Who Wrote the Famous Song R.E.S.P.E.C.T.? Aretha Franklin? [Video]

As for Aretha Franklin's song R.E.S.P.E.C.T., the truth is Otis Redding wrote that song and he released it in 1965, two years before Aretha adapted it to her female perspective of a confident feminist. Otis's version is of a desperate husband pleading with his wife for respect. He will give her anything she wants and doesn't care if she treats him wrong.

Aretha changed it to "I ain't gonna do you wrong." Otis playfully said it is a song "that little girl done stole from me.”

Why do I surface this?

Men and women feel differently about love and respect.

At the end of what movie does the hero say to the female, "I want to respect you the rest of my life?"

Never happens.

Though women need respect, they lean toward love. Their hearts beat to hear from the hero, “I want to love you the rest of my life.”

To bring this point home, there is not one card from a husband to a wife that says, "Baby, I respect you." Women emotionally want to hear love. Hollywood and the card industry knows this like the back of their hand. Do we?

Yes, women need respect and men need love. However, women tend to say, "If you do not treat me respectfully, how can you say that you love me?" She lands on love as her deepest value.

Whereas a man might say, "I know you love me but that isn't enough. You are killing me with your disrespect. You can take everything I own and wrong me every day, but I need your R.E.S.P.E.C.T."

-Dr. E