Why Does Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” Work So Well? It’s The Chord Progression. Here’s Why.

In the history of popular music, there have been few voices as powerful or as memorable as Aretha Franklin’s. The music world lost a true legend last month, and 12Tone wanted to pay tribute to the Queen of Soul by analyzing one of her most famous and enduring songs, Respect. It’s a rousing anthem that feels like it goes on much longer than its two and a half minute run-time, and despite (or perhaps because of) its fairly simple harmony, it remains iconic to this day.