"Respect" is a 1995 song recorded by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

hip hop act

Alliance Ethnik Alliance Ethnik was a 1990s in music, 1990s French hip hop band. It was composed of five members from different origins, but all spoke French or were of French origin; Algeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DR Congo, Italy, and France.Radio Fra ...

. It was the first single from his album ''Respect'', and was released in January 1995. It achieved success in several countries, including France and Belgium where it was a top three hit. The song was Alliance Ethnik's biggest hit to date and can be deemed as its

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

Structure

After a 30-second introduction using the sound of a radio, the song contains several samples from songs such as "It's Good to Be the King Rap Pt 1" by Mel Brooks, "Back Together Again" by Roberta Flack and

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

and a small interpolation of "Life's a Bitch" of American rapper Nas. The verses, performed by K-mel, are in

, while other verses and the refrains are sung by Vinia Mojica in English. The male singer has a delivery "which makes use of words and onomatopoeia with and joviality". This single is "festive and optimistic", and uses the repertoire of the 1980s rap. The music video was shot in black and white.

Chart performances

"Respect" had a success on the French SNEP Singles Chart (top 50), where it ranked for 33 weeks; it debuted at number 13 on 28 January 1995, then entered in the top ten where it remained for 22 weeks, with a peak at number two for four consecutive weeks, behind The Cranberries' hit " Zombie". It achieved Gold status awarded by the

Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique The National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (french: Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique; SNEP) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym ...

. In Belgium (Wallonia), it was number one for a sole week, and remained for 17 weeks in the top ten and 24 weeks in the top 40. In Belgium (Flanders), Sweden and Austria, "Respect" achieved a moderate success where it was a top 25 hit. In Germany, it achieved only a low charts positions.

Track listings

* CD single # "Respect" (radio edit) — 4:21 # "Respect" (instrumental) — 4:21 * CD maxi # "Respect" (radio edit) — 4:18 # "Respect" (Prince Paul's bag of tricks remix) — 4:21 # "Respect" (Prince Paul's project mix) — 4:30 # "Respect" (Prince Paul's bag of tricks instrumental) — 4:50 * 12" maxi # "Respect" (radio edit) — 4:18 # "Respect" (Prince Paul's bag of tricks remix) — 4:21 # "Respect" (Prince Paul's project mix) — 4:30 # "Respect" (Prince Paul's bag of tricks instrumental) — 4:50 * 12" maxi - Promo # "Respect" (Prince Paul's bag of tricks remix) — 4:21 # "Respect" (Prince Paul's project mix) — 4:30 # "Respect" (Prince Paul's bag of tricks instrumental) — 4:50

Credits

* Produced and mixed by Bob Power * Vocals by Vinia Mojica * Remixes by Prince Paul

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1995 debut singles Alliance Ethnik songs Macaronic songs Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles Songs written by Vinia Mojica 1995 songs Virgin Records singles