"Freeway of Love" | ||||
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Single by Aretha Franklin | ||||
from the album Who's Zoomin' Who? | ||||
B-side | "Until You Say You Love Me" | |||
Released | June 5, 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1984 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:51 (album version) 4:10 (single version) | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Narada Michael Walden | |||
Aretha Franklin singles chronology | ||||
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"Freeway of Love" is a song by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was written by Jeffrey Cohen and Narada Michael Walden and produced by the latter for Franklin's thirtieth studio album Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985). The song features a notable contribution from Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist from Bruce Springsteen’'s E Street Band. Sylvester, Martha Wash, and Jeanie Tracy provided backup vocals on "Freeway of Love".
Released as the album's lead single on June 5, 1985, by Arista Records, the song became Franklin's highest-charting single in twelve years. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while topping the Hot Black Singles chart for five weeks from July 27, to August 24, 1985 (her milestone twentieth number-one hit on the chart).[1] In a remixed "rock" version, the song also topped the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.[2] The accompanying promotional music video was filmed entirely in the Detroit, Michigan area, and became one of the most popular videos of the year. "Freeway of Love" earned Franklin her 12th Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Owing to the pink Cadillac appearing on the cover art and several times in the lyrics, more than 100 pink Cadillacs accompanied Franklin in her funeral procession in August 2018.