Who’s Zoomin’ Who? is the thirtieth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released by Arista Records on July 9, 1985, in the United States. 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”. 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.
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. At the time of its release, Franklin herself rated Who’s Zoomin’ Who? as one of her best albums ever recorded.
- “Freeway of Love” 5:52
- “Another Night” 4:31
- “Sweet Bitter Love” 5:11
- “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” 4:44
- “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” (with Eurythmics) 5:52
- “Until You Say You Love Me” 4:23
- “Ain’t Nobody Ever Loved You” 4:50
- “Push” (with Peter Wolf) 4:35
- “Integrity” 4:24
Aretha Franklin – lead vocals
Walter Afanasieff – keyboards (1, 2, 4, 6-8)
Preston Glass – keyboards (1, 2, 6-8), keyboard vibes (1), backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 7)
Nat Adderley Jr. – keyboards (3, 9)
Robbie Kondor – synthesizer (3, 9)
Annie Lennox – keyboards (5), lead vocals (5)
David A. Stewart – keyboards (5), rhythm guitar (5)
Benmont Tench – Hammond organ (5)
Corrado Rustici – guitar (1, 2, 4, 6-8), guitar synthesizer (2)
Ray Gomez – guitar solo (2)
Doc Powell – guitar (3, 9)
Steve Khan – guitar (3, 9)
Mike Campbell – lead guitar (5)
Carlos Santana – guitar solo (8)
Randy Jackson – synth bass (1, 2, 4, 6, 8), bass guitar (2, 7), backing vocals (2, 4)
Louis Johnson – bass guitar (3, 9)
Nathan East – bass guitar (5)
Narada Michael Walden – drums (1, 2, 4, 6-8), percussion (1, 2, 6-8), acoustic piano (4), keyboards (7)
Yogi Horton – drums (3, 9)
Stan Lynch – drums (5)
Steve Kroon – percussion (3, 9)
Gigi Gonaway – tambourine (1)
The Santana Rhythm Section – percussion (1, 7)
Andy Narell – steel drums (7)
Clarence Clemons – saxophone (1)
Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet solo (9)
Paul Riser – string arrangements (3, 9)
Kitty Beethoven – backing vocals (1, 2, 7)
Carolyn Franklin – backing vocals (1, 4)
Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 7)
Vicki Randle – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 7)
Sylvester – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 7)
Jeanie Tracy – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6-8)
Martha Wash – backing vocals (1)
Laundon Von Hendricks – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 7, 8)
Nikita Germaine – backing vocals (2)
The Charles Williams Singers – choir (5)
Peter Wolf – lead vocals (8)
Craig Thomas – backing vocals (8)
Karen Benington – backing vocals (8)
Sandra Feva – backing vocals (9)
Margaret Branch – backing vocals (9)
Brenda Corbett – backing vocals (9)
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