( CNN ) -- Legendary singer/songwriter Aretha Franklin sang `` My Country 'T is of Thee '' at the inauguration Tuesday . Aretha Franklin says cold weather affected her voice during her performance at the inauguration on Tuesday . CNN 's Larry King talks with `` The Queen of Soul '' about the reality of the nation 's first black president , singing at the inauguration and the much-talked-about hat she wore . Larry King : Where 'd you get that hat ? Aretha Franklin : Well , I bought it at a little millinery that I frequent out in Detroit . King : What was that like for you ( Tuesday ) ? Franklin : Oh . What a tremendous , mammoth morning , evening , the ball , everything , from one event to the other , was just too much . King : How did you find out you were singing ? Franklin : My agent called me and he told me that he had received an invitation and a telephone call , asking for my presence and performance at the swearing-in and the inauguration . King : Did you choose the song ? Franklin : Yes , I did . King : Is that a tough song to sing ? Franklin : No , not at all , but ( Tuesday ) it was . Mainly because of the temperature outside . I do n't have to tell you , it was freezing , if you were there . Some singers it does n't bother , and others it does . I do n't care for it . It affected my voice . Watch Franklin sing at inauguration » . King : You sang at Martin Luther King 's funeral . What do you remember about that ? Franklin : There were very , very long lines , of course . I recall walking in the street behind the bier , somewhere maybe about 200 , 300 feet from the bier , I think . I recall Leontyne Price being there , as well as Eartha Kitt . They shuttled us from one point to the other . The passing of a great man was at hand . King : How did you feel yesterday about seeing a young black man elected president ? Franklin : Oh boy , how do you put it into words ? There 's a love affair going on with the country and Barack . I think it 's the age of Barack . People have just fallen head over heels in love with him . His ascent to the presidency was miraculous . But we have to remember that he 's not going to work miracles right off the top . It 's going to take time . Watch Franklin discuss joy of seeing nation 's first black president » . ( There 's ) a lot of problems , and there 's a plethora of things to deal with for he and his administration . King : One thing , with your magnificent voice , is it hard to sing outdoors ? Franklin : It depends on the temperature . Yesterday , 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 . I was still blessed to be able to pretty much just sing the melody , but I was n't happy with it , of course . King : It was great to listen to . Franklin : I was delighted and thrilled to be there . 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 .
Aretha Franklin : Cold weather affected rendition of `` My Country 'T is of Thee '' The singer was performing at the White House on Tuesday when she stopped to take a photo with President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. Franklin says she bought much-talked-about inauguration hat at Detroit millinery .