Recording:

For Aretha Franklin, growing up in the 50s was a childhood short lived. her roles of a woman was to have children and live the life she was told to live. by age 17 she was having her second child and teaching herself to sing in order to make a living. franklin overpowered the stereotypical stay at home women of her era by recording her first albums at the age of 14 and signing with major record companies such as Atlantic, Arista[1] and Colombia records. it did not take long for her to earn the nickname "Queen of Soul"[2] shortly after being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. despite her troubles of being a riding female artist of her time she has charted 43 top single and earned 18 Grammys.

Respect was originally written and recorded by Otis Redding in 1965. In 1967, Aretha Franklin used it as a tool during a time of need and recorded her own version making this well own song a huge hit. Along with altering the lyrics and adding in "soak it to me" she was also played it on the piano as well as having her sister, Carolyn sing back ground. Aretha recording Respect in New York with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. [3] Aretha Franklin's biggest hits were recorded in Atlanta, where she became the "Queen of Soul". Respect ended up being Aretha's first song to be released to the UK and it ended up hitting the charts at #10. Aretha Franklin's was asking numerous times why this song became so successful and her answers says it all, "Everyone wants to be respected." Not only did she release this song to gain respect for herself and her black community but for everyone.

Legacy:

To this day, "Respect" is one of the most comprehensive, broad songs in history. From older women who can truly comprehend the message, to young girls dancing and singing along, it definitely has the ability to make a female take on the role of a powerful women. The popular song sang by Aretha Franklin, resonates through out karaoke bars, movie soundtracks dance competitions and can even be heard throughout shopping malls. otis redding originally wrote the song in 1967, and it became the anthem of the civil rights movement. however franklin;s perspective of the song demands respect for women from their husbands touching on feminism and racial struggles. at the time of the songs release your race, gender, and sexuality was of no importance, because everyone could relate to the need of more respect. from he little research we have already done it is clear that franklin not only faced issues as a women but her heritage play da huge role in her ride to fame. From her personal like to her professional career and recording success she faces issues with women and gender controversies.

Lyrics:

Aretha Franklin's Respect was released in 1967, a time of many changes. Aretha Franklin's purpose does not go unnoticed considering what was going on in this time period, such as the Civil Rights Movement, war in Veitnam, the Equal Rights Amendment, as well as the Black Panthers movement. During these her times, there were many women who were playing roles as civil rights activists, but all this hard was going unrecognized and Aretha Franklin believed that there should have been a lot more "respect" toward women.

Respect, was the perfect song to be released during such a political time period. Through Aretha' s lyrics she was able to demand respect for black women, ("just a little bit") as well as show how powerful women can be, ("what you want/Baby I go it").[4]

I'm about to give you all my money.

And all I'm asking' in return, honey,

Is to give me my profits When you get home.

In these above lyrics, Aretha Franklin is demanding for her propers, which is the slang term for respect.[5] The lyric, R-E-S-P-E-C-T found out what it means to me, is the most famous lyric of the entire song. It is simple and too the point, but Aretha Franklin makes it powerful with the help of the band to with strategic blasts, as she blasts out these lyrics to receive the respect she along with every other women deserve. Another lyric that plays a big role in the purpose of this song is, Take care TCB. This is a late 60s lingo, TCB, that means "take care of business".[6] Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding's use of black lingo makes a big statement on the purpose of giving black women the respect they deserve in time involving many movements, such as the equal rights movements, civil rights movement, as well as the outbreak of the black panthers. A fun fact about one of Aretha Franklin's add lyrics to Respect by Otis Redding, is that "soak it to me" became a popular phrase in TV shows as well as in a song called "Come On Sock It To Me". People believed that this phrase was used as a sexual term but Aretha made it very clear when she stated, "There is nothing sexual about that." [7]

  1. ^ "Arista Records". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
  2. ^ "Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
  3. ^ "Respect by Aretha Franklin Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  4. ^ "Respect Meaning". www.shmoop.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  5. ^ "Aretha Franklin, 'Respect', and the OED | OxfordWords blog". OxfordWords blog. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  6. ^ "Aretha Franklin, 'Respect', and the OED | OxfordWords blog". OxfordWords blog. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  7. ^ "Respect by Aretha Franklin Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2016-04-22.