Wright’s follow-up single to “Clean Up Woman” followed a similar theme of her man getting scooped up by an at-the-ready Other Woman, now a 16-year-old baby sitter. There’s not a wasted or bum note in “Clean Up Woman,” with everything from the refrain’s “ uh-huh“s to the extra little post-chorus guitar lick (which also spawned a future pop top 10 hit, why not) hitting at just the right vibration, and even the song’s title is an all-timer - intriguing enough to force you to listen through to uncover its meaning, and inspired enough to enter your general vernacular afterwards. Wright’s signature smash still sounds like one of the truly timeless hits of the ’70s, a sublime guitar chop and bubbling bass line providing the funky foundation for her lament about “making it easy” for the song’s title figure to swoop in and and steal her man. “Clean Up Woman” ( I Love the Way You Love, 1971) Still, there’s a palpable sadness and impatience to Wright’s attempts to stay graceful in the face of such inequality, and the song’s roaring horns - unforgettably lifted by Beyoncé and Swizz Beatz nearly 40 years later - get sufficiently angry on her behalf.

33 in 1968 - doesn’t bemoan gender double standards as much as it encourages young girls listening simply to not stoop to the level of their no-good boyfriends. “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do” ( My First Time Around, 1968)īetty Wright’s breakthrough hit on the Hot 100 - hitting No. Following her death this week at age 66, Billboard takes a look back at here at 10 of our favorites from her towering catalog. While Wright’s multi-faceted career has seen her importance and influence trickle down to future generous in numerous ways - including as liberally sampled source material - what still resounds the most are her classic original songs. Betty Wright was one of the most venerated figures in ’70s soul, funk, gospel and disco - not just a brilliant singer- songwriter, but also an accomplished producer and even an instinctive A&R woman, helping singers and eventual disco stars George & Gwen McCrae sign their first record deal in the late ’60s while just a teenager herself.

Top 10 betty wright songs