Respect Yourself
| "Respect Yourself" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Staple Singers | ||||
| from the album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself | ||||
| B-side | "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" | |||
| Released | October 1971 | |||
| Genre | Soul, rock | |||
| Length | 4:54 | |||
| Label | Stax | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Luther Ingram, Mack Rice | |||
| Producer(s) | Al Bell | |||
| The Staple Singers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Respect Yourself" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bruce Willis | ||||
| from the album The Return of Bruno | ||||
| B-side | "Fun Time" | |||
| Released | January 1987 | |||
| Genre | Pop, soul | |||
| Length | 3:53 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Luther Ingram, Mack Rice | |||
| Producer(s) | Robert Kraft | |||
| Bruce Willis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Respect Yourself" is the name of a classic soul song by American R&B/gospel group The Staple Singers. Released in late 1971 from their album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, the song became a crossover hit. The Staple Singers' version peaked at #1 on KHJ, #12 on the Hot 100, #2 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and is one of the group's most recognizable hits. Bruce Willis recorded a cover version of the song in 1987 featuring The Pointer Sisters; it peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 and peaked at #7 in the UK. In 2002 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2010 it was ranked #468 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]
Background
The song was written by Stax Records singer Luther Ingram and Stax house songwriter Mack Rice. Ingram, who was frustrated with the state of the world at the time, told Rice "black folk need to learn to respect themselves." Rice liked the comment so much that he built a funk groove around it, then gave the song to the Staples, who were also signed to Stax. Producer Al Bell teamed the group with the storied Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, musicians who laid down classic tracks for Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin, and with engineer/musician Terry Manning for vocals, overdubs, and mixing, in Memphis. The horns were overdubbed by Manning after the vocals were recorded, and were played by The Memphis Horns. The confrontational song had resonance for a burgeoning self-empowerment movement for African-Americans during the post-civil-rights-movement 1970s, as well as women demanding more respect during those same years. The Staple Singers' long version featured Roebuck "Pops" Staples, nearly 57 at the time, on lead for more than two minutes.
Chart performance
(Staple Singers' version)
| Chart (1971–72) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[2] | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 12 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4] | 2 |
(Bruce Willis' version)
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[5] | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 5 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[7] | 20 |
Cover versions
"Respect Yourself" has been covered numerous times, including but not limited to the following:
- Herbie Mann on his album Mississippi Gambler (1972)
- B. B. King on his album To Know You Is to Love You (1974)
- The Kane Gang reached the charts in the UK (No. 21) and Australia (No. 19) with their version (1984)
- Actor Bruce Willis, with help from June Pointer and The Pointer Sisters, reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, number 20 on the Hot Black Singles chart and number 22 on the Adult Contemporary chart (1987)
- Robert Palmer from his compilation Very Best of Robert Palmer, reached number 45 on the UK Singles Chart (1995)[8]
- The Christian blues rock group Big Tent Revival also covered the song on their self-titled album[9] (1995)
- Joe Cocker on his album Respect Yourself (2002)
- The Temptations on their album Back to Front (2007)
- Guy Sebastian on his album of covers of soul classics The Memphis Album (2007)
- Randy Crawford and Joe Sample on the collaborative album No Regrets (2008)
- Huey Lewis and the News on their album Soulsville (2010)
- Melissa Etheridge on her Stax Records covers album Memphis Rock and Soul (2016)
References
- ↑ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone.com. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
- ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5298." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ↑ "The Staple Singers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ↑ "The Staple Singers Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ↑ "Bruce Willis: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ↑ "Bruce Willis Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ↑ "Bruce Willis Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 415–6. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ "Big Tent Revival, "Big Tent Revival" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. 1995-03-21. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
