"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 albumThe 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. 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 albumOn The Road To Nashville.
Impact and legacy
Treblezine included "A Little Respect" in their A History of Synth-Pop in 50 Essential Tracks. 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."
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 '80selectronic beats."
