What song did Aretha Franklin sing at Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration?

Aretha Franklin sang “I Dreamed a Dream” at a 1993 inaugural event for President Bill Clinton. She performed the song from the musical Les Misérables at the Presidential Gala held on the eve of Clinton’s inauguration.

The performance became memorable because Franklin brought her gospel-rooted drama to a song associated with the character Fantine and the musical’s themes of lost hopes and endurance. During the climactic passage, she famously altered the lyric from “I dreamed a dream” to “I have a dream,” creating an unmistakable reference to Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil-rights speech.

The wording of the question can cause confusion because Franklin appeared at several Clinton inaugural celebrations. She performed during the 1993 festivities, including the gala and other inaugural events, rather than singing the national anthem at the formal swearing-in ceremony. The anthem that year was performed by opera singer Marilyn Horne.

Franklin later returned for another performance connected with Clinton’s second inauguration in 1997. Her 1993 appearance nevertheless remains especially remembered for the emotional “I Dreamed a Dream” rendition.