Clean Up Woman

This article is about the 1971 single by Betty Wright. For the 2009 play by J. D. Lawrence, see The Clean Up Woman.

"Clean Up Woman" is a song by Betty Wright from her second studio album, I Love the Way You Love (1972). Written and produced by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, it was released in November 1971 in the U.S. as a 7" single with "I'll Love You Forever" on the B-side. The song's distinctive guitar lick was played by Willie "Little Beaver" Hale.

"Clean Up Woman"
Side A of the US single
Single by Betty Wright
from the album I Love the Way You Love
B-side	"I'll Love You Forever"
Released	November 1971
Studio	Criteria (Miami)[1]
Genre	Funk[2] pop[3] R&B[4]
Length	2:40
Label	Alston
Songwriter(s)	Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke
Producer(s)	Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke
Betty Wright singles chronology
"Pure Love" (1970) "Clean Up Woman" (1971) "Baby Sitter" (1972)
Official audio
"Clean up Woman" on YouTube

It has sold over two million copies with the RIAA gold disc awarded on December 30, 1972.^[5] Billboard ranked it as the No. 49 song for 1972. The song also appears as the beginning and end songs in a medley on the 1978 album Betty Wright Live.

Chart performance

The single reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, spending fourteen weeks on the chart.^[5] It also reached No. 2 on the U.S. Black Singles chart and remained in that spot for eight weeks, all behind "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green.^[6] It peaked at No. 4 on the Cash Box Top 100 singles chart during the weeks ending January 29, 1972 and February 5, 1972.^[7] In Canada, the song reached No. 39.^[8]

Weekly charts Chart (1971–1972) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles[8] 39 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] 6 U.S. Billboard R&B 2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100[10] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1972) Rank U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 49 U.S. Cash Box [12] 57

Samples

The song has been sampled in at least 32 other songs, including the 2013 "Favorite Song" by Chance the Rapper and the 1993 remix of "Real Love" by Mary J. Blige.^{[citation needed]}