Women's Music Essay

How do we choose the music that we listen to? We could be affected by the music itself, the lyrics could touch us on a personal level, or we may have a predisposition to a certain genre of music due to the geographic area we live in. Our background and upbringing can even play a role in our musical choices. However we come to that ultimate decision, how many of us actually pay close attention to the language used in the songs that we like? Could it be that some of our favorite artists or compositions actually contain language that can be considered sexist or harmful?

There are so many talented female artists in music today that it's hard not to think of some right off the top of my head. Not only do they have great voices, but they're successful and confident, not to mention pretty darn rich! Some of these artists knew that they were going to become a star while they were still in diapers. The two females that I will be highlighting are two of the younger musical talents that are out in the industry at this time. They both worked hard to get to where they are today by starting off with many of the same dreams and aspirations many of us women share. These women have contributed so much at such a young age that it's almost hard to believe. Music is such a

In the 1920’s, blues was a very popular and dominating genre in the music industry. Generally, the blues was sung by African American women because according to the book entitled, “Blues Legacies and Black Feminism” by Angela Davis, “…The most widely heard individual purveyors of the blues—were women.” (Davis 4) The blues delivers certain emotions such as sadness, loneliness, love, sex, and feelings about the certain circumstances the artist may be going through at the time. Two women who dominate this style of music are Gertrude “Ma” Rainey and Bessie Smith. As stated by “Gay & Lesbian Biography”, “The careers of Rainey and Smith are closely interwoven.” Ma Rainey is a woman who is admired for both her amazing vocals and her ability to entertain. Bessie Smith is a woman who started off as a background dancer for her peer Ma Rainey, but then went on to emulate her by outdoing her success. Both women are very talented musicians who can not only sing and entertain, but they also create an impact as two of the most influential feminists during the 1920’s who helped shape the blues into what it is today.

The Anti-war movement started during the 1960s and shaped America’s public opinion on conflicts for years to come. As in all American conflicts, the will of the people controls the actions of the military. Without Homefront support, the American war machine dies. American pop culture during the 60s and 70s, sought to change public opinion against the Vietnam War. Through blatant Anti-war lyrics to their actions, the popular artists and musicians of the era changed the mindset of a generation to oppose the military actions in Vietnam.

Charlotte Bunch once said “Sexual, racial, gender, violence, and other forms of discrimination and violence in a culture cannot be eliminated without changing culture.” Our society experiences all of these problems and I would like to focus on the gender perspective in the 21st century and how women have had more of an influence in music than people actually realize. Men have dominated the music industry and business but women have been the underlying reason as for why men and other females have been so successful in the music scene.

America’s Uncivil Wars is a book written about the sixties era that captures that provides understanding of how and why events occurred during this period, as well as their historical roots from the time since the Second World War. The author, Mark Hamilton Lytle, used a chronological approach to explain the era by dividing the sixties into three separate phases. The first is the era of consensus, which starts approximately around 1954 and includes the years up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. From there, Lytle talks about events in the second phase: the years from 1964 to 1968. These are the years after Kennedy’s death until the

The 1960’s were a arduous time; in the U.S. and many other places around the world. War and altercation preyed upon every citizen and every nation. Two chivalrous men stepped forward to endeavor clarification for armistice. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and President John F. Kennedy conveyed speeches whose Content and delivery inspired a generation.

Nowadays, certain style of music are becoming more involve in our society than others. For instance, the R&B and Rap/hip pop are now getting the top on the Medias. We will try to explore those music’s gender. We will try to understand why and how they are what they are now?

Nina Simone used music to challenge, provoke, incite, and inform the masses during the period that we know as the Civil Rights Era. In the songs” Four Women”, “Young Gifted and Black”, and Mississippi God Damn”, Nina Simone musically maps a personal "intersectionality" as it relates to being a black American female artist. Kimberly Crenshaw defines "intersectionality" as an inability for black women to separate race, class and gender. Nina Simone’s music directly addresses this paradigm. While she is celebrated as a prolific artist her political and social activism is understated despite her front- line presence in the movement. According to Ruth Feldstein “Nina Simone recast black activism in the 1960’s.” Feldstein goes on to say

I roughly understand the waves of feminism. In the text, Grey explains what role women play in the Rock and Roll environment, and how black girls had no place in the hierarchy. The author of I Sold My Soul to Rock and Roll put the lives of male rock stars into perspective for me. Men were on top of the

How Are Women portrayed in Music? There are many social influences that are impacted by music. I believe that one of these social influences that are greatly impacted by music is how women are treated and looked at. There are so many genres of music now days that talk about women in a very degrading manner.

After the first and second feminism movement in the U.S., the marginalization of a particular race and gender becomes a concern. According to the reading by Kimberle Crenshaw, “contemporary feminist and antiracist discourses have failed to consider intersectional identities such as women of color” (Crenshaw 1243). African American women often excluded from the previous movements so that their participation became the critical aspect of the third wave feminism movement. The song, “U.N.I.T.Y” by Queen Latifah, addresses the issues of African American women that are often ignored by many people and encourage Black women to make changes so that her audiences to know they are not “other” and “alien” in feminism (Lorde 117).

Recently the United States has begun to experience a women’s musical renaissance. Women’s roles in pop

When one hears the word “feminist”, many different things may come to mind. One may think of the “bra burning” feminists of the 1960s or the “riot grrrl” feminists of the 1990s. It can bring to mind issues such as abortion, birth control, and unfair wages. There are many different aspects of feminism, some of which are understood only by those involved in the movement. But like most things people are passionate about, feminism has held a strong place in music since its very beginning, and can be seen in its festivals, its politics, and in the average American’s everyday life.

The beauty of music is found in every soul” were the words of my grandmother. She always managed to bring music into every aspect of her life; whether it was ordinary housework or religious functions, she was ready to sing at any time. Her music was not the only part of her life; she was also the mother of six children and the wife of a prominent farmer. Although her life was complicated and, at many times, unbearable, music was never forsaken; it was one of her treasures. Through her and her treasure I realized what life and death really are. Her perseverance through her problems and her patience with her children and grandchildren has always amazed me.