Aretha Franklin made Respect her own. She garnered Grammys, Hall of Fame and Library of Congress status for it, it’s on most “Best Songs of All Time” lists, and it is a feminist anthem known by millions. However, the song is not an Aretha original, but a partly rewritten cover of an Otis Redding track that was first recorded for his 1965 album, Otis Blue. The idea for the song is famously attributed to Earl “Speedo” Sims, Redding’s close friend and long-time road manager, but it was always credited to Redding and was never contested.
The first division of soul
I rate Redding as a first division soul man along with Sam Cooke, James Carr, Marvin Gaye and a small handful of others. While he doesn’t have the widest range, he is capable of vocal delivery like the smoothest velvet, which you can hear all the way from his cover of A Change Is Gonna Come, to the crunchy gravel of Respect.
Today’s song is the Otis Redding Respect, from an extended collector’s edition of Otis Blue, with bonus tracks and live material – a must for Redding fans. On it, Redding goes full throttle, singing lyrics that raise modern day eyebrows for their old-fashioned stereotyping, which is somewhat redeemed in the coda, and which Franklin turned on its head with her rewrite.
Underneath Redding’s typical rasp in the vocal performance is the band. Recorded at Stax Studios in Memphis, the session, produced by Steve Cropper, features the sensational veteran of the electric bass, Donald “Duck” Dunn. who anchors the track, while drummer Al Jackson Jr smacks out single stroke rolls and big bass drum kicks. The Stax horn section builds and stabs away, while producer/guitarist Cropper is barely audible on the track.
Otis Blue remains a fabulous album of both originals and covers, with excellent arrangements – and so I hope that you stick around to listen to more than just Respect. Good Sunday all!
Listen to Respect on Spotify here.
And on Apple Music here.
I started a music WhatsApp group in 2023. I send one song a week on a Friday, with links to both Apple and Spotify, and an accompanying narrative/capsule piece, all of which is also published here on a Sunday. If you want to engage about a song, get a playlist or just get in touch, email me on markgrosin@gmail.com.
