midweek music: “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”

In 2015, Carole King was honored at the Kennedy Center, and one of the performers was Aretha Franklin who, at 73 years old, came out in a fur coat, sat down at the piano, and belted the ever-loving shit out of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” a song King and her writing partner Gerry Goffin wrote for Franklin in 1967. King is completely verklempt, not having had any idea that this would be happening, and then there’s the great moment three minutes in when Franklin throws off the fur coat, and everyone — including President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama — give her a standing ovation. If you get through this without tearing up, you have no soul. One of the great performances you’ll ever see by one of our best.