Who's Zoomin' Who?
Who's Zoomin' Who? is the thirtieth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on July 9, 1985, by Arista Records. A departure from the Luther Vandross-produced adult contemporary sound of her previous albums Jump to It (1982) and Get It Right (1983), Franklin worked with producer Narada Michael Walden on the majority of the album, envisioning "a record with a younger sound to it".[1] As a result, Who's Zoomin' Who? contains influences of several popular mid-1980s genres, including dance-pop, synth-pop, and contemporary R&B, as well as pop songs with crossover appeal.
This article is about the album. For the album's title track, see Who's Zoomin' Who.Who's Zoomin' Who?
July 9, 1985
October 1984 – May 1985
- The Automatt, San Francisco, California
- Record Plant, Sausalito, California
- United Sound, Detroit, Michigan
- Right Track, New York City
- Power Station, New York City
47:15
- Aretha Franklin
- David A. Stewart
- Narada Michael Walden
Released to praising reviews, Who's Zoomin' Who? became Franklin's highest-charting album since Young, Gifted and Black (1972) and her first and only studio album to earn a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with more than one million copies physically distributed. A top-10 entry in New Zealand and Sweden, the album also went platinum in Canada and reached silver status in the United Kingdom. "Freeway of Love", the album's lead single, proved both a commercial success, as well as a career achievement for Franklin, earning her a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance while holding the number-one position on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for five consecutive weeks.
Who's Zoomin' Who? was considered Franklin's comeback album, with many journalists comparing its performance to Tina Turner's late-career crossover success with her album Private Dancer (1984), and marked the start of several collaborations with Walden. With the album, the singer established herself as a star of music video, with popular videos for "Freeway of Love", "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and "Another Night" enjoying heavy rotation on MTV. In 1989, the album was ranked number 89 on Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Best Albums of the Eighties" listing.[2] At the time of its release, Franklin rated Who's Zoomin' Who? as one of her best albums.[1]
Background[edit]
In 1983, Franklin released her twenty-ninth studio album, Get It Right. Produced by singer Luther Vandross, following his successful teaming with the singer on her 1982 album, Jump to It, it spawned the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one hit "Get It Right" but became a moderate commercial success in the United States only where it peaked at number 36 on US Billboard 200.[3] Franklin spent a great part of the following years in her hometown of Detroit, looking after her seriously ill father, the Reverend C. L. Franklin. After her father died in 1984, the singer began thinking about returning to the music scene.[2] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Franklin said that following Get It Right, she wanted to do "a record with a younger sound to it. I'd been listening to the radio and I really liked what I heard. I figured to myself that it was time for me to do something serious."[1]
Arista Records arranged a telephone conversation with producer and singer Narada Michael Walden to discuss working together on Franklin's next studio album.[2] Since Franklin disliked traveling, Walden subsequently started assembling backing tracks in Los Angeles and brought the session tapes to Detroit, where Franklin added her vocals.[2] According to Walden, Franklin "had to get reacquainted with being in the studio" following her hiatus but "it didn't take long for the singer to regain her form".[2] Despite Franklin's reputation as a singer, Walden found her easy to work with, citing her a "black Mae West".[2] Further elaborating on the recording process, he stated: "She'll sing a song down in the lower range maybe four or five times. Then she'll sing it up in her range and do two or three takes."[2] Looking for a male singer to work with Franklin on the duet song "Push", Walden "put out signals, but a lot of people were frightened to death to sing" with Franklin. Former The J. Geils Band vocalist Peter Wolf, however, jumped at the chance.[2]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, Who's Zoomin' Who? peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, becoming Franklin's highest-charting album since Young, Gifted and Black had reached number 11 in 1972.[7] It also reached number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The singer's biggest commercial in years, the album reached gold status by August and was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 1985, indicating sales in excess of 1.0 million copies.[8] Franklin's biggest seller within her discography, it would remain her final album to enter the top 20 until the release of her 2014 album Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, which also peaked at number 13 and number three on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[7]
In Canada and United Kingdom, Who's Zoomin' Who? also ranks among Franklin's biggest-selling albums.[9][10] It was certified platinum by Music Canada and silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), while reaching number 13 on the Canadian and 49 on the British Albums Chart, respectively.[11][12] Elsewhere, the album entered the top ten in New Zealand and Sweden, remaining Franklin's highest-charting album in both nations until her death in 2018,[13][14] while making it to the top 20 in Australia and Norway.[15] Who's Zoomin' Who? was considered Franklin's comeback album, with many journalist comparing its performance to Tina Turner's late career crossover success with her album Private Dancer (1984), and marked the start of several collaborations with Walden. With the album, the singer established herself as a star of music video, with popular videos for "Freeway of Love", "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and "Another Night" enjoying heavy rotation on MTV.[2]