Lauryn Hill wrote and produced Aretha Franklin’s 1998 single “A Rose Is Still a Rose.”
Hill offered the composition to Arista chief Clive Davis and Franklin during work on Franklin’s next album. The collaboration paired the veteran soul singer with a leading voice from the Fugees and helped give Franklin a contemporary hip-hop-soul sound.
The single was recorded in 1997 and released on February 10, 1998, as the lead track from Franklin’s album of the same name. Hill also contributed background vocals, while Franklin delivered the lead vocal and the song’s motherly advice about surviving damaging relationships.
The song became a late-career revival for Franklin, peaking at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. It was her final Top 40 pop hit.