Marshall was the director behind a start-up label, Cadet Concept Records, and wanted to focus on music outside of the blues and rock genres, which had made the Chess label popular. This led Marshall to turn his attention to the burgeoning psychedelic movement. He recruited Charles Stepney, a vibraphonist and classically-trained arranger and producer for sonic wizardry. Marshall then recruited members of a little-known white rock band, The Proper Strangers (Bobby Simms, Mitch Aliotta & Ken Venegas). Sidney Barnes, a songwriter within the Chess organization, also joined, as did Judy Hauff and a Chess receptionist named Minnie Riperton, who would later be successful in her own solo career. Marshall also called up prominent session musicians associated with the Chess label, including guitarist Phil Upchurch and drummer Morris Jennings.
The band released their self-titled debut album in late 1967. It plays like a melange of styles, borrowing heavily from pop, rock, and soul, but in a way that isn't entirely radio-friendly. The album also boasts an Eastern influence through its use of the sitar on Turn Me On and Memory Band. Stepney's arrangements, brought to life by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, imbue the album with a certain dreamlike quality; this would become a trademark of both the arranger and the mouthpiece. The album proved to be a modest success within the Midwest, but failed to make an impact nationally -- this was to be the Rotary's ultimate fate.
The band returned in 1968 with a pair of albums, Aladdin and Peace. The former was the group's proper sophomore effort, and it found Riperton assuming a more prominent vocal role than the "background instrument" status she had on the debut. The latter was a Christmas release, with strong pervasive messages of love and understanding for a nation in the grips of Vietnam. The album's cover art of a hippie Santa Claus more than makes its intentions known. Peace is notable for being involved in controversy: an anti-war cartoon in a December 1968 edition of Billboard magazine featured a graphic image of a bruised and bloodied Santa on a Vietnam battlefield. Mistaking this cartoon for the album's cover art, Montgomery Ward cancelled all shipments of the album.
Rotary Connection would release three more albums: Songs, in 1969, a collection of drastic reworkings of other artist's songs, including Otis Redding's Respect and The Band's The Weight and Cream's Sunshine Of Your Love. Dinner Music followed in 1970, in which they added elements of folk and country into the mix along with some electronic experimentation, and; Hey Love in 1971, where the band, oddly credited as the New Rotary Connection, ended its career with a jazz-oriented affair. From this particular album came the uplifting I am the Black Gold of the Sun, which was famously covered in 1997 by underground dance outfit Nuyorican Soul.
After the break-up of the band, Stepney served as a producer and arranger for other artists, most notably the soul outfit Earth, Wind, & Fire. He died in 1976 of a heart attack. Minnie Riperton enjoyed the fruits of a successful solo career until breast cancer ended her life in 1979. Sidney Barnes continues to work a singer and songwriter, and in recent years has gained a following in the U.K.. The other remaining members of the band either attempted other, lower-profile, musical endeavours or divorced themselves entirely of the business. Thanks to reissues of their catalog in the late 1990s and the appropriation of material through sampling within the hip-hop community, Rotary Connection has been formally introduced to a new generation.
Respect
Rotary Connection Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you need, do you know I got it?
All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you get home
(Just a little bit) hey baby
(Just a little bit) when you get home
(Just a little bit) mister
(Just a little bit)
Ain't gon' do you wrong 'cause I don't wanna
All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you come home
(Just a little bit) baby
(Just a little bit) when you get home
(Just a little bit) yeah
(Just a little bit)
I'm about to give you all of my money
And all I'm askin' in return, honey
Is to give me my propers when you get home
(Just a, just a, just a, just a) yeah, baby
(Just a, just a, just a, just a) when you get home
(Just a little bit) yeah
(Just a little bit)
Ooh, your kisses, sweeter than honey
And guess what? So is my money
All I want you to do for me, is give it to me when you get home
(Re, re, re ,re) yeah baby
(Re, re, re ,re) whip it to me
(Respect, just a little bit) when you get home, now
(Just a little bit)
R-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to me
R-e-s-p-e-c-t, take care, tcb, oh
(Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)
A little respect
(Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)
Whoa, babe
(Just a little bit) a little respect
(Just a little bit) I get tired
(Just a little bit) keep on tryin'
(Just a little bit) you're runnin' out of fools
(Just a little bit) and I ain't lyin'
(Just a little bit)
(Re, re, re, re) start when you come home
(Re, re, re, respect) or you might walk in
(Just a little bit) and find out I'm gone
(Just a little bit) I gotta have
(Just a little bit) a little respect
(Just a little bit)
The lyrics of Rotary Connection's song "Respect" is a plea for mutual respect in a relationship. The first stanza is the singer assuring their partner that they have all they need and want. However, when they come home, they only ask for a little respect. The second stanza is an assurance that the singer will not cheat on their partner, but they only ask for respect in return when they come home. In the third stanza, the singer tries to give their partner all their money, and all they ask in return is respect. The chorus then follows, with the singer spelling out the word "respect" and asking their partner to find out what it means to them. The song concludes with the singer imploring their partner to give them a little respect when they come home.
The lyrics of "Respect" speaks to the common human desire for mutual respect in a relationship. It expresses the need to be treated with dignity and acknowledgment, regardless of gender or social status. The song became a feminist anthem in the late 1960s and was symbolic of the civil rights and women's rights movements of the era.
Line by Line Meaning
What you want, baby, I got it
I have what you're looking for, my love
What you need, do you know I got it?
You don't even know that I have what you need
All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you get home
When you arrive, I'd like you to treat me with dignity
(Just a little bit) hey baby
Not too much to ask, my love
(Just a little bit) when you get home
That's all I'm asking for
(Just a little bit) mister
Even you, sir, can give me a little respect
I ain't gonna do you wrong while you're gone
I won't betray you when you're not here with me
Ain't gon' do you wrong 'cause I don't wanna
Because I don't want to, I won't do anything wrong to you
All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you come home
Please show me some regard once you're back home
(Just a little bit) baby
I know you can give me a bit of that
(Just a little bit) when you get home
Once you're back, that's all I want from you
(Just a little bit) yeah
Yes, you heard me, just a little bit
I'm about to give you all of my money
I'm willing to give you all my cash
And all I'm askin' in return, honey
All I'm requesting is respect, my love
Is to give me my propers when you get home
Once you're here, all I want is for you to show me respect
(Just a, just a, just a, just a) yeah, baby
That's all I'm hoping for, baby
(Just a, just a, just a, just a) when you get home
Once you're home, please show me some respect
(Just a little bit) yeah
Just a small amount, yes
(Just a little bit)
It's not a big request
Ooh, your kisses, sweeter than honey
Your kisses are as sweet as honey
And guess what? So is my money
And do you know what else is as sweet as honey? My money
All I want you to do for me, is give it to me when you get home
All I want is for you to give me my respects when you're back
(Re, re, re ,re) yeah baby
Yes, that's right, baby
(Re, re, re ,re) whip it to me
Show it to me, give it to me
(Respect, just a little bit) when you get home, now
Once you're back, please show me a bit of respect
(Just a little bit)
Not a lot, just a little
R-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to me
I want you to understand what respect means to me
R-e-s-p-e-c-t, take care, tcb, oh
Please take care of my respect, baby
(Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)
Give it to me, my love
A little respect
I want a small amount of respect
(Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)
Please give it to me
Whoa, babe
Wow, my love
(Just a little bit) a little respect
All I want is for you to treat me with some dignity
(Just a little bit) I get tired
I'm overwhelmed and need some respect
(Just a little bit) keep on tryin'
Keep working on it, baby
(Just a little bit) you're runnin' out of fools
You're almost out of options for foolish behavior
(Just a little bit) and I ain't lyin'
I'm not deceiving you, just being honest
(Re, re, re, re) start when you come home
As soon as you're back, please give me respect
(Re, re, re, respect) or you might walk in
If you don't, you may be in for a surprise
(Just a little bit) and find out I'm gone
And realize that I've left you
(Just a little bit) I gotta have
I need a bit of it
(Just a little bit) a little respect
A small amount of dignity is all I ask for
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Otis Redding
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind