#OtisRedding – Tom MacInnes, Writer

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History…Song #4: Respect by Otis Redding (+) covered by Aretha Franklin. (RS)

This list of songs is inspired by lists published by radio station KEXP-FM from Seattle in 2010, as well as the latest poll taken in 2021 by Rolling Stone Magazine. For the most part I will faithfully countdown from their lists, starting at Song #500 and going until I reach Song #1. When you see the song title listed as something like: Song #XXX (KEXP)….it means that I am working off of the official KEXP list. Song XXX (RS) means the song is coming from the Rolling Stone list. If I post the song title as being: Song #xxx (KTOM), it means I have gone rogue and am inserting a song choice from my own personal list of tunes I really like. In any case, you are going to get to hear a great song and learn the story behind it. Finally, just so everyone is aware, I am not a music critic nor a musician. I am a music fan and an armchair storyteller. Here is the story behind today’s song. Enjoy.

RS: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #4: Respect by Otis Redding (+) covered by Aretha Franklin.

By this stage of our countdown, nothing should surprise any of us. But, who among us knew that “Respect” was not originally an Aretha Franklin song?! Because it is not. The origin of the song goes back in some very murky waters where the true author of the song isn’t clear. However, what is clear is that the original person to record the song AND to have a chart hit with the song was not Aretha Franklin at all but, instead, was legendary soul crooner, Otis Redding! Redding was already a rising star on the Soul and R&B scene when he became aware of a song called “Respect” that was floating around. At the time, this song was written for a man to sing, which seems like such a bizarre juxtaposition to take due to the fact that Aretha Franklin’s version of “respect” has gone on to be one of the great feminist anthems of all-time. So, make yourself all comfy and cosy and let me tell you the story of Rolling Stone Magazine’s #1 song on their list, “Respect” by Aretha Franklin but, which is really by Otis Redding. Here we go!

In 1965, Otis Redding already had released songs such as “These Arms of Mine”, “Mr. Pitiful” and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”…*(which you can read about here). “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” would be released posthumously. So, when a song entitled, “Respect” made it’s way into his hands, he was delighted to record and release it. At the time, “Respect” was sung from the man’s point of view. It was not an openly misogynistic song but, looking back on it, a song sung by a man about the view that he deserved “respect” from “his woman” as soon as he walked through his front door, probably wouldn’t fly today. And, to be clear, by “Respect”, we are talking about a display of sexual submissiveness; a fawning over the greatness of the man who is walking through that doorway. Otis Redding’s version of “Respect” charted into the Top Twenty and was well-received. His version of the song was much funkier that his standard fare. It was more in line with what James Brown was releasing in those days.

Meanwhile, lurking in the musical weeds was an unknown performer named Aretha Franklin. She didn’t release her first album until 1967. It was called, “I Never Loved a Man the Way That I Love You”. No doubt, Lady Soul heard Redding’s version of “Respect” and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know how she viewed it. Franklin was never going to be a submissive woman; patiently waiting for her day to have meaning by virtue of her man arriving home. There would be no hot meal waiting on the table nor a slinky negligee waiting on the bed…..unless she wanted it that way. In Franklin’s mind, the success of any relationship rested on a foundation of mutual respect. At the time, the idea of a woman publicly demanding to be respected by the man in her life was not something that was often said aloud in polite society. So, Aretha Franklin….and her sisters……set about to change that. They took the lyrics to Otis Redding’s version and tweaked them to reflect a woman’s point of view. The song was still about sexuality but, it now came from the viewpoint of a woman who felt that she had every right to demand quality sex from her man and that he should reciprocate in a manner that showed he loved and respected her in reply. It was a bold and decisive introduction by Franklin but one that set the stage for a career unlike any other; especially, any other female artist.

Aretha Franklin’s version of “Respect” is actually not really that different from Redding’s version except for the fact that it is a female demanding to be respected. There in lay the entire difference. The politics of sexuality often favours men….even today….so, there is a different weight to the lyrics of “Respect” when sung by a man, as opposed to, being sung by a woman. Whereas a male singer sounds, almost condescending, when he sings about wanting his “proper respect“…..in the hands of a female singer like Franklin, those same words sound virtuous and heroic, almost. Not surprisingly, in the late 1960s, Franklin’s message of female empowerment was enthusiastically received by women all across America who were spearheading a movement called “Female Liberation”. “Respect” became one of their anthems and, by extension, Aretha Franklin became one of the faces of the movement. She was proud and black but, most of all, she was a proud, black woman.

This is not the first time we have encountered a song that was originally kinda creepy when sung by a man and then, completely different when sung by a woman. If you recall, the song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper *(which you can read here) worked the same way. That song was originally sung by a male DJ and was about a guy trolling through Clubs looking for girls “who wanted to have fun”, if ya know what I mean. In Lauper’s hands, she flipped the entire meaning of the song by singing those words from a female point of view which stated that girls wanted to be free from male sexual harassment so that they could simply go out in public and have fun, just like any male could. Lauper is quoted as saying that Aretha Franklin’s example of changing the tone of Redding’s version of “Respect” simply by singing the same song but, as woman, gave her the courage and the inspiration to do the same with “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”.

So completely did Aretha Franklin’s version of “Respect” dominate that put forward by Otis Redding that I honestly did not know his version even existed prior to doing the research for this post. Redding, himself, upon hearing Aretha Franklin record his song stated, “that girl has gone and taken my song from me. It is her’s now!” It sure is! Aretha Franklin enjoyed one of the greatest careers by any artist, of all-time. She has a boatload of hit songs such as “Chain of Fools“, “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman“, “Do Right Woman-Do Right Man” but, her signature song was always and forever, “Respect”. What a singer! What a soulful voice! What a woman!

So, without further delay, here is the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, with the biggest hit of them all, “Respect”. Enjoy.

The link to the video for the song, “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Aretha Franklin, can be found here.

The link to the video for the song, “Respect” by Otis Redding, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Otis Redding, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Rolling Stone Magazine, can be found here.

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History…Song #5: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones. (RS)

RS: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #5: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones.

In 1965, The Rolling Stones embarked on their first U.S. tour. They arrived in America with two minor hits under their belts: “19th Nervous Breakdown” and “Get Off Of My Cloud”. They were viewed as an up-and-coming band but were not yet the Rolling Stones that they would turn out to be. So, the legend has it that one night, upon leaving a concert in Clearwater, Florida, the members of the Stones encountered a protest outside of the arena, between student activists and the police. The protest had nothing to do with them but, none-the-less, there they were in the middle of it all. That riot sparked a conversation about how each member of the band viewed their experience with “America” up until that point. What came out of that discussion were two observations: 1- that commercialism was integrated into the fabric of everyday life in the U.S., way more than it was in England and, 2-that they sensed a great disconnect between the youth of the day…their ambitions and fears…contrasted with those of the older, ruling class. Jagger later termed the feeling he was sensing as one of alienation. Well, later that night, as Keith Richards had begun to regularly do, he retired to his hotel room, took out a cassette tape recorder and began recording song ideas. One of the ideas he recorded on tape, before falling asleep during the recording, was a title that read, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” but, just as importantly as that, if not more so, he had recorded the opening riff.

When he played the tape for his bandmates the following morning, all were very enthusiastic. Mick Jagger hurriedly set to work, fleshing out the lyrics. Richards, who always structured the musical end of things, envisioned a song that included a brass section. After several attempts at playing the song in a jam session style, Richards began to sour on the song; thinking it was too basic and that maybe the riff wasn’t so special after all. As it turned out, Ian Stewart, who was an unofficial member of the band, had heard of a new innovation for the electric guitar called a “fuzz box”. He was able to locate one nearby, brought it in and showed it to Keith Richards. Richards hooked it up to his guitar and played the riff again, through the fuzz box. The new sound changed his crisp, clean guitar chords into something fuzzy and scuzzy. Richard, initially, thought the fuzz box was gimmicky but, the other members of the band raved about it and so, Keith Richards recorded his guitar track using the fuzz box and, as they say, the rest was history. The fuzz box assisted track became the official track. Thus, the opening riff to the song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” that we all know and love was made with a fuzz box and, as such, was the first recorded instance of a top-selling song being made this way.

The song, itself, has an interesting history due, in large part, to the very nature of the band. When Mick Jagger went to write lyrics about commercialism and alienation, he did so in a way that came across as being a threat to the status quo in America. To be anti-consumeristic was akin to being a Communist. Attacking commercial production was attacking what it meant to be an American. Furthermore, lines such as “trying to make some girl” earned The Rolling Stones an immediate ban for being sexually explicit. However, the opening guitar riff was so electrifying that the popularity of this new song spread quickly across the U.S. and, before too long, The Rolling Stones had their first #1 song on their hands. In fact, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was a hit in America long before it ever was a hit back home in the UK.

One of the most interesting bits of trivia associated with this song concerns an artist who did a cover version. Now, artists doing cover versions of hit songs is nothing new or noteworthy, in and of itself. However, in this case, the cover version was sung by Otis Redding. Redding took “Satisfaction” and added the horn section that Keith Richards so desired. By doing so, Redding transformed a Rock song into a Soul song. But, more than that, he became the first Black artist of note to ever cover a “White” song. That is an interesting turn of events when you realize that much of the early history of Rock n’ Roll was white artists (Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc.) all gaining fame by appropriating music written and performed by Black artists who, for a variety of reasons, were not able to mass market their songs themselves. In a bit of turn-about is fair play……when “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was released in America, The Rolling Stones had a Top Ten hit in the UK with a song by Howlin’ Wolf called, “Little Red Rooster”, *(which you can read about here). Because Howlin’ Wolf was a black singer, he wasn’t as well known in mainstream America as he should have been. So, The Rolling Stones insisted that he be included at any concerts or TV appearances that they made to support “Satisfaction”.

Overall, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” has gone on to become the signature song for one of the biggest bands of all-time. It begins with a fuzz box-induced riff that is instantly recognizable. From there, the song roars through a diatribe about the difference between the phoniness of commercialism and the realness of love/sex, all against a backdrop of youthful alienation. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” has been inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame as being one of the songs that shared the history of rock n’ roll. No wonder…..can a song about sex and money and sticking it to the Man be any more “Rock n’ Roll” than that?

So, without further delay, here is one of the most iconic Rock n’ Roll songs of all-time……(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones. Enjoy.

The link to the video for the song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones, can be found here.

The link to the video for the song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, as covered by Otis Redding, can be found here.

The link to the video for the song, “Little Red Rooster” by Howlin’ Wolf, can be found here.

The link to the official website for The Rolling Stones, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Otis Redding, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Howlin’ Wolf, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Rolling Stone Magazine, can be found here.

The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History…Song #262: I’ve Been Loving You Too Long by Otis Redding (RS)

RS: The Top 500 Songs in Modern Music History.

Song #262: I’ve Been Loving You Too Long by Otis Redding.

Otis Redding definitely rates as being one of the best Soul and R&B singers of all-time. He had a huge hit with “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”, as well as, “These Arms of Mine”, “Knock on Wood” (with Carla Thomas) and “Try A Little Tenderness”. He was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, along with winning two Grammy Awards. However, despite the accolades that are generally thrown toward him, Otis Redding had a far different career than most may realize. Here is his story.

Like so many Black musicians in the 1950s, Otis Redding cut his musical teeth singing Gospel songs in Churches. As he began performing on stage, he played The Chitlin’ Circuit, where Black performers were welcome and could feel safe on stage. Even when he began recording songs to be released as real records, the bulk of his work was with Stax Records, who worked with Black musicians. Booker T. and the MGs were the house band at Stax Records and, as such, they routinely filled in as session players for whoever happened to be the singer at the time. So, when Otis Redding recorded his song, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”, it was produced by Steve Cropper and backed by Booker T. and the MGs.

The thing about this was that, even though “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” became Redding’s first hit, he never considered himself a singer for all of the people. In practical reality and, certainly in his mind, he was a Black singer who sang for Black audiences. Consequently, Redding never grew rich because of this song. In fact, when he was booked to perform with other Black performers at a concert to be recorded at The Apollo Theatre in NYC, the cost of the sheet music for his band outweighed the amount he and the band were being paid. They ended up staying at the cheapest, fleabag hotel they could find. Ben E. King even offered to help out financially by covering the cost of the sheet music for them.

The event that brought Otis Redding into the musical spotlight in all of its entirety was when he, along with Booker T. and the MGs appeared at The Monteray Jazz Festival. Commenting afterwards, Booker T. noted, with awe, that it was the group’s best ever performance but, more than that, they were awe-stuck at being so well-received by such a diverse audience which included many headlining musical peers such as Jimi Hendrix.

Not long after breaking through to the mainstream at The Monteray Jazz Festival, Otis Redding recorded a new song called, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”. This song was a departure from the ballad-heavy songs that had characterized his career to that point. Many of the folks at Stax Records felt that it sounded so unlike him, in fact, that recording it would be a mistake. Otis Redding felt otherwise. He stated that he wanted to expand his musical range and felt that this new song was just the vehicle to do that. Three days after recording “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”, Otis Redding, alomg with several others, were killed in a small engine airplane crash in Wisconsin. He was 27 years old at the time.

“(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” was released posthumously and became the very first such release to ever achieve #1 status on the Pop Charts. All of his Grammy Awards and inductions to various music Halls of Fame all came after he was dead, as well. Otis Redding was very much a performer whose career was on the rise. There is no telling what wonderful music he may have created had fate not intervened in such a cruel manner. Luckily, we have a list of excellent songs to enjoy and remember him by. Included in that list is his first big hit, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is the late, great, Mr. Otis Redding, with “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”. What a soulful voice! Enjoy.

The link to the video for the song, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” by Otis Redding, can be found here.

The link to the official website for Otis Redding, can be found here.

Thanks, as always, to KEXP for playing the greatest songs by the greatest singers and bands of all-time. The link to their wonderful website can be found here.