GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Test 10 — Flashcards

Questions below refer to this passage.

Although many readers will associate the song “Respect” with Aretha Franklin’s definitive version, the song was written and first recorded by Otis Redding in 1965. Franklin’s version became a hit upon release in 1967. Although the song is recognizably the same in both versions, each artist gave it a unique flavor.
Redding’s song is a plea that his woman return to him—he’ll give her anything she wants, so long as she respects him. He sings in the voice of a hard-working man who wants to come home to the comforts he expects. The song returns repeatedly to the idea of respect, even in the verses, and has the feel of a blues song.

Franklin turned the song into a feminist declaration, demanding the respect she knows she deserves. It’s more up-tempo, jazzed to life by the back-up singers’—Franklin’s sisters Erma and Carolyn—repetition of “Sock it to me.” Franklin’s version also includes the iconic spelling of R-E-S-P-E-C-T as part of the bridge, an improvisation that propels the song to a new level.

Redding admitted that Franklin had made the song better. In 1967, he joked that she’d “stolen” it but was said to be delighted with her version. Redding must have recognized what was already becoming clear, that Franklin had taken a good song and turned it into a classic.