Song of the Day 9/14: The A’s, “A Woman’s Got the Power”

Trump keeps trying to insult Kamala Harris, and he looks weaker every time he does. Her presence on the Democratic Party ticket clearly infuriates him — what doesn’t, right? — so I think she should be front and center for the rest of the campaign. I also think she should adopt this as her campaign song. Despite the title, this is no feminist anthem — a woman’s power is hailed as support for a man, which sums up the Biden-Harris ticket pretty accurately.

As the 1970s turned into the 1980s and punk rock gave way to New Wave, it briefly appeared as if Philadelphia’s music scene would go national. Before the Hooters and Robert Hazard, a band called the A’s won a big local following for its hard-pop sound and a high-energy live show. They landed a recording contract, but their debut LP failed to sell. Their second, despite the production by Rich Chertoff, who had just begun working with Clive Davis at Arista, only scraped the bottom of the charts. This title track became a modest hit, reaching No. 18 on the Top Rock Tracks chart, but Arista dropped the band and it broke up soon afterwards. Guitarist Rick DiFonzo stayed in the music business as a session player, working frequently with artists Chertoff produced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIFklXp3cmQ

Here’s a live version from an early-’80s gig.

It took Jennifer Holliday to turn the song into an anthem. Her version was a No. 1 dance chart hit in 2001.

It was also covered by Clarence Clemons and the Red Bank Rockers on their 1983 LP “Rescue,” with vocals by Asbury Park soul singer J.T. Bowen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqWGDiwqdB8