Happy Women’s History month! To celebrate the month of March, I decided to provide everyone with some feminist tunes, ranging from completely unknown to very popular. The songs will span genres from folk rock to musicals to pop.
First I would like to not feature a singular song, but rather an entire album, The Woods, sung by artist Lydia the Bard who has found fame through great original music and animatics. There are eleven songs, which all fight women’s issues in their own way, and I highly recommend listening to the entire album. However, for brevity’s sake, I will highlight a few specific songs. Joan is about the life and legacy of Joan of Arc. The song recounts how Joan has been manipulated by society to fit certain narratives, but she was never able to tell her own story. The song is almost mocking the way society treats her. Lydia makes sure to point out that beneath the accomplishments and toughness, Joan was just a child who was forced into something more. The Woods (the first song of the album has the same name of the title) is less about the experience and oppression of women rather than about a specific, powerful story. The song describes a girl who stands up against her oppressive society and starts a movement by rallying the others who suffer with her. Feed Us Our Girls is the darkest song of the article. This song uses the story of Little Red Riding Hood to expose how women (and victims in general) are blamed when they face sexual violence, assault, and abuse. While heavy and hard to play on repeat, it is so powerful and eye-opening. The song is not something you want to listen to, but rather something you need to listen to.
No, we are not done with Lydia the Bard. In addition to her album, she has also released a single that I have to mention. Don’t Cry for Your Daughters Eve is about how the biblical figure Eve. For context, in The Book of Genesis, Eve is the first woman, made by God. She makes a fatal mistake when she is tricked by Satan (in the form of a snake) to eat an apple, promised otherworldly knowledge. God punishes her by kicking her and Adam (the first man) out of the Garden of Eden, forever preventing humanity from living in paradise. The song, narrated by a passive observer, describes the aftermath; in this world, Eve is shunned and disgraced by her very descendants. But the song warns that not only Eve, but also women in general, are blamed for the wrongdoings of others, and it is unwise to turn on those who get the blame rather than those who spread it.
Labour by Paris Paloma is definitely the most well-known of the songs featured. This song, from the perspective of a fed-up wife, is a love-letter to women throughout history who have been forced to tend to the household and devote themselves to their husbands. The song describes how all the work (or labour) falls on the shoulders of the wife, while the husband is not expected to contribute anything. The song is not only an anthem of frustration, but also of rebellion.
Similarly, I’ve Had Enough by Melina KB is about relationship frustration. However, besides using a completely different style (it sounds straight out of a musical), it also has a different focus. This song is very personal to the author, as it rebels against the poor way she was treated by her toxic ex-boyfriend, and the lyrics are directed towards the abuser. However, it is meant to resonate with anyone who is in a similar situation or is frustrated by the way people have treated them.
Both Labour and I’ve Had Enough are contemporary pieces. If you are interested in hearing a feminist song from decades ago, back when music like it was uncommon, I would recommend You Don’t Own Me by Leslie Gore. This song sounds more solemn than angry, but the lyrics are fierce and direct, pointing out that all she wants is basic decency, which her partner fails to provide.
A more specific song is Victoria’s Secret by Jax (who was raised in New Jersey!); the song fights against the unfair beauty standards imposed on young women. The lyrics are wistful, as Jax looks back on how much she tried to conform to said standards and wishes she knew how superficial they were. She criticizes what Victoria’s Secret stands for and the harm it creates.
As a theater kid, I could not resist the urge to add a musical in here. Suffs, written by Shaina Taub (who also plays Alice Paul), is a musical about Alice Paul and her long fight for women’s suffrage. Even without seeing the musical, the songs are (obviously) very connected to women’s rights. The whole playlist is here, but as I did with Lydia the Bard, I will mention specific songs. The March takes place during a famous suffrage march in Washington DC, during the inauguration of President Wilson. The song serves as a call to action and protest for gender equality. The Young Are at the Gates is the opener to Act II, when the women are protesting in front of Wilson’s gates. It signifies how younger women are standing up and growing in numbers against their oppressors. Unlike The March, this song is more desperate and fierce, as the women have been beaten down and faced significant loss by this point. The final song I will talk about is, fittingly, the final song of the show. Keep Marching encourages the women of today to protest and fight, for the sake of those who have fought before them. Even though women have won the right to vote, there is still a lot of work to be done.
To end off with something a little more fun, I will mention “If You Were a Woman and I Was a Man”, a lesser known song by the famous artist Bonnie Tyler. The song is again about relationships, but this time, the woman is simply asking the man to see things from her perspective. Tyler points out that women and men are not as different as they seem. While not as rebellious or heart-wrenching as these other songs, it is the most fun to listen to!
Whether you want to feel inspired, sad, or want to find a new catchy tune, I hope these songs will provide you with something new!
