Reddy became one of the world's most successful female singers of the 1970s music scene, scoring many certified gold hit records, including three #1 singles and fifteen Top 40 pop singles on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and has sold more than 15 million albums and 10 million singles domestically and 25 million albums worldwide.
She also became the first Australian to have a #1 single in the United States, win a Grammy Award, and host her own variety show on United States television. Born and raised in Australia, Reddy became a naturalized United States citizen in 1974. In 2002, she retired from performing concerts and recording and now resides in Sydney, Australia and was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2006.
Early years
Reddy was born into a well-known Australian show business family in Melbourne, Victoria. Her mother, Stella (née Lamond), was an actress, and her father, Max Reddy, was a writer, producer, and actor.
Her parents performed on the Australian vaudeville circuit. Reddy began performing on stage with her parents at just four years of age. In her late teens, after being briefly married to an older musician, she had a daughter, Traci. In 1968, Helen married longtime friend and soon-to-be producer and manager Jeffrey Wald and in 1974 her then-preteen daughter would record the bookend sequences for another of her mother's top-10 hits titled "You and Me Against the World." The Love Song for Jeffrey album, on which the song appeared, was dedicated to her then-husband, with whom she had a son, Jordan. They divorced in 1983.
After beginning her career in radio and television in Australia, she won a talent contest on the Australian pop music TV show Bandstand, which enabled her to move to the United States in 1966. Settling initially in New York, she met Jeff Wald, then an agent with the William Morris Agency; after living together for only four days, she and Wald married; he subsequently became her manager.
After a stint in Chicago, the family moved to Los Angeles, California, where Reddy tried to establish herself as a recording artist. Twenty-seven labels rejected her before she was finally signed to a contract with Capitol Records in 1970.
After years of trying to get her name out, Helen Reddy's first Top 40 U.S. hit (1971) was a cover of "I Don't Know How To Love Him" (from the first Rice & Webber collaboration Jesus Christ Superstar rock opera). After it reached #13 in mid-1971, the music industry and record buying public began to take notice.
In 1972, Reddy co-wrote, with Australian musician Ray Burton, the song "I Am Woman," which became a worldwide feminist anthem, worldwide hit, and her first U.S #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Reddy has attributed the impetus for writing "I Am Woman" and her early awareness of the women's movement to expatriate Australian rock critic and pioneer feminist Lillian Roxon. Reddy is quoted in Fred Bronson's The Billboard Book of Number One Hits as saying that she was looking for songs to record which reflected the positive self-image she had gained from joining the women's movement, but couldn't find any, so "I realized that the song I was looking for didn't exist, and I was going to have to write it myself." The single actually barely dented the charts on its initial release in the summer of 1972, but it wasn't long before female listeners adopted the song as an anthem and began requesting it from their local radio stations in droves, spurring it on to re-enter the charts in September and become a hit. "I Am Woman" earned a Grammy Award for Female Pop Vocal Performance and at the awards ceremony she concluded her acceptance speech by famously thanking God "because She makes everything possible".
Over the next five years, she had more than a dozen other U.S. Top 40 hits including two more #1 hits. These included the Alex Harvey country ballad "Delta Dawn" (#1, 1973), "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" (#3), "Keep on Singing" (#15, 1974), "You and Me Against the World" (written by Paul Williams and featuring daughter Traci reciting the spoken bookends) (#9), "Emotion" (an English version of the French tune "Amoureuse"), "Peaceful" (#12), "Angie Baby" (#1), "Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady" (#8, 1975), Richard Kerr-Will Jennings-penned "Somewhere in the Night" (#19; later a bigger hit for Barry Manilow), and the Carole King-Gerry Goffin song "I Can't Hear You No More" (1976). Her last Top 20 record was a 1977 revival of Cilla Black's 1964 hit "You're My World", co-produced by Kim Fowley. Reddy's final chart record was "I Can't Say Goodbye To You" in 1981. She was most successful on the Adult Contemporary charts, scoring eight #1 hits there over a three-year span, from "Delta Dawn" to "I Can't Hear You No More."
At the height of her fame in the late 1970s, Helen Reddy was a headliner, with a full chorus of backup singers and dancers to standing-room-only crowds on The Strip in Las Vegas. Reddy's opening acts were the then-up-and-coming Barry Manilow, and Joan Rivers. In 1976, Reddy covered the Beatles song "Fool on the Hill" for the musical documentary All This and World War II.
Reddy was also instrumental in furthering the career of Olivia Newton-John as she encouraged her friend to move from Britain to the United States in the early 1970s. At a subsequent party at Reddy's house after a chance meeting with Allan Carr, the film's producer, Newton-John won the starring role in the hit film version of the musical Grease as result.
Reddy has lent her acting and singing talents to many stage, movie and television productions.
Her film career includes roles in Airport 1975 and Walt Disney's Pete's Dragon (in which she sang "Candle on the Water," which has become one of her best-known songs despite only charting on the A/C charts). For her part in Airport 1975, Roddy was nominated for a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - Female.
Reddy appeared as a guest on numerous television specials and variety shows, and a guest star on episodes of numerous television series, including Love Boat, Fantasy Island, BeastMaster and others.
Reddy was a host and performer, between 1973 and 1975, on some episodes of the late-night variety television show The Midnight Special. She also hosted her own variety television program, The Helen Reddy Show, in the summer of 1973.
Reddy became a naturalised American citizen in 1974. In 2007, Reddy had a voice cameo as herself in the Family Guy television show's Star Wars parody "Blue Harvest". She played a 'red' themed ('Red'-dy) member of the Red Squadron alongside Red Five (Chris Griffin), Red Buttons, Redd Foxx, Big Red, Red October, Simply Red and others.
Reddy's stage credits include performances in Anything Goes, Call Me Madam, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and works by British playwright Willy Russell. Reddy appeared both on Broadway and in the West End of London in the musical Blood Brothers, and in four productions of Shirley Valentine.
Active in community affairs, Reddy served as the state of California's Parks and Recreation commissioner for three years. In 2002, she retired from performing and moved from Santa Monica, California, to Norfolk Island.
Reddy published an autobiography, The Woman I Am, and appeared on the Today show in 2006. She was also added to the ARIA Hall Of Fame, with a tribute performance by Vanessa Amorosi of "I Am Woman" at the ceremony.
For several years, Reddy maintained that she would not return to the stage. In 2012, Reddy decided to return to performing after being buoyed by the warm reception she received when she sang at her sister's 80th birthday party. On 12 July 2012, Reddy returned to the musical stage at Croce's Jazz Bar in San Diego and for a benefit concert for the arts at St. Genevieve High School in Panorama City, a neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Reddy suffered from Addison's disease, a failure of the adrenal glands, and dementia in her later years.s
Our House
Helen Reddy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You put the flowers in the vase that you bought today
Staring at the fire for hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long for me, only for me
Come to me now and rest your head for just five minutes, everything is good
Such a cozy room, the windows are illuminated by the
Sunshine through them, fiery gems for you, only for you
Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our
I'll light the fire while you place the flowers in the vase that you bought today
The song "Our House" by Helen Reddy is a love song that paints a picture of a cozy and comfortable home filled with love and warmth. The lyrics describe a scene where the singer and her loved one are together in their home, sharing moments of intimacy and happiness. The opening line of "I'll light the fire" sets the tone for the song, as it signifies the beginning of a night spent together with a loved one. The line "You put the flowers in the vase that you bought today" is a simple act of kindness that shows the care and attention the couple has for each other.
The chorus, which repeats multiple times, emphasizes the comfort and ease that the couple shares in their home. The line "Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard" highlights the simple joys and pleasures of life, such as having pets and a cozy home to share with a partner. The song suggests that life might have been difficult before, but now everything is easy and wonderful because of the partner's presence. The phrase "And our la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la" at the end of the chorus seems to symbolize the peaceful and happy state of mind of the couple in their home.
Overall, "Our House" is a tender and nostalgic love song that celebrates the simple pleasures of life shared between two people. The lyrics convey a sense of comfort, warmth, and joy that come from being in a long-term and loving relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll light the fire
I will start the fire to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for us
You put the flowers in the vase that you bought today
You arrange the flowers that you have just purchased in the vase to bring a touch of beauty to the room
Staring at the fire for hours and hours while I listen to you
We spend hours gazing into the fire, while you talk and I listen, enjoying each other's company
Play your love songs all night long for me, only for me
You serenade me with love songs throughout the evening, providing a special and intimate experience just for the two of us
Come to me now and rest your head for just five minutes, everything is good
Take a moment to relax with me, and know that everything is alright and peaceful in our home
Such a cozy room, the windows are illuminated by the
Sunshine through them, fiery gems for you, only for you
Our room is warm and inviting, and the sunlight that filters through the windows adds a special sparkle, just for you
Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Our house is a beautiful home, made even more special by the presence of our cats. Life used to be difficult, but now that you are with me, everything is easier and more joyful. Our home is filled with love and happiness, and we are grateful for it.
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Written by: Graham William Nash
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dara Roberts
Helen did a great job with this cover! She did this song justice! I am going to see the man who wrote this and originally sang this in concert this summer for the second time! Of course, I am referring to Graham Nash of CSN and CSNY and The Hollies. I saw him in concert and met him last summer in Philadelphia and when he got to this song, he had the whole audience singing along with him and his guitarist, Shane Fontayne. It was so magical to hear! I've been in love with the song since I was about four years old and this was the song that was my introduction to Graham Nash. Today, the two of us are good friends! I think he would be very pleased with Helen's version of his classic song! I think they both should do a duet together. Every time I hear this song I think of Graham and his former girlfriend at the time who he wrote this for, another favorite singer-songwriter of mine, Joni Mitchell. This is such a sentimental and lovely song. Here is what Graham had to say about it in his own words: "Well, it's an ordinary moment. What happened is that Joni Mitchell and I, I don't know whether you know anything about Los Angeles, but on Ventura Boulevard in the Valley, there's a very famous deli called Art's Deli. And we'd been to breakfast there. We're going to get into Joan's car, and we pass an antique store. And we're looking in the window, and she saw a very beautiful vase that she wanted to buy... I persuaded her to buy this vase. It wasn't very expensive, and we took it home. It was a very grey, kind of sleety, drizzly L.A. morning. And we got to the house in Laurel Canyon, and I said – got through the front door and I said, you know what? I'll light a fire. Why don't you put some flowers in that vase that you just bought? Well, she was in the garden getting flowers. That meant she was not at her piano, but I was... And an hour later 'Our House' was born, out of an incredibly ordinary moment that many, many people have experienced"
Ciro Fuzihara
I enjoy this version very much
George Murphy
my favourite song in the world now, thank you Derek and Rodney trotter
Jake Williams
Lovely jubbly
Boddissatva
Every songs she sings is gold.
duje456
Does anybody know the title to a song/piece from the same episode of Only fools and horses, it's an instrumental piece?
The Vlog Bro’s
duje456 one of the best tv shows
Nathan Brooks
Time on our hands 2019
Dannybee Allen
I came here from only fools and horses :)
Harry Andrew
Me too