Introduction

Aretha Franklin, the legendary Queen of Soul, left an indelible mark on the music industry with her powerful vocals and timeless classics. Among her many hits, “Respect” stands as an anthem of empowerment and a cultural phenomenon. Released in 1967, this iconic song continues to inspire and resonate with audiences worldwide.Aretha Franklin - Wikipedia

Did You Know?

  • “Respect” was originally written and recorded by Otis Redding in 1965. Aretha Franklin’s rendition, released in 1967, transformed it into a feminist and civil rights anthem.
  • Aretha Franklin’s cover not only became a chart-topping hit but also earned her two Grammy Awards.
  • The song’s catchy spelling out of “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” became an enduring symbol of self-worth and empowerment.
  • Aretha Franklin’s contribution to music earned her the title “Queen of Soul,” and she remains one of the best-selling female artists of all time.Aretha Franklin Respect 50th Anniversary - Aretha Franklin ELLE Interview

Video 

Lyrics: Respect

What you want
Baby, I got it
What you need
Do you know I got it?All I’m askin’
Is for a little respect
When you come home
(just a little bit)
Hey, baby
(just a little bit)
When you get home
(just a little bit)
Mister
(just a little bit)I ain’t gonna do you wrong
While you’re gone
Ain’t gonna do you wrong
‘Cause I don’t wannaAll I’m askin’
Is for a little respect
When you come home
(just a little bit)
Baby
(just a little bit)
When you get home
(just a little bit)
Yeah
(just a little bit)

I’m about to give you all of my money
And all I’m askin’ in return, honey
Is to give me my propers
When you get home

(just a, just a, just a, just a)
Yeah, baby
(just a, just a, just a, just a)
When you get home
(just a little bit)
Yeah
(just a little bit)

Ooh, your kisses
Sweeter than honey
And guess what?
So is my money

All I want you to do for me
Is give it to me when you get home
(re, re, re ,re)
Yeah, baby
(re, re, re ,re)
Whip it to me
(respect, just a little bit)
When you get home, now
(just a little bit)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB

Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me
Sock it to me, sock it to me)
A little respect
(sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)
Whoa, babe
(just a little bit)
A little respect
(just a little bit)

I get tired
(just a little bit)
Keep on tryin’
(just a little bit)
You’re runnin’ out of foolin’
(just a little bit)
And I ain’t lyin’
(just a little bit)

(re, re, re, re) ‘spect
When you come home
(re, re, re, re)
Or you might walk in
(respect, just a little bit)
And find out I’m gone
(just a little bit)
I got to have
(just a little bit)

You Missed

MINNIE PEARL WALKED ONSTAGE AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY FOR 50 YEARS WITH A $1.98 PRICE TAG ON HER HAT — AND THEN ONE NIGHT, SHE JUST COULDN’T ANYMORE. Here’s something most people don’t think about with Minnie Pearl. That price tag hanging off her straw hat? It wasn’t random. Sarah Cannon — that was her real name — created it as a joke about a country girl too proud of her new hat to take the tag off. And audiences loved it so much that it became the most recognizable prop in country music history. For over fifty years, that tag meant Minnie was here, and everything was going to be fun. So imagine what it felt like when she couldn’t put the hat on anymore. In June 1991, Sarah had a massive stroke. She was 79. And just like that, the woman who hadn’t missed an Opry show in decades was gone from the stage. But here’s what gets me. She didn’t die in 1991. She lived another five years after that stroke, mostly out of the public eye, unable to perform, unable to be “Minnie” the way she’d always been. Her husband Henry Cannon took care of her at their Nashville home. Friends visited, but they said it was hard. The woman who made millions of people laugh couldn’t get through a full conversation some days. Roy Acuff, her old friend from the Opry, kept her dressing room exactly the way she left it. Nobody used it. The hat sat there. She passed on March 4, 1996. And what most people remember is the comedy. The “HOW-DEEE” catchphrase. The big goofy grin. What they don’t remember is that Sarah Cannon was also a serious fundraiser for cancer research. Centennial Medical Center in Nashville named their cancer center after her — not after Minnie, after Sarah. She raised millions and rarely talked about it publicly. There’s a story about the very last time Sarah tried to put on the hat at home, months after the stroke, and what her husband said to her in that moment — it’s the kind of detail that makes you see fifty years of comedy completely differently. Roy Acuff kept Minnie Pearl’s dressing room untouched for years after she left — was that loyalty to a friend, or was he holding a door open for someone he knew was never coming back?