful and I'm going
to call it Amazing Grace.
Aretha...
Then that's how we'll do it.
Good, all right.
All right? All right. All right.
Mm‐hmm.
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ Climbing ♪
♪ Oh. Lord ♪
♪ Climbing. ♪
♪ Every day ♪
♪ Climbing ♪
♪ Oh, I'm climbing. ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ High mountains ♪
♪ High mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ I'm going up the side
of the mountain ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ I'm going up the side
of the mountain ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ I'm going up the side
of the mountain ♪
♪ Meet my Jesus ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Climbing ♪
♪ I'm going up. ♪
♪ Hey‐hey‐hey ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Climbing, yeah ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Hig ♪ r
♪ Yeah‐yeah ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Higher ♪
♪ Climbing higher, woop. ♪
♪ Going up ♪
♪ Climbing higher, woop ♪
♪ Hey, meet my Jesus ♪
♪ Climbing higher, woop ♪
♪ Higher ♪
♪ Climbing higher. ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Climbing higher. ♪
♪ Higher, yeah‐yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher, wo ♪
♪ Higher, yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Higher, yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Higher, yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Higher, yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher woop ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Climbing higher woop ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Climbing! ♪
♪ I'm climbing
higher mountains ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ Home... ♪
♪ Home...
Yes!
Everybody
take a break, thank you.
Thank you.
It's great guys, great.
That's great.
Really, really good.
I think we need a bigger church.
I'm just a little
concerned about the impact.
I want you to check out
New Zion in Pasadena.
Big, beautiful church,
seats about 1,000.
Tell me what you're thinking.
Okay, ready for this?
I think we should make a
documentary of the show.
It's going to be epic,
why not film it?
The Rolling Stones did it,
James Brown, Elvis Presley.
You want to make inroads
on your acting career,
this'll put you on the map.
It's not really
what I had in mind.
Yeah, she really wants to have
a church service.
It's still going to be,
just bigger and better.
And, and, and this way think
about how many more people you
can take to church.
Impact.
It's about what you want, Re.
This is for you.
You'll still call all the shots.
If we're gonna do this,
I want to do it
in the community.
What about we do it in Watts?
New Temple Missionary.
How many does it seat?
Excuse me, Reverend.
Ms. Franklin, your sister
Erma's on the line.
She said she's been
trying to reach you.
Tell her I'll get back to her.
Take a look at New Temple?
I'm on my way.
They sanctified
up there at New Temple.
♪ May‐ay‐be ♪
♪ If I pray every night ♪
♪ You'll come back to me ♪
♪ And may‐ay‐be ♪
♪ If I cried everyday ♪
♪ You'd come back to stay ♪
♪ Oh‐oh‐oh‐oh‐oh, maybe ♪♪
You okay, Re?
What's going on in here?
Girls, we're going
to be late for church.
You all right little Re?
Yeah, I'm coming.
These are the stages, right.
From what you told me;
this picture right here
is probably where you are.
Three months pregnant.
I'm going to have another baby.
I wish my mother was here.
I know you do.
On that circuit this summer,
girl, you were running wild.
Which one of those
boys did that to you?
Never mind, I should
of did a better job of
looking out for you.
Your father should
have did a better job
looking out for you.
Daddy's going
to be so ashamed of me.
Just don't tell
him until you have to, okay?
And remember he's
your father, not God.
It's going to be all right, Re.
♪ Holy ♪
♪ Holy ♪
♪ Holy ♪
♪ Holy ♪♪
Next thing you
know we'll be doing
"Heard it Through
the Grapevine".
Yes, this is a Marvin Gaye song.
As you know, he is the son
of a sanctified minister.
I don't see how this is
the Lords music, Ms. Franklin.
All music is God's music.
We are sharing the
gift he gave us.
All right, everybody, take ten.
And if anybody feels
like this is beneath them,
I have 100 people ready
to take your place.
I don't blame them.
We promised them a church
service and I don't want to
lose sight of that.
Okay, couple of things.
Great news.
Joe Boyd at Warner Brothers
got Sydney Pollack
to direct the film.
Who's that?
He's a big director.
He's shooting Streisand
and Redford's next movie,
nominated for an
Oscar two years ago.
This is monumental for us.
What else?
Right.
Your father
called me; he's upset.
Wants us to record the
album at New Bethel.
No.
I know it's a big pivot,
but I don't think
it's a bad idea.
She said no.
That's probably
why my sister called and now
he calls you.
Look, I don't know
what's going on between you
and your father, Aretha.
But as your producing
partner I have to tell you
that recording this at
New Bethel is a good idea.
Okay, from a marketing
perspective it's a home run.
The acoustics are fantastic.
The acoustics,
I know what the acoustics are
like at New Bethel, Jerry.
I recorded my first record
there and I don't care.
I'm not recording
this album there.
Stay the course.
You hear me?
Re! Wait up! Re!
Where are you going?
Re, hold up, just wait a minute.
I, I, I'm done.
This isn't working.
I need to go back
to New York tonight.
Come on, sugar.
You've got to at least sleep...
I don't want to sleep on it.
I don't need to sleep on it.
I can't record this
album at his church.
I, I, I've done that once.
First of all, no one
can force you to record at
New Bethel or anywhere
else for that matter.
As far as I'm concerned,
you don't have to record it
at a church at all.
This is about your personal
relationship with God.
I don't know
what it's about anymore.
I'll tell you what it's about.
It's about your father
calling Jerry, that's it.
Why do you keep
giving him your power?
I, I just.
This isn't going to work
if you keep shutting me out.
I, I love my father.
He made me who I am but this,
this was supposed to be for me.
And he took that away.
♪ Feelings gone ♪♪
Hey, I'm, I'm sorry.
Ken's pulling the car around.
I'm just getting my things.
I screwed up.
I appreciate you saying that.
I'm so sorry I wasted your time.
I really should
have known better.
Aretha, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait.
You know, a lot of people
ask me what my job is.
What does a producer do anyway?
And, and for the longest
time I never knew exactly
how to answer that, you know,
because it's different
with every artist.
You know, sometimes I've got
to build a road so they can
drive on it and sometimes
I just got to point them
in the right direction.
But the number
one thing that I always
got to make sure to do,
no matter who it is;
do not get in the way.
You know who taught me that?
Me.
That's right.
And I got in the way
and I'm sorry for that.
You're producing this
record, too, and,
and maybe I should have
helped that happen before now.
But I didn't because
I'm a Neanderthal.
But you're brilliant.
You came out here,
you kicked the door down,
and you're making the
opportunity for yourself.
And I'm here to help you.
So, don't, don't turn back now.
Thank you.
But you can't help my father
and he won't be satisfied
until he takes over
this whole thing.
So, I...
I'm done.
♪ Free ♪
♪ I'm free, I'm free,
I'm free, I'm free ♪
♪ Hey, yeah ♪
♪ Free at last ♪♪
I really wish
you didn't have to leave
but thank you for
coming to say goodbye.
Why don't we go inside?
I know everyone would love
to see you before you leave,
let them say they goodbye.
Come on.
Maybe just for a moment.
I'll be right back, baby.
Take your time, sugar.
♪ Lead me on ♪
♪ To the light ♪
♪ To the light and ♪
♪ Take my hand ♪
♪ Precious Lord ♪
♪ Precious Lord ♪
♪ Lead me on ♪
♪ When my way groweth drear ♪♪
You can't just out sing them,
you've got to
outshine them, too.
♪ Precious Lord, linger near ♪
♪ When my light
is almost gone ♪♪
- Love you.
- Love you too.
♪ Hear my cry ♪
♪ Lord, hear my call ♪
♪ Hold my hand ♪
♪ Lest I fall ♪
♪ And take my hand ♪♪
They sound good.
Real good.
Welcome back, Ms. Franklin.
I never left.
♪ Oh ♪♪
Let's take it
from the top one more time.
♪ Climbing higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get ♪♪
Chuck, Chuck, Chuck I
know you have a problem but
you speeding up a little bit,
keep it real steady for me.
Yes, ma'am.
Hold on, one second.
♪ Climbing higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Climbing higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪♪
Mr. Pollack,
it's nice to meet you.
It's an honor to
have you onboard.
The honor is
mine, I'm a huge fan.
Now, Reverend Cleveland
gave me a tentative list
of the songs but I
was wondering if we could
do a cue to cue so
we can get an idea of
where you're going to
be during the performance.
I'm sure Jerry told
you this is more of a church
service than a concert
so if we move at all,
it'll be because
the spirit moves us.
Excuse me, Sydney.
Can we get some seats removed
from the center of the church?
We need a holding
space for the rig.
Oh, no, no, no, baby.
That won't do.
Praise first, production second.
Jerry.
You should know that
Aretha's producing this album
too so we're going to
defer to her on this.
- Copy that.
- You all right?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Thank you.
Walk that aisle,
tell me if I'm lined up.
Thank you, Jerry.
What if we put
"How I Got Over" after
"Holy, Holy"?
Where we going
to put "Precious Memory"?
Well, we could put it...
Dammit!
I'm guessing
this ain't the healing vibe
you had in mind.
You holding up okay?
Yeah.
Blessed is the man that remains
steadfast under trial.
For when he has stood the test,
he shall receive
the crown of life.
For the Lord has promised
those that love Him.
James Chapter 1, Verse 12.
Amen. Amen.
Doors are open, doors are open.
I'm on my way.
Okay, they're coming in guys.
I'd like t
say good evening to everybody.
Good evening.
I'd like
to thank you for coming out
to the first religious
recording of the Lady of Soul,
Ms. Aretha Franklin.
Many of you have not had the
opportunity to hear
Aretha sing Gospel.
Tonight, you're in for a thrill
Yeah baby, she
can sing anything.
She can sing,
"Three Blind Mice", anything.
I'd like you to be mindful
that this is a church and
we're here for a
religious service.
And whatever you hear tonight,
just remember tomorrow
night's going to even be better
♪ Amen ♪♪
Will you please receive the
Southern California
Community Choir.
♪ We are on our way ♪
♪ We're on our journey home ♪
♪ When we get to glory ♪
♪ We will shout ♪
♪ And tell the story ♪
♪ How we made it over ♪
♪ We're on our journey ♪
♪ Home ♪♪
She is known by many
names and deservedly so
earned every title.
But I call her my sister,
Aretha Franklin.
Aretha!
Now, as you know this
is a recording session.
And if things should happen,
we should have to take it over,
you understand.
If you said amen the first time,
I'm going to need to you
say amen a second time.
Amen?
Amen.
Amen. Amen
♪ This little light of mine ♪
♪ I'm gonna let it shine ♪
♪ This little light of mine ♪
♪ I'm gonna let it shine
Aretha Louise,
I want to talk to you, baby.
You got something
that you want to tell me?
How long did you think you
could keep that from me?
I had to find out about
it from your sister, Erma.
I was going to tell you, Daddy.
You going to have two
babies now, is that right?
You going to have two babies.
What you going to do?
You going to take two
babies on the road with you,
is that what you going to do?
I'm sorry, Daddy.
Did you know?
I'm‐a ask you again.
Did you know? Did you know?
I want you to get out my church.
I done extended my
hospitality as long as I can.
I can't allow you to be up
underneath my roof no more.
Daddy, no!
Get yourself out of my house.
It's my fault!
You need to take
better care of your kids.
You take your bags and
get yourself out of my house.
He didn't do anything!
One day you
going to fly out of this cage,
little bird.
Be good till then, all right?
Go on now.
♪ Ma... ♪
♪ Zing ♪
♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ How sweet ♪
♪ The... ♪
♪ Sound ♪
♪ That ♪
♪ That saved ♪
♪ A wretch ♪
♪ Like me... ♪
♪ I, I once...
Sing Aretha!
♪ Was lost ♪♪
♪ But now ♪
♪ I'm ♪
♪ I'm found ♪
♪ Was ♪
♪ Was blind ♪
♪ But now... ♪
♪ Now I, I see... ♪♪
Sing it!
♪ It was ♪
♪ It was ♪
♪ I want the world
to know that it was ♪
♪ It was ♪
♪ It was ♪
♪ It was ♪
♪ Grace, y'all ♪
♪ Woo‐ooh‐ooh ♪
♪ It was grace Lord ♪
♪ Oh Lord ♪
♪ That hath brought me so safe ♪
So safe ♪
♪ So safe ♪
♪ So safe ♪
♪ So safe ♪
♪ So, so, so safe ♪
♪ That's why ♪
♪ And it won't be
nothin but that same Grace ♪
♪ That's gonna lead me right ♪
♪ I know that it won't ♪
♪ That's gonna lead me right. ♪
♪ Right on
Right on.
♪ Right on. ♪
♪ Right on ♪
♪ Oh, right on, right on. ♪
♪ Right on ♪
♪ Oh, yeah
Thank you, thank you very much.
Boy, you brought
the house down but
listen, listen, listen.
Sydney is losing
his mind, all right.
His crew can't shoot around
the people in the aisle.
So, he's going to bring
a couple more guys and
some more equipment tomorrow.
Oh, no, no.
Absolutely not.
That's impossible.
Do they even know
what they're doing?
I don't even see that little
clapper thing which usually
they use when I sing on T. V.
It's Sydney Pollack.
I think he's got it covered.
I don't care
if it's Sydney Pollack.
All right, I'll follow up.
- Thank you.
- I'll follow up.
Goodnight.
I just got off
the phone with Daddy and
told him how great you were.
And guess what he said?
You didn't call to invite him.
I forgot.
Well, he's
coming tomorrow night.
Come on, sugar.
Let's, let's get you home.
Alright now, Re.
Let me help
you with your dress, Re.
I'll finish it by myself.
You sure? Yeah.
- You okay, Re?
- Mm‐hmm.
You know it'd be
worse if he wasn't coming.
Mm‐hmm.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we have a legend in
God's house tonight.
One of the people
who inspired Aretha,
a great Gospel singer herself.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sister Clara Ward.
And now
we want to present the man who
made this one here possible,
her father,
the Reverend CL Franklin
from Detroit, Michigan.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Yes, how are you?
How are you people?
Yes.
Bear
with us for one more second.
We've got a cup of water
that spilled on a great deal
of electrical wires.
Can you hear this microphone?
Yeah.
Okay, you can.
It's a beautiful service.
You didn't have to
come all the way from home
just for this, Daddy.
You really think
you can keep me away?
All right
let's give the technician a
big hand for fixing the
difficulties.
And now let's get
back to church.
- You okay?
- Mm‐hmm.
All right, all right.
We going to do a little
song we borrowed from
Reverend CL Franklin.
One of his old numbers,
a little song called
"Climbing Higher Mountains"
trying to get home.
Amen.
Wait a minute
We'll start again.
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Climbing ♪
♪ Whoa climbing ♪
♪ Everyday ♪
♪ Oh, I'm climbing ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Well my road,
been a little rocky ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Well my roads,
been a little rocky ♪
♪ On my way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Well my roads,
been a little rocky ♪
♪ Goin up a mountain,
goin on up the mountain ♪
♪ Well my roads,
been a little rocky ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪♪
Well, of course
we want Aretha to graduate
with her class.
But Mrs. Lowrey, can you
tell me how she's going to
keep up with her schooling,
study for her tests,
and take care of one
baby at home and another
one on the way?
And, you know, she's,
she's singing in my choir, too.
Mr. Franklin, all due respect,
Aretha is so much
more than just a singer.
She is a gifted student.
More than a singer?
Mrs. Lowrey, have
you seen Aretha sing?
Of course.
I just, it is so
important for our
young women to stay in school.
It is their path
to self‐reliance.
In my humble opinion,
self‐reliance is
an overrated notion.
We must rely on our
God for our guidance.
Indeed.
But I believe the
Lord smiles on learning.
"Study to show thyself
approved unto God.
A workman that needeth
not to be ashamed."
Timothy 2:15.
Now, I've made a list
of all the work that Aretha
needs to complete
for graduation.
And I would be more
than happy to spend as much
extra time with
her as she needs.
Please, she has
so much potential.
We gonna see what
God is going to do and then
we'll get back to you.
Okay.
Let me see that.
No, I don't think
this is going to work.
It's okay, baby.
I have something else for you.
Going back on tour?
Oh, no, no, no.
Even better, you have
better things waiting for you!
Now, I think
that Reverend Cleveland picked
a bad time for
me to make a talk.
Behind all the spirit
and enthusiasm that Aretha
has engendered here tonight.
Yes!
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
You all were
overwhelmed with the magnificen
gift of her voice.
But I couldn't help but
remember the first time
I took her with me on
the road to sing Gospel.
You all were crying,
you all were moved,
but as her father I was
about to bust wide open.
My, my, my.
Not only
because Aretha is my daughter.
I wouldn't be all right upstair
if I didn't appreciate that.
But I saw with pride
that Aretha is not only
just my daughter,
but Aretha is
just a stone singer.
God bless you.
You can do this.
Now, the first time we
heard Aretha Franklin
many years ago,
we heard her sing this song.
I have heard of
a land that we shall
"Never Grow Old".
Yes, sir.
♪ I had... ♪
♪ Heard ♪
♪ Of a land ♪
♪ On far
- All right, now.
- Yes, hallelujah.
♪ Far away strand ♪♪
Yes, sir.
♪ This a beauti... ♪
♪ ...Ful home ♪
♪ Of the soul ♪♪
Yes, Lord. Ha‐ha!
She's may she had
to leave school to do it,
but I believe Aretha may have
found her higher calling.
♪ Built by Jesus ♪
♪ On high ♪♪
Yes, sir.
♪ There, there we'll never ♪♪
♪ Never will die ♪♪
Woo! Yes!
♪ This is a land where ♪♪
- Woo, yes, come on.
- Praise him.
♪ Never... ♪
Alright!
♪ Grow... ♪
♪ Grow old ♪♪
♪ We'll, we'll never... ♪♪
Sing Aretha!
♪ Can I get you to
help me say that ♪
♪ We'll never ♪♪
Never!
♪ Never grow old ♪
♪ Old, we'll never ♪♪
Sing it! Yes, Lord!
♪ Never ♪
♪ Never grow old ♪♪
Come on, Re!
♪ When you get
through doing down here ♪
♪ There is a land ♪♪
Woo, Jesus!
♪ He done laid out a land ♪
♪ Oh, Lord ♪
♪ Where we'll never ♪♪
Never!
♪ We'll never ♪♪
Never!
♪ Never ♪♪
Never!
♪ We'll never ♪
♪ Grow old ♪
♪ Mmmm‐mmm‐mm‐mm ♪♪
Amen!
♪ Because the
Lord is my shepherd ♪
♪ I have every‐thing I need ♪
♪ He's gonna help me
rest in the meadow's grass ♪
♪ And he's gonna lead me
beside the quiet streams ♪
♪ He's restoring
my failing health. ♪
♪ Lord's gonna help me do
what honors Him the most. ♪
♪ Safe. ♪
♪ You're safe ♪
♪ Everyone of us is safe ♪
♪ We're safe ♪♪
Wait a minute now,
there was a pizza box
on the piano.
Sorry.
It makes the
piano sound different.
Who's this guy she's with?
It's Ken Cunningham, he's solid.
I checked.
You're calling the shots;
you're making the arrangements.
Sounds like you're
the producer too.
Where's my
producer credit, Jerry?
No artist gets producer credit.
Not The Who, not The Stones,
not even The Beatles.
It just isn't done.
Powder blue!
Reverend James is going to
be our new choir director.
I've heard a lot about you.
I haven't played too
much since having the baby.
It's time
to start playing again.
King Curtis, when you play,
you're my second voice.
Second voice to Aretha Franklin,
I'll take that.
Keep your hands visible, sir.
It's because I'm CL Franklin.
How much help
do ya'll need from me?
You just got to flaunt
your power, don't you?
Because I'm
my mother's daughter.
Miss you, Mommy.
I want to go live
with Mommy in Buffalo.
You're not being fair!
She waited too long to
stand up for herself and
it killed her.
And I refuse to let that be me.
You're burning
the candle at both ends.
My advice is to slow down.
- Love you.
- Love you, too.
No! No!
You broke my heart.
You said you
we're gonna help me.
Stop that crying!
Will you trust him?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Hey, it's all right.
It's all right,
it's just a bad dream.
That's all.
Everything's going to be okay.
How many more
am I going to have?
Well, the doctor
says it's not uncommon,
but you came here to
get well and that's what
you're going to do,
just give it time.
I keep, I keep dreaming
about my mother and I can't,
I can't get to her.
I can't, I can't see her face.
It'll be 20 years this spring.
And, well,
with King Curtis dying I,
I feel like I lost my way.
I have to find a way
to get back to myself.
Now, listen.
Don't, don't be so
hard on yourself, sugar.
Remember, you've been running
hard for a really long time.
It's only right you have
some feelings when you stop.
How bout you get dressed.
You want to get dressed, huh?
You know your father
will be here soon unless
you need me to hold him off.
I mean it's only been a
couple weeks and I know it
takes a lot of energy from you.
No, it's all right.
You sure?
Mm‐hmm,
I don't want him to worry.
Look at you.
Hey, baby. You eating all right?
They, they got someone
for you to talk to,
you know, with the,
the therapy and whatnot.
Hey, I like that,
that Ken fella.
You done finally
found a good one.
Keep him.
Why didn't
you let Momma take us?
What, what?
Why didn't
you let Momma take us?
She, she, she didn't
want to take you, babe.
That's, that's not true.
Do you have any idea
what the people would have said
if the pastor's wife
took the, the children?
So, you were worried
about what people would say?
What happened between
your mom and I is none
of your concern, baby.
This is, is this what
they're teaching you here?
This, oh, damnit.
Come on, Retha.
I'm not going in.
What? Retha?
Can you, can you,
you take this inside and,
and light a candle
for King Curtis?
I just need a minute.
- Baby come...
- Please? Please.
Hallelujah.
I'm going to put my
trust in the Lord.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Now, let's go back!
♪ Now let us all. All go b ♪ k
♪ Back to the old.
Old landmark. ♪
♪ Now let us all. All go back ♪
♪ Back to the old.
Old landmark. ♪
♪ Let us all. Back to the old ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪
♪ Let us stay in the
service of the Lord. ♪
♪ Heal and pray ♪
♪ Heal and pray. ♪
♪ In the old. Old landmark ♪
♪ Heal and pray, in the old ♪
♪ Old landmark. ♪
♪ Heal and pray, in the old ♪
♪ Hear our prayer. ♪
♪ Glory, glory. ♪
♪ Glory, oh, hey! ♪
♪ Let us stay in the
service of the Lord ♪
♪ Whoa, let us all.
All go back. ♪
♪ All go back. Old landmark. ♪
♪ Let us all. All go back ♪
♪ Go back. Old landmark ♪
♪ Let us all. All go back ♪
♪ Go back. Old landmark ♪♪
Father, God, we come here today!
Lord there is a,
there's a saint among us.
Amen!
Who may feel
like they've been mistreated,
Father, God.
Not because they have done
something wrong, Father, God.
But because there's something
extremely right about them.
Yeah!
Isaiah 53:5
tells us the pierce in your side
is from our transgressions.
Yes!
He was crushed
for our iniquities.
Yes!
The punishment
that brought us peace
is on Him.
By these wounds we are
made whole, Father, God.
God is working things out for
you even if you don't feel it.
Have faith. Be faithful.
For where there is faith,
hope grows,
and miracles blossom.
Father, God, thank you!
Thank you for this congregation!
♪ Come on and
shout, shout, shout it ♪
♪ Ho, you gotta shout it ♪
♪ He healed you, you
better run and shout ♪
♪ He saved you, you
better run and shout ♪
♪ Shout, shout, shout,
shout‐shout‐shout ♪
♪ Shout, shout, shout,
shout‐shout‐shout ♪
♪ Glory, glory, glory, glory. ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
shout it, shout it. ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
shout it, shout it. ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
shout it, shout it. ♪
♪ Shout, shout, shout
Shout‐shout‐shout‐shout. ♪
♪ Shout‐shout‐shout‐shout‐shout‐
shout‐shout ♪
♪ Glory, glory, glory, glory
Lord ain't
gonna be waitin' for you,
but I will be.
I knew it was you the
moment you walked in here.
That scarf and them
glasses ain't fooling nobody.
You could come in here with
a paper bag over your head,
I'd know it was you.
I wasn't trying
to hide from you now.
You know you
should have called me before
you did that Andy Williams Show.
Now, why I need to
call you about Andy Williams?
That terrible,
red feather duster thing.
I mean I could have saved
you a whole mess of trouble.
I stand by my
red feather duster.
Well, all right.
I ain't here to
argue with the Queen.
I hear you're taking a break.
You, you earn that vacation.
It's not that kind of time off.
Are you okay, Re?
I will be.
I feel like I,
I feel like I got lost.
Maybe I, I got to
where I was going,
and it was nowhere
I wanted to be.
Well, you know,
you always have a
home in the House of God.
I know, I know.
I, I want to record
a Gospel album.
- Back to your roots.
- Not exactly.
I want to record
it here with you,
your choir, your church.
Not your daddy's church?
No.
Does he know about this yet?
No.
I want to find my own
way and I can't do that with
my daddy around.
He's part of the reason
I was pulled apart
in the first place.
I know. I was there, I saw it.
Well, you know he ain't
going to take this laying down.
That's okay.
It's how it has to be.
Okay.
Let's do it,
let's make a Gospel album.
Well, all right.
Mm‐hmm.
If you ready, I'm ready.
Everyone,
don't forget to do your
reading for tomorrow.
And I've graded some
of your essays.
Do better next time, yes?
See you tomorrow.
Thank you, Ms. Lowrey.
Oh, Aretha.
Come here for a second.
You did a beautiful
job on your essay.
Thank you, Mrs. Lowrey.
I'm going to
show it to Mrs. Drake this
afternoon and propose
that you be one of our
ninth grade graduation speakers.
Thank you, Mrs. Lowrey.
You can
maybe start with a little
welcome to everyone.
Like this?
Good afternoon
ladies and gentlemen.
First of all,
I'd like to congratulate
my fellow graduates.
Exactly.
You know, I used to
sing in the choir with
your mother, Barbara.
She was very smart,
just like you.
She would be so proud of
the student that you've become.
You'll be a natural
as one of our speakers.
Thank you, Mrs. Lowrey.
Sorry, I've gotta run,
I'm going to be late
for choir practice.
Okay. Keep practicing.
♪ Back to the old landmark ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪♪
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Come on Rufus, what ya
doing back there, huh?
Naomi, you're making
the altos look bad.
Hey, hey, hey, Ruth,
you ain't even
open up your mouth.
From the top, let's go.
♪ Now let us all ♪
♪ All go back ♪
♪ Back to the old landmark ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪
♪ Let us all go back ♪
♪ All go back. ♪
♪ To the old landmark. ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪
♪ Now let us all ♪
♪ All go back ♪
♪ Old landmark ♪♪
♪ And we'll stay in
the service of the Lord
Yes, hey, hey, hey.
All right now, all right now.
All right now, Re, this
is what I need you to do.
I need you to come in
after the second bar, right,
I need you to sing out loud
throughout the bridge, okay?
Reverend
Brother Cleveland, if, if,
if my daughter
needs any instruction,
she'll get it from me,
not from you.
Understood?
Yeah, I get it.
Reverend Franklin,
I'm just trying to.
Aretha's voice is
a gift from the Lord.
The less we do
with it, the better.
Now, if you were wise CL,
you'd remember the heavenly
source of Aretha's gift
yourself from time to time.
Mm‐hmm. Mm‐hmm.
Let's go from the top.
Pow! Pop!
It's a great idea, right?
And, and James has
been kind enough to let us
have his church.
Yeah, absolutely.
So, what's that look?
Well, the acoustics
in here are not the best.
I've been here
plenty of times and listen
to the choir
without any problems.
Okay.
Well, a bigger
issue is the size.
I mean how many people can
fit in here; 30, 40, max?
Well, James and I
were thinking of maybe doing
this over two nights.
Okay, so now we're up to 80.
I mean I'm concerned
about the scope.
I mean do you really want
to go from playing huge
amphitheaters to recording a
bunch of old‐time Gospel songs
in a place the size
of my living room?
Old‐time?
I'm going to be singing
popular songs and weaving it
with Gospel music
in a way that you've
never heard before.
I know, I know.
I, I just don't want us to
be moving backwards is all.
Well, maybe
sometimes you've got to
move backwards to move forwards.
Listen, I even got
the cover on press.
- Another one of Ken's?
- Mm‐hmm.
People love what he did
for the cover of Greatest Hits.
Check it out.
Oh.
That's great, that's beautiful.
Okay.
Listen, I, I know
that The Rolling Stones
didn't get producer
credit on their album and
I know that The Beatles
didn't either but
that is not my concern.
I'm going to produce this album,
it's the only way it can happen.
I can see it now, Jerry.
It's beautiful and I'm going
to call it Amazing Grace.
Aretha...
Then that's how we'll do it.
Good, all right.
All right? All right. All right.
Mm‐hmm.
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ Climbing ♪
♪ Oh. Lord ♪
♪ Climbing. ♪
♪ Every day ♪
♪ Climbing ♪
♪ Oh, I'm climbing. ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ High mountains ♪
♪ High mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ I'm going up the side
of the mountain ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ I'm going up the side
of the mountain ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ I'm going up the side
of the mountain ♪
♪ Meet my Jesus ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Climbing ♪
♪ I'm going up. ♪
♪ Hey‐hey‐hey ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Climbing, yeah ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Hig ♪ r
♪ Yeah‐yeah ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Higher ♪
♪ Climbing higher, woop. ♪
♪ Going up ♪
♪ Climbing higher, woop ♪
♪ Hey, meet my Jesus ♪
♪ Climbing higher, woop ♪
♪ Higher ♪
♪ Climbing higher. ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Climbing higher. ♪
♪ Higher, yeah‐yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher, wo ♪
♪ Higher, yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Higher, yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Higher, yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Higher, yeah. ♪
♪ Climbing higher woop ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Climbing higher woop ♪
♪ Climbing higher ♪
♪ Climbing! ♪
♪ I'm climbing
higher mountains ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home. ♪
♪ Home... ♪
♪ Home...
Yes!
Everybody
take a break, thank you.
Thank you.
It's great guys, great.
That's great.
Really, really good.
I think we need a bigger church.
I'm just a little
concerned about the impact.
I want you to check out
New Zion in Pasadena.
Big, beautiful church,
seats about 1,000.
Tell me what you're thinking.
Okay, ready for this?
I think we should make a
documentary of the show.
It's going to be epic,
why not film it?
The Rolling Stones did it,
James Brown, Elvis Presley.
You want to make inroads
on your acting career,
this'll put you on the map.
It's not really
what I had in mind.
Yeah, she really wants to have
a church service.
It's still going to be,
just bigger and better.
And, and, and this way think
about how many more people you
can take to church.
Impact.
It's about what you want, Re.
This is for you.
You'll still call all the shots.
If we're gonna do this,
I want to do it
in the community.
What about we do it in Watts?
New Temple Missionary.
How many does it seat?
Excuse me, Reverend.
Ms. Franklin, your sister
Erma's on the line.
She said she's been
trying to reach you.
Tell her I'll get back to her.
Take a look at New Temple?
I'm on my way.
They sanctified
up there at New Temple.
♪ May‐ay‐be ♪
♪ If I pray every night ♪
♪ You'll come back to me ♪
♪ And may‐ay‐be ♪
♪ If I cried everyday ♪
♪ You'd come back to stay ♪
♪ Oh‐oh‐oh‐oh‐oh, maybe ♪♪
You okay, Re?
What's going on in here?
Girls, we're going
to be late for church.
You all right little Re?
Yeah, I'm coming.
These are the stages, right.
From what you told me;
this picture right here
is probably where you are.
Three months pregnant.
I'm going to have another baby.
I wish my mother was here.
I know you do.
On that circuit this summer,
girl, you were running wild.
Which one of those
boys did that to you?
Never mind, I should
of did a better job of
looking out for you.
Your father should
have did a better job
looking out for you.
Daddy's going
to be so ashamed of me.
Just don't tell
him until you have to, okay?
And remember he's
your father, not God.
It's going to be all right, Re.
♪ Holy ♪
♪ Holy ♪
♪ Holy ♪
♪ Holy ♪♪
Next thing you
know we'll be doing
"Heard it Through
the Grapevine".
Yes, this is a Marvin Gaye song.
As you know, he is the son
of a sanctified minister.
I don't see how this is
the Lords music, Ms. Franklin.
All music is God's music.
We are sharing the
gift he gave us.
All right, everybody, take ten.
And if anybody feels
like this is beneath them,
I have 100 people ready
to take your place.
I don't blame them.
We promised them a church
service and I don't want to
lose sight of that.
Okay, couple of things.
Great news.
Joe Boyd at Warner Brothers
got Sydney Pollack
to direct the film.
Who's that?
He's a big director.
He's shooting Streisand
and Redford's next movie,
nominated for an
Oscar two years ago.
This is monumental for us.
What else?
Right.
Your father
called me; he's upset.
Wants us to record the
album at New Bethel.
No.
I know it's a big pivot,
but I don't think
it's a bad idea.
She said no.
That's probably
why my sister called and now
he calls you.
Look, I don't know
what's going on between you
and your father, Aretha.
But as your producing
partner I have to tell you
that recording this at
New Bethel is a good idea.
Okay, from a marketing
perspective it's a home run.
The acoustics are fantastic.
The acoustics,
I know what the acoustics are
like at New Bethel, Jerry.
I recorded my first record
there and I don't care.
I'm not recording
this album there.
Stay the course.
You hear me?
Re! Wait up! Re!
Where are you going?
Re, hold up, just wait a minute.
I, I, I'm done.
This isn't working.
I need to go back
to New York tonight.
Come on, sugar.
You've got to at least sleep...
I don't want to sleep on it.
I don't need to sleep on it.
I can't record this
album at his church.
I, I, I've done that once.
First of all, no one
can force you to record at
New Bethel or anywhere
else for that matter.
As far as I'm concerned,
you don't have to record it
at a church at all.
This is about your personal
relationship with God.
I don't know
what it's about anymore.
I'll tell you what it's about.
It's about your father
calling Jerry, that's it.
Why do you keep
giving him your power?
I, I just.
This isn't going to work
if you keep shutting me out.
I, I love my father.
He made me who I am but this,
this was supposed to be for me.
And he took that away.
♪ Feelings gone ♪♪
Hey, I'm, I'm sorry.
Ken's pulling the car around.
I'm just getting my things.
I screwed up.
I appreciate you saying that.
I'm so sorry I wasted your time.
I really should
have known better.
Aretha, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait.
You know, a lot of people
ask me what my job is.
What does a producer do anyway?
And, and for the longest
time I never knew exactly
how to answer that, you know,
because it's different
with every artist.
You know, sometimes I've got
to build a road so they can
drive on it and sometimes
I just got to point them
in the right direction.
But the number
one thing that I always
got to make sure to do,
no matter who it is;
do not get in the way.
You know who taught me that?
Me.
That's right.
And I got in the way
and I'm sorry for that.
You're producing this
record, too, and,
and maybe I should have
helped that happen before now.
But I didn't because
I'm a Neanderthal.
But you're brilliant.
You came out here,
you kicked the door down,
and you're making the
opportunity for yourself.
And I'm here to help you.
So, don't, don't turn back now.
Thank you.
But you can't help my father
and he won't be satisfied
until he takes over
this whole thing.
So, I...
I'm done.
♪ Free ♪
♪ I'm free, I'm free,
I'm free, I'm free ♪
♪ Hey, yeah ♪
♪ Free at last ♪♪
I really wish
you didn't have to leave
but thank you for
coming to say goodbye.
Why don't we go inside?
I know everyone would love
to see you before you leave,
let them say they goodbye.
Come on.
Maybe just for a moment.
I'll be right back, baby.
Take your time, sugar.
♪ Lead me on ♪
♪ To the light ♪
♪ To the light and ♪
♪ Take my hand ♪
♪ Precious Lord ♪
♪ Precious Lord ♪
♪ Lead me on ♪
♪ When my way groweth drear ♪♪
You can't just out sing them,
you've got to
outshine them, too.
♪ Precious Lord, linger near ♪
♪ When my light
is almost gone ♪♪
- Love you.
- Love you too.
♪ Hear my cry ♪
♪ Lord, hear my call ♪
♪ Hold my hand ♪
♪ Lest I fall ♪
♪ And take my hand ♪♪
They sound good.
Real good.
Welcome back, Ms. Franklin.
I never left.
♪ Oh ♪♪
Let's take it
from the top one more time.
♪ Climbing higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get ♪♪
Chuck, Chuck, Chuck I
know you have a problem but
you speeding up a little bit,
keep it real steady for me.
Yes, ma'am.
Hold on, one second.
♪ Climbing higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Climbing higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪♪
Mr. Pollack,
it's nice to meet you.
It's an honor to
have you onboard.
The honor is
mine, I'm a huge fan.
Now, Reverend Cleveland
gave me a tentative list
of the songs but I
was wondering if we could
do a cue to cue so
we can get an idea of
where you're going to
be during the performance.
I'm sure Jerry told
you this is more of a church
service than a concert
so if we move at all,
it'll be because
the spirit moves us.
Excuse me, Sydney.
Can we get some seats removed
from the center of the church?
We need a holding
space for the rig.
Oh, no, no, no, baby.
That won't do.
Praise first, production second.
Jerry.
You should know that
Aretha's producing this album
too so we're going to
defer to her on this.
- Copy that.
- You all right?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Thank you.
Walk that aisle,
tell me if I'm lined up.
Thank you, Jerry.
What if we put
"How I Got Over" after
"Holy, Holy"?
Where we going
to put "Precious Memory"?
Well, we could put it...
Dammit!
I'm guessing
this ain't the healing vibe
you had in mind.
You holding up okay?
Yeah.
Blessed is the man that remains
steadfast under trial.
For when he has stood the test,
he shall receive
the crown of life.
For the Lord has promised
those that love Him.
James Chapter 1, Verse 12.
Amen. Amen.
Doors are open, doors are open.
I'm on my way.
Okay, they're coming in guys.
I'd like t
say good evening to everybody.
Good evening.
I'd like
to thank you for coming out
to the first religious
recording of the Lady of Soul,
Ms. Aretha Franklin.
Many of you have not had the
opportunity to hear
Aretha sing Gospel.
Tonight, you're in for a thrill
Yeah baby, she
can sing anything.
She can sing,
"Three Blind Mice", anything.
I'd like you to be mindful
that this is a church and
we're here for a
religious service.
And whatever you hear tonight,
just remember tomorrow
night's going to even be better
♪ Amen ♪♪
Will you please receive the
Southern California
Community Choir.
♪ We are on our way ♪
♪ We're on our journey home ♪
♪ When we get to glory ♪
♪ We will shout ♪
♪ And tell the story ♪
♪ How we made it over ♪
♪ We're on our journey ♪
♪ Home ♪♪
She is known by many
names and deservedly so
earned every title.
But I call her my sister,
Aretha Franklin.
Aretha!
Now, as you know this
is a recording session.
And if things should happen,
we should have to take it over,
you understand.
If you said amen the first time,
I'm going to need to you
say amen a second time.
Amen?
Amen.
Amen. Amen
♪ This little light of mine ♪
♪ I'm gonna let it shine ♪
♪ This little light of mine ♪
♪ I'm gonna let it shine
Aretha Louise,
I want to talk to you, baby.
You got something
that you want to tell me?
How long did you think you
could keep that from me?
I had to find out about
it from your sister, Erma.
I was going to tell you, Daddy.
You going to have two
babies now, is that right?
You going to have two babies.
What you going to do?
You going to take two
babies on the road with you,
is that what you going to do?
I'm sorry, Daddy.
Did you know?
I'm‐a ask you again.
Did you know? Did you know?
I want you to get out my church.
I done extended my
hospitality as long as I can.
I can't allow you to be up
underneath my roof no more.
Daddy, no!
Get yourself out of my house.
It's my fault!
You need to take
better care of your kids.
You take your bags and
get yourself out of my house.
He didn't do anything!
One day you
going to fly out of this cage,
little bird.
Be good till then, all right?
Go on now.
♪ Ma... ♪
♪ Zing ♪
♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ How sweet ♪
♪ The... ♪
♪ Sound ♪
♪ That ♪
♪ That saved ♪
♪ A wretch ♪
♪ Like me... ♪
♪ I, I once...
Sing Aretha!
♪ Was lost ♪♪
♪ But now ♪
♪ I'm ♪
♪ I'm found ♪
♪ Was ♪
♪ Was blind ♪
♪ But now... ♪
♪ Now I, I see... ♪♪
Sing it!
♪ It was ♪
♪ It was ♪
♪ I want the world
to know that it was ♪
♪ It was ♪
♪ It was ♪
♪ It was ♪
♪ Grace, y'all ♪
♪ Woo‐ooh‐ooh ♪
♪ It was grace Lord ♪
♪ Oh Lord ♪
♪ That hath brought me so safe ♪
So safe ♪
♪ So safe ♪
♪ So safe ♪
♪ So safe ♪
♪ So, so, so safe ♪
♪ That's why ♪
♪ And it won't be
nothin but that same Grace ♪
♪ That's gonna lead me right ♪
♪ I know that it won't ♪
♪ That's gonna lead me right. ♪
♪ Right on
Right on.
♪ Right on. ♪
♪ Right on ♪
♪ Oh, right on, right on. ♪
♪ Right on ♪
♪ Oh, yeah
Thank you, thank you very much.
Boy, you brought
the house down but
listen, listen, listen.
Sydney is losing
his mind, all right.
His crew can't shoot around
the people in the aisle.
So, he's going to bring
a couple more guys and
some more equipment tomorrow.
Oh, no, no.
Absolutely not.
That's impossible.
Do they even know
what they're doing?
I don't even see that little
clapper thing which usually
they use when I sing on T. V.
It's Sydney Pollack.
I think he's got it covered.
I don't care
if it's Sydney Pollack.
All right, I'll follow up.
- Thank you.
- I'll follow up.
Goodnight.
I just got off
the phone with Daddy and
told him how great you were.
And guess what he said?
You didn't call to invite him.
I forgot.
Well, he's
coming tomorrow night.
Come on, sugar.
Let's, let's get you home.
Alright now, Re.
Let me help
you with your dress, Re.
I'll finish it by myself.
You sure? Yeah.
- You okay, Re?
- Mm‐hmm.
You know it'd be
worse if he wasn't coming.
Mm‐hmm.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we have a legend in
God's house tonight.
One of the people
who inspired Aretha,
a great Gospel singer herself.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sister Clara Ward.
And now
we want to present the man who
made this one here possible,
her father,
the Reverend CL Franklin
from Detroit, Michigan.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Yes, how are you?
How are you people?
Yes.
Bear
with us for one more second.
We've got a cup of water
that spilled on a great deal
of electrical wires.
Can you hear this microphone?
Yeah.
Okay, you can.
It's a beautiful service.
You didn't have to
come all the way from home
just for this, Daddy.
You really think
you can keep me away?
All right
let's give the technician a
big hand for fixing the
difficulties.
And now let's get
back to church.
- You okay?
- Mm‐hmm.
All right, all right.
We going to do a little
song we borrowed from
Reverend CL Franklin.
One of his old numbers,
a little song called
"Climbing Higher Mountains"
trying to get home.
Amen.
Wait a minute
We'll start again.
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ I'm climbing ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Climbing ♪
♪ Whoa climbing ♪
♪ Everyday ♪
♪ Oh, I'm climbing ♪
♪ Higher mountains ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Well my road,
been a little rocky ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Well my roads,
been a little rocky ♪
♪ On my way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪
♪ Well my roads,
been a little rocky ♪
♪ Goin up a mountain,
goin on up the mountain ♪
♪ Well my roads,
been a little rocky ♪
♪ All the way home ♪
♪ Trying to get home ♪♪
Well, of course
we want Aretha to graduate
with her class.
But Mrs. Lowrey, can you
tell me how she's going to
keep up with her schooling,
study for her tests,
and take care of one
baby at home and another
one on the way?
And, you know, she's,
she's singing in my choir, too.
Mr. Franklin, all due respect,
Aretha is so much
more than just a singer.
She is a gifted student.
More than a singer?
Mrs. Lowrey, have
you seen Aretha sing?
Of course.
I just, it is so
important for our
young women to stay in school.
It is their path
to self‐reliance.
In my humble opinion,
self‐reliance is
an overrated notion.
We must rely on our
God for our guidance.
Indeed.
But I believe the
Lord smiles on learning.
"Study to show thyself
approved unto God.
A workman that needeth
not to be ashamed."
Timothy 2:15.
Now, I've made a list
of all the work that Aretha
needs to complete
for graduation.
And I would be more
than happy to spend as much
extra time with
her as she needs.
Please, she has
so much potential.
We gonna see what
God is going to do and then
we'll get back to you.
Okay.
Let me see that.
No, I don't think
this is going to work.
It's okay, baby.
I have something else for you.
Going back on tour?
Oh, no, no, no.
Even better, you have
better things waiting for you!
Now, I think
that Reverend Cleveland picked
a bad time for
me to make a talk.
Behind all the spirit
and enthusiasm that Aretha
has engendered here tonight.
Yes!
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
You all were
overwhelmed with the magnificen
gift of her voice.
But I couldn't help but
remember the first time
I took her with me on
the road to sing Gospel.
You all were crying,
you all were moved,
but as her father I was
about to bust wide open.
My, my, my.
Not only
because Aretha is my daughter.
I wouldn't be all right upstair
if I didn't appreciate that.
But I saw with pride
that Aretha is not only
just my daughter,
but Aretha is
just a stone singer.
God bless you.
You can do this.
Now, the first time we
heard Aretha Franklin
many years ago,
we heard her sing this song.
I have heard of
a land that we shall
"Never Grow Old".
Yes, sir.
♪ I had... ♪
♪ Heard ♪
♪ Of a land ♪
♪ On far
- All right, now.
- Yes, hallelujah.
♪ Far away strand ♪♪
Yes, sir.
♪ This a beauti... ♪
♪ ...Ful home ♪
♪ Of the soul ♪♪
Yes, Lord. Ha‐ha!
She's may she had
to leave school to do it,
but I believe Aretha may have
found her higher calling.
♪ Built by Jesus ♪
♪ On high ♪♪
Yes, sir.
♪ There, there we'll never ♪♪
♪ Never will die ♪♪
Woo! Yes!
♪ This is a land where ♪♪
- Woo, yes, come on.
- Praise him.
♪ Never... ♪
Alright!
♪ Grow... ♪
♪ Grow old ♪♪
♪ We'll, we'll never... ♪♪
Sing Aretha!
♪ Can I get you to
help me say that ♪
♪ We'll never ♪♪
Never!
♪ Never grow old ♪
♪ Old, we'll never ♪♪
Sing it! Yes, Lord!
♪ Never ♪
♪ Never grow old ♪♪
Come on, Re!
♪ When you get
through doing down here ♪
♪ There is a land ♪♪
Woo, Jesus!
♪ He done laid out a land ♪
♪ Oh, Lord ♪
♪ Where we'll never ♪♪
Never!
♪ We'll never ♪♪
Never!
♪ Never ♪♪
Never!
♪ We'll never ♪
♪ Grow old ♪
♪ Mmmm‐mmm‐mm‐mm ♪♪
Amen!
♪ Because the
Lord is my shepherd ♪
♪ I have every‐thing I need ♪
♪ He's gonna help me
rest in the meadow's grass ♪
♪ And he's gonna lead me
beside the quiet streams ♪
♪ He's restoring
my failing health. ♪
♪ Lord's gonna help me do
what honors Him the most. ♪
♪ Safe. ♪
♪ You're safe ♪
♪ Everyone of us is safe ♪
♪ We're safe ♪♪