Respect

In 1965, Otis Redding wrote the song “Respect” in which the lyrics say he will give a woman anything she wants as long as he receives “respect” when he gets home.

The second version, performed by Aretha Franklin debuted on Valentine’s Day 1967 and was her first #1 hit.

“In Redding’s reading, a brawny march, he called for equal favor with volcanic force. Franklin wasn’t asking for anything. She sang from higher ground: a woman calling an end to the exhaustion and sacrifice of a raw deal with scorching sexual authority. In short, if you want some, you will earn it.” (SOURCE: Rolling Stone)

Franklin added to lyrics the background refrain, “sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me,” sung by hers sisters Erma and Carolyn. The idea to spell out the word respect as R-E-S-P-E-C-T was Carolyn’s idea.

Franklin’s version earned the #5 spot on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest songs of all time. There are many other things I could say, but in this case, I’ll let the songs speak for themselves.