A Little Respect Explained

A Little Respect
Cover:Erasure - A Little Respect.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Erasure
Album:The Innocents
B-Side:
  • "Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor"
  • "Love Is Colder Than Death"
Released:[1]
Studio:Blackwing, Swanyard (London, England)
Genre:
Length:3:32
Label:
Producer:Stephen Hague
Prev Title:Chains of Love
Prev Year:1988
Next Title:Stop!
Next Year:1988

"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by British synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1988 by Mute. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell's vocal falsetto in the chorus. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album, The Innocents (1988). Known as one of their signature songs, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure's second consecutive top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

There are several remixes of the song. It was originally mixed by Mark Saunders and Phil Legg on the 1988 UK singles, and Justin Strauss for the original US release. In 2006 was remixed by Jadded Alliance for the Future Retro remix compilation sampling some elements of the Justin Strauss' remixes from 1988. In 2009 new remixes appeared; one on the Pop! Remixed UK EP, and one more on the Phantom Bride EP celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Innocents by Wayne G and Alan Allder, the same year, on Erasure's official web site two more mixes appeared for download: one by Glenn Nichols and a dub mix of the Wayne G and Alan Allder mix.

An acoustic version of appears on the Moon & the Sky Plus EP in the UK. And another country acoustic version on the live album On the Road to Nashville.

Critical reception

Upon the release of the single, Caren Myers from Melody Maker wrote, "A groovy little monster, all in all."[4] Another Melody Maker editor, Everett True, remarked that "it takes some kinda fool genius to create fast songs of the scope and emotional rush" of the "heart-stopping" "A Little Respect".[5] Jack Barron from NME said, "In point of fact this is a classic Vince Clarke slice of melodramatic Euro-synth-disco. Hypnotic, splendidly sung, it's Abba with a sex change. Agnetha Faltskog without the beard."[6] In an 2009 retrospective reviewe, Darren Lee from The Quietus declared it as "a song so giddily exuberant that even the tawdry spectre of Wheatus can't quite tarnish its lustre".[7]

Impact and legacy

Metro Weekly ranked "A Little Respect" number-one in their list of "Erasure's 40 Greatest Tracks" in 2014.[8] Chris Gerard wrote,

"Opening with that distinct, stately keyboard riff before an acoustic guitar comes in and adds to the rhythm, 'A Little Respect' is Erasure at their apex. Very few pop songs can be considered perfect, and this is one of them. It is guaranteed even to this day to get a room full of people singing at the top of their lungs. It just feels good. The heavily rhythmic background, the positive and self-affirming lyrics, Andy Bell's note-perfect vocal delivery... it's a combination that came together to form a song for the ages. It reached #14 in the US and #4 in the UK, but it's had the lasting impact of a #1 hit."

Treblezine included the song in their "A History of Synth-Pop in 50 Essential Tracks".[9] They wrote,

"If there's a synth-pop Mount Rushmore, surely Vince Clarke is one of the figures carved on its rockface. He appears here twice, as does a former band, and there are a handful of other short-lived projects we left out. But Clarke's most enduring project is also his most purely pop, with the chart performance to prove it. Erasure had 13 top-10 singles in the UK since 1986, plus three US top-40 singles, including this standout opener of 1988's The Innocents. At a lean 3:33, Clarke and Andy Bell compress synth-pop innovation and disco-pop immediacy into a perfect moment of transcendent pop glory."

Time Out ranked "A Little Respect" number 10 in their "The 50 Best Gay Songs to Celebrate Pride All Year Long" in 2022.[10]

Rugby league club Hull Kingston Rovers adopted "A Little Respect" as the club's official song for the 2015 Challenge Cup Final, their first appearance in a Challenge Cup final match for over 30 years. Initially proving popular among fans, social media videos of Hull Kingston Rovers supporters singing the song following their semi-final victory against Warrington Wolves went viral, resulting in Andy Bell granting the club's players and staff permission to record a charity single in aid of two local children's charities and the Terrence Higgins Trust.[11] [12] [13] Hull Kingston Rovers would go on to lose 50-0 to Leeds Rhinos in the final held at Wembley Stadium. Bell would later perform the song before a match at the club's Craven Park stadium in 2016 and partnered again with the club and the Terrence Higgins Trust to release a charity kit featuring the song's lyrics.[14] [15]

Track listings

  1. "A Little Respect"
  2. "Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor"

Note: In the UK, another 7-inch single containing multiple postcards was also issued.[18]

A1. "A Little Respect" (extended version)

B1. "Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor" (Mark Freegard remix)

B2. "Love Is Colder Than Death"

A1. "A Little Respect" (Big Train mix)

B1. "Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor" (Rico Conning remix)

B2. "Love Is Colder Than Death"

  1. "A Little Respect" (7-inch version) – 3:31
  2. "A Little Respect" (Mark Saunders remix) – 6:35
  3. "Like Zsa Zsa Gabor" (Rico Conning remix) – 6:05
  4. "Love Is Colder Than Death" – 2:10

A1. "A Little Respect" (12-inch vocal) – 6:27

A2. "A Little Respect" (12-inch house mix) – 6:42

B1. "A Little Respect" (12-inch remix) – 6:35

B2. "A Little Respect" (Big Train mix) – 6:07

B3. "Like Zsa Zsa Gabor" (Rico Conning remix) – 6:05

  1. "A Little Respect"
  2. "A Little Respect" (extended version)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988–1989)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[25] 26
Denmark (IFPI)[26] 6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[27] 15
US Dance Tracks (Dance Music Report)[28] 1

Year-end charts

Björn Again version

A Little Respect
Type:single
Artist:Björn Again
Ep:Erasure-ish
Recorded:1992
Length:3:48
Label:
Producer:Stig Saabson
Next Title:Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Next Title2:Little Drummer Boy
Next Year:1992

In June 1992, Erasure released their Abba-esque extended play (EP), which contains cover versions of four ABBA songs.[30] [31] In response, an Australian ABBA parody group called Björn Again covered two Erasure songs—"A Little Respect" and "Stop!"—and included them on their Erasure-ish EP, which was issued as their debut single on 12 October 1992.[32] [33] [34] The two-song EP peaked at number 18 in Ireland, number 25 on the UK Singles Chart and number 67 on the German Singles Chart.

Track listings

  1. "A Little Respect"
  2. "Stop!"

A. "A Little Respect" (more)

AA. "Stop!" (more)

  1. "A Little Respect"
  2. "Stop!"
  3. "A Little Respect" (more)
  4. "Stop!" (more)

Charts

Wheatus version

A Little Respect
Cover:Wheatus - Alittle respect single.png
Type:single
Artist:Wheatus
Album:Wheatus
Length:3:19
Label:Columbia
Producer:
  • Wheatus
  • Philip A. Jimenez
Prev Title:Teenage Dirtbag
Prev Year:2000
Next Title:Wannabe Gangstar
Next Title2:Leroy
Next Year:2002

American rock band Wheatus covered "A Little Respect" for their self-titled debut album. Released on 2 July 2001, it peaked at number three in the United Kingdom (besting the peak of Erasure's original) while reaching number five in Ireland and number 19 in Austria.

Critical reception

Ayhan Sahin of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that the version is "surprisingly polished, paying serious homage to Brit synth popsters Andy Bell and Vince Clark ". He goes on to say that the structure of the song stays "intact, as does that super-sticky chorus, with acoustic and electric guitars playing back and forth in place of the '80s electronic beats".[40]

Music video

The music video was directed by the Malloys and was released in July 2001. It features Shawn Hatosy and Brittany Murphy.[41]

Track listings

  1. "A Little Respect" – 3:27
  2. "Sunshine" (X-ecutioners mix) – 2:52
  3. "Teenage Dirtbag" (live at The Chapel) – 4:44
  1. "A Little Respect" (David Thorner Mix 1) – 3:24
  2. "Sunshine" (X-ecutioners mix) – 2:52
  1. "A Little Respect" (David Thorner Mix 1) – 3:25
  2. "Teenage Dirtbag" (live at The Chapel) – 4:43
  1. "A Little Respect" (David Thorner Mix 1) – 3:26
  2. "Leroy" (live at The Chapel) – 3:40
  3. "Wannabe Gangstar" (live at The Chapel) – 4:02
  4. "Truffles" (live at The Chapel) – 3:51

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2001)Position
Ireland (IRMA)[47] 46
UK Singles (OCC)[48] 69

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom2 July 2001Columbia[49] [50]
AustraliaCD[51]

Other cover versions

Notes and References

  1. New Singles. Music Week. 40. 17 September 1988. 1 July 2021.
  2. Kelly Clarkson Shows a 'Little Respect' to Erasure With Latest Kellyoke: Listen. 19 November 2020. 7 June 2022. Billboard. Kaufmann. Gil.
  3. Web site: Erasure: From Moscow to Mars - An Erasure Anthology. 13 July 2017. PopMatters.
  4. Caren. Myers. Singles. Melody Maker. 24 September 1988. 40. 31 October 2023.
  5. Everett. True. Retroactive. Melody Maker. 28 November 1992. 31. 29 March 2023.
  6. Jack. Barron. Singles. NME. 24 September 1988. 16. 31 October 2023.
  7. Darren . Lee . Erasure – Total Pop! Erasure's First 40 Hits . . 27 February 2009 . 21 November 2020 .
  8. Chris . Gerard . Erasure's 40 Greatest Tracks . . 17 September 2014 . 21 November 2020 .
  9. Web site: A History of Synth-Pop in 50 Essential Tracks. Treblezine. 11 May 2020. 27 July 2020.
  10. The 50 Best Gay Songs to Celebrate Pride All Year Long. Time Out. 21 January 2022. 21 February 2022.
  11. News: 18 August 2015 . Hull KR players dust off their singing voices for charity single . Sky Sports News. 15 March 2022.
  12. News: Craven . Dave . 16 August 2015 . VIDEO: Hull KR scrum down with Erasure to record 'A Little Respect' ahead of cup final . The Yorkshire Post . 15 March 2022.
  13. News: 16 August 2015 . Robins release charity version of 80s hit to mark Wembley final appearance . ITV News . 15 March 2022.
  14. News: Holmes . Jon . 1 September 2018 . Why do Hull KR players have song lyrics written on their shirts? . Sky Sports News. 15 March 2022.
  15. News: Westmorland . Gareth . 1 March 2018 . Hull KR and Erasure team up once again for 2018 charity shirt . Hull Daily Mail . 15 March 2022.
  16. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Mute Records. MUTE85.
  17. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. US cassette single sleeve. Sire Records, Reprise Records, Mute Records. 9 27738-4.
  18. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Mute Records. PMUTE85.
  19. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. UK 12-inch single sleeve. Mute Records. 12MUTE85.
  20. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. UK 12-inch remix single sleeve. Mute Records. L12 MUTE 85.
  21. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. UK CD single liner notes. Mute Records. CD MUTE 85.
  22. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. US 12-inch single vinyl disc. Sire Records, Reprise Records, Mute Records. 9 21059-0.
  23. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. Canadian 12-inch single vinyl disc. Sire Records, Reprise Records, Mute Records. 92 10590.
  24. A Little Respect. Erasure. 1988. Japanese mini-CD single liner notes. Mute Records, Alfa Records. 10SR-33.
  25. RPM 100 Singles. RPM. 49. 20. 6. 13 March 1989. 24 March 2019.
  26. Danish Singles Chart. 21 October 1988.
  27. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 5. 44. 24. 29 October 1988. 24 August 2020.
  28. Dance Tracks. Radio & Records. 27 January 1989. 41. .
  29. Book: Peter. Scaping. BPI YearBook 1989/90. Top 100 Singles: 1988. British Phonographic Industry. London, England. 64–65. 1991. 978-0-9061-5410-6.
  30. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 21. 30 May 1992.
  31. Abba-esque. Abba-esque. Erasure. 1992. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Mute Records. MUTE 144.
  32. Web site: Björn Again Biography by AllMusic. AllMusic. 15 March 2023.
  33. Web site: Björn Again. Robbins. Ira. Trouser Press. 15 March 2023.
  34. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 23. 10 October 1992.
  35. Erasure-ish (A Little Respect / Stop!). Björn Again. 1992. UK 7-inch single sleeve. M&G Records, Polydor Records. MAGS 32, 863 902-7.
  36. Erasure-ish (A Little Respect / Stop!). Björn Again. 1992. UK cassette single sleeve. M&G Records, Polydor Records. MAGCS 32, 863 902-4.
  37. Erasure-ish (A Little Respect / Stop!). Björn Again. 1992. UK 12-inch picture disc. M&G Records, Polydor Records. MAGX 32.
  38. Erasure-ish (A Little Respect / Stop!). Björn Again. 1992. UK CD single liner notes. M&G Records, Polydor Records. MAGCD 32, 863 903-2.
  39. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 9. 45. 47. 7 November 1992.
  40. Reviews & Previews – Singles. Taylor. Chuck. Chuck Taylor (music journalist). Billboard. 113. 28. 26. 14 July 2001. 29 September 2020.
  41. http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/08/19/break-yo-tv-erasure-a-little-respect Featured in Wheatus Music Video 'A Little Respect'.
  42. A Little Respect. Wheatus. 2001. UK CD single liner notes. Columbia Records. 671428 2.
  43. A Little Respect. Wheatus. 2001. UK cassette single sleeve. Columbia Records. 671428-4.
  44. A Little Respect. Wheatus. 2001. European CD single liner notes. Columbia Records. COL 671200 1.
  45. A Little Respect. Wheatus. 2001. Australian CD single liner notes. Columbia Records. 671360.2.
  46. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 19. 30. 11. 21 July 2001. 24 August 2020.
  47. Web site: Ireland – Top Singles for 2001. Allcharts. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120505011812/http://allcharts.org/music/years/ireland-singles-2001.htm. 5 May 2012. 16 December 2018.
  48. Web site: The Official UK Singles Chart 2001. UKChartsPlus. 22 May 2018.
  49. Airborne. Stavenes Dove. Siri. Music & Media. 19. 30. 14. 21 July 2001. 29 September 2020.
  50. New Releases – For Week Starting July 2, 2001: Singles. Music Week. 23. 30 June 2001. 14 August 2021.
  51. Web site: The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 2nd July 2001. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20020220130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20020221-0000/www.aria.com.au/issue592.PDF. dead. 2002-02-20. ARIA. 25. 2 July 2001. 21 April 2021.
  52. Web site: Kate Walsh . 2023-04-18 . Music-News.com . en-US.
  53. Web site: Jody Watley – the Makeover (International Edition) (2009, CD). . 2009 .
  54. Web site: Erasure- A Little Respect: The Bits & Bytes Mix | CoLD SToRAGE . coldstorage.bandcamp.com . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131227073634/http://coldstorage.bandcamp.com/track/erasure-a-little-respect-the-bits-bytes-mix . 27 December 2013 . dead.
  55. Web site: Release group "Black Prince Fury" by Anna Meredith - MusicBrainz.
  56. Web site: Out Now/ Juice Vocal Ensemble "Laid Bare: Love Songs" — NONCLASSICAL. https://web.archive.org/web/20151117015150/http://www.nonclassical.co.uk/nonclassical-news/index.php/2014/06/out-now-juice-vocal-ensemble-laid-bare-love-songs. 17 November 2015.
  57. Web site: Song premiere: JD McPherson covers 'A Little Respect'. The Current. 9 July 2017.
  58. Web site: "Que me busquen por dentro" es la canción de Antonio Orozco para la película "El cover" . Cadena 100 . 3 June 2021 . 9 July 2021.

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