P.P. Arnold

The soul powerhouse salutes Aretha Franklin’s Respect (Atlantic, 1967).

I’d been an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in the States, playing the Chitlin’ Circuit in the South. Because of the whole racist vibe in America at the time, these were the clubs where all the black people hung out and partied hard. Then, the white stations didn’t play black music and black stations didn’t play the white music, which is why Ike & Tina’s River Deep – Mountain High didn’t happen in the States.

I first came to the UK in ’67, and being with The Rolling Stones, they’d opened the door to a lot of artists. When I heard Aretha singing Respect on the radio, it was very profound. She’d had an impact on me since I was a little girl, in church. She hit a chord with my gospel roots, and came from such a long line of great black female singers, from Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday… Respect was such a strong statement for women, and for me, coming out of an abusive teen marriage then standing on my own to be here in the UK.

I used to sing loads of Aretha in my set, I’d say more than I did my own songs back then. So I sang Respect as part of my repertoire, everywhere – in [London nightspots] the Cromwellian, the Bag O’ Nails, the Ram Jam Club, the Flamingo, Blaises – wow! Amazing places to go, there’d be loads of Mods dancing, so loving the soul and the blues from America. I had no idea that the British public was so turned on to the music from the States. It was such a great time, and Respect changed everybody’s lives – Aretha singing it from a woman’s point of view, and also Otis Redding singing it from a human point of view.

These days I’m not singing Respect – I’m gonna sing P.P. and show respect to the songs I’ve done! But Respect, oh yeah, it’s always there.

As told to Ian Harrison P.P. Arnold’s memoir Soul Survivor is published by Nine Eight Books on July 7.