Crawford first polished her craft at club gigs from Cincinnati to St. Tropez, but made her name in mid 1970s in New York, where she sang with jazzmen George Benson on his album "Big Man" 1975) and Cannonball Adderley.
She then led Jazz veterans The Crusaders on the transatlantic big hit "Street Life" (1979). Her follow up solo efforts included "'One Day I'll Fly Away" (1980, Grand Prize for Tokyo International Music Festival); "'You Might Need Somebody" (1981); and "'Rainy Night In Georgia" (1981); which all became soul standards. Secret Combination (1981) stayed on the Billboard album chart for 60 weeks, after which her profile dipped, despite a return to the Top 10 with "Almaz" in (1986).
Naked And True (1995) brought Crawford back to her roots: it included Benson's "Give Me The Night", and confirmed her soul heritage by featuring Funkadelicists Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and The Fred Wesley Horns. But she enjoyed her highest profile of the decade when rising starlet Shola Ama had a worldwide hit with a cover of " You Might Need Somebody" in 1997.
She still continues to make great R&B hits and performs on various Jazz Festivals around the world.
Respect Yourself
Randy Crawford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you run in to
How in the world do you think
Anybody's s'posed to respect you
If you don't give a heck 'bout the man
With the Bible in his hand
Just get out the way
You the kind of gentleman
That want everything your way
Take the sheet off your face, boy
It's a brand new day
Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you're walking 'round
Think'n that the world
Owes you something
'Cause you're here
You goin' out
The world backwards
Like you did
When you first come here
Keep talkin' 'bout the president
Won't stop air pollution
Put your hand on your mouth
When you cough, that'll help the solution
Oh, you curse around women folk
And you don't even know their names
And you dumb enough to think
That'll make you a big ol man
Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself
Respect yourself, respect yourself
The song "Respect Yourself" by Randy Crawford/Joe Sample was originally recorded by The Staples Singers in 1971, and became a hit on the Billboard R&B chart. The song is a message of self-respect, urging individuals to not only respect themselves but also those around them. The opening lines of the song suggest that disrespecting anyone makes it hard for anyone to respect you. It is impossible to demand respect from anyone if you do not even respect the people you interact with in your day to day life.
The second stanza is specifically addressed to those who show disrespect towards people of faith. The lyrics encourage individuals to respect others' beliefs and not to hinder religious practices. It could be seen as a reference to issues of religious freedom such as the right to pray in public spaces or wear religious garments. The "man with the Bible in his hand" is an expression drawing attention to religious leaders or anyone who is spreading the word of God.
The third stanza is about accepting changes and rejecting prejudices. The song specifically refers to those who resist change to a more equitable society. The lyrics encourage individuals to drop the discriminatory attitudes and embrace new changes. The song stands as a call to action for everyone to embrace positive change and help create a more respectful society.
Line by Line Meaning
If you disrespect anybody
That you run in to
How in the world do you think
Anybody's s'posed to respect you
If you disrespect someone you meet, how can you expect that they will respect you?
If you don't give a heck 'bout the man
With the Bible in his hand
Just get out the way
And let the gentle man do his thing
If you do not care about the person holding the Bible, move out of their way and allow them to do what they need to do.
You the kind of gentleman
That want everything your way
Take the sheet off your face, boy
It's a brand new day
You are the type of man who wants things to always go your way. You need to remove the mask you wear and start anew.
Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself
It is important to respect yourself because if you do not, others will not care about you.
If you're walking 'round
Think'n that the world
Owes you something
'Cause you're here
If you walk around with the attitude that the world owes you something simply because you exist, you are mistaken.
You goin' out
The world backwards
Like you did
When you first come here
You are approaching the world in a backwards manner, repeating your mistakes over again.
Keep talkin' 'bout the president
Won't stop air pollution
Put your hand on your mouth
When you cough, that'll help the solution
Talking about the president won't fix air pollution. If you want to make a positive impact, cough into your hand to prevent the spread of germs.
Oh, you curse around women folk
And you don't even know their names
And you dumb enough to think
That'll make you a big ol man
You use profanity around women whom you do not even know, and you believe this makes you seem like a powerful man, which is incorrect.
Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself
It is important to respect yourself because if you do not, others will not care about you.
Respect yourself, respect yourself
Respect yourself, respect yourself.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Luther Thomas Ingram, Mack Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind