How Aretha Franklin Earned ‘Respect’ by Flipping Gender Roles
Looking back on the cover version that made many forget the original
Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” is one of the most iconic songs of all time. When it was released in 1967, it topped both the Billboard Pop Singles and Black Singles charts. In 1968, it earned two Grammys: “Best Rhythm & Blues Recording” and “Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female.” It was adopted as a soundtrack by both the civil rights and feminist movements. And in 2002, the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry. This last distinction marks the song as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important” for eternity. Enough said.
Regardless of its historical significance, the song itself is, in a word, awesome. It’s one of those tunes that just hits you. You’d have to be brain dead if some part of your body didn’t tap in time to its relentless beat. And that vocal performance? An angel walks among us, I tell you.
It may just be the best cover version of any song ever recorded.
