Several amazing albums were released on June 13th, this day in music history, notably She Works Hard for the Money (1983) by Donna Summer. The single of the same name had been pre-released, and it rapidly climbed music charts around the world. Donna was inspired to begin writing the song when she met an exhausted washroom attendant at a 1983 Grammy afterparty. The video for She Works Hard for the Money was the first by a Black female artist to be placed on heavy rotation on MTV. I still cannot watch that video without tearing up, because it speaks to my own life experience - I WAS that waitress. More importantly, the video shows what women everywhere are still experiencing. We were overwhelmingly the ones stuck at home with overly-energetic, anxious children during the height of the pandemic, and we are still the majority of people employed in low-paying front-line service work. At the 1984 Grammys, Donna performed She Works Hard for the Money to an enraptured audience. As I re-watched that Grammy footage today, I could not help but notice that one of the lead dancers sashaying down the aisle toward the stage was dressed as a healthcare worker. Let's never forget how much we as a society need the women who care for us in hospitals, the women who serve us dinner, and the countless other women who keep our world going. Donna's ode to working class women everywhere is still very much needed and appreciated. Enjoy the original video here - and pack a Kleenex!