Respect

Anyone looking at the title of the post would be inclined to think, this as being another eulogy to the ‘Queen of Soul’. Yes it is, about her but no it is not really about her. The beauty of the initial rock/rock n roll/blues was the interconnectivity through one to other. Artist to other, they were covering some of the legends and at times they were just covering and appreciating the contemporaries. 60s-70s the golden ages of English music, never to return.

So, coming to our story, Respect, I was introduced to Aretha Franklin through some of the best or top 100 songs type list and i got to know about the brave strong voice of Aretha. I wouldn’t say that this is my favourite song but I can fully appreciate the magnitude of the song and singer. One thing lead to another, and I landed up at the original ‘Respect’ guy, our dear old Otis Redding, I had heard the name a lot, having had some sort of charisma and charm. And yet, I hadnt heard much of him except the mellow (Sitting on the) dock of the bay. So, expecting dock of the bay, I tuned into Respect by Otis Redding and it was my turn to be blown over. When he starts, “What youuu wantt” louder than the loud thumping and trumpeting going on, I just forgot Aretha Franklin’s voice. His voice didnt carry that message, the earnest but here then, just listening to the song, I will swear to my death bed, I would prefer listening to Respect by Otis Redding over Respect by Aretha Franklin.

And yet, the guy died even younger than the 27 club. Surely a great voice, some great lines lost. Adding both the versions for people to make their opinion.

Two Songs

Which have captured my imagination, and have left me spellbound for quite some time. 🙂 I love the music, the vocals, the lyrics of both are exemplary and yet the thing I love the most about them is, the message they are trying to convey.

Imagine – Termed by one of my friend as “Probably the most famous song of the Era”. Imagine is Lennon’s appeal to the world trying to convey the most important message whoich needs to be conveyed to people, a m message of love, harmony, peace, brotherhood and a place without boundaries. This song is a sort of extension of the song Give Peace A Chance, in that song he is only asking that peace be given a chance but here he is asking for something more dramatic. He even shuns the concept of religion, asking us to imagine a world without heaven and hell (the basic concept of almost every religion). Rolling Stones rank the song at no.3 in the all Time greatest list.
Imagine

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

Respect – This is a song by an artist seldom heard by people (in my surroundings) and yet I have fallen in love with the song more and more with every listen of the song. The power in the song sort of pulls you towards itself. The power in the lady’s voice just blows you over. The appeal is age old, its been there since Humans became civilized, she, a woman is asking for the respect she deserves while making you realise that
What you want
Baby, I got
What you need
Do you know I got it?
She’s making a point, although the person in her life could be important for her, but it could never be at the cost of freedom. A message which (unfortunately) hasn’t been accepted by the society yet.
This song features at no.5 in the Rolling Stones List
<a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_%28song%29″&gt; Respect </a>

Definitely two songs worth listening and lots and lots of re-listens