(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer down below)
Aretha Franklin - "Respect"
Hit Number 1: June 3, 1967
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
Just like I'm sure many of you do, the first thing I do when I wake up each morning is check my phone, and my social media. Well, one day in 2018, I woke up and checked my phone, just like every other day. But this day was different. I certainly was not expecting to log into my social media accounts and get flooded with all sorts of stories about Aretha Franklin's death. This is one of the most important, influential soul singers of all time, and to lose someone like that so suddenly is shocking. It's funny, when a famous musician dies, one of the first things we do is listen to their music. I'm not sure if we view that as a sign of respect (no pun intended) or if it's cause their death reminds us of a great song of theirs', and we now have this urge to listen to it. But the first thing I did upon learning of Franklin's death was immediately get on YouTube, and listen to her signature song. Of course, that would be "Respect".
"Respect" has some history behind it before it eventually became property of Franklin's. It's apparently unknown who originally wrote the song today, but it was first brought to Otis Redding by Speedo Sims, who had intended to record it with his band, the Singing Demons. (Otis Redding will appear in this blog pretty soon) Redding made his own revisions to the version that Sims gave him, rewriting the lyrics and speeding up the tempo. Sims then went off to record the song with his band, but wasn't able to produce a good version of the song. Redding decided to just sing the song himself, which was alright by Sims, as Redding promised to credit Sims on part of the authorship of the song. Even though Redding never lived up to his promise, it still didn't bug Sims, which is what led people to think that Sims wasn't the original writer of the song. Why the true original author has never come forward is a mystery.
In Redding's version, the song is about a man who works hard all day, and the only thing he wants from his wife and his family, is some respect. His version is pretty funky, and has that signature mid-60s Motown sounding horn section. His version is actually pretty good. But then an up and coming female soul singer out of Detroit named Aretha Franklin recorded an altered version of Redding's song, and the rest was history. She was booked for a series of recording sessions with dates that spanned from January through February of 1967. These were the same sessions that Franklin recorded "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", which became a #9 hit for her. (It's a 7) Those sessions also brought another notable Franklin hit with them, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", which was also a #9 hit. (It's an 8) "Respect" was one of the last songs recorded in the sessions, and was a song that Franklin had been performing in her live shows for some time. She took charge of that song, and made damn sure that the horn sections were just the way she wanted them, while also giving instructions for the background singers. (Who were her own sisters) It all needed to sound just right.
While Redding's version/context is something all too familiar, Franklin's version was something that really jumped out to the public in 1967. Her flipped version plays as an answer song to Redding's, and it's about a woman who stays at home all day, and demands some respect from her man when he comes home from work. This version came out at the right time, when the Civil Rights, and Equal Rights movements were at large. The public at that time (especially, and most likely LOTS of women) saw the song as an important piece of the Feminism movements, and therefore resonated with the song, and related to it. In "Respect", there are no nasty shots at the guy, or anything derogatory being said. She has no intentions of treating him bad, and expresses her OWN respect for him, and all she asks is that he gives the same in return for her.
The message of the song is truly powerful and hard to ignore, but what makes "Respect" such a gem is Franklin herself. Every singer in their songs sings with a decent amount of confidence, but Aretha Franklin's version of "Respect" is dripping in confidence, and it's a clean slap in the face to anyone who has any doubts on her, or doesn't agree with what she's saying. Everyone deserves respect, and Franklin's version of "Respect" makes sure that everyone remembers that. Plus, her lead vocals are backed up nicely by her sisters who joined her on the song, especially with that "Sock it to me" line that's repeated, and gets stuck in your head almost without you even realizing it. As well as the awesome R-E-S-P-E-C-T chant Franklin does. So it's CATCHY too! I also love the sax solo in the middle of the song, which gives "Respect" it's fair share of groove and funkiness. It's powerful, it's catchy, and it's just freaking cool.
It's no surprise to see Aretha Franklin's version age so well, and before Redding's untimely death in 1967, he even admitted that the song wasn't his anymore. He's quoted as saying it was a song "that a girl took away from me, a friend of mine, this girl she just took this song". It's gone on to become Franklin's signature song, and the one many of us likely flocked to upon her death in 2018. Anytime you take an awesome song, and blend it with a historical impact, songs like that will never die.
GRADE: 10/10
SONGS REFERENCED:
Otis Redding - "Respect"
Aretha Franklin - "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)"
Aretha Franklin - "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"
MY INSPIRATION / MORE INFORMATION:
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