Helen Reddy and Mac Davis Both Die at 78
‘70s Icons Die on the Same Day
We lost two superstars from the ‘70s tonight: Helen Reddy, singer and songwriter of many hits including “I Am Woman” and Mac Davis songwriter who had huge hits with “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me,” “Naughty Girl,” and more.
Back in the ‘70s if you were a singer they often gave you your own TV show, let you try acting. Mac Davis, born Morris Mac Davis, had not only a successful singing career, but the NBC variety show “The Mac Davis Show.” He appeared in movies such as “North Dallas Forty” and “The Sting II.”
Helen Reddy was, willingly or not, a feminist icon with her 1971 song “I am Woman.”
I am Woman Lyrics
Helen Reddy’s words resonated at a time when women were trying to be more independent.
I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an' pretend 'Cause I've heard it all before And I've been down there on the floor No one's ever gonna keep me down again Oh yes, I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to, I can do anything
Helen Reddy’s “I am Woman” in Sex and the City 2
Remember when Carrie and the girls sang “I am Woman” at karaoke in Abu Dhabi in “Sex and the City 2?” The idea being that they’re in a not exactly female liberated place, so they’re singing the female anthem. Didn’t exactly work because, PLEASE, NO MORE KARAOKE SCENES IN MOVIES.
Miranda, Carrie, Samantha and Carrie belt out “I am Woman” at karaoke in Abu Dhabi
While Helen Reddy is known for “I am Woman,” she had 15 songs in the Billboard 100 and according to Wikipedia she was the world’s biggest-selling female vocalist for two years.
Mac Davis Wrote Elvis’ “In the Ghetto” and “A Little Less Conversation”
If we’ve learned anything from watching documentaries about musicians, it’s to be a songwriter. That’s where the money is at. And Mac Davis was definitely a songwriter, he wrote for Elvis Presley and many others such as Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. As recently as 2012 he co-wrote with Bruno Mars.
Mac Davis’ family tweeted that he fell ill after heart surgery; Helen Reddy’s family announced her death on Facebook but didn’t give her cause of death. These two stars represent an era of music that resonates for generations, songwriting that crossed musical genres and talent that went beyond their musical aspirations.