On March 8, governments around the world celebrate the anniversary of International Women’s Day. The idea for the day began when more than a million women and men marched in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland on March 19, 1911 to protest discrimination against women.
“I Am Woman”
In the early 1970s, Helen Reddy was trying to find songs to record “that reflected the positive sense of self that I felt I’d gained from the women’s movement.” But she could not find such songs.
She later explained her quest to Billboard magazine. She noted, “I realized that the song I was looking for didn’t exist, and I was going to have to write it myself.” She did.
“I Am Woman” was released in the spring of 1972. But did not go anywhere on the charts that summer. Then in the fall, the song reappeared on the charts and started climbing, becoming the anthem we know today.
In the 1975 clip below, Reddy explains how the United Nations declared it the “Year of the Woman.” And then the UN chose her song “I Am Woman” as its theme.
Helen Reddy in Recent Years
We are fortunate to have the recorded versions of the song. But unfortunately for a long time we did not have live performances of “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy to celebrate International Women’s Day. Reddy suffers from Addison’s Disease and had stopped performing.
According to Helen Reddy’s website, after retiring from performing in 2002, she practiced “as a clinical hypnotherapist and motivational speaker.” Update: In 2013, Helen Reddy returned to touring for her first performances in ten years, but subsequently again retired from performing.
In late 2015, her family reported that she was doing fine but had moved into the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills. Then, in January 2017, Reddy appeared in Los Angeles at the Women’s March and sang an a cappella version of . . . “I Am Woman.”
We are thankful she gave this great popular song to the world. (Also, you may hear the demo version of “I Am Woman” on her website.)
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