I Am Woman by Helen Reddy: The Story Behind the Anthem
I Am Woman is a song that flopped on its first release and then took five months to reach number one.
Helen Reddy first put it on a 1971 album, and almost nobody noticed.
A re-recording in 1972 crept onto the Hot 100 at number 99 and finally climbed to the top in December.
Below are the two authors who disagree about who did what, the charts, the Grammy speech and the honors that followed.
Helen Reddy in a 1975 publicity portrait by Francesco Scavullo.
Image credit: publicity photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
I Am Woman: Two Writers, Two Memories
Helen Reddy's Account
Wikipedia credits I Am Woman to two Australian musicians, Helen Reddy and Ray Burton.
Reddy says she was looking for a song about female empowerment and felt "divinely inspired" after a night in bed.
She wrote the lyric the next day and handed it to Burton.
Wikipedia notes that she offered no evidence for that account.
Ray Burton's Account
Burton remembers it differently, according to Wikipedia.
He says Reddy gave him scribbled lyrics and he wrote the song in about three hours one Sunday night.
He says he rewrote a few bits and built a melody around them.
Reddy insists that Burton did not change a word of the lyrics.
If this mood suits you, the Mood Song Matcher can find more songs that sound like a pep talk.
The Record at a Glance
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Writers | Helen Reddy and Ray Burton |
| Performer | Helen Reddy |
| First recorded | Debut album I Don't Know How to Love Him, May 1971 |
| Single recorded | April 23, 1972, SunWest Studios |
| Single producer | Jay Senter |
| Single released | May 1972, Capitol Records |
| Length | 3:24 |
| Genre | Pop and soft rock |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 18, 2026.
Hear I Am Woman
Press play and listen for how the verses start almost conversational before the chorus lifts.
The 1972 Re-Recording That Became the Hit
A Quiet First Release
Reddy first recorded I Am Woman for her debut album, I Don't Know How to Love Him, released in May 1971.
Wikipedia says it also played during the closing credits of the film Stand Up and Be Counted.
That original version ran just over two minutes.
The hit we remember is a different recording.
The Session at SunWest Studios
Reddy re-recorded the song on April 23, 1972, at SunWest Studios, with Jay Senter producing, according to Wikipedia.
She was asked to add a verse and a chorus because the original was so short.
Wikipedia lists these session players:
- Mike Deasy on guitar.
- Jim Gordon on drums.
- Leland Sklar on bass.
- Kathy Deasy on backing vocals.
Reddy and Jeff Wald had expected a live band session.
Senter had already recorded the backing track, which had been intended for the B-side "Don't Mess with a Woman."
Reddy sang over it, and that is the version Capitol released in May 1972.
Helen Reddy singing at the White House on January 27, 1976.
Image credit: Ricardo Thomas, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
You can browse the rest of her hits in our list of Helen Reddy songs.
On the Charts: A Slow Climb to Number One
From Number 99 to Number One
I Am Woman took a long way round to the top.
Wikipedia traces the single through its Hot 100 run:
| Issue date | Position |
|---|---|
| June 24 | No. 99, first entry |
| July 8 | No. 97 |
| September 16 | No. 87, re-entry |
| December 9 | No. 1 |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 18, 2026.
This site's weekly Hot 100 data lists it at number one for the chart week of December 9 to December 15, 1972, for one week.
It was Reddy's first number one, and it sits on our list of 70s number one hits.
Peaks Around the World
Wikipedia lists these peaks for the original release:
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | No. 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | No. 1 |
| Canada (RPM Top Singles) | No. 1 |
| US Adult Contemporary | No. 2 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | No. 2 |
| Canada (RPM Adult Contemporary) | No. 4 |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 18, 2026.
Wikipedia adds that the UK overlooked the single on release, and a 1975 reissue still missed the UK Top 50.
Year-End Ranks and Sales
The song is not on this site's Billboard year-end lists.
Wikipedia gives these year-end positions:
- Australia 1972: number 13.
- Canada Top Singles 1972: number 7.
- US, in Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual: number 14.
The RIAA certified the single Gold, and Wikipedia says it eventually sold over one million copies.
For the rest of that year, see our top songs of 1972.
Legacy: A Grammy, a Registry and a Movement
Firsts and a Famous Speech
Wikipedia credits I Am Woman with several firsts:
- The first Capitol Records number one since "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967.
- The first Billboard number one by an Australian-born artist.
- The first Australian-penned song to win a Grammy.
Reddy won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards on March 3, 1973.
In her acceptance speech she thanked God "because She makes everything possible."
An Anthem for the Women's Movement
The song became a feminist anthem for the women's liberation movement, according to Wikipedia.
Betty Friedan wrote that a 1973 NOW convention gala ended with the song, and attendees danced in a large circle.
Not every feminist liked it, and Wikipedia says some objected to the pregnancy imagery, especially after Roe v. Wade.
Reddy replied that the message was broader, about believing in yourself.
Honors Decades Later
Wikipedia reports two registry honors for the 1972 recording:
- Added to Australia's Sounds of Australia registry in 2009.
- Selected for the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2025.
BMI's announcement of the 2025 class lists the song with Reddy and Burton as its writers.
Parodies, Covers and Goodbyes
Wikipedia lists a long run of pop culture appearances:
| Year | Where it turned up |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Parodied on The Carol Burnett Show |
| 1981 | Reddy's Miss World performance angered feminists |
| 1995 | Sung in an audience segment on Late Show with David Letterman |
| 2006 | Parodied in a Burger King "Manthem" ad |
| 2010 | A karaoke scene in Sex and the City 2 |
| 2010 | Instrumental exit music for Kathryn Bigelow at the 82nd Academy Awards |
Source: Wikipedia article on the song, checked October 18, 2026.
Bobbie Roy's country version reached number 51 on the US Country chart in early 1973.
Reddy died in September 2020, and the song climbed to number 2 on Australia's digital sales chart.
An ARIA Music Awards tribute that year featured Australian female singers and a virtual choir of more than twenty, introduced by Julia Gillard.
Wikipedia also covers Burton's later dispute over royalties, which he took to court in 1998 and Reddy disputes.
The song's afterlife is part of why Reddy still turns up all over Music of the 70s.
For another random pick from the decade, try the Random 70s Song Generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote I Am Woman?
Helen Reddy and Ray Burton, two Australian musicians, wrote I Am Woman, according to Wikipedia.
Reddy says she wrote the lyric herself and Burton changed none of it.
Burton says he wrote the song in about three hours one Sunday night.
Reddy performed it, and Capitol Records released it as a single in May 1972.
When did I Am Woman reach number one?
I Am Woman reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated December 9, 1972, according to Wikipedia.
This site's weekly Hot 100 data agrees, giving it one week at the top.
The single had first entered the Hot 100 at number 99 in June 1972, more than five months earlier.
Did I Am Woman win a Grammy?
Yes, Helen Reddy won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, for I Am Woman at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards on March 3, 1973, according to Wikipedia.
Her acceptance speech thanked God, "because She makes everything possible."
Wikipedia calls it the first Australian-penned song to win a Grammy.
Is the I Am Woman single the same recording as the album version?
No, the hit single of I Am Woman is a re-recording made on April 23, 1972, according to Wikipedia.
Reddy first recorded the song for her 1971 debut album, I Don't Know How to Love Him.
That version ran just over two minutes, so she added a verse and chorus for the single.
Is I Am Woman in the National Recording Registry?
Yes, the Library of Congress selected Helen Reddy's 1972 recording of I Am Woman for the National Recording Registry in 2025, according to Wikipedia.
BMI's announcement of the 2025 class also lists the song, written by Reddy and Ray Burton.
The recording was also added to Australia's Sounds of Australia registry in 2009.
Sources
- I Am Woman, Wikipedia, for the writers' accounts, the recording sessions, the release, chart positions and dates, year-end ranks, certification, firsts, the Grammy speech, registry honors, pop culture uses, covers and the royalty dispute.
- 15th Annual Grammy Awards, Wikipedia, for the March 3, 1973 ceremony and Reddy's win for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.
- BMI announcement of the 2025 National Recording Registry class, for the song's selection and its writers.
- This site's weekly Hot 100 data, for the week at number one, and its Billboard year-end Hot 100 data, which does not list the song.
