I’m Every Woman Lyrics

[Chorus]
I'm every woman, it's all in me
Anything you want done, baby, I'll do it naturally (Mh-mh-mh)
I'm every woman, it's all in me
I can read your thoughts right now, every one from A to Z
Whoah whoah whoah (Whoah whoah)
Whoah whoah whoah

[Verse 1]
I can cast a spell
With secrets you can't tell
Mix a special brew
Put fire inside of you
But anytime you feel danger or fear
Instantly I will appear
'Cause...

[Chorus]
I'm every woman, it's all in me
Anything you want done, baby, I'll do it naturally
Whoah whoah whoah
Whoah whoah whoah

[Verse 2]
I can sense your needs
Like rain on to the seeds
I can make a rhyme
Of confusion in your mind
And when it comes down to some good old fashioned love
That's what I've got plenty of
'Cause...
[Chorus]
I'm every woman, it's all in me
Anything you want done, baby, I'll do it naturally
I'm every woman, it's all in me
I can read your thoughts right now, every one from A to Z
Whoah whoah whoah (Whoah whoah)
Whoah whoah whoah

[Bridge]
I ain't braggin' cause I'm the one
You just ask me, uh, and it shall be done
And don't bother to compare
'Cause I've got it (I've got it)
Whoah whoah whoah (Whoah whoah)
Whoah whoah whoah
Aah, aah, aah, aah

[Outro]
I'm every woman, I'm every woman
(Tell 'em all about it, child)
I'm every woman, I'm every woman
(Wanna really tell 'em all... about it)

I'm every woman, I'm every woman
(Want 'em to know, want 'em to know that...)
I'm every woman, I'm every woman
I'm every woman, I'm every woman
I'm every woman, I'm every woman
I'm every woman, I'm every woman
I'm every woman, I'm every woman
I'm every woman, I'm every woman
I'm every woman, I'm every woman

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About

Genius Annotation

1978’s “I’m Every Woman,” by Chaka Khan, is about the power and connectedness of all women. The first single from Khan’s Arif Mardin-produced debut album Chaka, it rose to #21.

The track was composed by the songwriting duo of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson—best known for their hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” When Khan was informed that Ashford and Simpson had a tune for her, she got excited. Khan, in her autobiography: “When Arif told me Ashford and Simpson had written a song for me—hell, yeah, I wanted to hear it. When I did, I knew instantly that ‘I’m Every Woman’ was a song I had to sing.”

At first, Khan thought it was arrogant for her to sing “I’m Every Woman.” Khan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “That’s one of the world’s great songs, but I had to grow into it. I felt embarrassed at the age I was singing it. I wasn’t old enough. I was about 30. I just felt how dare I say ‘I’m every woman, it’s all in me.’ But it’s a song I feel comfortable singing now. But in the beginning it felt pompous.”

When Ashford felt stuck during the writing process, Simpson told him to put himself in a female mindset. Simpson, on Oprah Prime: “I started playing these chords and he said, ‘I’m every woman.’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘I can’t feel the verse.’ I said, ‘Put your hand on your hip and dig into your feminine side. It’ll be there. Come on.’ And he just did. It just came out.”

Will Lee plays bass on the track—he’s best known for his many years in the David Letterman band. Lee remembers basically creating the song in the studio. He told No Treble: “That was a really fun track to do. Steve Ferrone was playing drums and there was this really simple chart in front of us. There was really nothing there.”

In 1992, Whitney Houston covered “I’m Every Woman” for the soundtrack to the movie The Bodyguard. Whitney was not the first Houston involved with “I’m Every Woman”—her mother, Cissy Houston, sang backup on the original. Also: Cissy, Khan, and Simpson all appeared in the music video for Whitney’s version.

At the end of Whitney’s version, Whitney gives Khan a shout out—“Chaka Khan. Chaka!” And in the liner notes for The Bodyguard soundtrack, Khan is credited with “Inspiration.”

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Chaka Khan say about "I'm Every Woman"?
Genius Answer

Chaka has always loved “I’m Every Woman” but didn’t initially feel qualified to sing it:

“That’s one of the world’s great songs, but I had to grow into it. I felt embarrassed at the age I was singing it. I wasn’t old enough. I was about 30. I just felt how dare I say ‘I’m every woman, it’s all in me.’ But it’s a song I feel comfortable singing now. But in the beginning it felt pompous.”

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