The B-52s Inspiration: Kate Pierson on pop music’s most empowering hit
Some people see pop music as devoid of any real meaning or feeling, reducing the genre to catchy choruses and radio-ready hits penned by the same few tried and tested producers, each vying for another position in the charts. And while this can be true, not all pop songs are commercially driven. In fact, the genre can be one of the most powerful ways to push for change, allowing messages to reach the masses via the airwaves.
The B-52s know this just as well as any other political pop outfit. Although their lyrics might seem nonsensical, telling tales of rock lobsters and motion in the ocean, of love shacks and glitter on the mattress, they also infused their artistry with politics and intent. Their 1992 record Good Stuff reached for ‘Revolution Earth’, while ‘Channel Z’ pushed into the state of 1980s America.
As the lyricist for the danceable new wave band, Kate Pierson understood the transformative potential of pop. But this was something she had learned before her days in the B-52s from the teachings of soul singer Aretha Franklin. In 1967, the legendary singer released her version of the Otis Redding track ‘Respect’ and left the entire world in awe, Pierson included.
The B-52s founder spoke about the importance of the track during a conversation with The Line of Best Fit, remembering how Franklin opened up her mind to the power of music. “It was a huge pop hit – but also a Civil Rights anthem,” she remembered, “It cemented in me this idea that music could change the world, and I felt like it changed me.”
In the song, Franklin showed off her unparalleled vocal prowess with repeated requests for the titular virtue. “All I’m asking is for a little respect when you come home,” she declared over warm soul instrumentation. It was lyrically defiant, embodying feminism as Franklin stood her ground at every opportunity, but it never compromised on catchiness or danceability.
It was a fun pop song and a feminist hit all at once. Pierson knew that ‘Respect’ was a “great song to groove to,” but she also noticed that it didn’t have to compromise on meaning to achieve this. “The message didn’t obscure the fact that it was so joyous,” she explained, “As well as changing the words around a little bit, she added the ‘Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me’ part, which made it so fun and danceable.”
“It really was such an empowering feminist song,” Pierson surmised. The impact of ‘Respect’ on the B-52s member extended far beyond that first listen. It seems to have informed much of her own work with the band, who walked the line between truly euphoric, danceable pop and progressive, political lyrics.
Pierson and her bandmates didn’t follow in Franklin’s footsteps sonically, preferring silly and strange soundscapes to her more soulful take on pop, but they did learn from her marriage of meaning and mass appeal. On the surface, the B-52s are a party band. Their catalogue is full of songs to groove to, songs that are guaranteed to get even the most reluctant dancers onto the floor, but they’re also filled with meaning and intent.
Learning from the work of Franklin, Pierson refused to compromise on either aspect of her artistry, forging a legacy for the B-52s in the process.
