Lady-bashing songs we hate to love
These tunes that make us sigh a little every time we rush onto the dancefloor - whiskey and ginger ale held aloft - to shake it, as we realise we're stomping our New Look pleather heels and singing along to every world of a song that lists the ways in which women are stupid, ugly and only good for a bit of naughty time. Grrumpft!
Under My Thumb - Rolling Stones
Musically, Under My Thumb is one of the Stones' best songs, despite the fact that it's about pushing women about, making them change their look, their attitude and y'know, everything that makes them their own person. "Under my thumb/the girl/who once pushed me around," yowls a vengeful Mick Jagger proving what a big man he is, before refering to his missus as his "pet". "It's a bit of a jokey number, really," said Jagger in a 1995 interview. "It's not really an anti-feminist song any more than any of the others..."
Stay With Me - The Faces
Rod Stewart, with his penchant for leggy blonde models half his age, was never going to a posterboy for feminism, but Stay With Me, in which he recounts the tale of a one night stand with a "mean old jezebel" he wants nowt to do with the morning after, really takes the Hobnob. Well, Rod, whoever said she wanted to look you in the eye the next day either? "I don't mean to sound degrading/but with a face like that you got nothing to laugh about," he croons - oh, Rod, sweet-talk us some more!
Straight Outta Compton - NWA
NWA: genre defining, scene-granddaddies you may be, but my goodness, you boys have certainly got something against womankind, haven't you? "So what about the bitch who got shot?/Fuck her!/You think I give a damn about a bitch?/I ain't a sucker!" And that's Easy E being friendly. It's best for everyone concerned if we flatly ignore NWA's A Bitch Is A Bitch, in which Ice Cube raps "Now the title bitch don't apply to all women/but all women have a little bitch in 'em" in one of the songs more pleasant couplets (really), before a female voice steps in to defend herself and is bluntly told to "shut the fuck up". Charming.
Golddigger - Kanye West
It's hard being Kanye West. Just think, all those beautiful women after your big bags of money! "I ain't saying she's a Golddigger," he raps... Actually Kanye, yes, yes you are. The original, I Gotta Woman by Ray Charles (who used to get special braille editions of Playboy, misogyny fact fans), isn't much better, with Ray delivering choice lines like "she's knows a woman's place/it's right there now in her home". Oddly, the original line of "she give me money/when I'm in need" is discreetly changed by Jaime Foxxx on Kanye's version to "she take my money." So close, but yet...
And now it's your turn. Which unfriendly songs get you simultaneously shaking your tush and your fist?
LOTS! Hip Hop unsurprisingly...
Snoop Dogg feat Nate Dogg & Warren G - It Ain't No Fun.
"Guess who's back in the mutha f*@kin' house!.." It's creepy watching the video and seeing Nate Dogg singing about being some misogynistic god when he looks like a big dumb bear.
Notorious B.I.G - Hypnotize.
2Pac - I Get Around.
2Pac - Keep Ya Head Up - Don't really shake anything to this, just look on speechless at how bloody patronising it is! Talking about how women should 'keep their head up' despite being knocked about/done over by their men "things are going to get easier" aaaaarggh!
See also:
anything by Louis XIV.
So misogynistic but such stomping good tunes. Dagnamit!
As well as
Plenty by Billy Holiday.
Typical lyric ".. He beats me too, what am I to do ? .. Can't help loving that man of mine."
Joy Division's 'She's lost Control' ...
"Confusion in her eyes it says all, She's lost control again ... " (etc., etc.)
James Brown's "It's a man's, man's world".
Look up 'He hit me, it felt like a kiss' on Wikipedia.
ditto...
Kanye and NWA also Jay Z - 99 problems.
brown sugar
This is a really thorny issue I have long battled with. So many great songs manage to combine misogyny, homophobia and racism with effortless radar-avoiding ease. I was *shocked* when I read Joe Queenan's column about Brown Sugar last year. I have heard that song so many times and never noticed the lyrics. Its first verse goes above and beyond what we are talking about here. I am just going to paste them in case you are not aware:
Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields
Sold in a market down in New Orleans.
Scarred old slaver know he's doin' alright
Hear him whip the women just around midnight
Brown sugar - how come you taste so good
Brown sugar - just like a young girl should
I do a (queer) club night and usually refuse to play misogynistic songs on principle. (I would never play Brown Sugar. I'm talking more about the more culturally acceptable, casual misogyny of eg rap and r'n'b.) However, at the club we're thinking about having what we're provisionally calling a Compulsory Heterosexuality themed-night where we allow ourselves to play certain songs (eg Beenie Man's awesome "Dude") by framing them within an explicit acknowledgement and critique of their problematic lyrics or the recorded views of the singer. Watch this space if you're interested - www.unskinnybop.co.uk
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