Aretha Franklin had power. Did we truly respect it?

We're never going to have an artiste with a career as long, absurdly bountiful, nourishing and constantly surprising as hers. We're unlikely to see another superstar as abundantly steeped in real self

Officially, “Respect” is a relationship song. That’s how Otis Redding wrote it. But love wasn’t what Aretha Franklin was interested in. The opening line is “What you want, baby, I got it”. But her “what” is a punch in the face. So Franklin’s rearrangement was about power. She had the right to be respected — by some dude, perhaps by her country. Just a little bit. What did love have to do with that?
 

Depending on the house you grew up in and how old you are, “Respect” is probably a song you learned early. The spelling lesson toward the