Songfacts®:

• Robyn Hitchcock's father, Raymond Hitchcock, died of cancer in Winchester, England, on February 23, 1992, shortly after his 70th birthday. A highly respected academic and writer who made significant contributions to the study of English literature, he is best remembered for his novel Percy, which was the basis for a 1971 film of the same name.
  
  "The Yip Song" was one of the first songs Hitchcock wrote after his father's passing. Set to a fast-paced, major-key arrangement, it imagines his dad's final days in the hospital from his own perspective.
• Hitchcock first started writing the song before his father passed away. He originally wrote it from the perspective of a World War II veteran on his deathbed. When Hitchcock & The Egyptians debuted "The Yip Song" on February 14, 1992, at The Vic in Chicago, Hitchcock introduced it by saying:
  
  "This is a brand new tune. It's actually not called 'The Yip Song.' It sounds like it is, and it has a reference to a woman in it called Vera Lynn, who in Britain in the war in the '40s, was a very popular singer. And she was nicknamed 'The Forces' Sweetheart.' And all the soldiers, if they couldn't find any good porno shops, they'd have a picture of her up inside their turret, as they'd be incinerated over Dresden, or whatever happened to them. And this is from the view of an old man who's dying now, and he keeps, keeps flashing back. And if you think now, the equivalent would be... for, for you guys in say, 50 years' time, you'd be thinking about, as you were passing away, you'd be thinking about Nine Inch Nails, or something. In your head, you know, you can just go, 'Nine Inch Nails,' and we'll go, 'Vera Lynn.' I had a lot of fun writing this. One! Two! Three! Four!"
  
  "The Yip Song" quickly became a staple of Hitchcock's live set. As he performed the song night after night, it continued to evolve, taking on a new meaning as he mourned the loss of his father.
• The lyrics portray Raymond Hitchcock's delirium as he lies on his hospital bed, high on morphine.
  
  This old man persevered - in his mind he lay with Molly
  Vera Lynn, Vera Lynn
  Cleanse us with your healing grin
  Septicaemia always wins, now
  
  "I think Molly's probably an angel in the mind of a dying veteran, somebody who's been eased out of life on morphine," explained Hitchcock to Uncut magazine. "Part of the delirium is they keep getting this little Highland terrier going 'yep yep yep' and then they go back into their morphine reverie. It's based on my father's exit. Songs are usually hybrids: so much arises from the compost of daily life, like dreams do."
• "The Yip Song" is the opening track on Respect, Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians' fourth and final studio album under contract to A&M, and Hitchcock's last record with the Egyptians. Hitchcock wrote and recorded the record in the period following the death of his father; several tracks reflect this explicitly, particularly this song.
• To capture the raw emotion of Respect, Hitchcock recorded the album on a mobile unit at his home in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. Producer John Leckie worked closely with the band to create a warm and organic sound that perfectly complemented the intimate nature of the album.
  
  During the summer months, the band rehearsed in Hitchcock's home, and when it came time to record, everyone, including their respective wives, family, and friends, stayed at the house. To create the perfect atmosphere for the recording sessions, the living room furniture was removed and the carpets were pulled up. The kitchen, known for its excellent acoustics, was chosen as the primary vocal recording space.
  
  Despite its homemade origins, "Respect" is far from amateurish. Leckie's production strikes a balance between spaciousness and firmness.