It Happened 50 Years Ago: Aretha Franklin “Respect”

Memphis-born pop music superstar Aretha Franklin has hits on Billboard‘s Hot chart spanning more than three and half decades, from “Won’t Be Long,” which reached number 76 in 1961 to “Here We Go Again,” which peaked at the same position in 1998. Amid all of that success, Franklin’s biggest hit — and the song for which she is most known — is the first of her two number one songs, “Respect.” Exactly 50 years ago, “Respect” climbed to the top of the chart for a two-week reign.