Why is Aretha Franklin more appreciated than Barbra Streisand?

Barbra is a pre-rock singer. She sold albums, mainly.

*in style (of course she came after rock & roll was in full swing).

Barbra's popular songs are a mystery to anybody under a certain age -- they were pre-music video. Meanwhile, everybody at least knows "Respect."

I like Aretha more because her catalog is better. I like Whitney more because she was beautiful and charismatic. They both also had far more memorable personalities offstage(for better or worse). Memes and things of that nature keep them alive with younger generations.

Aretha is the most influential female R&B/Soul artist of all time. Aside from Madonna(Janet falls in the same category), Whitney is also the most influential female Pop star of the last last 40 years . There are countless female Pop and R&B artist that name them as major influences. Can Babs say that she influenced entire generations of singers?

Barbra's music, movies and whole persona are not very contemporary. She's somebody your grandma likes. She's stuck in a long-ago era of show business.

Barbra's cold, uptight, inscrutable personality is a factor. Charisma, emotion and, yes, even tragedy is what makes people immortal. Judy Garland had it, Barbra doesn't. As for the memes, Barbra could never give us this:

Or this

Or this

Or even this

Barbra is too rehearsed and media trained to say or behave in any way that could get her memed.

Another factor:

Aretha was NEVER shy with her catalogue of music.

I always remember hearing Aretha's music on TV shows and in movies as far back as I can remember. Barbara has always been more conservative.

Compare her 35 entries to Aretha's 160 on Tunefind which shows you which shows have used music from which artist.

Aretha also wasn't afraid to put out covers of popular songs in a bid for continued relevancy.

As R6 / R7 / R8 pointed out Aretha or "Hateretha" (as the kids called her) also became part of meme culture a while ago.

Her comments on Taylor Swift were legendary and kids still quote "great gowns, beautiful gowns" regularly. Try running a search for it on Twitter. It has become a very popular expression as a shady response.

The best Whitney meme

Aretha was the Queen of Shade.

OP, your premise is completely wrong, so there’s no way to answer it. The other posts here just have people telling you why Aretha and Whitney are better, or trashing Streisand.

But you knew that, didn’t you? You’re just another sorry Barbra hater who can’t stop talking about her.

^^^

[quote]Charisma, emotion and, yes, even tragedy is what makes people immortal.

This. Barbra would never have allowed the glorious haphazard 'Amazing Grace' to have been filmed.

It's true we had to wait a while to see it - but there, finally, was charisma and emotion by the bucketload. Created by that transcendent voice.

First, I'm not sure the thread premise is true - both are considered great singers, but with different audiences. Aretha was far more important to rock and soul, the primary popular music of her generation. From the beginning Streisand seemed more in tune with an older era. When she did try to sing rock it was usually awkward.

Aretha did try to sing "People" on her last album, since she could never resist a diva battle and liked to believe she could do anything. Not her finest moment.

True, Aretha was always spoiling for a fight. But she was way past her peak anyway, so it doesn't count.

With Barbra you get feeling, even in public, she knows where every camera angle is and that everything she says and does has been pre-planned to perfection.

Aretha had so much swagger. I loved when she dropped the fur coat at the Kennedy Center Honors.

Poor Patti.

Aretha's music was the soundtrack of a generation in revolt. Songs like "Respect," "A Natural Woman," "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "Chain of Fools," etc. demanded your respect and defiantly swung at the patriarchy, and served as a backdrop of the civil rights marches, the women's liberation movement, the black is beautiful mantra of the 1960s and 70s. This inherently made Aretha hip and cool and progressive.

Barbra's music was middle of the road, establishment music that your parents and grandparents could enjoy. She sang showtunes and corny romantic songs. She certainly was radio friendly, but I didn't know any person my age while growing up who admitted to listening to her.

The anti-Streisand troll strikes again! Barbra Streisand is the great voice of our times. Deal with it!!

There was just so much more of Aretha to appreciate.

The Greatest Star. Aretha and Whitney were both merely ladies-in-waiting.

Aretha made no movies, Whitney made very few of them, and neither came close to winning an Oscar like Streisand - she was the real deal!

But didn't Streisand have to share the award?

One big difference - Aretha and Whitney are both dead while Babs is still alive and well. She never wasted her life away on too much food, drugs and booze. The winner!

No. She just clones her dogs.

Aretha... the most overrated singer of all time. Most people know her for "Respect" and nothing else.

R27 Streisand won TWO Oscars: the first one as best actress which she shared with Katharine Hepburn who never showed up so Babs got all the attention. She also won an Oscar for her big hit song Evergreen. A lady of many talents and an everlasting star.

Aretha is appreciated as a -musician-, and a vocalist and live performer. One of the best of the past century. She had a charismatic factor as well.

Barbara is appreciated as a singer, songwriter and talented actress. She is better known by most for the latter imo, so that's her 'lane' in the eyes of most. She is an Oscar-winner, both for acting and song-writing. Barbara is of a standards singer, and did not tour much during her career. It's the lack of live performing imo, along with the hanging shadow of the acting career, that puts her further down the list of singing greats, behind Aretha.

Aretha didn't act so there's no comparison in that category.

Aretha was a great singer but after awhile she did too many song remakes and got sloppy with her singing. Her remake of Everyday People (originally by Sly And The Family Stone) was beyond horrid and didn't make the charts.

R32 "Aretha didn't act so there's no comparison in that category". Yes there is - Aretha didn't have the looks or the talent to be an actress. She had to stick to singing, her only real talent.

The highest view count for Barbra Streisand on Youtube is "Woman In Love" (54 million), followed by a duet with Celine Dion, Tell Him (42 million). The third video is that Duck Sauce "tribute" (42 million).

In contrast, the Aretha Franklin YT video with the greatest views is "I Say a Little Prayer" (133 milllion). Next is "Respect (55 million), "Natural Woman" (36 million), followed closely by the 2015 Kennedy Center performance of the song (33 million). Speaking of acting, the Blues Brothers version of "Think" is number 5 (32 million).

"Why did Paul Williams have to show up and take up precious space in my second Oscar spotlight? Hepburn had the right idea"

Cousin Oliver won an Oscar?!

Dionne had the better version of I Say A Little Prayer.

Remember that atrocious version she did of "Bridge Over Trouble Water"? Just awful.

Two completely different divas. Barbra always aimed to be perfect. Aretha knew she was perfect.

It’s a matter of Cabaret vs Gospel and Soul. Barbra has an amazing voice and she has a god gifted talent but her style is dated. She was a mannered version of a dying genre even at her peak. Gospel and Soul are the roots of Aretha’s music and Rap and modern R& B .

Unlike other musical legends, Streisand really doesn't know much about music. And she bragged about her ignorance (I'm an actress, not a singer, I can't read music, etc.) That's the answer to all of your queries.

[quote]Barbra always aimed to be perfect. Aretha knew she was perfect.

In a nutshell. Perfect.

What a cold, cold picture, r25.

[quote] Remember that atrocious version she did of "Bridge Over Trouble Water"? Just awful.

Paul Simon ranked her version as the best, next to Garfunkel’s.

[quote] Without any doubt, Aretha Franklin was one of the greatest live performers in history. It’s impossible to pinpoint her peak moment on a stage, but many fans point to her stand at the Fillmore East in March 1971 that was captured on the LP Aretha Live at Fillmore West as one of the all-time greats. A camera was also rolling on at least one night and you can check out her sublime take on Simon and Garfunkel’s then-recent hit “Bridge Over Troubled Water” right here. She completely reinvents the song, finding the soul and gospel within Simon’s lyrics and melody.

[quote] Paul Simon has always ranked it among the greatest covers of his work, even better than Elvis Presley’s famous rendition of the same song. “Aretha’s version is tremendous,” he said. “The best I ever heard except Artie’s.” In a brand new statement Garfunkel provided to Rolling Stone after Franklin’s death, he agrees. “Paul says he heard the phrase ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ sung as a Baptist riff,” he says. “I took it to mainstream radio. Then Aretha so brilliantly brought it back to church.” Aretha’s rendition of the song reached Number Six on the Hot 100 in 1971. It remained a key part of her live act until the very end

Simon ranks her cover not just the best version of Bridge Over Troubled Water but one of the best covers of his work.

Barbra is boring and her albums are best used nowadays as Hallmark store soundtracks and Lea Michele bathroom concerts.

Aretha Franklin at least had spirit.

And she never did this:

Aretha, Whitney and Natalie were great losses to all humankind. Their gifts are really beyond description. Streisand is a collection of awards and early accolades, but her music is unimportant and soulless. The movies are best forgotten - other than the first one. She's so transparently a narcissist in every performance. She is performing for herself. She gives nothing. Streisand never moved anyone with her acting or singing. The sound of her voice was another thing. Quite beautiful in quality. Her few remaining fans and some vocal coaches will mourn her special talent.

I was a kid when Cape Fear and Prince of Tides came out. Both were “grownup” movies and so I didn’t see them until relatively recently. Because of their associations with Streisand, whom old people seem to worship, I expected them to be good movies. They were terrible. Or Lifetime Movie Network-caliber at best. And Streisand was not good or believable in either one. Her acting is so overly performed. I remember watching both of those movies and wondering why I was seeing a poor actress when everyone worships this woman’s talents.

Cher’s big movies came out during the same era as the ones above, and she usually outshines her costars in her movies. I expected The Witches of Eastwick to be better than it is based on its reputation, but Cher’s performance was still more charismatic than I expected.

Streisand kind of gives me the willies no matter what she does.

the people love Aretha no one really likes barbra as a person

Barbara was great, but Barbra was never cool.

What about that romcom The Mirror Has Two Faces? She's a narcissist who casts herself in unsuitable roles and then underwhelms.

Barbra has been nominated for worst acting razzies for Yentl, Little Fockers and Guilt Trip. She didn't win though.

R40 Aretha was far from being perfect. She got sloppy with her songs, concerts, and too many remakes as the years went on. And her appearance was awful with all the weight piled on. A great singer but she was just calling it in as time went on. And we won't even mention all the concerts that she cancelled.

Apparently Aretha was thinking of taking a second career as a wet nurse...…….

When Babs dies, then she'll get popular again

R49, Streisand wasn't in Cape Fear. You must have been high.

She's not, OP. Personally, I can't stand Franklin.

"Barbara was great, but Barbra was never cool."

Actually she was very cool in the 1960s. When she left New York for Hollywood, it was over.

As far as the bitch thing goes, BOTH Streisand and Aretha were over the top divas. They compare perfectly on that level.

Aretha didn't give a shit what anyone else thought and was willing to let it all hang out, literally. Barbra's undying desire for "perfection" has always been ridiculous and held her back from doing so many things. The hair, the nails, the Donna Karan outfits....yes, that's perfection, all right.

Barbara Streisand is pre-modern, Aretha is modern. That's it.

And Barbra's always had a complex about not being seen as beautiful.

Yes, R62. Aretha wasn't beautiful either, but she couldn't give a shit.