"Respectable" is a song by English musical duo

Mel and Kim Mel and Kim (stylized as MӗL & KIM) were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Melanie died of cancer in January 1990 at t ...

from their only studio album, '' F.L.M.'' (1987). It was released on 18 February 1987 as the album's second single. The song reached number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for one week in March 1987, becoming the second UK number-one single produced by

Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considere ...

(SAW), following Dead or Alive's " You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" (1985), and the first UK number one that the trio had written themselves. The single also topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and West Germany.

Background

The track was conceived as a more commercial follow up to the act's debut hit, " Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)". Supreme Records head Nick East requested that SAW produce a song in line with the flavour of their debut hit, but more accessible. The lyrics of the song were inspired by the sisters' dismissive and shame-free response to a tabloid scandal over the emergence of old nude glamour photos of Mel. East expressed strong reservations over the track's trademark stuttering hook, fearing it was too gimmicky, overly commercial and an unnecessary departure from the sound of their debut.

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Water ...

and Mike Stock strongly objected to the hook's potential removal. East changed his mind after an early performance of the track on a TV show in the Netherlands received a rapturous response. The sampled laughter heard through the song was captured during studio conversation between the act and producers, with the sisters initially unaware the interaction would end up on the record.

Impact and legacy

British magazine ''

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

'' ranked the song number 6 in their list of ''Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs'' in 2021. They wrote, "According to

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

the sisters didn’t really align themselves with the Hit Factory, arriving before the SAW machine took form, but they were integral to the rise of the threesome. SAW’s first actual written composition to reach No.1, it reflected Mel & Kim’s down-to-earth, playful charisma, at the same time mirroring the

PWL Pete Waterman Entertainment (PWE) is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by British pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL (Pete Waterman Limited), is most famous for being the home of hit record prod ...

ad slogan (“You can love or hate us, you ain’t ever gonna change us… we ain’t ever going to be respectable”). An incredible response to Stock’s infamous tay-tay-tay line when performed live meant Respectable became one of the top-selling UK singles of 1987."

Cover versions and sampling

Girl band Girls@Play released a cover version of "Respectable" in 2001, which peaked at number 29 in the United Kingdom. Australian actor and singer Tim Campbell covered the song on his 2018 album ''

Electrifying 80s ''Electrifying 80s'' is the second studio album by Australian singer Tim Campbell. The album is a covers album of classic hits by Stock Aitken Waterman. Upon release Campbell said “As a child of the '80s, I grew up to the sound of Stock Ai ...

''. The song was sampled in

Pop Will Eat Itself Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorp ...

's song "Hit the Hi-Tech Groove" from the 1987 album '' Box Frenzy''. The Pop Will Eat Itself song, which skewers Stock/Aiken/Waterman-style manufactured pop, has in its chorus the line "you don't need respectability." The song also features in BBC comedy series '' Gary: Tank Commander'', as the mobile phone ringtone of the titular character.

Track listings

*7-inch single :A. "Respectable" – 3:22 :B. "Respectable" (instrumental) – 4:04 *Japanese 7-inch single :A. "Respectable" – 3:22 :B. "Respectable" (dub version) – 4:09 *12-inch single :A. "Respectable" (club mix) – 6:15 :AA1. "Respectable" (7″ version) – 3:22 :AA2. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version) – 8:08 *UK 12-inch single (remix) *UK limited-edition 12-inch picture disc *German 12-inch maxi single (special remix) :A. "Respectable" (The Tabloid mix) – 7:50 :AA1. "Respectable" (7″ version) – 3:22 :AA2. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version) – 8:08 *UK 12-inch single (remix) :A. "Respectable" (Shop mix) :AA1. "Respectable" (7″ version) – 3:22 :AA2. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version) – 8:08 *US and Canadian 12-inch single :A. "Respectable" (vocal/club mix) – 6:15 :B. "Respectable" (The Tabloid mix) – 7:50

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1987 singles 1987 songs Atlantic Records singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Mel and Kim songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Switzerland Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Songs written by Matt Aitken Songs written by Mike Stock (musician) Songs written by Pete Waterman Supreme Records singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles