Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

50 Years of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”

SHARE

[Editor’s Note: The following post is part of American Masters’ #InspiringWomanPBS campaign, which highlights the powerful, creative, and innovative women in our lives. Visit the Inspiring Woman page to join the campaign and submit the story of a woman who inspires you.]

When Aretha Franklin re-recorded Otis Redding’s “Respect,” she created not only a classic Soul hit, but also an anthem for the feminist and civil rights movements.


Join us in celebrating the powerful, creative and innovative women in our lives. Inspiring Woman is a year-long online campaign based on themes central to Dr. Angelou’s life: artistic expression, academic success, active community engagement and acceptance of difference. #InspiringWomanPBS

TRANSCRIPT

♪ What you want ♪ ♪ Baby I got it ♪ ♪ What you need ♪ ♪ You know I got it ♪ ♪ All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you get home ♪ ♪ Just a little bit ♪ ♪ When you get home ♪ ♪ Just a little bit, mister ♪ ♪ Just a little bit ♪ ♪ R-E-S-P-E-C-T ♪ By 1967 John F. Kennedy, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, the 4 girls in Alabama have all been killed.

And moments like that always call for anthems and 'Respect' certainly becomes that.

You know I have a soundtrack of my childhood and the soundtrack of my childhood includes the song 'Respect.'

It's easily understandable, easily identifiable as the story of a woman speaking about respect for herself as a woman, but never does it exclude other voices that might want to join in and say, you know, 'this is what I want, you have to give me respect.'

From the arrangement, which was you know, different from the Otis Redding version, the original, to the ad libs, she added background vocals, she added lyrics, Imean there's just so much that she did to change the song yet still keep its essence.

When you say that somebody made it their own, when they cover a song, that's the blueprint.

Black woman, working hard, telling her man 'listen, when I come home and when you come home I want respect, and I'll make it all good.'

It captures real life.

It's one of those records you can't do without, it's timeless.

I think that song certainly set the tone for writing songs that were uplifting, inspiring, and motivating but yeah at the same time was still fun.

She'll always be that voice that we listen to.

You're gonna be like 35, 65, 95 listening to Aretha sing 'Respect.'

♪ R-E-S-P-E-C-T ♪ ♪ Find out what it means to me ♪ ♪ R-E-S-P-E-C-T ♪ ♪ Take care, TCB ♪ ♪ Sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me ♪ ♪ A little respect ♪ ♪ Just a little bit ♪ ♪ I get tired ♪ ♪ Just a little bit ♪ ♪ Keep on tryin' ♪ ♪ Just a little bit ♪ ♪ You're runnin' out fools ♪ ♪ Just a little bit ♪

© 2024 WNET. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.