Peggy Lee wasn’t the first to record Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s “I’m a Woman,” but when she did, she owned it entirely. A classic example of the writing duo’s smart and sassy narratives, its bold and liberated lyrics depicted a woman who could take care of herself, and of her man, at the same time. “I can rub and scrub ’til this old house is shinin’ like a dime, feed the baby, grease the car, and powder my face at the same time,” she sang. Then: “If you come to me hungry you know I’m gonna fill you full of grits, if it’s lovin’ you’re likin’, I’ll kiss you and give you the shiverin’ fits. ‘Cos I’m a woman, W-O-M-A-N, I’ll say it again!” Even listening from the distance of a Capitol Records 45, you would doubt her at your peril. [Source: UDiscoverMusic]
