Aretha Franklin would become well-known for taking a popular song from another artist and recording a version that would make you completely forget about the original. The most famous example is her 1967 recording of "Respect".
Otis Redding had a respectable hit with this song he wrote a few years earlier but once Aretha got a hold of it, it became something else entirely. With her providing a woman's point-of-view and adding a bridge with the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" and "Sock It To Me" lines, Franklin not only created a massive smash about female empowerment but this was also embraced as an anthem during the civil-rights movement. This wasn't the first time these two musical titans would record the same song with very different results.
While at Columbia Records, Franklin recorded a version of "Try A Little Tenderness" in 1962. The song had been around since the early '30's and her take is fairly traditional but with a little bit of soul. Otis Redding took the song and completely reworked it in 1967. Later, Redding's slow burn take would become the definitive version of the song.
Let's listen to Aretha deliver a beautiful rendition of "Try A Little Tenderness":
"Try A Little Tenderness" - Aretha Franklin (1962)
As a bonus, here is Otis Redding's original version of "Respect":
"Respect" - Otis Redding (1965)
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