On this episode of Song 2, we’re making the case for why track two might be the most important slot on any album, and today’s example is Aretha Franklin an

The song appears on her 1968 album Aretha Now, released during the peak of her legendary Atlantic Records run, when everything she recorded felt deliberate and powerful. Interestingly, the song didn’t start with Aretha, it was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and first recorded by Dionne Warwick a year earlier.

The writers were inspired by the anxiety of the Vietnam War era, particularly the fear of loved ones being sent overseas, which adds surprising emotional depth to what sounds like such an upbeat pop classic.