They say a little prayer.
A purported activist group in Norway is calling for Aretha Franklin’s 1968 hit song “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” to be removed from both Apple Music and Spotify after they deemed its lyrics offensive.
The Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance took to Twitter last week to condemn the ballad, saying it has incited trans women.
“Aretha Franklin’s 1968 song ‘Natural Woman’ perpetuates multiple harmful anti-trans stereotypes,” the organization tweeted. “There is no such thing as a ‘natural’ woman.”
The message continued: “The song helped inspire harm against trans women. TCMA is asking to be removed from Spotify and Apple Music.”
The Post has reached out to a representative for Franklin, Spotify and Apple Music for comment.
According to organization resume on the social media platform, aim to promote “cultural changes to ensure transgender inclusion.”
Many Twitter users were outraged by the opinion of the Queen of Soul project and questioned the legitimacy of the claims.
“So did anyone hear the song and attack trans people?” one person wrote in response. “What are things that were never done for $400.”
Another wrote, “OMG Live a life and stop trying to cancel everything. How sad and pathetic someone’s life must be if THAT is a priority for you. This is a GREAT song! GO GIRL! @ArethaFranklin.”
Someone else typed, “It’s a great song and I’m going to listen to it now because of this post. Thanks!”
Others were so surprised that they thought the statement came from a parody account.
“This is satire, right?” one user asked.
“Clearly this is a parody. Nice guys! He almost got me,” snaps another.
The organization later clarified in a next tweet that it wasn’t actually a parody, but rather that they were trying to “make culture fairer for transgender people.”
At the time, Franklin’s song, “A Natural Woman”, was considered a powerful song and had an inspirational message. He even performed the hit at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in 2015, during a ceremony honoring the track’s writers, Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Then-President Obama was there for the performance and shed tears.
Franklin died in August 2018 at the age of 76 after a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.
