Who Did It Better

The Staple Singers OR Luther?

The Staple Singers 1971

Respect Yourself

Written by Luther Ingram, Mack Rice

If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot

What's this song about ↓

"Respect Yourself" is a call to self-worth delivered with a gospel-soul punch. The Staple Singers recorded it in 1971 as a message song aimed at anyone who has forgotten their own value. The song does not blame the system or the oppressor. It looks inward. If you do not respect yourself, nobody else will. Mavis Staples delivered the message with the authority of someone who has learned the lesson the hard way. The song is not gentle. It is a confrontation. The person you need to change is the person in the mirror.

Luther Vandross 1994

Variation A — side column

1971

1994

I already know

Play me a sample

The Staple Singers Luther

I need to be convinced

Variation B — left & right edges

1971

I already know

Play me a sample

The Staple Singers Luther

I need to be convinced

1994

Variation C — filled color-coded buttons

1971

1994

I already know

Play me a sample

The Staple Singers Luther

I need to be convinced

Image Credits

1,414 artist portraits across 5 genres (Rock, Jazz, Soul, Blues, Folk). 1,363 sourced from Wikipedia (Creative Commons / Public Domain), 50 from Deezer (promotional artwork).

Full attribution breakdown →

Who Did It Better

The Staple Singers OR Luther?

The Staple Singers 1971

Luther Vandross 1994

Respect Yourself

Written by Luther Ingram, Mack Rice

If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot

What's this song about ↓

Variation A — side column

1971

1994

I already know

Play me a sample

The Staple Singers Luther

I need to be convinced

Variation B — left & right edges

1971

I already know

Play me a sample

The Staple Singers Luther

I need to be convinced

1994

Variation C — filled color-coded buttons

1971

1994

I already know

Play me a sample

The Staple Singers Luther

I need to be convinced