Aretha unhappy with inaugural performance

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Aretha Franklin says the cold and wind made it difficult to sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" at President Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington.

"Mother Nature was not very kind to me. I'm going to deal with her when I get home. It, by no means, was my standard. I was not happy with it, but I just feel blessed because it could have been five above zero or five below zero like it is in Detroit," the Queen of Soul told CNN's Larry King. "I was still blessed to be able to pretty much just sing the melody, but I wasn't happy with it, of course."

Despite her disappointment regarding her performance at Obama's swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, Franklin said she was "delighted and thrilled" to participate in the event.

"That was the most important thing, not so much the performance, but just to be there and to see this great man go into office -- the promise of tomorrow coming to pass," she said.