land of a thousand dances: an r&b fable

Extract

as a life-long music lover, i've always been fascinated by ‘cover tunes’ – versions of songs recorded by artists other than the composer. sometimes the original can't be improved; in other instances a cover tune can transcend the original and become the best-known version. one of the better-known ‘cover’ stories involves otis redding and aretha franklin. redding had written the pulsating ‘respect’ and recorded it in 1965. but when redding heard franklin's searing version, recorded two years later, he was said to have remarked: ‘i just lost my song. that girl took it away from me.’