Who Did It Better? A Deeper Love

Who Did It Better? 

A Deeper Love

When the Netflix series Pose began the ballyhoo to launch their final season, they chose a song to play underneath a montage of images from the show. It was one of those cases where music and image join to make a powerful impression. As I watched, my memory machine went into overdrive trying to place the song. I knew, immediately that it was Aretha Franklin - because hers is one of the most distinctive voices ever recorded. Then I flashed onto the year Arista records released a greatest hits album of hers, highlighting her tenure at the company. 

It was A Deeper Love. 

Two weeks later, our friend Sixpence left a comment stating that the song would be perfect for a chapter of Who Did It Better? - and I had to go research what it was he was talking about. 

I had completely forgotten that A Deeper Love originally belonged to someone else!

So, get out your excavation shovels and let's all dig a little... deeper. 

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Written by Robert Clivillés and David Cole (C+C Music Factory), A Deeper Love was released in 1991 as the B-side for their remake of U2's anthem Pride (In The Name of Love). While Pride got to #6 on the US Dance chart (#54, Hot 100), A Deeper Love, credited as Clivillés & Cole and augmented with vocals by Deborah Cooper and Paul Pesco, created its own buzz, as DJs began flipping the 12" and including the song in their sets. 

Knowing an opportunity when they saw it, the dynamic duo did something they'd had previous success with; they re-released a B-side as an A-side. 

Andy Beevers from Music Week said that "just when Pride has dropped from the charts, its B-side - which was the track most DJs were playing anyway - re-appears as a single in its own right. The brand new 12 minute long Deeper Feeling remix, executed by C+C themselves, is even more anthemic than the original and is strong enough to take the song back into the Top 40." 

Pumped up with a bit of additional studio wizardry, A Deeper Love, re-released in 1992 would become their fifth #1 on the US Dance chart. It would also nab the #44 spot on the Hot 100 and #83 on the R&B chart. The single fared even better overseas, hitting #15 on the UK chart and #8 on the Dutch Top 40. 

Slant Magazine would rank A Deeper Love at #5 on their list of 'The 100 Greatest Dance Songs of All-Time' in 2004, with the song slipping to #16 when they updated the list in 2020. 

Fast forward to 1994. 

Clive Davies wants to release a greatest hits album paying tribute to Aretha Franklin's years on his label, Arista. To sweeten the deal, a couple of new cuts were crafted, with Clivillés & Cole's A Deeper Love getting the nod. 

Featuring backing vocals by Lisa Fischer, Clivillés & Cole were brought on board as producers. Released on January 31, 1994 as the lead single for the collection, history would repeat itself, as Franklin's version claimed the #1 spot for two weeks on the US Dance chart. It would also hit #30 on the R&B/Soul chart and #63 on Billboard's Hot 100. 

The single would find additional exposure as a specially mixed version was played over the end credits of Whoopi Goldberg's film, Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit - marking the second time an Aretha Franklin song had been used as a theme for a Goldberg film (the other was 1986's Jumping Jack Flash.)

Of Aretha's take on the song, Andy Beevers from Music Week gave it 5 out of 5, stating that it "manages to be even more uplifting than Clivilles & Cole's 1992 original. The track has all the hallmarks of a big hit." 

Of Note: 

The song received a 2011 revision by dance legend Tiësto, featuring uncredited vocals by Anastacia. Titled, What Can We Do (A Deeper Love), it borrows a sample from the Aretha Franklin version of the song and was featured in commercials for Škoda Auto. Anastacia would release a solo version of the song in 2012.

And that's the whole story!

Now, on to the competition.

The Song: A Deeper Love

The Competition: Clivillés & Cole vs. Aretha Franklin

(I hope you have 24 minutes to listen.)

A Deeper Love - Clivillés & Cole

A Deeper Feeling Mix

A Deeper Love - Aretha Franklin 

C+C Music Factory Mix

Clivillés & Cole

I thought about using the radio edits, but with dance music, you really don't get the full effect of what the producers were going for unless you consume the full meal. 

I love this opening. It takes me back. It's dramatic and meaty. Those chords strike fiercely announcing that something major is on its way. 

Deborah Cooper has one of those voices that define an era of dance music. Like Marth Wash, whom she is frequently mistaken for, the lady knows how to dig deep. 

This opening keeps reminding me of The Clark Sisters (You Brought The Sunshine.)

Love the lyric, "Cuz I got bills to pay..."

Such a bright, lively sound. As producers, C+C had mastered a means of manipulating vocals, causing them to absolutely spring forth from the mix. It was a sound that served them well throughout their careers. 

At the 1:29 mark, this oven has been pre-heated. Still, they tease. While stellar, the a capella  vocals start to sound a bit shrill. But I know where were heading, (to church), so I'll just vibe on those occasional instrumental attacks. 

At the 2:16 mark, we are set to go. I like the rhythm track, considered a bit standard these days, but back then it was cutting edge. It has aged well. That cheesy synth organ, on the other hand? No. No thank you. 

Ms. Cooper sure knows how to preach. It's her vocals, not the wheezy synth, that is selling this thing. By the 3:20 mark, I am in the zone, ready to testify. That was the thing with going to the clubs. Your job could be crap. Your love life in the toilet. You could be feeling bad about who you were or where your life had brought you, but once you got on the dancefloor - with the lights and empowering music such as this - none of that mattered. Songs like this gave us hope and the ability to, as Martha Wash would say in 1993, Carry On. 

The call and response chorus works so well. The whole song is a self affirmation. And the repetition works because it helps cement that feeling of wellness. Deborah is speaking in tongues as all those "no's" morph into something akin to scatting. And when everything drops out, except that plucked synth bass line, how lovely. Supplemented with that off-beat keyboard riff, it brings a whole new dimension to the song, as if entering a second act. 

Man. This mix emphasizes just how much a dance song lives or dies on the skills of its singer. Cooper is masterful; she's got all the colors in her crayon box! Yes, it's all brassy, but then.. it's dance, y'all. Now, granted, there is a lot of editing and splicing taking place, which is how they achieve that whiplash vocal effect, but even that is on the vocalists tray to deliver.

That Average White Band inspired riff that sneaks in... fun. Oh, and then that record scratch. Classic breakdown tool. 

So, at the 6:00 mark, we are basically starting over at square one. This always gave everybody on the dancefloor the opportunity to simply strike some poses as they caught their breath. From 5:51 to 8:21, the same scatted vocal drives the whole song. Yes, there's an additional scratch, some backing synths, a brief backing vocal reprise, some slight Crystal Waters inspired scatting, a funky horn, and then the main chorus vocals, but running beneath it? The same bee boppin. That's a lot to put a listener through, but when on the dancefloor? It flies by pretty quickly.  

At 8:22, the song reboots (again). Although, now we're on the downslide. We have that shotgun guitar lick, the swelling muted synth strings, some robotics. I have to say, C+C rarely allowed any one instrumental element from overstaying its welcome - though one could argue that those spliced vocals qualify as an instrument, in which case I'd be wrong. Because, as experienced with the previous bee boppin, we are now being pummeled with variations of the Crystal Waters inspired scatting floating on top of said bee boppin.  And, yes, child - this is too much for someone merely listening. I am now numbed to it's trance-like powers, despite bringing together that cheesy organ synth and bottom-feeding keyboard riff in the final stretch. 

Twelve minutes is a long time. I am not that patient of a listener. And we still have two minutes to go! (Frankly, I didn't think I'd make it this long.) Some nice keyboard work on the way out. I do respect that player's chops. The robotic stuff is fun; very Alan Parsons. 

The final breakdown comes with that funky horn. I have to say, one has to remain in the zone in order to enjoy this whole pie. Taking it slice by slice, it wears one's patience. 

A gem, a fascinating timepiece. 

Aretha Franklin

So, again, I could have gone with the radio edit, as that is the version most of us are familiar with (as found on the Arista greatest hits collection), but it only seems fair that Aretha receive the full 12 minute treatment granted Clivillés & Cole.

I don't like the spliced vocal beginning. It goes on for a full minute. I do like the rhythm track; it's a classic, used by many artists during this time period and remains a remix go-to. There's a lushness to it that makes it a perfect foundation. 

Diva is taking her time making an entrance. In music, as in life, I guess.

Liking the insistence of the background vocals during the first 30 seconds of the second minute. When they double backtrack the thing, its a little messy, but at least its something different. And the gospel breakdown at the 1:40 mark is golden. That hoary old organ synth is okay, a little thick and muddied. 

Ah, there she is.... six seconds after the two minute mark. She's in full gospel throat from moment one. Which is nothing for the lady who practically invented the damn sound. I love her voice... so big, solid and that tone... unlike anyone else. You can hear how well her vocal style works with the dance music of the time. Martha Wash, Deborah Cooper - all the ladies who have this gift owe a great deal to Aretha. 

This song and production?  It's a great fit.  

I like the simplicity of the instrumentation, allowing Aretha to rule unopposed. Simple finger snaps and that driven organ work fine. Thirty seconds after her entrance, things are starting to bubble up and at the 2:50 mark? I was hoping they would kick into drive, but no... we are going to coast on the full rhythm track. Aretha, on the other hand has no intention of coasting. Love those yeah-yeah-yeah's of hers as she kicks in the second verse. 

That weird wah-wah synth guitar accent on 'welfare, charity...' - doesn't work for me. Too distracting and too high in the mix. By the 3:22 mark, Aretha is cookin' in the kitchen with all the burners on. The one line that really stands out for me in Aretha's version is, "It's the power that gives you the strength to survive." And the fact that she takes that line and goes deep into her alto actually calls more attention to it than if she shouted it out gospel style. 

If you don't recall that line from Clivillés & Cole's version that's because it's not there. Additional lyrics and a bridge was added for Franklin's version. And I like the bridge... a lot.

Franklin lets loose post bridge. Nobody wails like that girl. 

And she's not about to let up. I love how they reintroduce the bridge backing vocals at the end of the repeat of verse one. Nice touch. 

At the 5:19 mark we got some bee-booping robotics to chill with. And I am done with this at the 5:53 mark... it could fade out and I would be a happy camper. I do like when they drop everything out except the vocals and the rhythm track. Very effective.

And at the 6:06 mark, exactly four and a half minutes after Aretha made her entrance, we return to the beginning with those spliced backing vocals. The 6:06 mark is when it should end. I can't imagine what more any of them, including Aretha, have to bring to this. But we are only half way through.

After the drop out (you know, when the dance floor would go all dark except for a few star strobes throbbing with the bass) we then have a rebuild: beginning with the women's chorus ramping up, accompanied by the rhythm track, then joined by some whacky sax. Aretha, herself, clocks back in at the 8:12 mark with some sampled/spliced vocals that end with an extended/spliced sustained note. 

Huh. Then we have another breakdown/drop out, but this time there's a synth pad of locust swarming in as the background singers carry on. And then that disappears, leaving just the background singers, one of whom flails away (but that ain't Aretha, honey). Did they think we would be fooled? 

Oh, dear. Aretha (sampled or not) checks out at the 8:44 mark, never to return. The remainder appears to be the backup singers trying out their best Aretha-like moves, with none succeeding, until they applaud each other and call it a day. Or maybe that was all Lisa Fischer? Not sure.

Now, I don't know why I am watching the clock - I promise you I am so-not 'that guy' at work - but Aretha manages four and a half outstanding minutes plus another minute and a half of sampled work. So out of the 12:06 this mix has to offer, Aretha contributes six minutes worth. 

I wonder if, by that point, Clive had to pay her in cash for every note?

Joke aside, the woman is amazing and gives 100% here. 

The Verdict

Yes. Aretha gives 100%. 

But when I went back and started listening to the two vocalists side by side? Even though I like Aretha's version of the song with the additional lyrics and bridge, I still find myself liking Deborah Cooper's style a bit more. Cooper's delivery is crisp and clean. She toys with syllables and vowel sounds. Her attack is much more energetic. 

Aretha's attack is not as crisp. It feels a bit weighed down. 

I want to call this a draw. 

I like the energy of the original Clivillés & Cole version.

But I like the actual song much better once they added the additional lyrics and bridge for Aretha's version. 

And Aretha's performance? While not her finest, is better than 90% of what's out there. 

If you're going to force me to choose? I will go with Aretha, because for me...

The song is the thing, baby. 

And this one wasn't completed until she sang it. 

Now you can take that one of two ways... but I stand by what I just said.

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That's my two cents worth. How much you got in your pockets?

Leave your thoughts in the comments section. You know how I love to hear from you. And a differing opinion? Always welcome. 

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. 

Thank you, Sixpence! You my Chicago boo!

And thank you, all, for reading (and listening!)

A Deeper Love - Clivillés & Cole

Video Edit

A Deeper Love - Aretha Franklin

Video Edit

What Can We Do (A Deeper Love)  - Tiësto

Third Party Remix

What Can We Do (A Deeper Love) - Anastasia