"Respectable" is a song by English pop duo

Mel and Kim Mel and Kim (stylized as MӗL & KIM) were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie Appleby, Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead (drummer), Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Me ...

from their only studio album, '' F.L.M.'' (1987). It was released on 18 February 1987 as the album's second single. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for one week in March 1987, becoming the second UK number-one single produced by

Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as the Hit Factory) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s throug ...

(SAW), following

Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

's "

You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by the English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second studio album, '' Youthquake'' (1985). Released as a single in November 1984 by Epic Records, it reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart ...

" (1985), and the first UK number one that the trio had written themselves. The single also topped the charts in many European countries, as well as in Oceania.

Background

The track was conceived as a more commercial follow up to the act's debut hit, "

Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend) "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)" is a song by English pop duo Mel and Kim, released as their debut single in September 1986. The song became a chart hit in the UK, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart and reaching number one ...

". Supreme Records head Nick East requested that SAW produce a song in line with the flavour of their debut hit, but more accessible. The lyrics of the song were inspired by the sisters' dismissive and shame-free response to a tabloid scandal over the emergence of old nude glamour photos of Mel. East expressed strong reservations over the track's trademark stuttering hook, fearing it was too gimmicky, overly commercial and an unnecessary departure from the sound of their debut.

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, and television personality. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production and songwriting team, he co-wrote and co-produced many UK hit singles. An av ...

and Mike Stock strongly objected to the hook's potential removal. East changed his mind after an early performance of the track on a TV show in the Netherlands received a rapturous response. The sampled laughter heard through the song was captured during studio conversation between the act and producers, with the sisters initially unaware the interaction would end up on the record.

Critical reception

Initial response

In his dance column published in ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'',

James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to: Dukes *James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland *James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman *James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), Sco ...

presented "Respectable" "a beefily bounding bpm house-type churner", adding it adds "a deadly commercial Eurobeat-ish singalong vocal melody, and more sparsely Chicago-style bpm Extra Beat Version jack track flip". Pete Clark of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' stated that the song would be a treat for only "very, very sad people" and considered "the gimmickly noises and

Pinky and Perky ''Pinky and Perky'' is a children's television series first broadcast by BBC One, BBC TV in 1957, and revived in 2008 as an animated adaptation. Original series The title characters are a pair of anthropomorphic puppet pigs, named Pinky and Pe ...

vocals effects... are as irritating as a talkative

Weetabix Weetabix is a breakfast cereal produced by Weetabix Limited in the United Kingdom. It comes in the form of palm-sized (approx. 9.5 cm × 5.0 cm or 4" × 2") wheat Biscuit#Variations in meaning of biscuit, biscuits. Variants include Org ...

Impact and legacy

Retrospectively, in 2021, British magazine ''

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

'' ranked the song number six in their list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs", adding that the song "reflected Mel & Kim's down-to-earth, playful charisma, at the same time mirroring the PWL ad slogan ("You can love or hate us, you ain't ever gonna change us... we ain't ever going to be respectable"). An incredible response to Stock's infamous tay-tay-tay line when performed live meant "Respectable" became one." In 2023, Alexis Petridis of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' listed the song at number 6 in his "Stock Aitken Waterman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!", adding that it "is all about the hook, but what a hook it is: the sampled vocals, the lurching, seasick chords beneath".

Chart performance

"Respectable" was a major hit worldwide and became Mel and Kim's most successful single. In the UK, it entered the singles chart at number 25 on 7 March 1987, then climbed to number seven, and topped the chart in its fourth week. It charted in the top 100 for a total of 16 weeks, seven of them spent in the top ten, and received a Gold disc awarded by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

. In Germany, it debuted at number 54 on 16 March 1987, jumped to number 12, reached number one for two weeks and appeared on the chart for 17 weeks, which was the duo's second most successful single in the country, after "Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Week-End)". It was also a number one hit for three weeks in the Netherlands out of a 16-week chart run, for four weeks in both Switzerland and the Flanders region of Belgium, two countries in which it stayed on the chart for 12 weeks, and in Finland. In addition, it attained the second position in Ireland, Italy, Norway and South Africa, the fifth position in Sweden and the seventh position in Austria. The only country where it missed the top ten is France where it stalled at number 14 and charted in the top 50 for 16 weeks. On the ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

''s Pan-

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...

chart, "Respectable" started at number 23 on 14 March 1987, reached the top ten the next week and topped the chart for consecutive two weeks. It appeared on this chart first for 17 weeks, then re-entered for additional 13 weeks after a 12-week hiatus due to its late release in France. It also featured for 11 weeks on the European Airplay Top 50, with a peak at number five twice. Outside Europe, "Respectable" reached number one for five weeks in New Zealand where it charted for 16 weeks, a position it also reached in Australia and on the US Dance chart. As a result of these good weekly chart performances, "Respectable" ranked in the top ten on the 1987 year-end chart in the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and in the top 20 in Belgium, Switzerland, South Africa and West Germany.

Cover versions and sampling

Girl band Girls@Play released a cover version of "Respectable" in 2001, which peaked at number 29 in the United Kingdom. Australian actor and singer Tim Campbell covered the song on his 2018 album '' Electrifying 80s''. The song was sampled in

Pop Will Eat Itself Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorpo ...

'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." The song also features in

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

comedy series '' Gary: Tank Commander'', as the mobile phone ringtone of the titular character.

Track listings

*7-inch single :A. "Respectable" – 3:22 :B. "Respectable" (instrumental) – 4:04 *Japanese 7-inch single :A. "Respectable" – 3:22 :B. "Respectable" (dub version) – 4:09 *12-inch single :A. "Respectable" (club mix) – 6:15 :AA1. "Respectable" (7″ version) – 3:22 :AA2. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version) – 8:08 *UK 12-inch single (remix) *UK limited-edition 12-inch picture disc *German 12-inch maxi single (special remix) :A. "Respectable" (The Tabloid mix) – 7:50 :AA1. "Respectable" (7″ version) – 3:22 :AA2. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version) – 8:08 *UK 12-inch single (remix) :A. "Respectable" (Shop mix) :AA1. "Respectable" (7″ version) – 3:22 :AA2. "Respectable" (Extra Beats version) – 8:08 *US and Canadian 12-inch single :A. "Respectable" (vocal/club mix) – 6:15 :B. "Respectable" (The Tabloid mix) – 7:50

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1987 singles 1987 songs Atlantic Records singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Mel and Kim songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Switzerland Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Songs written by Matt Aitken Songs written by Mike Stock (musician) Songs written by Pete Waterman Supreme Records singles UK singles chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles