I Am Woman
I am Woman recording of this setting
In 2003, Australian Helen Reddy said the following about her inspiration to write this anthem of female empowerment: “I couldn't find any songs that said what I thought being woman was about. I thought about all these strong women in my family who had gotten through the Depression and world wars and drunken, abusive husbands. But there was nothing in music that reflected that. The only songs were "I Feel Pretty" or that dreadful song "Born a Woman". (The 1966 hit by Sandy Posey had observed that if you're born a woman "you're born to be stepped on, lied to, cheated on and treated like dirt. I'm glad it happened that way".) These are not exactly empowering lyrics. I certainly never thought of myself as a songwriter, but it came down to having to do it.”