Respect Yourself
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| “Respect Yourself” | |||||
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| Single by The Staple Singers from the album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself |
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| B-side | "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" | ||||
| Released | 1971 | ||||
| Genre | Soul | ||||
| Length | 4:54 | ||||
| Label | Stax Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Luther Ingram, Mack Rice | ||||
| Producer | Al Bell | ||||
| The Staple Singers singles chronology | |||||
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| “Respect Yourself” | |||||
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| Single by Bruce Willis from the album The Return of Bruno |
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| B-side | "Fun Time" | ||||
| Released | 1987 | ||||
| Genre | Pop, Soul | ||||
| Length | 3:53 | ||||
| Label | Motown Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Luther Ingram, Mack Rice | ||||
| Producer | Robert Kraft | ||||
| Bruce Willis singles chronology | |||||
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"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. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and reached #2 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It is one of the groups most recognizable hits. In 2002, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and in 2004 it was ranked #462 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]
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[edit] History
The song was written by Luther Ingram, a Stax Records singer, and Mack Rice, a Stax house songwriter. 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. The 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, but the message had a universal and inspirational appeal.
[edit] Chart positions
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 2 |
[edit] Bruce Willis version
There have been a number cover versions of the this song, the most successful done by actor Bruce Willis in 1987. His version, which had help from June Pointer of The Pointer Sisters, reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was seven places higher than the Staples original version. It alson peaked at #20 on the Hot Black Singles chart and #22 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 22 |
