‘Respect’ — Aretha Franklin
In 1965, Otis Redding wrote and recorded this song. However, Aretha Franklin deserves credit for making “Respect” into what it now is. Two years after the original came out, she turned it into a female empowerment anthem. She mixed it up a bit by adding the “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” part to the chorus, as well as “Sock it to me, sock it to me, socks it to me…” in the refrain. It is one of her signature songs. In 1968, she won two Grammys for it. One was for the Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, while the other was for the Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female. In 1987, it entered the Grammy Hall of Fame.
‘Respect’ — Aretha Franklin
‘All Along The Watchtower’ — The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Bob Dylan might have written “All Along the Watchtower,” but the Ranker voters ranked the rendition by The Jimi Hendrix Experience as the fourth greatest song in history. It first came out on “John Wesley Harding,” the album that Bob Dylan released in 1967. Six months later, Hendrix covered it for “Electric Ladyland.” In 1968, it was in the top 20. Rolling Stone ranked his version as the 47th greatest song of all time. U2, Eddie Vedder, and Neil Young have also covered the track in question in the past.
‘All Along The Watchtower’ — The Jimi Hendrix Experience
