Respectable (Mel and Kim song)

"Respectable" is a Mel and Kim song written and produced by Stock/Aitken/Waterman that became a UK number one single for one week in March 1987.[2] It was the second UK number one single produced by Stock/Aitken/Waterman, following Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" in 1985, and the first UK number one single that Stock/Aitken/Waterman had written themselves. The single also topped the charts in Germany,[3] Switzerland,[4] the Netherlands,[5] Belgium,[6] Finland,[7] Australia[8] and New Zealand[9] in 1987.

"Respectable"
Single by Mel and Kim
from the album F.L.M.
B-side	"From A Whisper to a Scream"
Released	18 February 1987[1]
Recorded	1987
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	3:21
Label	Supreme Atlantic (U.S.)
Songwriter(s)	Mike Stock Matt Aitken Pete Waterman
Producer(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Mel and Kim singles chronology
"Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" (1986) "Respectable" (1987) "F.L.M." (1987)

UK releases

7" (SUPE 111)

1. "Respectable"
2. "Respectable" (instrumental)

12" (SUPE T 111 / RCA PT 41220)

1. "Respectable" (Club/Extended mix)
2. "Respectable" (7" version)
3. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version [vocal])

12" picture disc (SUPE TP 111)

1. "Respectable" (The Tabloid mix)
2. "Respectable" (7" version)
3. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version [vocal])

12" remix (SUPE TX 111)

1. "Respectable" (The Tabloid mix)
2. "Respectable" (7" version)
3. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version [vocal])

12" remix (SUPE TZ 111)

1. "Respectable" (Shop mix)
2. "Respectable" (7" version)
3. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version [vocal])

Official mixes

A promo release of Respectable

• Album version 5:41
• 7" version 3:22
• Instrumental 4:05
• Club/Extended mix 6:15
• The Tabloid mix 7:53
• Extra Beats version [vocal] 8:08
• Extra Beats version [instrumental] 6:11
• Shop mix
• Remixable 6:41 – by Peter Slaghuis for DMC 1987
• Bonus Beats 8:10

Cover versions

Girl band Girls@Play released a cover version of "Respectable" in 2001 which peaked at number 29 in the UK.[10] Australian Tim Campbell covered the song on his 2018 album Electrifying 80s.

Sampling

The song was sampled in Pop Will Eat Itself's song "Hit the Hi-Tech Groove" from the 1987 album Box Frenzy. The Pop Will Eat Itself song, which skewers Stock/Aiken/Waterman-style manufactured pop, has in its chorus the line "you don't need respectability."[11]

Charts and sales

Weekly charts Chart (1987) Peak position Australia (Australian Music Report)[8] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 7 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 1 Denmark (IFPI)[14] 6 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[7] 1 France (SNEP)[15] 14 Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[17] 2 Italy (FIMI)[18] 3 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[22] 2 South Africa (South Africa Singles Chart)[23] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 5 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[2] 1 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[26] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1987) Position Australia (Australian Music Report)[27] 5 Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 16 Germany (Official German Charts)[29] 15 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[30] 13 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[31] 3 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 15 UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 6 Certifications Country Certification Sales certified Netherlands[33] Gold 40,000 UK[34] Gold 500,000

References

1. "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Mel & Kim". Imgur.com (original source published by British Phonographic Industry). Retrieved 23 November 2016.
2. "Official Charts > Mel & Kim". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
3. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Mel & Kim - Respectable (single) (in German)". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
4. "hitparade.ch > Mel & Kim - Respectable (song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
5. "dutchcharts.nl > Mel & Kim - Respectable (song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
6. "ultratop.be > Mel & Kim - Resectable (in Dutch)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
7. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
8. "Australian Top 50 Singles Chart Week Ending 26th July, 1987". ARIA. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Imgur.com.
9. "charts.nz > Mel & Kim - Respectable (song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
10. "Official Charts > Girls at Play". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
11. couchmagpie (1 February 2015). "Alphabetical CD Marathon: P (Part 2)". couchmagpie. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
12. "Austriancharts.at – Mel & Kim – Respectable" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
13. "Ultratop.be – Mel & Kim – Respectable" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
14. Danish Singles Chart 22 May 1987
15. "Lescharts.com – Mel & Kim – Respectable" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Mel & Kim – Respectable". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
17. "Screen shot of search results for 'Mel and Kim' from http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement". Fireball Media. Retrieved 25 November 2015. External link in |title= (help)
18. "I singoli più venduti del 1987 (in Italian)". HitParadeItalia. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 12, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 5 June 2020.
20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mel & Kim – Respectable" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
21. "Charts.nz – Mel & Kim – Respectable". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
22. "Norwegiancharts.com – Mel & Kim – Respectable". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
23. http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(M).html Retrieved 15 May 2015
24. "Swedishcharts.com – Mel & Kim – Respectable". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
25. "Swisscharts.com – Mel & Kim – Respectable". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
26. Billboard allmusic.com (Retrieved 10 April 2008)
27. "Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Australian Music Report. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Imgur.com.
28. "Jaaroverzichten 1987". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
29. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
30. "Single top 100 over 1987" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
31. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
32. "Scweizer Jahrehitparade 1987(in German)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
33. Dutch certifications nvpi.nl (Retrieved 9 December 2008)
34. UK certifications Bpi.co.uk Archived 24 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 7 September 2008)