How Helen Reddy Became the “Queen of Housewife ‘70s Pop”

An Odd Trilogy of Songs

Reddy was the world’s top-selling female vocalist in 1973 and 1974, and her unpretentious voice was heard on the radio for a long time. Throughout her career, she sold 25 million albums. She also performed in Vegas in 1976 and clowned around on Carol Burnett’s variety show. But midway through her career, Reddy released a trio of singles so strange that the rest of her work seems even more vanilla in comparison.

Helen Reddy. Photo by Ian Dickson / Shutterstock

Songs centered on marginalized women were quite popular in the early ‘70s, like Cher’s Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves, Half-Breed and Dark Lady. But Reddy’s trilogy of Delta Dawn, Angie Baby, and Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress) are among some of the darkest in pop.