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| Demanding ‘Respect,’ and Getting It: What Did Aretha Franklin Mean to You? | Demanding ‘Respect,’ and Getting It: What Did Aretha Franklin Mean to You? |
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| It’s a hook you can’t forget, whether you heard it on the airwaves, as antiwar protests and riots raged across the United States, or on a wedding dance floor or at a karaoke bar decades later. | It’s a hook you can’t forget, whether you heard it on the airwaves, as antiwar protests and riots raged across the United States, or on a wedding dance floor or at a karaoke bar decades later. |
| Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” released in April 1967, bolstered the civil rights movement and gave a voice to the women’s rights movement. And it made Ms. Franklin, who died Thursday at 76, a superstar. | Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” released in April 1967, bolstered the civil rights movement and gave a voice to the women’s rights movement. And it made Ms. Franklin, who died Thursday at 76, a superstar. |
| She went on to have 20 No. 1 R&B hits, including “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Freeway of Love,” and in 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “I guess everybody just wanted a little respect,” Ms. Franklin told Rob Hoerburger for The New York Times Magazine in 2011 when he asked her why the song resonated so much with listeners. We want to hear from you. How did Aretha Franklin’s music influence you? Leave your response in our comments section, along with your name, age and location; read our comments FAQ here to get started. We may use your response in a future article or publish it below. | She went on to have 20 No. 1 R&B hits, including “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Freeway of Love,” and in 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “I guess everybody just wanted a little respect,” Ms. Franklin told Rob Hoerburger for The New York Times Magazine in 2011 when he asked her why the song resonated so much with listeners. We want to hear from you. How did Aretha Franklin’s music influence you? Leave your response in our comments section, along with your name, age and location; read our comments FAQ here to get started. We may use your response in a future article or publish it below. |
| I first heard Ms. Franklin in April 1967, the day I arrived at my company in Vietnam. A black soldier was lying on some sandbags outside a bunker entrance, listening to “Respect” on a cassette player. I heard the Cornell Dupree guitar lick and that soaring voice, and I stopped. “Who is that?” “Aretha Franklin,” was the grudging reply. “Who?” | I first heard Ms. Franklin in April 1967, the day I arrived at my company in Vietnam. A black soldier was lying on some sandbags outside a bunker entrance, listening to “Respect” on a cassette player. I heard the Cornell Dupree guitar lick and that soaring voice, and I stopped. “Who is that?” “Aretha Franklin,” was the grudging reply. “Who?” |
| I’d never heard the name Aretha before, and it took a few increasingly exasperated replies before I got it straight. I’ve loved Aretha ever since. Aretha is on permanent rotation on my inward soundtrack. — Wayne, Cambridge, Mass. | I’d never heard the name Aretha before, and it took a few increasingly exasperated replies before I got it straight. I’ve loved Aretha ever since. Aretha is on permanent rotation on my inward soundtrack. — Wayne, Cambridge, Mass. |
| As a child who suffered from abuse, I believed her and her message that I deserved respect. Thank you, Ms. Franklin, for inspiring me to seek my own strength and conviction. — CAVB, Newton, Mass. | As a child who suffered from abuse, I believed her and her message that I deserved respect. Thank you, Ms. Franklin, for inspiring me to seek my own strength and conviction. — CAVB, Newton, Mass. |
| My Aretha Franklin memories … I was working in a food processing place which dealt with fruit. Our job was to prepare tubs of sliced fruit for bakeries. Anyway, it was down time in my area when someone said, “Let's sing a song.” My turn? An Aretha Franklin medley with “Think” and “Respect.” I didn't know I could hit those high notes! I had laryngitis for two days afterward. This taught me that a workplace that encourages song is one that deserves respect. Thank you, Miss Aretha, for all the years of fine music and artistry. You will be remembered long after the Instagram wonders and regulated playlists pass into memory. — Bllx, North Carolina | My Aretha Franklin memories … I was working in a food processing place which dealt with fruit. Our job was to prepare tubs of sliced fruit for bakeries. Anyway, it was down time in my area when someone said, “Let's sing a song.” My turn? An Aretha Franklin medley with “Think” and “Respect.” I didn't know I could hit those high notes! I had laryngitis for two days afterward. This taught me that a workplace that encourages song is one that deserves respect. Thank you, Miss Aretha, for all the years of fine music and artistry. You will be remembered long after the Instagram wonders and regulated playlists pass into memory. — Bllx, North Carolina |
| She meant to me the voices of all women who struggle to be heard. | She meant to me the voices of all women who struggle to be heard. |
| I've always wondered how she was treated as a black woman, away from the lights and fame. What did she have to endure? What was said to her that would make our skin crawl? Was music her outlet for overcoming it all? | I've always wondered how she was treated as a black woman, away from the lights and fame. What did she have to endure? What was said to her that would make our skin crawl? Was music her outlet for overcoming it all? |
| I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but she came of age at a time when some Americans had to fight — again — for civil rights already guaranteed to them by the Constitution, and I can't help wondering what her own experience looked like where that was concerned. | I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but she came of age at a time when some Americans had to fight — again — for civil rights already guaranteed to them by the Constitution, and I can't help wondering what her own experience looked like where that was concerned. |
| Meanwhile, all of us where I work, who range in age from first-job Gen Y to to near-retirement Baby Boomer, are playing her music as we work. That's what endurance means. That's what living on is all about. — Valerie, Miami | Meanwhile, all of us where I work, who range in age from first-job Gen Y to to near-retirement Baby Boomer, are playing her music as we work. That's what endurance means. That's what living on is all about. — Valerie, Miami |
| Asking how Aretha influenced me is like asking a fish how water influenced it. My whole life, Aretha's songs taught me about the power and complexity and contradictions of love. She taught me, long before Brené Brown, the power of vulnerability and the courage to demand r-e-s-p-e-c-t. | Asking how Aretha influenced me is like asking a fish how water influenced it. My whole life, Aretha's songs taught me about the power and complexity and contradictions of love. She taught me, long before Brené Brown, the power of vulnerability and the courage to demand r-e-s-p-e-c-t. |
| Without Aretha, I wouldn't have Chrissie Hynde or Annie Lennox or Adelle or Bonnie Raitt to share their music with me, too. Thank you so much, Aretha Franklin. — Paula Callaghan, Lansdale, Pa. | Without Aretha, I wouldn't have Chrissie Hynde or Annie Lennox or Adelle or Bonnie Raitt to share their music with me, too. Thank you so much, Aretha Franklin. — Paula Callaghan, Lansdale, Pa. |
| Aretha is time spent with my mother. Aretha is listening to my mom sing along throughout my childhood and adulthood. She was the beginning of my musical education, along with Joni and Ella. She is my lonely times, my scared times, my exuberant times. She has been the soundtrack to important parts of my life — both good and bad. | Aretha is time spent with my mother. Aretha is listening to my mom sing along throughout my childhood and adulthood. She was the beginning of my musical education, along with Joni and Ella. She is my lonely times, my scared times, my exuberant times. She has been the soundtrack to important parts of my life — both good and bad. |
| I saw her as I stood on the lawn of the Capitol as Obama was sworn in 2009. In the frigid cold of that day, I noted a moment of intense gratitude to have seen her live. I sit at my desk with tears in my eyes, waiting for my commute home to listen and cry. Words don’t really do her justice. Only music does. The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen. — LiberalGal80, Camden, Me. | I saw her as I stood on the lawn of the Capitol as Obama was sworn in 2009. In the frigid cold of that day, I noted a moment of intense gratitude to have seen her live. I sit at my desk with tears in my eyes, waiting for my commute home to listen and cry. Words don’t really do her justice. Only music does. The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen. — LiberalGal80, Camden, Me. |
| In the quiet moments alone with my newborn sons, I too sang “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” to them. It is Ms. Franklin’s voice I hear in my head when I hold them close and remember the joy of becoming their mother. — Sheila Murray, Houston | In the quiet moments alone with my newborn sons, I too sang “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” to them. It is Ms. Franklin’s voice I hear in my head when I hold them close and remember the joy of becoming their mother. — Sheila Murray, Houston |
| Aretha was truly a part of the soundtrack of my life. Long before there was Essence magazine there was Ebony, and Aretha graced the cover of Ebony magazine many times. And I delighted in seeing someone that looked like me, in every sense of the word, on magazine covers. Her weight fluctuations mirrored mine as we aged, and her death has me confronting mine, and not with a steady eye. In addition to “Respect,” my favorites are “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” She has made a tremendous contribution to the world through her music. She has impacted the lives of many. Her living was not in vain. May she rest in peace. — Irmin, Trinidad | Aretha was truly a part of the soundtrack of my life. Long before there was Essence magazine there was Ebony, and Aretha graced the cover of Ebony magazine many times. And I delighted in seeing someone that looked like me, in every sense of the word, on magazine covers. Her weight fluctuations mirrored mine as we aged, and her death has me confronting mine, and not with a steady eye. In addition to “Respect,” my favorites are “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” She has made a tremendous contribution to the world through her music. She has impacted the lives of many. Her living was not in vain. May she rest in peace. — Irmin, Trinidad |
| When the Stonewall rebellion happened, people erroneously said it had to do with the death of Judy Garland. There was not a single record of hers on the jukebox. Aretha Franklin was the most popular singer there. To hear her records played was a demand to dance the night away. A one-of-a-kind entertainer. — Stephen, New York | |
| I once had the worst breakup of my life. My former partner left me and became my boss the next day. While I grieved and looked for a new job, Aretha Franklin’s music (“You're a no good heart breaker, You're a liar and you're a cheat”) enabled me to literally get up in the morning. I always felt Aretha saved my life, so to me, she’s the Queen of Music. — Married4eva, Troy, N.Y. | I once had the worst breakup of my life. My former partner left me and became my boss the next day. While I grieved and looked for a new job, Aretha Franklin’s music (“You're a no good heart breaker, You're a liar and you're a cheat”) enabled me to literally get up in the morning. I always felt Aretha saved my life, so to me, she’s the Queen of Music. — Married4eva, Troy, N.Y. |
| There was never a moment in my life as a black woman that Aretha Franklin didn't have something to say about it. Aretha demanded respect for us. Aretha talked about the beauty of sexual desire with someone you loved. Aretha helped us through the heartbreak. Aretha told us to keep moving on. | There was never a moment in my life as a black woman that Aretha Franklin didn't have something to say about it. Aretha demanded respect for us. Aretha talked about the beauty of sexual desire with someone you loved. Aretha helped us through the heartbreak. Aretha told us to keep moving on. |
| I don't think I appreciated Aretha as much as I should have because she was always there. I could always count on Aretha. Now that she's gone, it feels like a piece of my heart is gone. But there is a balm in Gilead because Aretha will never leave us. Aretha will never leave me. Aretha is resting now, in the arms of the Lord she served so well. — Laura174, Toronto | I don't think I appreciated Aretha as much as I should have because she was always there. I could always count on Aretha. Now that she's gone, it feels like a piece of my heart is gone. But there is a balm in Gilead because Aretha will never leave us. Aretha will never leave me. Aretha is resting now, in the arms of the Lord she served so well. — Laura174, Toronto |
| I spent my last $30 to see Aretha at Radio City Music Hall. The plane ticket was already purchased. My first round in New York did not work out. I returned home with a single nickel in my pocket; still singing along with the Queen of Soul in my head. Priceless. — Swedesue, Oklahoma | I spent my last $30 to see Aretha at Radio City Music Hall. The plane ticket was already purchased. My first round in New York did not work out. I returned home with a single nickel in my pocket; still singing along with the Queen of Soul in my head. Priceless. — Swedesue, Oklahoma |
| When I was 9 years old (I’m now 25), I found an Aretha Franklin CD my parents had in their collection. I put it in and was immediately mesmerized and hooked. She empowered me. Using our dial-up internet, I went online and found out she was going to be playing in Boston, so I asked my parents and we went to see her as a family. I still remember the usher, seeing my parents with me at the show, saying, “Ah you couldn’t get a sitter?” And my mom replying, “She brought us!” RIP to the original Queen. — Abby, Burlington, Vt. | When I was 9 years old (I’m now 25), I found an Aretha Franklin CD my parents had in their collection. I put it in and was immediately mesmerized and hooked. She empowered me. Using our dial-up internet, I went online and found out she was going to be playing in Boston, so I asked my parents and we went to see her as a family. I still remember the usher, seeing my parents with me at the show, saying, “Ah you couldn’t get a sitter?” And my mom replying, “She brought us!” RIP to the original Queen. — Abby, Burlington, Vt. |
| Aretha Franklin was the definition of blackness. From her singing at the funeral of MLK, to “the hat” at the first Obama inauguration, to singing for Carole King at the Kennedy Center Awards (but not before going back offstage to get her pocketbook which she safely placed on the grand piano where she could watch it). She defined me, a black gay man, and she defined my entire family. There will never be another like her; and there was never one before. That voice will live in me forever. — wsr, New York | Aretha Franklin was the definition of blackness. From her singing at the funeral of MLK, to “the hat” at the first Obama inauguration, to singing for Carole King at the Kennedy Center Awards (but not before going back offstage to get her pocketbook which she safely placed on the grand piano where she could watch it). She defined me, a black gay man, and she defined my entire family. There will never be another like her; and there was never one before. That voice will live in me forever. — wsr, New York |
| When I was in grammar school, our English teacher gave us an assignment: Choose a song, write a composition about what the lyrics mean to you, then play the record and recite your composition to the class. | When I was in grammar school, our English teacher gave us an assignment: Choose a song, write a composition about what the lyrics mean to you, then play the record and recite your composition to the class. |
| Everyone brought in songs by the big pop artists of the day. I however, chose “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. Everyone in class looked at me like I was so different. (I guess I was, even back then.) | Everyone brought in songs by the big pop artists of the day. I however, chose “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. Everyone in class looked at me like I was so different. (I guess I was, even back then.) |
| On the way out of class, my teacher pulled me aside, and asked “Do you really listen to music like THAT?” I answered “Oh yeah, all the time.” And he remarked, “You’re a cool little kid.” (That was a million years ago, but I still remember it. And I still have the composition, tucked into the jacket of a well-worn copy of Aretha’s Greatest Hits.) Her voice has always been a part of my life. R.I.P. The QUEEN — Raymond, New York | On the way out of class, my teacher pulled me aside, and asked “Do you really listen to music like THAT?” I answered “Oh yeah, all the time.” And he remarked, “You’re a cool little kid.” (That was a million years ago, but I still remember it. And I still have the composition, tucked into the jacket of a well-worn copy of Aretha’s Greatest Hits.) Her voice has always been a part of my life. R.I.P. The QUEEN — Raymond, New York |
| I was 17 when Aretha’s version of “Respect” came out. It was the voice I needed to hear as a young college woman trying to head for a male-dominated career path. Aretha was the voice urging me to take my full place in the world and never let anyone disrespect me. When I was a first-year law student with an infant and two male classmates pushed me against the wall and told me I should leave and give my place in the class to a man who needed a career, I went home and listened to Aretha sing “Respect” to help me refocus my determination. I graduated first in my class of 286 three years later and again, I listened to Aretha sing “Respect” at my graduation party. So thanks Aretha, for all the music, the inspiration and the courage. — Beachwalker, Provincetown, Mass. | I was 17 when Aretha’s version of “Respect” came out. It was the voice I needed to hear as a young college woman trying to head for a male-dominated career path. Aretha was the voice urging me to take my full place in the world and never let anyone disrespect me. When I was a first-year law student with an infant and two male classmates pushed me against the wall and told me I should leave and give my place in the class to a man who needed a career, I went home and listened to Aretha sing “Respect” to help me refocus my determination. I graduated first in my class of 286 three years later and again, I listened to Aretha sing “Respect” at my graduation party. So thanks Aretha, for all the music, the inspiration and the courage. — Beachwalker, Provincetown, Mass. |
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