"Respect" is a song written and originally recorded by American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

singer

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

. It was released in 1965 as a single from his third album ''

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul ''Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul'' (often referred to simply as ''Otis Blue'') is the third studio album by American soul singer and songwriter Otis Redding. It was first released on September 15, 1965, as an LP record through the Stax Record ...

'' and became a

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hit for Redding. In 1967, fellow soul singer Aretha Franklin covered and rearranged "Respect", resulting in a bigger hit and her signature song. The music in the two versions is significantly different, while a few changes in the lyrics resulted in different narratives around the theme of human

dignity Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable ...

that have been interpreted as commentaries on traditional

gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...

s. Franklin's interpretation became a

feminist anthem This is a list of songs described as feminist anthems, celebrating women's empowerment, or used as protest songs against gender inequality. These songs range from airy pop affirmations such as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper, to s ...

for the

second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains. ...

movement in the 1970s. It has often been considered one of the best R&B songs of its era, earning Franklin two Grammy Awards in 1968 for "Best Rhythm & Blues Recording" and "Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female", and being inducted in the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 1987. In 2002, the

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honored Franklin's version by adding it to the

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. It was placed number five on the 2004 version of ''

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'' magazine's list of "

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

" and number one on the 2021 version of the list. It was also included in the list of "

Songs of the Century The "Songs of the Century" list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. that aims to "promote a better understanding of America's musical and ...

", by the

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and the

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Otis Redding original

Writing and recording

At first a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, "Respect" was brought to Redding by Speedo Sims, who intended to record it with his band, the Singing Demons. No one is really sure who wrote the original version of the song. Bandleader Percy Welch said it was a guitarist at Bobby Smith's recording studio in Macon. Redding took Sims' version, rewrote the lyrics and sped up the tempo. Sims went with the band to the

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

studios, but was unable to produce a good version. Redding then decided to sing the song himself, which Sims agreed to. Redding also promised to credit Sims, but this never happened. Sims never pressed Redding on the issue, possibly because he himself had not really written it in the first place. The original version of "Respect" was produced by Steve Cropper, who also played instrumentals for the hit track along with William Bell and Earl Sims on backup vocals.

Analysis

According to Redding biographer Jonathan Gould, "the lyrics to 'Respect' paint a starkly unromantic picture of domestic relations", revolving around a "little girl" who is "sweeter than honey" and a man who will reward her with "all my money". This relationship dynamic is underscored musically by a near-comically persistent

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and "celebratory blaring of the horns, which seem to be heralding a carnal reunion of epic proportions". Redding's vocals are similarly aggressive, marked by "phrasing in staccato bursts" in delivering the verses – "What you want / Honey you got it / You can do me wrong honey / While I'm gone / All I'm asking is for a little ''respect'' when I come home" – accompanied by backing male vocals in the manner of a

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adding the refrain "Hey, hey hey!" In Gould's analysis, there is "an apparent modesty of he song'sexpectations: the way it takes a word that commonly refers to personal esteem and scales it down to serve as a euphemism for sexual reward", referring to "the 'street' meaning of 'respect,' bound up with issues of deference and power." "But only up to a point", as Gould concludes of the song's finale: According to Franklin biographer Matt Dobkin, "Redding's version is characteristically funky, with his raspy-soulful singing and electric vocal charisma front and center", utilizing "playful horns and sexy, mock-beleaguered vocals". According to

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, Redding's version "reinforced the traditional family structure of the time: Man works all day, brings money home to wife and demands her respect in return."

Release

The song was included on Redding's third studio album, ''

Otis Blue ''Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul'' (often referred to simply as ''Otis Blue'') is the third studio album by American soul singer and songwriter Otis Redding. It was first released on September 15, 1965, as an LP record through the Stax Recor ...

'' (1965). The album became widely successful, even outside of his largely R&B and blues fan base. When released in the summer of 1965, the song reached the top five on ''Billboard'''s Black Singles Chart, and crossed over to pop radio's white audience, peaking at number 35 there. At the time, the song became Redding's second largest crossover hit (after "I've Been Loving You Too Long") and paved the way to future presence on American radio. Redding performed it at the

Monterey Pop Festival The Monterey International Pop Festival was a three-day music festival held June 16 to 18, 1967, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by the Jimi Hendrix ...

. '' Cash Box'' described it as a "rollicking, rhythmic poundin’ romancer about a fella who wants his sweetheart to treat him with 'Respect' when he comes home."

Aretha Franklin version

Recording

Producer Jerry Wexler booked Franklin for a series of recording dates in January–February 1967, starting with "

I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin. Released on Atlantic Records, as the first big hit of her career, it became a defining song for Franklin, peaking at number one on the r ...

", recorded in Alabama at FAME Studios by engineer

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recording ...

. After an altercation between the studio owner and Franklin's husband and manager, Ted White, the sessions continued ten days later in New York without White, recording "

Do Right Woman, Do Right Man "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" (also written "Do Right Woman — Do Right Man") is a song written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn, and made famous by Aretha Franklin. Her version was released on February 10, 1967. ''Rolling Stone'' listed it as numbe ...

", using the same engineer and the same musicians, the

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section is a group of American session musicians based in the northern Alabama town of Muscle Shoals. One of the most prominent American studio house bands from the 1960s to the 1980s, these musicians, individually or a ...

, affectionately known as the "Swampers", as in Alabama. During the following week, they recorded "Respect", which Franklin had been performing in her live shows for several years. Her version of the song flipped the gender of the lyrics, as worked out by Franklin with her sisters Erma and Carolyn. Franklin instructed the rhythm section how to perform her established arrangement of the "stop-and-stutter" syncopation, and in the studio she worked out new parts for the backing singers. "Respect" was recorded on

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

, February 14, 1967. For the song's bridge,

King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

soloed over the chords from

Sam & Dave Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (born 1935) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The ...

's song " When Something Is Wrong with My Baby". Franklin played piano for the number; in an interview,

Spooner Oldham Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy S ...

explained it was not uncommon for Franklin herself to play accompanying piano. The overall arrangement was by co-producer

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for o ...

, based on the ideas Franklin brought in. Said Mardin: "I have been in many studios in my life, but there was never a day like that. It was like a festival. Everything worked just right."

Analysis and subtext

According to Dobkin, Franklin's version was refashioned as a declaration from a strong, confident woman, who believes she has everything her man wants and does not wrong him, while demanding his "respect" – in the form of appropriate levels of physical attention. The repeated "sock it to me" line, sung by Franklin's sisters, was an idea that Carolyn and Aretha had worked out together; spelling out "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" was (according to engineer Tom Dowd) Carolyn's idea. The phrase "Sock it to me" became a household expression. In an interview with WHYY's ''Fresh Air'' in 1999, Aretha said, "Some of the girls were saying that to the fellas, like 'sock it to me' in this way or 'sock it to me' in that way. It's not sexual. It was nonsexual, just a cliché line." Franklin's version of the song contains the famous lines (as printed in the lyrics included in the 1985 compilation album ''Atlantic Soul Classics''): :''R-E-S-P-E-C-T'' :''Find out what it means to me'' :''R-E-S-P-E-C-T'' :''Take care of... TCB'' "TCB" is an abbreviation, commonly used in the 1960s and 1970s, meaning "taking care of business," African-American slang for pleasing one's partner. "TCB in a flash" later became

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's motto and signature. "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" and "TCB" are not present in Redding's 1965 version, but he incorporated Franklin's ideas in his later performances with the Bar-Kays. According to ''Detroit Free Press'' critic Brian McCollum, "Franklin's song has been dissected in books and academic papers, held up as a groundbreaking feminist and civil rights statement in an era when such declarations weren't always easy to make." When asked about her audacious stance amidst the feminist and Civil Rights Movement, Franklin told the ''Detroit Free Press'', "I don't think it's bold at all. I think it's quite natural that we all want respect—and should get it."

Release and legacy

The resulting song was featured on Franklin's 1967 breakthrough Atlantic Records debut album, ''I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You''. As the title track became a hit on both R&B and pop radio, Atlantic Records arranged for the release of this new version of "Respect" as a single. '' Cash Box'' called the single a "frantic, driving, wailing, up-beat workout." According to NPR, "So much of what made 'Respect' a hit—and an anthem—came from the Franklin rearrangement (including the Muscle Shoals musician's soulful guitar hook, the background vocals, and the added sax solo/chords). Franklin's rendition found greater success than the original, spending two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart, and eight weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, ''Billboard'' Black Singles chart. The changes in lyrics and production drove Franklin's version to become an anthem for the increasingly large Civil Rights and Women's Rights movements. She altered the lyrics to represent herself, a strong woman demanding respect from her man. Franklin's demands for "Respect" were "associated either with black freedom struggles or women's liberation." The song also became a hit internationally, reaching number 10 in the United Kingdom, and helping to transform Franklin from a domestic star into an international one. Otis Redding himself was impressed with the performance of the song. At the

in the summer of the cover's release, he was quoted playfully describing "Respect" as the song "that a girl took away from me, a friend of mine, this girl she just took this song". "When her hit single 'Respect' climbed the charts in July 1967, some fans declared that the summer of 1967 was 'the summer of '''Retha, Rap, and Revolt''.'" "Respect" has appeared in dozens of films and still receives consistent play on radio stations. In the 1970s, Franklin's version of the song came to exemplify the Feminism, feminist movement. Producer Wexler said in a ''

'' interview, that Franklin's song was "global in its influence, with overtones of the civil-rights movement and gender equality. It was an appeal for dignity." Although she had numerous hits after "Respect", and several before its release, the song became Franklin's signature song and her best-known recording. ''I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You'' was ranked eighty-third in ''Rolling Stone''s "List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003. A year later, "Respect" was fifth in the magazine's "List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2021, when ''The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time'' was updated again, Franklin's cover of "Respect" was moved up to number 1. Bob Dylan's song "Like A Rolling Stone", which was originally at number one, is now listed at number 4.

Personnel

* Written by

Otis Redding version

Musicians *

– lead vocals * Booker T. Jones or Isaac Hayes – keyboards * Steve Cropper – guitar * Donald "Duck" Dunn, Donald Dunn – bass guitar * Al Jackson Jr. – drums * Wayne Jackson (musician), Wayne Jackson – trumpet * Gene "Bowlegs" Miller – trumpet * Andrew Love (musician), Andrew Love – tenor saxophone * Floyd Newman – baritone saxophone * William Bell – backing vocals * Earl Sims – backing vocals Additional personnel * Steve Cropper – producer * Tom Dowd – engineer

Aretha Franklin version

Musicians * Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, piano *

– Hammond organ * Chips Moman, Jimmy Johnson (session guitarist), Jimmy Johnson – guitar * Tommy Cogbill – bass guitar * Roger Hawkins (drummer), Roger Hawkins – drums *

– tenor saxophone * Charles Chalmers – tenor saxophone * Willie Bridges – baritone saxophone * Melvin Lastie – cornet * Carolyn Franklin – background vocals * Erma Franklin – background vocals Additional personnel * Jerry Wexler and

– producers *

– engineer * Arif Mardin – arranger

Chart history

Otis Redding version

Aretha Franklin version

Certifications and sales

Aretha Franklin version

Other covers

Because Aretha Franklin made "Respect" a hit, many who sample or cover the song refer to Franklin's version rather than Redding's. The Supremes and the Temptations were the two most successful acts signed to Berry Gordy Jr.’s Motown record label. Gordy decided to pair them up on a collaborative LP titled ''Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations''. To accompany the release of the LP, Gordy organized a prime-time special TV program entitled ''TCB (TV program), TCB'', a commonly used abbreviation for "Taking Care of Business". Among the songs performed on the program was a cover of Aretha Franklin's version of "Respect". The two groups took Franklin's message to new heights as the male versus female duet illustrated a battle in which each gender demanded their own respect. Additionally, the cover highlights the Supremes’ own battle for racial equality. Much like Aretha Franklin, The Supremes’ rise to fame coincided with the civil rights movement, in which these women used their fame and status to assist the fight for racial equality. The Supremes were the Motown group which most successfully broke down racial boundaries within the popular music industry. They represented racial integration, black empowerment, and black womanhood, and their cover of "Respect" with the Temptations illustrates that. Other covers of the song include The Rationals', whose version predated Franklin's and reached No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1966, and Reba McEntire's 1988 recording for her self-titled album ''Reba (album), Reba''. McEntire also performed the song at the CMA Awards the same year. A house music cover version with altered lyrics was released by American singer Adeva in 1989, reaching No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart and was featured on Adeva!, her debut album. In 2012, Melanie Amaro recorded an uptempo version of the song for a Pepsi commercial alongside Elton John as a part of her prize for winning the The X Factor (American season 1), first season of ''The X Factor''. The single charted at number 42 ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard''s top Dance Club Songs of 2012. In 2019, Lorde recorded an uptempo version of the song for a Pepsi commercial alongside Keri Hilson as a part of her prize for winning the The X Factor (UK series 11), eleventh season of ''The X Factor UK''. The single landed at no.42 ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard''s top UK Pop Songs of 2019.

References

Notes Bibliography * Franklin, Aretha (1967) ''I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You''. Atlantic Recording Corporation. * * Redding, Otis (1992) ''The Very Best of Otis Redding''. Rhino/Atlantic Recording Corporation. *

External links

List of cover versions of "Respect"
at SecondHandSongs.com * {{Authority control 1965 songs 1965 singles 1967 singles Songs written by Otis Redding Otis Redding songs Aretha Franklin songs Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles United States National Recording Registry recordings Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Stax Records singles Atlantic Records singles Songs against racism and xenophobia Songs with feminist themes Ike & Tina Turner songs