Respect was recorded by soul artist Aretha Franklin on Valentine’s Day, 1967 and became her signature track. The song was written and originally performed by Otis Redding, although Aretha’s version is arranged very differently.
In 2021, Rolling Stone magazine released its revised list of ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’, with Aretha’s Respect taking the top spot. That’s a helluva big accolade, so what makes this song so special to so many people?
Well, it’s not so unusual in its purely musical content, which is what we’ll get to in a minute. And, while Aretha’s singing has amazing soul and intensity, that’s true of her performances in general.
True, it does have a great feel and arrangement – as arranger and co-producer Arif Mardin reported: “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.”
But, for me and I suspect millions of others, what really makes this song stand out is its lyric. It comes across as a statement from a strong, confident woman who feels that she (as all women) should be treated with greater respect. As such, it became an anthem for the women’s movement and has stirred up passions around the world.
The ‘sock it to me’ line was conceived by Aretha and her sister Caroline, the latter also coming up with the spelling out of R E S P E C T, perhaps the most memorable feature of the lyric.
So what about the music, which is what this blog is supposed to be concentrating on? Well the song is in the key of C, using all seventh chords, which gives it a lot of its bluesy feel. The verse rocks back and forth between G7 and F7, and the chorus between C7 and F7. The melody line is essentially classic rhythm and blues, using the scale C D Eb F G A Bb C. Using a minor scale with a major key provides that ambiguity which permeates all blues and soul. It couldn’t be any different.
Only one aspect of the song really stands out musically and that’s the bridge, which features King Curtis playing saxophone over the chords F#m B7 F#m G7. Where on earth did that key change come from? Well, apparently this was lifted from Sam & Dave‘s song “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby.” When it comes in, it really takes you by surprise, or at least it did for the first 100 times you heard the song! Eventually it just sounds like it was meant to be.
The impact that Respect has made is phenomenal. To me, it demonstrates without doubt that the purely musical content of a popular song (its melody, harmonisation, chord structure, etc.) is often the least important element in its success.
