When Dave Thomas wrote the script, he would listen to Aretha Franklin's song "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." The opening montage is timed to the beat of the song, which also explains why the title character is named Aretha. But when the film was made, disappointingly, the budget could not afford to license the song. When he was directing the film, he would play the song on set and sing it (and dance) with the film's star, Orla Casey.