Recorded - February 14, 1967
Released - March 10, 1967
#1 for weeks of June 3 and 10, 1967.
Cover versions of songs have a mixed reputation among music fans. There are countless covers that either do nothing to improve on the original, or in some cases, they fail miserably. It takes talent and skill to perform a good cover version. And it takes even more talent to take an already good song, make it your own, change its meaning, and hit #1 on the pop charts. Well, that's exactly what the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, did with her cover of Otis Redding's "Respect".
Aretha began her music career when she was still in her teens. Her earliest work is pure gospel music, and although she switched to secular music by the 1960's, she never truly left her roots. While she had minor successes during the first half of the 1960's, it was 1967 that would be the game changer. In January of that year, she signed to Atlantic records and recorded her first single under the Atlantic label, "I Never Loved A Man (The Way That I Love You)". Right from this very first Atlantic release, she was on fire, and that flame would soon grow even higher.
February of 1967 saw Aretha record two of her finest works, at Atlantic Studios in New York City. One of those was "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman", a smooth soul number that still sends chills down my spine every time I hear it. The other major song of her's recorded just three days prior to "Natural Woman", was "Respect". First, let's go back a little bit and look at Otis Redding's original version.
Otis' version, which dates back to July of 1965 is certainly no slouch. With three quarters of Booker T and the MG's on instrumentation as well as Issac Hayes on keyboards, it is a sensational soulful groove. Otis also delivers a powerful lead vocal that draws your attention from the minute he starts to sing. It is a great version, and I'd highly recommend checking it out.
So how does one top near perfection? Step one, speed up the tempo and give the music some extra urgency. Step two, have legendary saxophonist King Curtis do a solo. Step three, have the greatest female soul singer perform lead vocal duties, and absolutely nail it! Step four, add a new section to the song that changes its meaning entirely. Otis' original version may be great, but the award for best version of Respect, in my opinion, goes to Aretha.
That aforementioned new section, the famous "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." bridge, is one of the greatest hooks of all time. Not just in terms of the fact that it sounds awesome, but mostly because of how radical and progressive the theme was for the time period. Aretha had changed a simple song about a hard working man, into a song about a hard working woman who demands equal rights. This was a good three years before the feminist movement became widespread, and even today, this version of "Respect" still rings out loud and true.
Aretha may have only achieved two #1's on the pop charts (You'll have to wait until 1987 for me to review the other one), but if you followed the R&B charts, she had twenty #1's. Regardless, the amount of chart toppers someone has had is mostly not an accurate indication of their musical legacy. I could name some of her subsequent hits that are worth checking out, but in all honestly, I'd end up writing several paragraphs. That's how many good songs of her's there are. Needless to say, if you haven't gotten into her music yet, I'd highly recommend seeking out her discography.
Final Verdict - I think it's safe to say that "Respect", as performed by Aretha Franklin, is not only one of the best songs of the 1960's, and not only one of the best covers, it's one of the top songs of all time. It's sung magnificently, it sounds magnificent, and it hasn't aged one bit. "Respect" is a masterpiece, and a fully well-deserved #1!
Coming Up Next - "Windy" by The Association.
Until Next Time - I'm D.O.C.T.E.R. R.O.C.K. -
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