A Little Respect

"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by the English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1988. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album The Innocents. Known as one of their signature songs, "A Little Respect" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure's second consecutive top 20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

"A Little Respect"
Single by Erasure
from the album The Innocents
B-side
  • "Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor"
  • "Love Is Colder Than Death"
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1988
Recorded1988
Genre
Length3:32
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stephen Hague
Erasure singles chronology
"Chains of Love"
(1988)		 "A Little Respect"
(1988)		 "Stop!"
(1988)

The song was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell's vocal falsetto in the chorus.

There are several remixes of the song. It was originally mixed by Mark Saunders and Phil Legg on the 1988 UK singles, and Justin Strauss for the original US release. In 2006 was remixed by Jadded Alliance for the Future Retro remix compilation sampling some elements of the Justin Strauss' remixes from 1988. In 2009 new remixes appeared: One in the Pop! Remixed UK EP, and one more in the Phantom Bride EP celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Innocents by Wayne G and Alan Allder, the same year, on Erasure's official web site two more mixes appeared for download: one by Glenn Nichols and a dub mix of the Wayne G and Alan Allder mix.

An acoustic version of appears on the Moon & the Sky Plus EP in the UK. And another country acoustic version on the live album On The Road To Nashville.

Impact and legacy

Treblezine included "A Little Respect" in their A History of Synth-Pop in 50 Essential Tracks.[2] They wrote,

"If there’s a synth-pop Mount Rushmore, surely Vince Clarke is one of the figures carved on its rockface. He appears here twice, as does a former band, and there are a handful of other short-lived projects we left out. But Clarke’s most enduring project is also his most purely pop, with the chart performance to prove it. Erasure had 13 top 10 singles in the UK since 1986, plus three U.S. top 40 singles, including this standout opener of 1988′s The Innocents. At a lean 3:33, Clarke and Andy Bell compress synth-pop innovation and disco-pop immediacy into a perfect moment of transcendent pop glory."

Track listing

7" single (MUTE85)
  1. A Little Respect
  2. Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor

12" single (12MUTE85)
  1. A Little Respect (extended mix)
  2. Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor (Mark Freegard mix)
  3. Love Is Colder Than Death

Limited 12" single (L12MUTE85)
  1. A Little Respect (Big Train mix)
  2. Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor (Rico Conning mix)
  3. Love Is Colder Than Death

US 12" single (Sire 21059-0)
  1. A Little Respect (12″ vocal)
  2. A Little Respect (12″ house mix)
  3. A Little Respect (extended mix)
  4. Like Zsa Zsa Gabor (Rico Conning mix)

Charts
Chart (1988–1989) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[3] 26
Denmark (IFPI)[4] 6
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 34
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 7
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] 24
Poland (LP3)[8] 14
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] 28
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[10] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 14
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] 15
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[13] 2
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[14] 5

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Gold 500,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Wheatus version
"A Little Respect"
Single by Wheatus
from the album Wheatus
ReleasedJuly 9, 2001
Recorded2000
GenrePop rock
Length3:19
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Wheatus
  • Philip A. Jimenez
Wheatus singles chronology
"Teenage Dirtbag"
(2000)		 "A Little Respect"
(2001)		 "Wannabe Gangstar" / "Leroy"
(2002)

American band Wheatus released the song in July 2001 as their second single from their debut album. The single peaked at number three in the United Kingdom, while reaching number 19 in Austria and number 41 in New Zealand.

Critical reception

Ayhan Sahin of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that the version is "surprisingly polished, paying serious homage to Brit synth popsters Andy Bell and Vince Clark." He goes on to say that the structure of the song stays "intact, as does that super-sticky chorus, with acoustic and electric guitars playing back and forth in place of the '80s electronic beats."[16]

Music video

The music video was directed by The Malloys and was released in July 2001. It featured Shawn Hatosy and Brittany Murphy.[17]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2001) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[18] 19
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[19] 44
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[20] 13
Germany (Official German Charts)[21] 32
Ireland (IRMA)[22] 5
Italy (FIMI)[23] 28
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[24] 41
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[25] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 84
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[27] 3

Year-end charts
Chart (2001) Position
Ireland (IRMA)[28] 46
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[29] 69

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Silver 200,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Other cover versions
  • In 1992, ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again covered the song, scoring a UK number 25 hit with their version.
  • In 1998, the portuguese band Silence 4 covered the song.
  • In 2009 Jody Watley covered the song for her mixed covers/original album 'The Makeover', included only on the international release.[31]
  • In 2011, CoLD SToRAGE recorded a chiptune cover of the track.[32]
  • In 2013, Anna Meredith released a cover of the track on her second EP for Moshi Moshi, Jet Black Raider, under the title "ALR".[33]
  • In 2014, Juice Vocal Ensemble included an arrangement of the track on their second album, Laid Bare: Love Songs. [34]
  • In 2017, JD McPherson covered the track.[35]
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References
  1. "Erasure: From Moscow to Mars - An Erasure Anthology". July 13, 2017.
  2. "A History of Synth-Pop in 50 Essential Tracks". Treblezine. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  3. "RPM 100 Singles" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 20. March 13, 1989. p. 6. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  4. Danish Singles Chart 21 October 1988
  5. "Offiziellecharts.de – Erasure – A Little Respect". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Little Respect". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  7. "Charts.nz – Erasure – A Little Respect". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  8. "Notowanie nr359" (in Polish). LP3. January 7, 1989. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  9. "Swisscharts.com – Erasure – A Little Respect". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  11. "Erasure Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  12. "Erasure Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  13. "Erasure Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  14. "Erasure Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  15. "British single certifications – Erasure – A Little Respect". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 4, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type A Little Respect in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  16. Billboard, July 14, 2001 - Vol. 113, No. 28, Page 26.
  17. Featured in Wheatus Music Video 'A Little Respect'. Archived November 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "Austriancharts.at – Wheatus – A Little Respect" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Wheatus – A Little Respect" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Wheatus – A Little Respect" (in French). Ultratip.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Wheatus – A Little Respect". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  22. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Little Respect". Irish Singles Chart.
  23. "Italiancharts.com – Wheatus – A Little Respect". Top Digital Download.
  24. "Charts.nz – Wheatus – A Little Respect". Top 40 Singles.
  25. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Wheatus – A Little Respect". Swiss Singles Chart.
  27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  28. "Ireland - Top Singles For 2001". Allcharts.org. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  29. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  30. "British single certifications – Wheatus – A Little Respect". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 22, 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type A Little Respect in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  31. https://www.discogs.com/Jody-Watley-The-Makeover-International-Edition/release/2026570
  35. "Song premiere: JD McPherson covers 'A Little Respect'". The Current. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
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