When Aretha Franklin transitioned from Columbia Records to Atlantic in 1966, Atlantic VP Jerry Wexler approached the burgeoning Queen of Soul with song suggestions, including Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and Ray Charles’ “Drown in My Own Tears.” While receptive, Franklin had a song in mind already, one she’d been performing live: “Respect.” As Wexler recounted to Franklin’s manager Ted White, “Long as she changes it up.” White confidently replied, “You don’t gotta worry about that. She changes it up all right.” This intuition proved prophetic, as Franklin transformed “Respect” into an iconic anthem, a cornerstone of soul music, and a fixture on lists like Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Otis Redding penned and first recorded “Respect” in 1965 for Stax/Volt. His version was a forceful plea for consideration, delivered with masculine assertiveness. However, Aretha Franklin claimed the song as her own with her rendition, recorded at Atlantic’s New York studio on Valentine’s Day 1967. This wasn’t just a cover; it was a complete reimagining. “Respect” became Franklin’s first Number One hit, catapulting her to superstardom and solidifying her reign as the Queen of Soul.
Franklin’s interpretation of “Respect” transcended Redding’s original concept. Where Redding’s version was a demand from a position of perceived inequality, Franklin sang from a place of inherent power. She wasn’t pleading; she was declaring. Her “Respect” was a potent demand for an end to unfair treatment, imbued with scorching sexual authority. As Wexler observed, “For Otis, ‘respect’ had the traditional connotation, the more abstract meaning of esteem. The fervor in Aretha’s magnificent voice demanded that respect and more: Respect also involved sexual attention of the highest order. What else could ‘Sock it to me’ mean?”
The genius of Franklin’s “Respect” lay not just in her vocal prowess but also in the collaborative brilliance within the studio. The unforgettable “Sock it to me” refrain, delivered with electrifying energy by her sisters Carolyn and Erma as backup singers, was an idea conceived by Aretha and Carolyn during the session. Engineer Tom Dowd was astounded by the playful yet assertive breakdown where Aretha spells out “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.” Furthermore, lacking a bridge in Redding’s original, Wexler ingeniously directed the legendary Muscle Shoals studio band to incorporate chord changes from Sam and Dave’s “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby” under King Curtis’s tenor saxophone solo, adding another layer of soulful depth.
The raw emotion and disciplined delivery in Franklin’s performance were undeniable. It’s widely believed that her tumultuous personal life at the time fueled the song’s passionate intensity. Wexler himself noted, “If she didn’t live it, she couldn’t give it.” Yet, he also emphasized, “Aretha would never play the part of the scorned woman.… Her middle name was Respect.” This inherent dignity and strength resonated deeply within her rendition.
“Respect,” the opening track of her Atlantic debut album, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, became a cultural phenomenon. It fused rock & roll, gospel, and blues into a definitive soul music blueprint that continues to inspire artists today, with figures like Mariah Carey citing Franklin as a mentor. Beyond its musical innovation, “Respect” became an anthem for the burgeoning civil rights movement and feminist revolution. Franklin’s unapologetic demand for respect mirrored the broader societal calls for equality and empowerment. Her support for the Black Panther Party and performance at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral further cemented her role as a voice for social change. In her memoir, Franklin articulated the song’s universal appeal: “the need of the average man and woman in the street, the businessman, the mother, the fireman, the teacher — everyone wanted respect.” Decades later, this sentiment, enshrined in a song consistently ranked among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, remains profoundly relevant.
