Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
It’s a golden anniversary for a gold single — and half a century of R-E-S-P-E-C-T for the Queen of Soul.
One of the most significant milestones of Aretha Franklin’s career came 50 years ago this week, when her single Respect muscled the Young Rascals out of No. 1 to top the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ended June 3, 1967. The defiant soul anthem was Franklin’s first pop chart-topper and cemented its place as her defining song.
“Wow, really?!” she said Thursday when told of this week’s anniversary. “Well, Respect is standing up, as Jerry Wexler used to say.”
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