Aretha Franklin made Take It Like You Give It in 1967, a record that marks a turning point in her career. It blends her early Columbia work, shaped by jazz and pop, with the soul sound that would define her Atlantic-era rise. The album runs 11 tracks and 26 minutes, and it moves quickly through its short length.
Track by Track
| # | Track | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why Was I Born? | 2:52 |
| 2 | I May Never Get to Heaven | 3:27 |
| 3 | Tighten Up Your Tie, Button Up Your Jacket (Make It for the Door) | 1:58 |
| 4 | Her Little Heart Went to Loveland | 2:34 |
| 5 | Lee Cross | 2:53 |
| 6 | Take It Like You Give It | 1:50 |
| 7 | Only the One You Love | 2:23 |
| 8 | Deeper | 2:03 |
| 9 | Remember Me | 2:12 |
| 10 | Land of Dreams | 2:12 |
| 11 | A Little Bit of Soul | 2:18 |
Why Was I Born? opens the record with a strong statement of intent, setting a tone that carries through the rest of the side. I May Never Get to Heaven follows with a quieter grace, one of the album’s best moments. Tighten Up Your Tie, Button Up Your Jacket (Make It for the Door) and Her Little Heart Went to Loveland pass quickly without much weight behind them. Lee Cross holds the middle ground, pleasant but easy to forget.
Take It Like You Give It is the title track and one of the album’s high points, a sharp, direct piece that shows Franklin’s growing command of the new soul sound. Only the One You Love and Deeper drift by without leaving much of an impression. Remember Me is steady but slight. Land of Dreams closes the record strongly, a standout moment that critics singled out alongside the opener and the title track. A Little Bit of Soul ends the album on a lighter note, a fitting closer after the heavier material before it.
The Record’s Strengths
- Why Was I Born?
- I May Never Get to Heaven
- Take It Like You Give It
- Land of Dreams
Where It Falls Short
The record’s middle stretch, from Tighten Up Your Tie through Deeper, is thinner than the opening and closing sides. A few tracks here feel like filler rather than full songs.
Final Word
Take It Like You Give It is a transitional record, and it plays like one. The best tracks — Why Was I Born?, I May Never Get to Heaven, Take It Like You Give It, Land of Dreams — show a singer moving toward the sound she would fully master later. The rest of the album is competent but less memorable, and the record’s brief length means it doesn’t hold together as tightly as some of Franklin’s stronger work. Still, the high points justify the listen.
- Why Was I Born?2:52
- I May Never Get to Heaven3:27
- Tighten Up Your Tie, Button Up Your Jacket (Make It for the Door)1:58
- Her Little Heart Went to Loveland2:34
- Lee Cross2:53
- Take It Like You Give It1:50
- Only the One You Love2:23
- Deeper2:03
- Remember Me2:12
- Land of Dreams2:12
- A Little Bit of Soul2:18
