The Safe Choice
During the first half of the ‘70s, Helen Reddy topped the Billboard easy listening chart eight separate times and had nine Top 20 singles under her belt, all of them as soft and calming as she was herself. Everything about her – her songs, style, and personality was considered safe. So much so that it was mocked in the Frank Zappa song Honey Don’t You Want a Man Like Me?
Helen Reddy. Photo by Andre Csillag / Shutterstock
His lyrics went: “She was an office girl / ‘My name is Betty’ / Her favorite group was / Helen Reddy.” Zappa seemed to hit the nail on the head as Reddy’s relatable songs were favored by women (and some men, of course) who valued classy over cool.