Please sit down before you read the next sentence. Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” is not an Aretha original. Nope. Yes I know you always thought so. So did I – ‘til one day I found out that it is actually a cover of an Otis Redding song. Gotta tell you, when I found out, I was devastated….it was a bit like being told that Father Christmas doesn’t exist. Or that Rick Astley isn’t Black! (Please stop crying, it’s scaring the grandkids 🙃). Otis wrote the song – his original is actually really nice – as a man singing to his significant other, making a plea to his woman for respect, at least in his own home, given that he’s bringing in the money (or as BB King sang “paying the cost, to be the boss”).  Aretha’s version, on the other hand, sung from a woman’s perspective, is no plea. It is a fist banging on the table… a WTF… demand for R.E.S.P.E.C.T. from a Woman who has had Enough!

Of course, Aretha didn’t just cover the song and change its gender. She tore it down and rebuilt it. She changed the groove completely. She added horns and back-up singers. She added chanting – that’s her sisters Carolyn & Erma chanting “Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me” (if you’ve ever wondered, “Sock it to me” was slang, kind of like “give me five”) and “Re Re Re Re” (which is the first syllable of Respect….but also, was their nickname for Aretha). And to top it off, she wrote what is possibly the greatest bridge of all time. Yup, these lines, with her in-your-face spelling of “Respect” don’t exist in the Otis original.

“R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,
Find out what it means to me
Take care, T.C.B
Sock it to me, Sock it to me, Sock it to me”

Otis and Aretha’s versions came out within months of each other, but, by late 1967 Otis had lost his song. Performing at the Monterey Pop Festival later that year, he introduced it as “This next song is a song that a girl took away from me. A good friend of mine, this girl, she just took the song, but I’m still going to do it anyway”. I guess Otis did have some consolation – Aretha never made any royalties from the song as all royalties flowed to Otis as the songwriter!

“WHAT YOU WANT ?!”. Attitude dripping from each syllable. Those were the first Aretha Franklin vocals I ever heard. One Monday night on Forces Request, she came through the radio and just grabbed me by the throat. And forty-some years later, still hasn’t let go. Even today, every time I listen to this song, it feels like I’m hearing it with fresh ears, even as Rolling Stone magazine recently ranked it as the “No.1 Greatest Song Of All Time”. Aretha’s version is a forever song – it was super relevant back in ’67, it’s relevant now, and, it will still be a hit 50 years from now. It really doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, man or woman, black or white or brown, everyone will always relate to “All I’m askin’ / Is for a little respect”. Sock it to me while I’m TCB! ……(Takin’ Care Of Business)

Another one of Aretha’s great songs that was a regular on AIR Delhi was “I Say A Little Prayer”. And……this one was a cover too🤦🏽‍♂️ (sorry, yes I know you must be reeling!). This one started life as a hit for Dionne Warwick, reaching #4 on the charts in late ‘67. Now, Dionne Warwick is a superstar– she gave us ageless songs like “Walk On By”, “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” and “That’s What Friends Are For”. But, Aretha, never to be intimidated by who sang the original and how popular it was, gave Dionne’s hit the full “Aretha treatment”. Backed up by her sisters and cousin Cissy Houston (yup – Whitney Houston’s mom), she recorded it six months later. And, Dionne’s version didn’t have prayer (see what I did there? 😇) . Burt Bacharach, the man who wrote it for Dionne, underlined this very simply as “Aretha’s is the definitive version”. I have to admit that the song always felt a little too “girlie” to me, but man oh man, what a song !

Aretha had an incredible ability to take other people’s song and completely reimagine and remake them in her own image. You really should listen to her version of “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” (Paul Simon approves heartily of it!), Son of A Preacher Man (outstanding version of Dusty Springfield’s masterpiece!), “You Send me” (incredibly, Sam Cooke’s amazing original made even better), “The Thrill Is Gone”, “Eleanor Rigby”…….all “Arethafied” and brilliant!

“Chain Chain Chain, Chain of Fools” – one of the most memorable starting lyrics ever! This too was on Forces Request a lot – you know, them Army types really knew quality music! This song was – almost – a cover as well 😁. It was originally written for Otis Redding, but Aretha’s producer Jerry Wexler swiped it from the writer for her. It got the full Aretha treatment – and a monster hit emerged. It’s a fabulous song with a brilliant swing beat. But, it’s also a gritty song about heartbreak and Aretha’s incredible voice turned it into a dirge that you can sing along to.

All the “soul” in Aretha’s music came from real life. Her mother left the family when Aretha was only 10, driven away by her husband’s womanising. Aretha herself became a mother at just 12 (!) and had her second baby when she was just 14 (!!). Aretha’s dad was a lay preacher and he took her on the road as a very young teen, exposing her to all the craziness that that entailed. This song (and “Respect” which she released earlier that year) also reflects the dire state of Aretha’s first marriage – her abusive, violent marriage was on its last legs. She was drinking too much and realising finally that she was just link in her husband’s chain of fools.…..no wonder her voice has “soul”

I first heard “Think” in 1981, I think (sorry!) on the “Blues Brothers” soundtrack. Man, that is one of my favourite movies – I must have seen it about 10 times. What an awesome soundtrack – John Lee Hooker , Ray Charles, Elmore James, Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway, Fats Domino, and of course The Blues Brothers themselves…but the stand-out on the album was Aretha singing “Think”. “Think” is an Aretha original about a woman demanding that her man stop playing games. In fact, “The Blues Brothers” was a real revival moment for Aretha, bringing her back to the limelight after many years. It also set her up for her second #1 hit, just a couple of years later. Written originally as song about slavery and oppression, Aretha gave it new meaning also as a feminist anthem and it absolutely rocks!

The legend about this song is that Jerry Wexler (Aretha’s producer) had been reading a book about the concept of a “natural man”. One day, driving down Broadway in Manhattan he passed by the legendary song writing team of the singer/songwriter Carole King and her husband, Gerry Goffin. As Jerry drove past, he rolled down the window and said to them “why don’t you write a song about a natural woman”. King and Goffin thought the title sounded fantastic, went home and by the morning had the lyrics and music. They took it to Aretha who turned it into a great song. She sings it as a song of deep love, joy and anguish, all at the same time – a mix of emotions that pretty much defines “The Queen of Soul” for me. Incidentally, Jerry made out well too – Carole & Gerry gave him song writing credit as well, giving him royalty income for life.

This video is one of my favourites – that is a 73-year old Aretha !! Singing notes she had no business hitting as a 73 year old – let alone someone suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer. This performance was for a tribute to Carole King (yes, that super excited blonde old lady is Carole King) hosted by President Obama (see him moved to tears at 00:58) and Aretha’s appearance was a complete surprise for Carole King and her reactions just show it!

Aretha was a ground breaking female artist. She won 18 Grammys, including for the first 8 years straight that Grammys were awarded for Best Female R&B singers. She was the first woman to be inducted into the “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”. She sold over 75 million records. She is the most charted female signer of all time. Incredibly however, the Queen of Soul had only two #1s hits throughout her storied career. The first in 1967 was “Respect”, and, the sceond one, 20 years later (WTF!)  was “I Knew You Were Waiting” with George Michael. I remember I had just joined Citi in ’87 and went on the ritual Singapore trip that all MAs made. And all across Singapore, in every mall and on every radio station, was “I Knew You Were Waiting”. Brilliant song – though after the 1500^th hearing in just two months I must admit I grew heartily sick of it.

There are so many other fantastic songs in the Aretha portfolio that I could write three other posts and still not cover them all. Some of my favourites are Rock Steady ( an Aretha original and what a rocker!), Freeway of Love (great 80s pop!), Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves with Annie Lennox, “You Send Me”, “Spanish Harlem”…. Do me a favour. Over these upcoming winter holidays, treat yourself to exploring the Aretha Franklin catalogue. You will find so many amazing songs that….you will say a little prayer for me ! 😇
Let me leave you with this one…dare you to sit still while Aretha rocks !