Released in September 1988, "A Little Respect" was one of Erasure's biggest 80s hits, reaching #4 in the UK, #14 in the US and #2 in the US Dance charts. This was the third European single release from the third album The Innocents, and the synth pop duo's tenth single release overall.
You can listen to the 12 inch Big Train Mix by Phil Legg in our video above. The official video is further down the page.
Erasure are Andy Bell (vocals) and Vince Clarke (Synths), and they remixed a new version of the song which was re-released as a downloadable single in 2010. The proceeds went to gay and lesbian organisations including the Hetrick-Martin Institute, whose young choir provide extra vocals on the single.
The B-side featured the track "Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor". A limited edition 12" was released which included the Big Train Mix of "A Little Respect", plus the Rico Conning Mix of "Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor" and a third track "Love is Colder Than Death". The standard 12" featured the Extended Mix of "A Little Respect", the Mark Freegard Mix of "Like Zsa Zsa Zsa Gabor" and also "Love is Colder Than Death" as the third track.
"A Little Respect" is one of Erasure's best-known songs. An acoustic version featured on "The Moon & The Sky Plus" EP which was the tenth track on the CD and was released on December 10th 2001.
In 1992, Bjorn Again released a cover of the song entitled "Erasure-ish (A Little Respect/Stop!)", which reached #25 in the UK singles chart.
"A Little Respect" reached #6 on Denmark's IFPI chart and #7 on the Irish Singles Chart. It also reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., and #2 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
The song was a moderate hit elsewhere, reaching #26 on Canada's Top Single Chart (RPM), #24 on New Zealand's Recorded Music NZ, and #26 on the Swiss Hitparade chart.
In the video, we see Vince trying to break Andy's heart, quite literally, with a hammer! There is also a young boy sat on a forklift - just don't ask me why! There are some very humorous scenes in which Vince tries to get frisky with a human skeleton and Andy places two fish fillets near his ears, pretending they are earrings. Although many scenes have little to do with the song's subject matter, the duo are having a fun time, at least.
In the lyrics, Andy Bell is asking for some respect from a partner he is deeply in love with. They were penned by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell.
A photo of Andy and Vince at Wolfgang's nightclubin San Francisco (1986)
