Sing a Song That’ll Touch His Heart

The first time I heard Cat Power do "Aretha, Sing One For Me" from 2008's fantastic Jukebox, it totally reminded me of "Tumbling Dice." So, this part of my alt.Exile was easy. The song is about a couple who get in a fight and break up. The boyfriend is going to see Aretha Franklin, so the girl wants Aretha to sing so good the boy changes his mind.

"Hey Aretha, sing one for me
Let him know our life's in misery
Will you sing a song that'll touch his heart
And make him sorry we are apart"

Jim White's massive drums start with a beat so far back I think they're technically from the previous song. A guitar enters, panned left, also behind the beat and syncopating with White. That's the great Teenie Hodges, who played on the George Jackson original (1972). Gregg Foreman (Delta 72) then comes in with some sweet organ fill over the top and centered in the mix. Erik Paparazzi subtly swoops in on bass and, he too, is centered. By the time Chan Marshall's sultry voice enters at :30 following a White press roll, we're all about fever in the funkhouse now.

George Jackson was actually asked about Marshall's cover shortly after the release of Jukebox and he gave a great response.

“It's got a really different feel from my version. She stuck to the basic melody of the song that I recorded, but I noticed that she added a Bonnie Raitt-style guitar lick on her version. On my version, I mostly used the piano for the melody and the solos, but she uses the guitar on hers, which I thought was really interesting. I'm thrilled that she decided to cover it. I've always liked that song, but I think it's great that she liked it enough to do it herself.”
--George Jackson to Andy Tennille, SF Weekly, April 9, 2008