Oh, when I was I was come.

Hey everybody, this is Chris Malampi,

host of Hip Parade,

Slate's podcast of Popchar History.

Welcome to the Bridge. That's Aretha Franklin's cover of Paul Simon's composition, Bridge Over Troubled Water.

A number one R&B, number six pop hit in the spring of 1971.

We're recording this episode just a day after we learned of the passing of the Queen of Soul.

Joining me at the mic for this episode of Hip-Rae the Bridge is Teiche Raphael, senior producer for Slate Podcasts.

Hi, T.

Hey Chris, how are you?

I'm good.

I can't believe the news about Aretha Franklin, though.

I'm heartbroken.

Aren't we all?

With Aretha, we had a preview of this news for several days that, you know, she was ailing and

she was not long for this world.

And so I feel like, unlike some of the other Titans of American music we've lost in the last decade.

This may have come as less of a shock when the news finally came in, but it still hurts.

Oh, absolutely.

I mean, for myself, I didn't grow up with Aretha as somebody that was born in the late 80s

but I mean I guess in a way I kind of did grow up with her my parents were huge fans of Aretha Franklin and I grew up in the car, you know,

listening to Chain of Fools with my dad. You know, my mom is a huge feminist so we would

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