When it comes to “Respect,” there’s the brassy, funky, original 1965 version by Otis Redding…
…and there’s Aretha Franklin’s legendary, number-one-on-the-Hot 100, Grammy-winning 1967 anthem that Rolling Stone ranks as the fifth greatest song of all time.
And then there’s whatever this is.
Back in the early days of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the post-induction all-star jam sessions were a lot more impromptu, and boy does it show in this video clip from the fourth annual induction ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on January 18, 1989.
I can’t even tell which version they’re performing–it sounds like a mash-up of Aretha’s verses and Otis’ chorus. But hey, it’s Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, Little Richard, Bruce Springsteen, and other legends sharing a stage and cutting loose, and it brings a smile to my face every time I watch it.
Oh, and of course: Tina Turner, one of this year’s newly announced Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees finally getting some long-deserved R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Respect
First performed: January 18, 1989 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: April 25, 2004 (Asbury Park, NJ)
