Who wrote Aretha Franklin's 'I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)'?

Ronnie Shannon wrote Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).” The song became the title track of Franklin’s landmark 1967 Atlantic album and was the first song she recorded after arriving at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Producer Jerry Wexler brought Franklin to the Alabama studio because he wanted her voice paired with the area’s rhythm section, later known as the Swampers. The recording helped reveal the gospel, blues, and R&B power that had been less fully captured during her Columbia Records years.

The title song was released as a single in 1967 and reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 while topping the R&B chart. It is sometimes confused with “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” which was written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn, or with “Respect,” which was written by Otis Redding. Those are neighboring songs on the album, but Shannon is the correct songwriter for the title track.