8 Songs Millennials Don’t Know Are Remakes
6. Respect - Aretha Franklin
Considered an important moment in the feminist movement, Aretha Franklin’s recording earned Grammy Awards in 1969 for Best Rhythm & Blues
Recording and Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance,
Female.
In 2002, the United States Library Of Congress honoured the song by adding her version it to the National Recording Registry. And though the song was first written and recorded just three years earlier by Otis Redding, they differ greatly in content and style.
Reading's work is a plea from a desperate man, who will give his woman anything she wants as long as he gets his due respect when he brings money home.
Franklin's version is a confident declaration from a woman who
knows that she has everything her man wants, never does him wrong and demands
his respect. The most significant addition to Franklin’s version is the
addition of the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" chorus and the backup singers' "Sock
it to me” refrain.