There’s an art to summoning the right, precise emotion from another person. You can see it with actors on stage, you can see it with how painters lead your eye. And you can feel it in songwriters and performers who know how to manipulate their audiences just right. Sometimes they can bring a tear to your eye, and you can really feel something.
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That’s what we wanted to examine below. We wanted to highlight three artists who can really get you feeling strong emotions. A trio of classic rock singers from the 1960s that get you to remember that one specific moment in your life that summons the waterworks. Indeed, these are three 60s classic rock women who can bring a tear to your eye.
Aretha Franklin
It might seem odd to have Aretha Franklin on a list of classic rock women. However, she was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so I think this soul crooner deserves to be mentioned.
First and foremost, Aretha Franklin could bowl you over with her voice. It’s one of those magical, wonderful things that your imagination can’t totally comprehend. It’s like going to see the Grand Canyon. You know it’s going to be big, but when you walk up to the expanse, it is still shocking. But along with her power, Aretha could woo you with her instrument. She could bring a room to a hush, and she could open a portal into another world. All you had to do was listen and feel the swelling emotions.
Janis Joplin
Like Aretha, Janis Joplin knew how to knock and rock your socks off. But she could also bring the levels down and cast spells with her voice. She could envelop you and then bring out the emotion with each broken word and each crackling vocal. Joplin was one of those rare singers who could do it all. She was both a therapist and a heavyweight boxer. Both landscape painting and explosion. And with all that power, she could easily bring a tear to your eye.
Joni Mitchell
A much subtler singer compared to the other two on this list, Joni Mitchell brought the emotion out of you with her poetry. Her voice was like poetry, too. It flowed and it turned. It inspired with its lyrical fragrance. It impressed. And it wiggled its way into your soul and found a nice space to live like a cat on top of a book. Then you realized just how much these words mean to you. And you sink into them, and before you know it, you’re shedding a tear.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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