Mark Ronson breaks down ‘Adele sound,’ Clive Davis opens up about recording with Aretha Franklin
It was a meeting of the music men at the Iris Cantor Theatre at NYU on Tuesday night.
Clive Davis and Mark Ronson appeared in conversation at a screening of their doc, “Do You Remember,” and they traded stories about the famous musicians they’ve worked with — from Aretha Franklin to Adele.
Ronson met the “Hello” singing sensation when she was just 18, and explained she would often record 17 to 25 takes of a song.
“After about the fourteenth take, her voice will be broken-in to the point she gets that unique ‘Adele sound’ we all love,” Ronson said.
Unlike the “Rolling in the Deep” chanteuse, Franklin only did a few takes — and that was it.
“She was a musical genius, who typically only did a maximum of three takes per song,” Davis revealed.
Critic Anthony DeCurtis moderated the 45-minute chat in which Davis shared that, unbeknownst to most, the Queen of Soul often ad-libbed her songs in the studio.
“Sometimes the ad-libbing adversely interfered with the catchiness of the melody. But if I told her that was messing up our chances of getting a hit, Aretha would be right back in the studio first thing in the morning,” he said.
“She was the ultimate professional,” he added.
Davis also recalled the time a waitress brought him a check for $2,700 after having a booze-free “light” dinner with the “Respect” singer in the ’80s.
After disputing the bill, the maître-d’ returned five minutes later and said: “‘Mr. Davis, you are right. Your meal with Ms. Franklin was a fraction of that bill. Unfortunately, however, Ms. Franklin’s four bodyguards have been at the bar the whole time,'” he quipped.
Ronson also opened up about working with the late Amy Winehouse, and credited her for helping him to “surrender” to music.
“She just had an energy about her that inspired creativity. I learned from that experience… the work that excites you the most is often the very thing that connects with the audience,” he said.
The “Night People” author’s fun mum, Ann Dexter-Jones, was in the audience.
“Mark’s mother is here! I invited her,” Davis said. “To me, there’s nothing more important than one’s family,” he said.
