"Hey Mama" Does Not Belong In Modern Society

The song that I am going to analyze for this critique is called “Hey Mama”. It is sung by David Guetta featuring the female rapper Nicki Minaj. This song was released in 2014 and was fast to gain popularity worldwide when it came out. The song is about Nicki Minaj being a perfect woman for her man. The song is very problematic as it highly sexualizes women. I’m going to critique this song from a feminist perspective, concentrating the on the songs lyrics used specifically. The audio message normalizes stereotypical gender roles. Since it’s a pop song, this could have negative impact on young people listening to it.

The song starts with “Yes, I be a women” and later the lyrics of this song includes really derogatory phrases like “Yes, I do the cooking”, “Yes I do the cleaning”. So what this song is trying to say is that in you want to be a woman you need to do things like cleaning and cooking. Such phrases also make it seem as though if you want a man in your life you have to do all these things. This song is normalizing the stereotypical gender roles for women. This is a huge issue as in many countries women are expected to stay at home and do chores. Feminists have fought really hard to stop this stigmatizing.

Furthermore Nicki Minaj sings “Yes, you be the boss, yes I be respecting”. Again this is a highly problematic lyric. She is saying that the man is the boss, and that’s why she respects him. This again brings me back to my last paragraph about normalizing gender roles. Men are always seen in as assertive and that they need to own their woman. This is highly anti-feminist, and normalizes sexist gender roles.

Another thing I’d like to mention is that Pop music is a media element that young children get access to easily these days. If they are exposed to such content since early childhood, they are going to think that it’s normal for women to be doing the housework and be dependent on their male partner. In many cases where men are in charge of the household income, women are subjected to things like domestic violence.

Songs like these really make the woman’s fight for gender equality difficult as they increase the gap between men and women. Especially when women sing such songs, in this case Nicki Minaj, it makes it seem as if women accept this way of thinking. This is not true; songs like these should not be something we should be exposed to in this modern day and age, where movements like “Me Too” are happening.

In conclusion, I’d like to say that this song is highly anti-feminist and I do not agree with the lyrics of the song. The song normalizes the gender gap between men and women. It makes people believe that men should be assertive and women should respect that. It is also a bad influence on young children as it normalizes such despicable ideas.

Sleeping at Last: Understanding Our Humanity

There are few artists that can match the lyrical or compositional virtuosity of Ryan O’Neal, who makes music under the moniker Sleeping at Last. O’Neal has an elegantly organized series of themed EPs sharing the name Atlas, each containing songs that explore the nature of our universe. His second installment of the series (being slowly released track by track), Atlas: Year Two, focuses its attention on the origins of humanity, and the innate qualities that unite humans. O’Neal divides the EP into the categories: Life, Senses, Emotions, Intelligence, and Enneagram. He examines these deeply psychological elements through poetic verses inlaid with expressive strings sections and piano. What is attempted here is a psychoanalysis of Ryan O’Neal’s musical psychoanalysis.

I will focus on the Enneagram song set. It refers to the Enneagram of Personality: a psychological tool that defines nine different personality types. O’Neal praises it as a wonderful tool for teaching empathy, and for deepening understandings of others and ourselves. It is not just another superficial generalization of personalities based off of a 5-question quiz, however. In one of the Sleeping At Last Podcasts, it’s explained that each type is characterized by people’s subconcious “coping mechanisms for dealing with childhood wounds.” This is a quite Freudian idea that persists in modern social and cognitive psychology. Early experiences and pains are internalized, and can later influence character on a subconscious level. This affects how we deal with stress, how we relate with others, and how we perceive ourselves and the world.

Each song on Enneagram honors each type. O’Neal takes serious care to represent the types and appreciate their specific qualities. He writes from the perspectives of these types, not simply to dissect their subconscious minds as Sigmund Freud might, but to compassionately feel as they feel.

“Spend my whole life searching desperately, to find out grace requires nothing of me.” This lyric is from the song “One,” and speaks of the general Type One belief of not being, never being, enough. They are known for perfectionism. Before O’Neal mentions this grace, he sings “the list goes on forever of all the ways I could be better in my mind, as if I could earn God’s favor given time.” Through a very refined “theory of mind,” a psychology term referring to the ability to understand the emotional and mental states of others, O’Neal voices their subconscious fears. “As if I could earn God’s favor” speaks to the tendency of Type Ones to believe they are inherently bad, and unforgivable. He extends an offering of unconditional acceptance despite their insecurity.

In “Five,” O’Neal psychoanalyzes a more intellectual personality type. These individuals are discoverers, and sharers of discovery. They want to understand everything, making them passionate knowledge seekers. But these desires actually stem from a subconscious fear of not knowing. The Enneagram (and certainly Freud) might attribute this to an early experience of feeling academically inadequate or unintelligent. Their defense is trying to know everything, so they will not fall short again. O’Neal approaches this with sensitivity. He writes “and now I can't put my mind to rest, and I can't help but second guess.” He empathizes with their intense subconscious need for answers.

A final thought is on the cleverness of O’Neal’s incorporation of non-instrumental sound effects (laughter, crumpling paper) in Atlas: Year Two. This is reminiscent of the Golden Record. NASA created the record as a compact representation of Earth and its inhabitants, then launched it into space aboard the Voyager spacecraft. Among other things, it contained sounds of heartbeats, of chirping birds, and familiar earthly sounds. This intertextual-like reference pays homage to the record, which has inspired many artists (for example conceptual artist Dario Robleto). This intertextuality also shows how ordinary sounds can convey human meaning.

Sleeping at Last creator Ryan O’Neal more than describes the psychology behind the Enneagram personality types. He respects their uniqueness, and respects the beauty of the individuals in them. He has also articulated these things for us, the audience, so we might know and love others and ourselves better.

What is "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" really about?

“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is one of the most widely-heard songs in history by one of the most well-known bands in the world, The Beatles. The Beatles were infamous for pushing the boundaries of acceptable lyricism in mass-distributed pop tunes, and this tune is no exception; the song title’s not-so-subtle reference to the hallucinogenic drug, LSD, is repeated fifteen times across three choruses. The verse lyrics present a slightly more nuanced image of the psychedelic experience through a descriptive, surreal narrative. The narrative itself is unimportant; the imagery holds the significant meaning. Through the lens of semiotics - the study of signs and their meanings - and with consideration of production technique, the seemingly absurd story presented in the verses is revealed to represent a LSD trip.

All three verses of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” contain references to some form of transportation - “Picture yourself on a boat on a river,” “Newspaper taxis appear on the shore,” “Picture yourself on a train in a station.” The references to transportation are the most important and most tongue-in-cheek signifiers of the song. The referent is a ‘trip’ - a psychedelic experience. In each case, the verse presents the transportation as part of a surreal, mystical setting. The boat floats down a river with “tangerine trees and marmalade skies,” “newspaper taxis appear on the shore” adjacent to a location “where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pie,” and there are “plasticine porters with looking glass eyes” in the train station. The transportation moves through and is part of this ‘trippy’ world, and it also serves as the center of the listener’s experience. In this context and given the broader cultural connotation of the word, ‘trip,’ the various modes of transportation mentioned clearly signify the psychedelic experience as a whole.      

Two of the most important signifiers in “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” are the references to the visual sensory systems - “A girl with kaleidoscope eyes” and “look for the girl with the sun in her eyes.” These references signify two aspects of a psychedelic experience: the dilation of the pupil as well as intense visual hallucinations. “Kaleidoscope eyes” represents not a pair of ocular kaleidoscopes, but rather the geometric, patterned visual hallucinations experienced by someone on LSD. These are the among the most important signifiers because they are the most recognizable lyrics referring to LSD that do not directly reference the acronym. They are also among the most prevalent signifiers; “eyes” are mentioned three times, as is transportation.

There are lyrics that are important not because they mean anything, but because they mean nothing. The verses are scattered with multiple nonsensical nouns and adjectives, which serve to elicit a sense of the surreal. “Tangerine trees,” “marmalade skies,” “cellophane flowers,” “rocking horse people eat marshmallow pie,” “newspaper taxis” and “plasticine porters with looking glass ties.” These lyrics are intended to create a ‘trippy’ landscape - a collage of surreal, impossible items that are nonetheless imaginable. Taken together, they clearly signify the absurd visual hallucinations that accompany a LSD trip. “Marmalade skies” and “cellophane flowers” in particular refer to the unfamiliar visual textures suddenly possessed by familiar objects and sights. This shift in texture is a staple of the psychedelic experience.

Another important element of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is related to but not helped by the semiotics lens. The Beatles' choice of instrumentation and George Martin's production technique are vital, and are still hugely influential on psychedelic pop production. The use of the Tambura - an Indian instrument - to create a drone-like sound throughout the song - in conjunction with the iconic Lowrey Organ - the instrument heard at the beginning of the song - create a shifting, swirling sonic landscape that perfectly matches Lennon’s lyrics and voice. Lennon’s voice was also heavily produced to give it an unusual tambour. All of this is done in an attempt to create a song that not only is about the psychedelic experience, but that actually sounds like the psychedelic experience. This context gives the semiotics approach solid ground to stand on.

Through the lens of semiotics, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is revealed as an attempt to portray the psychedelic experience through surreal, impossible imagery and tongue-in-cheek references to transportation and eye dilation. Consideration of the careful production approach provides further evidence of the intention of this song - to represent a LSD trip.

Glorious

The song Glorious by Macklemore is a stand to live your life the best way you know how. Everyday living like it might be your last. Living life to the fullest. And making your life full enough to where when you leave this earth, you might be remembered. Macklemore’s lyrics in this song can be noted as uplifting and encouraging to someone who might be going through a hard time. I believe these are the kinds of people the artist is reaching out to. From the opening lines “You know I'm back like I never left, Another sprint, another step, Another day, another breath, Been chasing dreams, but I never slept, I got a new attitude and a lease on life, And some peace of mind…” showing that he is on a new high of life trying to encourage others to do the same.

Macklemore sings that he heard you die twice, once when you enter the grave and the second time when the last person mentions your name. I take this as though he is trying to leave his mark on the world through his music. It is well known that popular music means that the singer is most likely going to be made immortal. Although it might be easier for a popular songwriter and singer such as Macklemore to achieve this, he encourages others to live a life they can be proud of and try to leave a legacy behind for others to remember. Taking this a little deeper, I believe the only true way to achieve this is through “blazing your own trail,” doing things your own way rather than being a follower.

Macklemore is speaking from his own life experiences when he talks about getting through hard times and making your life better for yourself. As being someone who has battled with drugs part of his life, saying “I made it through the darkest part of the night, And now I see the sunrise” he got through that low and has created a truly successful career in singing. Along with the fact that Macklemore believes in God he talks about in this song how earth is not our final destination. That there is a more Glorious place to look forward to. That we should leave our mark on earth but not idolize the things on it. That we should enjoy the time we have with our loved ones while never forgetting the ones that we have lost. Upon a little research I found that Macklemore’s grandmother is dead, which is someone he talks about in his song. Saying “My grandma smiling down on me” showing a little bit of his faith while including her still in his life even though she has passed.

I believe that Macklemore has defined his genre of music as uplifting fast paced music that encourages people to be their best selves. By using his own life experiences as examples that anyone can get through rough times in their lives if he can. How there are more important things in life than just putting oneself down and giving up. One key verse on this is “My mama told me never bow your head,” to me signifying never give up on yourself or your goals.

A Gripping Mystery

The podcast “In the Dark” is about Jacob Wetterling, a boy who was abducted on a rural street in Minnesota in 1989. Like many podcasts about a crime mystery, the narrator, Madeleine Baran, delves deeply into the stories of everyone involved to try and uncover the truth. However, one thing that distinguishes this podcast from others is that it focuses on the issues with law enforcement, and why it took 27 years to solve the murder. Grasping the emotions of the viewers with personal interviews of family and friends of the victim, Baran attempts to connect the dots of the crime while engaging listeners.

While podcasts are most often a form of entertainment, “In The Dark” delves deeper into the issues surrounding the criminal justice system and its social implications. In this way it is almost educational. Although I have only seen a handful of episodes, it is clear that Baran focuses on answering the question: “Why didn't police solve the crime while it was still fresh, when the victim had a chance of being alive?” She researches these issues with the listeners and gains an understanding of why everything happened the way it did. Through the words of Baran herself, she wants to investigate “powerful people or institutions who are potentially misusing their power or are doing things to harm people who have less power than them.”

How Baran attacks this question is rather interesting. Because the abduction of a child is an emotional subject, she uses a certain amount of pathos to get her listeners invested in the story. Often when we hear about law enforcement issues on the news, it is hard to “feel” the impact since we are not personally invested or affected. What Baran is trying to do is bring the audience into every detail and every emotion of the people affected by this crime, and put us in the shoes of those whose lives are completely in the hands of law enforcement’s decision. By doing so, she can bring to light deeper issues within criminal justice, and throughout the podcast she discusses the issues surrounding the trial: everything that did not add up. For example, she discusses the racial issues and biases involving the conviction of Curtis Flowers, who was found guilty for the crime despite the belief of his innocence within the black community. Baran proceeded to analyze the gray area in the case, while also discussing whether or not Flowers was wrongly convicted.

A lot of news and crime can be sensationalized, especially murder mystery stories, in order to grab the attention of the audience. I believe, however, that Baran specifically tried to stay away from this hyperbole. Baran seldom puts her opinion in, and does not stretch the facts. She gives concrete evidence in the form of data, people's recollections of the day, and police reports.

There are some similarities between “In the Dark” and “Serial”, a breakthrough murder mystery podcast that quickly became a cult favorite. It was different than a lot of podcasts in that its episodes were well thought out and story-like. It drew in viewers through “Combining the drama of prestige-television-style episodic storytelling, the portability of podcasts, and the reliability of ‘This American Life’...” (Larson). You can read more about “Serial” in the New Yorker here (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/sarah-larson/serial-podcast-weve-waiting). Both podcasts are riveting and deal with a criminal case. But while “Serial” is certainly popular, the current political climate sets “In the Dark” apart from it because it delves into the controversial topic of police work and ethics in such detail.

One detail that adds interest to the story of Jacob Wetterling is that the mystery has been solved. A man named Danny James Heinrich, a Caucasian male, confessed to the crime and is now serving 20 years in jail. One might think that this would make the story less interesting. However, it is actually the opposite. While the police eventually arrested Heinrich, and he led them to Jacob’s remains, it doesn't explain why the police didn't find them earlier, or why they didn't solve the crime faster. The focus of the podcast becomes the issue of law enforcement, and how their procedures affected the families and communities impacted by the crime. Overall this podcast is not only captivating, it also delves deeply into issues surrounding law enforcement.

Livin' the Crazy Life

This critique will examine the song “Livin' La Vida Loca,” by Ricky Martin, through the lens of psychoanalysis. The song depicts a Latina girl who supposedly lives a crazy life and recounts the way she lives her life and what she does to the man who pursues her.

In order to take a deeper look into this song, I will be using psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis looks at the manifest content in order to determine the latent meanings of that content, according to Appignanesi. This analysis can be used to reveal information about the author as well as to determine the appeal of a text to its audience. In this critique, I will examine both of these and show how the two meanings relate.

The first meaning that is found when you analyze the manifest content in the song pertains to Ricky Martin’s sexuality. In the song, the woman is described in relation to superstition, addiction, and “a bullet to your brain.” Ricky says that she will “make you” do any number of ridiculous or unsafe things and that she “took my money” and “must’ve slipped me a sleeping pill." From these depictions, it would seem that Ricky does not appear to have a high opinion of women.

Stepping outside of the text briefly, we find that Ricky is “a fortunate homosexual man." Then, it is not difficult to connect his negative portrayal of women to this fact about his sexuality. While he may not dislike women outright, he is not well-equipped to discuss them sensually in the same way a heterosexual man would. However, even knowing this, he still produced the song, which leads to my next point.

By using psychoanalysis to investigate Martin’s audience, we can see how he was influenced to produce the song in spite of his personal sexual preferences. “Livin' La Vida Loca” fits nicely into the genre of wild romance. The woman is in charge to an extent and not only is able to make the man do things that he might not otherwise do, but also is willing to do some seemingly crazy things herself.

This fierceness and independence makes her a fiery character that is popular among the majority of heterosexual men. These sorts of men like women who will put up a fight when they are pursued romantically. They feel like this independent spirit makes the pursuit worthwhile. Based on this information, we see that Ricky Martin capitalized on these pursuit-focused emotions by creating a character which would entice men to pursue her.

In other words, as revealed by the latent meanings of the manifest content in “Livin' La Vida Loca,” even though Ricky Martin’s sexuality prevented him from engaging with the song’s material to a certain degree, he produced the song anyway in order to appease his audience of primarily heterosexual men.

An 'Ultraviolent' Hit to Feminism Today

Lana Del Rey, well known for her unique dream pop musical style, has been noted by critics to make listeners feel as if they are traveling back in time. Specifically, she is heavily influenced by the 1950s and 1960s Americana scene, which has helped her gain distinction from other pop and indie rock artists. In her song “Ultraviolence,” she not only makes the listener travel back in time with her musical style, but also makes the listener regress socially with the message she sends lyrically.

Del Rey broke out onto the music scene in 2011 with the release of her music video for single “Video Games,” which led her to subsequently sign with Interscope Records. Following her signing with the major label, she released her highly successful albums Born to Die, Paradise and Ultraviolence. In the title track for her third studio album Ultraviolence, Del Rey sings about a woman who is satisfied in an abusive relationship.

The song opens with a dramatic violin tune, followed by Del Rey’s husky, moody voice beginning the song’s lyrics. The song has an overall tragic but romantic tone—not unlike her usual melancholic feel.

Lyrically, there are many phrases that leads the listener to believe that the woman is not only tolerant of this relationship but is very happy. Del Rey sings “he hit me and it felt like a kiss,” which notes how she feels that violence is an expression of love. Because of this, Del Rey outright asks for her male partner to be violent with the lyric “give me all of that ultraviolence.” Later in the song she sings “'cause I'm your jazz singer/and you're my cult leader,” explicitly referring to how the man in the relationship decides her every move, and completely dominates her in all aspects. Cult leaders require ultimate obedience and submission from their subjects, and when within a romantic relationship, can be a sign of toxicity.

Towards the end of the song and following its climax, Del Rey sings “he hurt me but it felt like true love/Jim taught me that/loving him was never enough.” Del Rey is astutely aware of the fact that he is hurting her and that her love will never be enough, but she chooses to continue to support and submit to him. This is an indication of the male domination of women.

This song is clearly expressive of a society where women are not seen as empowered or as equal to men. If this song had been released after to the most recent wave of feminism—including the “#MeToo” movement, it may not have been as popular, as tolerance for violence against women is at a possible all time low in the United States.

In her song “Ultraviolence,” Lana Del Rey not only romanticizes a clearly abusive and toxic relationship, but she reinforces anti-feminist ideals that women cannot be independent without men, and in addition, must always be submissive. This song is not only representative of primitive societal ideals but is an ultraviolent hit to feminism today.

Psychoanalytical Interpretation of Ivy

The song begins with a metallic guitar riff, soon enough Frank Ocean joins in, singing of a failed relationship. This song is from Ocean’s album Blonde, and is one of my favorite songs. The way that he conveys emotion throughout the entire piece is very raw and visceral. He puts you in the shoes of his ex-lover, and leaves you wondering what you could have done to make him so emotionally damaged.

In this song, Frank Ocean describes a relationship where he was at first friends with the other individual, and they took it to another level by declaring their love for him, which he wasn’t ready for. He was caught off guard by the whole ordeal, and even becomes angry at the other person for ruining the friendship by taking it to a place that he felt it shouldn’t go. Both of them have to fake their emotions, Ocean has to feign love and the other individual has to show like they don’t love him, just so they can try to scavenge what’s left of their relationship. He feels as though it could have been good if he had been prepared for it all.

Frank Ocean is an artist whose career had a bit of controversy around it when he came out as gay in 2012. After he came out, he took a very long hiatus from music, and Blonde is his first solo album since being out. In Ivy, there is a very nostalgic feel to the combination of electric guitar and bass, something that seems very similar to music they would play in Stranger Things. This song is a song of past love, and perhaps this is Ocean’s way of facing the event. Although the song starts out pretty calm, we can tell that he still feels very strongly about it, because at the end of the song his edited voice is screeching, and in the final seconds he smashes what sounds like a guitar on the studio floor. He was hurt and angered by the actions of his friend, actions he felt were selfish and cost them their relationship.

He uses a shift of volume and tone in his voice to influence the audience to feel how he feels, or at least felt. The pace of the song speeds up until the second to last verse, when it slows down dramatically and the words he emphasizes are words very fueled by emotion, like “love” and “feelings”. The volume, however, just increases gradually, until it all crashes down when he slams the guitar against the floor. The changes in volume, pace, and tone of the song all emotionally involve the audience to feel Ocean’s pain and his anger about the events that occurred in his past.

Frank Ocean’s song Ivy is incredibly emotionally charged, and Ocean shows his anger and sadness that losing a relationship with a friend in his past has caused. To convey these feelings to the audience, he increases the volume and the tone of the song to help the audience empathize with his emotions.

Hard Out Here: A Feminist Anthem?

“Hard Out Here,” a song by Lily Allen that was released on November 17th in 2013, has been boldly called a feminist anthem by critics. The song talks about the struggles women face in regards to how they are portrayed in pop culture, and the unrealistic standards women must meet in order to be considered conventionally attractive. While the song certainly has its merits, I believe it takes a few missteps that leaves it a bit short of being a “feminist anthem”, and I will be using the feminist analysis approach to show this.

Using the image and representation approach, the main issue with “Hard Out Here” becomes apparent in its first stanza, where Lily Allen sings “you’ll find me in the studio, and not in the kitchen… don’t need to shake my ass for you, ‘cause I’ve got a brain.” For many years, women have been attempting to break out of the stereotype that we are only kept around for two things: cooking and looking good. Sometimes, this comes at the expense of other women. Women should not be forced into the gender role given to them by society, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with enjoying that gender role. These lyrics invalidate the experiences of women who like activities such as cooking and dancing, and actively shames them for it. While these lyrics seem to appear as positive for women empowerment, they put down women and give off a overall negative image.

Despite this, Lily Allen does a wonderful job with the rest of the song. She discusses the double standards of sex, where a promiscuous woman will be called a “slut” and shamed for it, but a man is celebrated for having a lot of partners. This also alludes to a lot of other double standards women face in today’s culture, like if a woman wears too much makeup she’s trying too hard, but girls who go natural are ugly and aren’t trying hard enough. Meanwhile, men are hardly expected to put even the bare minimum into their appearance. Later in the song, Lily Allen goes on to describe all the standards women have to meet to be attractive, like being rich, good at cooking, and thin. These lyrics are clearly sympathizing with women, and they attempt to empower women (through heavy sarcasm) by telling us that we don’t have to be all these things to be successful or happy with ourselves. This image is made by women, for women.

While Lily Allen does her best to create a song worthy of the feminist movement, worthy enough to be called an anthem, she falls just a bit short. The song illustrates a lot of the issues in modern society in regards to women, but it does so by partially alienating other women.

Indentifying Feminism

In NPR’s “TED Radio Hour” series, each of the episodes are 50 minutes long and feature individual interviews with several former TED presenters who had spoken about similar topics. In the episode entitled, “The Person You Become,” a prior TED keynoter, Roxane Gay, candidly offers her take on how her life experience shaped her identity. Despite the fact that the episode’s interviewer, Guy Raz, used a formal tone akin to that of a television news reporter, Gay spoke casually and with subtle humor; the overall listening experience conveys an impression similar to someone interviewing a friend for a class project. Most importantly, however, Gay’s thoughts on feminism do not seem contrived; her worldly self-concept and the limited use of production editing makes her weighty subject matter appear relatable.

    Notwithstanding the seriousness of female inequality, Gay unexpectedly breaks down any preconceived judgement through a humble, yet humorous anecdote that most audience members will likely recognize: “When I was younger...I had strange ideas about feminists as hairy, angry, man-hating, sex-hating women - as if those are bad things." She then follows this by explaining her later realization that anger was a reasonable response to the global epidemic of female inequality. Yet, it wasn’t until she reached her 30s that Gay understood her initial perception as the result of her fear of breaking from the “image-producing system” that did not grant her “the same possibilities for resistance and rebellion” held by men who had previously forced her subservience in familial, platonic, and romantic relationships. Still, acknowledging the “feminist” part of her identity also seemed to give her freedom to openly express other aspects of her identity as well. Though she jokingly refers to herself as a “bad feminist,” Gay admits that the liberation offered through feminism actually allows her to express her full identity; most importantly, it gives her freedom from the anti-feminist “silencing of women and making their experiences invisible."

However, it is not feminism itself that provides Gay the opportunity to express her multifaceted individualism, but rather, the coinciding impact of intersectionality. This means that cultures around the world are beginning to recognize the natural fluidity of self-concept, which allows the feminist movement to evolve from its dated stereotypes. Gay appears to acknowledge this shift in one of the podcast’s audio insertions from her previous TED speech: “I think identity is all the things that make us who we are. And some of those things are mutable, and some of them are immutable." Combining this powerful statement with a pensive-sounding musical overlay, the podcast deftly identifies the main topic of the interview, yet leaves the listener anticipating further explanation. Following this, the segment transitions to Gay’s live interview, where she single-handedly maintains audience attention with spontaneous, yet clever question responses. The only technical enhancements occurring during the rest of this segment are other small musical effects used to underscore her particularly moving or comedic statements. Overall, the episode’s structure provides a mostly-unaffected listening experience, though the occasional use of musical accents or TED talk audio clips adds emphasis to Gay’s narrative about feminism and identity.

Combating the "Other" Through Music

The Black Panther soundtrack, released in February 2018, continued the theme of black representation in media that the film had already established by featuring an all black artist lineup, with rapper Kendrick Lamar producing and featuring in every single track on the album. The album incorporates traditional African elements, as well as featuring South African rappers and singers performing in their native South African languages to establish the authenticity and unique nature of the musical piece. In particular, the lyrics of the closing track “Pray For Me”, performed by The Weeknd and Lamar, embody the representative nature of the album and works to fight against some of the stereotypes attributed to the black population.

According to Smith, media messages lead to the creation of the “Other”, a group of people who are different from the main protagonists. This creation of the “Other” oftentimes leads to harmful stereotypes and limits the representation of minorities in media. As Smith states, minorities (“Others”) are often painted to be either the villains of the story or as needing to be flawless in order to be accepted. Minorities lose the ability to correctly represent themselves when they have no control over the portrayal. This one dimensional depiction leads to an incorrect and harmful perception of the black population, an image which Lamar and The Weeknd seek to combat with their track.

The lyrics of “Pray for Me” depict an internal battle within oneself, a constant conflict between fighting yourself and eventually accepting that you are your own hero. Lamar showcases this internal battle when he raps “I fight the world, I fight you, I fight myself” at the start of his verse but later adds “You need a hero, look in the mirror, there go your hero”. Even though Lamar goes through intense struggles in life and struggles to accept himself, he is ultimately his own hero. Only Lamar himself can stop his fighting; he is the only one who prays for him.

“Pray For Me” serves as an example of both delegative and expression representation. Delegative representation occurs when members of the group create the portrayal of the group. In this case, the song was produced and performed by black artists; The Weeknd and Lamar have control over the type of message and image conveyed by the song. Both artists create a genuine feel to the song and present the audience with a taste of African culture by incorporating African drumming and traditional African vocalization onto the track.

Expression representation, on the other hand, is the creation of identity beyond the stereotype. The lyrics challenge the notion that black people are one dimensional— either the villain or the perfect person— and instead presents them as multifaceted beings. Lamar and The Weeknd attempt to stay away from either extreme end of the spectrum, focusing on adopting a unique position in the middle. The black population is neither a villain nor a perfect person, but rather something completely unique and realistic.

The Black Panther soundtrack combats the image of the black “Other” that persists in media and allows Lamar and the other featured artists to take control of their own representation. Through this control, they shows that black people are complex individuals who must stand up for themselves when no one else will. Black people are capable of being their own heroes.

Feminist Approach to 'Girl On Fire'

“Girl On Fire” is a song recorded by American singer Alicia Keys in 2012. The song is about finding female’s own inner strength and channeling it in a way they have never tried before. Since the song can be characterized into feminist songs, the following paragraphs try to analyze the song through the images and representations approach, which is introduced as a feminist approach to popular culture.

First analyzation is to interpret the images being present and the revelation of such images about women’s position in the culture. The song portraits a girl that is “on fire”, and it can be generalized to meaning that the girl is passionate and untamed. To describe something on fire, the most prominent feature would be it is definitely noticeable and major. The image of a girl “on fire” reveal on a larger scale that women in the society or culture is doing well and empowering themselves constantly.

Next questions to answer are whose images are they and who do they serve. The image belongs to a girl that is being introduced in the very first line of the song. Alicia did not stop there but she immediately attached a characteristic to the girl through a metaphor, “she’s on fire”. The images can also be broadened because the song is considered as a female empowering song. The images serve as a way to show women that they can be like the girl depicted in the song, take control and light up their lives.

The consequence of these images is positive. As a common drama, feminist songs are often denounced for spitting fire at men or creating negative image toward male. In “Girl On Fire”, there is no mention of the other sex which made the song a true feminist song. It is a shame nowadays that a lot of feminist media products use disrespectful strategies to elevate female’s position in society. It is understandable that this approach can be prominent and eye catching, but the consequence can also be devastating the the meaning of feminism. Praising one sex does not mean dragging down another sex, but the competitive environment is so prevalent that creates such dehumanizing situation.

The image means that the girl is untamed, uncontrollable and fearless when Alicia commands the audience to “look the other way”. By elevating the girl Alicia allows the audience to wonder what makes this girl a “flame”. In the final verse this answer is revelled. Alicia confirms that the girl is human but what sets her apart from others is her ability to overcome the “catastrophes” that life throws at her or the ability to stay motivated even though “she’s a lonely girl”. This adds a realistic touch to the song aside from her heavenly. This quote can be complicated as Alicia could be suggesting that the girl or female in general do not need a male companion to be “bright” or a beacon of light bringing hope to this “lonely world”.

In conclusion, the song lays out its image through the phrasing of “on fire”. To be “on fire” is to grant females the freedom to take full control of who they are and how they want to live their life. It’s that moment females choose to claim their power and be extraordinary.

Different for Girls: Making Claims about Women in Media

In the song “Different for Girls” by Dierks Bentley, song writers J.T. Harding and Shane McAnally compare how women respond to break ups differently than men. They claim that women are more emotional in the time after a breakup, while men try to move on by ignoring their feelings or acting out. The song was released in 2016 by Capitol Nashville Records.

Overall, one of the main conclusions of the song is that emotion demands to be felt, even though it is different based on gender. For men in the song, emotion is expressed through aggression. For women, emotion is expressed upfront, but must be limited to maintain their image. The writers construct the female perspective of breakups based on assumptions and stereotypes of women.

By applying a feminist analysis approach, “Different for Girls” misrepresents women by constructing a woman’s response to break ups from a man’s point of view. The artists only identify women through their stereotypical experience of emotion. Because both song writers are men, they only understand a woman’s reaction to a breakup from the outside. There is no true woman’s experience of emotion taken into consideration. The creative viewpoint is not female; therefore, it is misinformed by applying specific emotions and experiences to all women.

One specific form of feminist analysis is the image and representation approach. This interpretation of feminism looks at “what kinds of images are present and what do these images reveal about women’s position in culture,". It is important to understand what affects these images of women in media have on society and culture. “Different for Girls” perpetuates the classic stereotype of women being emotional over men; this has a negative effect for women in society.

“Different for Girls” creates images that represent women’s relations with men, their own lives, and society. For example, the song states, “she don’t sleep all day and leave the house a wreck// she don’t have the luxury to let herself go,”. This quote represents the ideal image of a woman in society: a pretty, put together, homemaker. Even though women are emotional after their breakup, they must overcome their emotion to maintain an image. The ideal woman experiences emotion after breakups but not so much that she cannot maintain her image. The writers create meaning in the song at the expense of women.

Furthermore, Bentley sings, “when the going gets tough… they [guys] can just act tough// it’s different for girls,”. This lyric creates the idea when things get hard, women succumb to emotion. This makes them the weaker sex. In an interview about the song, Shane McAnally stated, “females are built in a way that they go towards emotion, that they wear their hearts on their sleeves." This is a generalization of females, which McAnally demonstrates within the song. The artists assume that all women experience emotions the same way; this limits the diversity of the true personalities of women.

In conclusion, “Different for Girls” represents women in popular culture by constructing them as the more emotional, weaker sex. Feminist analysis demonstrates the importance of accurate representation of women and their experiences. This song does not correctly demonstrate a woman’s experience; therefore, it perpetuates stereotypes of how females should act in society.

What is America?

“This is America,” written by Childish Gambino, contains themes of gun violence and historical racism towards African Americans in the United States. The song begins with traditional South African music that is quickly interrupted by an abrupt gunshot sound, then the song transitions several times between more typical rap music and gospel choir singing. The song creates new meaning of the African American experience in the United States through the practice of expression and an engagement with a greater conversation about black lives and police brutality through intertextuality.

Historically, African Americans have been denied the chance to tell their stories; instead, media images portray them as caricatures or stereotypes. This song, however, was created, produced by, and features many African American artists thus giving them a platform to tell their uniquely African American experiences in a way that is unprecedented.

In “This is America,” Childish Gambino addresses gun violence and racism against African Americans and other issues most people would rather not talk about. Rap and hip-hop are hugely influential in American pop culture, however, when it comes to defending black lives and talking about police brutality, there is a huge pushback by a lot of Americans including the same fans who listen to Childish Gambino and other rappers. The line “we just want to party, party just for you” is Childish Gambino’s way of pointing out how American society only accepts and admires African Americans when they’re providing some form of entertainment.

The addressing of these issues leads to a practice of expression in identity politics because Childish Gambino introduces new meaning as to what it means to be black in America. African Americans in “This is America” are portrayed as gun-carrying drug dealers, a stereotype that is not a good representation of the diversity within the black community, however Childish Gambino uses these stereotypes in his song to point out their negative and damaging nature. In this way, Childish Gambino is creating the possibility of an identity beyond stereotypes for African Americans.

Childish Gambino also uses intertextuality to clearly establish the song within the very topical conversation about the experiences of African Americans in the United States specifically in terms of police brutality. The song doesn’t mention police brutality by name however uses implicit references such as the line “police be trippin’ up.” This is a reference to how police have shown discrimination towards African Americans that has resulted in police officers using excessive violence where it was not warranted.

Another use of intertextuality is the line “this a celly, that’s a tool.” This is an implicit reference to a case of police brutality from March of 2018; Stephon Clark was shot and killed by police who thought he was armed with a gun (“a tool”) when it was only his phone (“celly”). This could also be a reference to cell phones being tools with which people can combat police brutality because the idea is that most police officers stop unlawful acts if they know they’re being recorded.

The intertextuality within this song situates it in the larger, distinctly American conversation about the status of African Americans as second-class citizens in the United Status and the consequences of this. This song along with other similar media messages demonstrate an active effort on the part of people within the black community to create a positive social change and elevate their status in the United States. The gunshot sound in the beginning of “This is America” almost seems like Childish Gambino’s way of telling people to wake up and stop naively believing that everything is fine in America.

Does 'Ain't Your Mama' reflect Feminism?

Jennifer Lopez has always been a mega-influence in the music industry and has contributed to several genres including but not limited to, pop, classical and soul music. And like most music videos nowadays, almost all her songs carry some meaning and represent different aspects such as racial circumstances and empowerment of different groups. In this piece, we will be looking at her view on feminism and what the pop-artist has to clearly say about it. As we can see from the title itself, the artist is already talking to the opposite sex by telling them that she isn’t their mom. This itself tells us that the level of love and affection has its limits. The entire video features Jennifer in different scenarios, as a household wife, a female in the workspace and a news reporter. In all these scenes, Lopez attempts to show how women are portrayed after which she shows them how to stand up for themselves.

The music video begins with the artist in a phone booth as it rains, talking - most probably - to her spouse explaining how she is ‘tired and can’t do it anymore’. As she gets to work (as a news anchor) she is soaking wet and exhibits signs of exhaustion; in the background, one can clearly hear the following words – “human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for, it’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the Unites States of America”. This is a piece taken directly from Hillary Clinton’s speech in Beijing, China at the Fourth Women’s Conference. Right away, we can see that this is a form of Intertextuality that has been embedded in the music video. Intertextuality, simply described is the shaping or interpretation of a text’s meaning by another text.

She then continues by urging women to get off their chairs and go their windows and declare that they won’t be their man’s mama. The artist chooses to use a mother as the reference points simply because men are often referred to mama’s boy, and in addition to this, mothers are generally known to have the ultimate and unconditional love for their children and will do anything for them. Thus, the artist is showing the audience all these situations that women are subjected to and that they ought to set limits and not give in to everything he wants.

The first instance we see is Jennifer as a stay-at-home wife who is seen bringing dinner to the table as the husband just sits relaxed as he reads the paper. As he reaches out for the meal, she slaps his hand, grabs the whole casserole and pours it all over him. Secondly, she plays the role of a secretary who is busy at work when her boss comes in and stares at her low-cut top which is what one refers to as male gaze. At this point she pulls him by the tie and traps him in the typewriter machine. Finally, another image she portrays is that of an average assistant to a man in the workplace. In this scene, it looks as though she is going over some files with him as they walk towards a conference room; upon arrival, he walks into the room and shuts the door behind him. Out of rage, she heads to the larger work area and asserts her dominance. One of the greatest examples of this is Lopez solving her co-workers Rubik’s Cube and throwing it back to him.

The video then comes to an end with the artist attracting a large crowd of women to the streets as a sign of rebellion through expressive dance. In conclusion, Jennifer Lopez uses this song along with its music video to illustrate how women need to learn how stand up for themselves and not bow down to everything that the male figure is imposing on them.

Semiotics in Hotel California

“Hotel California”, composed by Glenn Frey, Don Felder, and Don Henley, is an iconic classic rock song released in 1976 by the Eagles. It won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, and is easily the band’s most famous song. Inarguably, the song is a classic of its time, and it is still considered influential in the world of rock music today.

The meaning of the song has been debated since its release, with several different interpretations. In this blog post, I use the concept of semiotics to analyze the song’s symbols and message.

In Message, Signs, and Meanings: A Basic Textbook in Semiotics and Communication by Marcel Danesi, we learn that most, if not every message has a meaning behind it, and usually employs symbols and signs in order to portray that meaning. The concept of semiotics is very important in the analysis of “Hotel California” because it is a song full of symbolic meanings that do not have the same meaning at first glance.

The message behind the “Hotel California” is carried out throughout the song. The “hotel” is a place that although “lovely”, it also traps you, “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave”. 

At face value, the basic denotation of the “hotel”, is that it’s desirable, and everyone wants to be there, but that it is also dangerous, and inescapable-once you’re in, you can’t come out. The connotation of this place however, is much more complex than meets the eye.

What the lyrics really represent is the “excess in America” (Wilkins). Through the lens of semiotics, the “hotel” in the song can be interpreted as a symbol for the Hollywood dream. The Eagles are sending the message that America itself is filled with greed, and that people will do anything to be as rich, and powerful as they can, and get the most attention that they can. The message behind this, however, is that once you attain this idealistic mindset, there’s no going back.

The “hotel” represents the excess in places like Hollywood, especially, because that city in particular is held to a standard that it’s where dreams come true, and where big things happen. We often hear of people dreaming of “making it” in Hollywood someday.

The band’s lyrics recognizes the unrealistic expectations of these “dreams”- a life full of “Mercedes bends” and “pink champagne on ice”, but the song almost immediately tears these expectations down, affirming that although this might be what people think is “the life”, it is actually harmful, and can destroy you, because there’s a point of no return “Last thing I remember, I was running for the door, I had to find the passage back to the place I was before.

The song is clearly making a political message with its denunciation of America’s thirst for fame and fortune. On a cultural level, it also sends a message about the song writers’ lives. They were all “middle class kids from the Midwest” (Wilkins).

They admit to having lived simple, middle class lives and they later became rock stars as the Eagles. Because of their personal backgrounds and the cultures that they grew up in, as well as the culture they witnessed as a famous rock band, at its core, the song is a warning of this kind of success. The message is that there should be caution and skepticism toward this life that everyone claims they want so desperately, in an almost “careful what you wish for” tone.

“Hotel California” symbolizes so much more than just a place you can never leave. Through the use of semiotics, we see that based on their own shared experiences, the writer’s of the song adopt an ominous rock sound to send out a social-political message about the excessive greed of Americans.

Casual but Powerful

  

The Joe Rogan Experience is a conversational podcast started by American comedian, sports commentator, actor, television host, and public figure Joe Rogan. Rogan and fellow comedian Brian Redban launched the podcast in December 2009. The podcast has since become one of the most popular podcasts with over 16 million downloads per month, and thrives from Rogan’s long conversational interviews with a wide range of guests including comedians, mix-martial arts fighters, actors, musicians, authors, political and social activists and many more.

I started listening to the Joe Rogan Experience about three years ago and was immediately drawn in. The podcast has about three or four guests per week ranging from all kinds of people. While there is no specific topic of discussion, Rogan has deemed himself an intellectual, passionate, and brilliant conversationalist who spends a lengthy two to three hours per podcast talking with his guests. During the course of these podcast episodes, Rogan allows listeners to gain a more personal and in-depth perspective of the guests he interviews. While many of his podcast episodes dive into issues such as current events and political and social issues, and intellectual thinking, he also has a brighter side where to talks about the comedy industry and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) where he has become the most influential and recognizable commentator in the sports history.  

The podcast has had massive social and cultural influence over recent years. Rogan is a massive advocate of marijuana and has had a major influence on exposing opioids and promoting the benefits of the previously condemned and still widely illegal substance. Rogan’s podcast is held in LA where marijuana is legal, and often smokes with his guests on the show. Rogan firmly believes in marijuana’s medicinal benefits and often questions why many politicians seem to adopt the opposing approach to the substance. In the podcast, Rogan has had multiple disagreements over this subject with figures like musician Ted Nugent and conservative political commentator Steven Crowder. 

With the growing popularity of The Joe Rogan Experience, there has been a steady rise in influential political and social figures that have appeared as guests on the show. On September 6 of 2018, Joe Rogan and Tesla CEO Elon Musk sat down for nearly three hours discussing current topics such as the benefits and concerns of A.I., environmental concerns and future technologies.

With such a wide variety of guests on the podcast, there is no shortage of controversy. Alex Jones, Lance Armstrong, and Milo Yiannopoulos are all extremely controversial figures that have been invited on the podcast to share and discuss their viewpoints. In the episode featuring Elon Musk, both Rogan and Musk smoke marijuana as they talk about intellectual issues.

While The Joe Rogan Experience is definitely not for everyone, and has been considered controversial by many, it is unquestionably one of the most popular and influential podcasts today. Being completely unscripted and lasting over two hours per episode, the podcast gives a very different perspective to many of the guests on the show while doing so in a very casual manner.

We Didn't Start the Fire

Billy Joel released the hit song We Didn’t Start the Fire which includes short allusions to various significant world events starting from his birth in 1949 up until the release year of the song, 1989. The song is organized nicely in that each stanza represents a decade of time starting from the 40s and ending with the 80s. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and was a No. 1 hit in the United States.

We Didn’t Start the Fire features over 100 one-to-three-word references of newspaper headlines. Many are political or foreign issues during the time such as the JFK assassination, Red China, and the Communist Bloc. Some, though, are references to events pertaining to literature and arts. He mentions several names of artists and actors including Doris Day, Sergei Prokofiev, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and others.

It seems as if he is paying respect to the artists before him who made his career possible but also is grieving their deaths. One example is when he mentions Buddy Holly. Right before he says his name, Joel uses Holly’s signature hiccup “uh-huh, uh-huh”. He does this with other references as well. All of the references are either beginning or ends of careers which evoke two different feelings: one of excitement for beginning and another of grief for the end (usually resulting in death). By doing this Billy Joel takes the listener on a rollercoaster going through all Billy Joel has lived through in only 4 and a half minutes.

The chorus is different from the rest of the song in that it doesn’t reference any events but history as a whole. Billy Joel uses the title ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ over and over again to explain that society isn’t to blame for all of these historical events. He then follows with ‘but we did ignite it when we tried to fight it’. What I got from that line is that when society tries to suppress something or calm it down it can end up making it bigger.

We can also see how Billy Joel felt about all of these headlines when he says, “I can’t take it anymore”. I think Billy Joel created this song not only to pay homage and respect to the various deceased musicians and show how far music has come along but also to portray his feeling about everything that happened. He was tired of all the crazy conflicts overseas and how it affected people domestically. It seemed as though he had all this built up frustration with the world and by releasing this song he also managed to release his anger.

One of Billy Joel’s top songs was not only good because of its sound, but also because of its deeper meaning. Fans are able to go through a timeline in which many exciting, tragic, or stressful events took place and they are able to do it such a short time. People can hear Joel’s emotion and how he feels about all that is happened. This just goes to show how powerful music can be in conveying messages to audiences.

Aretha Franklin's "Respect"

Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” is interpreted as a champion of women’s empowerment as well as a symbol of the nature of womanhood. It lays the foundation for what some see as an iconic feminist song that advocates for the respect of women. Lana F. Rakow discusses the goal of Feminism which is to “critique existing social relations”. The notion of the Feminist agenda has been to examine the portrayal of women in society. Franklin’s song focuses on the idea that men should treat their wives with respect after a long day of work.

Since its release in 1965, “Respect” has been used by various parties to represent different causes, all of which challenge the original song’s notion of the respect of women. Despite of this, the feminist agenda remains to empower and respect women in all aspects of society. The song allowed for a new portrayal of women which eradicated the common perception of women as purely housewives and members who should be dominated by men.

Franklin’s iconic song “Respect” was one of several sparks that eventually set fire to the hegemony that was present in America and the world at the time. The idea that women’s roles were in the home and “real” jobs were left to men and that women were weaker and inferior to their counterparts (men). The new ideology being created due to Franklin’s song was that women were stronger and more capable than they had previously been given credit for, and that they should earn respect for it. The song “Respect” completely shifted the perception of women at the time. The male gaze to observe the women as incapable of being respected was transformed into that of female gaze striving to be respect in a male dominated society.

Aretha Franklin’s song “Respect” had a tremendous societal significant at that time, for it shifted the cultural portrayal of a women. The song’s lyrics rise the question of how women are treated and how they should be treated. The words “All I’m askin’ is for a little respect when you get home” highlight the double standards of that time. The women were treated as purely housewives that received no respect. However, they no longer wanted that role, but instead wanted to be respected. The lyrics “is to give me my propers” clearly states the things that woman wanted and expected from society; in this way, she was defying the concept of ideological hegemony that women were supposed to be soft housewives. Through the song, Franklin was able to provide women with the ability to receive their respect, which the male hegemony prevented.

The creation of Franklin’s “Respect” represents the feminist goal to shift cultural perspectives of women. The hierarchical structure set by the dominant male groups that “discouraged women from their own creativity and myth-making” was beginning to crumble, since a new wave of feminist ideas was coming forth. To conclude, the song “Respect” is a pioneer feminist idea that shifted the perception of women as soft housewives into strong hardworking women that deserved Respect.

Just a Girl

Just a Girl is a 1995 hit by No Doubt, sung by lead Gwen Stefani. It contains heavily feminist lyrics through a sarcastic message of exhaustion with women’s treatment. 

No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani sings the song from her own perspective. She communicates the struggles of being a woman in each verse, but does so in a sarcastic way. Directly asking for the poor treatment sarcastically shows her exhaustion throughout the song with lines such as “so don’t let me have any rights.” She communicates her position as a lower class citizen and, through a literal view, tells how she wants the poor treatment. However, the obvious sarcasm not only shows how much she hates the treatment, but also communicates how fed up she is with the treatment. Her phrasing and wording shows how exhausted she is with sexism. This is nothing new to her, she has been facing this her whole life. “Oh, I’m just a girl, Take a good look at me, Just your typical prototype.” The message would lose strength without the sarcasm, as this tactic heavily magnifies how fed up she is in a passive aggressive manner.

To contrast with the sarcasm in each verse, she scatters in a direct message of her exhaustion throughout the song. Most commonly, she repeats “oh, I’ve had it up to here!” Her sarcastic verses build up a feeling of guilt, then, at the end of each, her direct, aggressive conclusion hits hard as a finisher. This format is perfect to build sympathy, and it allows her to communicate her human nature instead of being seen as an object. If she was to communicate in a more aggressive, less sarcastic format, she would come off as hot-headed and would be dismissed. If she was to use a more subordinate tone, without the obvious exhaustion, it could easily be overlooked. This format, on the other hand, is perfectly aggressive enough to catch attention and make the wrongdoers uncomfortable, but at the same time, is civil enough to gain relatability and support from others. This relatability is a big part of the message. While she discusses her personal experiences, she does so in a manner that all women could relate to.

She feels completely trapped in the sexist stereotype. “I’m just a girl in the world. That’s all that you’ll let me be! Oh, I’m just a girl, living in captivity.” She is confined by oppression, but she found that she can get her message out through songwriting. Easily relatable lyrics with a direct yet not over-the-top tone transform the song from a catchy new-wave tune to a meaningful statement. She can be confined in society, but her words spread far. 

In Just a Girl, Gwen Stefani sends a heavily feminist message of discontent and exhaustion with treatment towards women in 1995 society. By using sarcasm, she creates a passive aggressive dynamic within the lyrics that attracts attention without being too aggressive as to put off potential allies. The whole song comes together as a relatable piece for modern women.

Jamila Woods: poet, singer, soldier

In the summer of 2016, Chicago native Jamila Woods released HEAVN, an album exploring the identity politics of black womanhood in America. Released amidst the dawn of #BlackLivesMatter, Woods’ music dives head first into the historically entrenched violence against black people. Yet, as a poet and soul vocalist, she does so all while maintaining an air of vibrancy. This post will primarily analyze the track “Blk Girl Soldier”, which encapsulates these characteristics. Ultimately, by invoking the enchanting power of “black girl magic” and drawing parallels to prominent black women of eras past, Woods presents an optimistic anthem for racial justice.

Photo form https://jamilawoodswrites.com

“Blk Girl Soldier” sounds upbeat and poppy. It’s driven largely by Woods’ silky vocals, which are accented by lively percussion, groovy synthesizer and buoyant backup singers. While the song’s energetic sound does not conceal its emotional weight, it does reveal to listeners that its message remains hopeful.

Central to Woods’ theme is “black girl magic,” a term coined by activist CaShawn Thompson to describe the historical achievements of black women. From movies like Hidden Figures highlighting black, female NASA engineers to the media emphasizing black women’s role in blocking Roy Moore from the senate, there appears a mass recognition of this long marginalized demographic. In chorus lines “see she’s telepathic, call it black girl magic,” Woods seizes upon this movement, celebrating an unnamed black girl who stands for millions of accomplished yet forgotten black girls before her.

Despite the optimistic message of black girl magic, “Blk Girl Soldier” remains laden with references to racial trauma. In the first verse, Woods sings, “We go missing by the hundreds,” referring to the preponderance of missing black women in America, fueled by a system of broken policing. “They put her body in a jar and forget her,” she continues, alluding to South African Sarah Baartman, a black woman who was paraded around Europe in the 19thcentury due to her large buttocks, and posthumously displayed, grotesquely, in a French museum. In another line, the artist declares, “The camera loves us, Oscar doesn’t.” Here, Woods highlights the tension between white society fetishizing black women in cases like Baartman while under crediting their accomplishments in the arts (i.e., the #OscarsSoWhite movement). Through these potent examples, Woods illustrates how the world has constantly defined and subjugated black women.

Despite this trauma, the theme of “Blk Girl Soldier” is resistance. Woods expands the scope of her project by naming the historical figures from which she draws inspiration. In the third verse, she explains, “Rosa was a freedom fighter and she taught us how to fight,” referring to, of course, Rosa Parks of the Montgomery bus boycott. She repeats this pattern by replacing Rosa with Assata Shakur, Sojourner Truth and other black revolutionaries. Further, Woods threads this timeline together with poetic observations such as “last century last week.” Although the subjugation of black women has proven long lasting, so too has the tradition of resistance.

In conclusion, listeners can read “Blk Girl Soldier” through a lens of identity politics. As Greg Smith discusses, the danger of such artifacts lies in their inability to accurately portray an entire, diverse demographic defined by traits other than race and gender. After all, perhaps not all black girls want to present themselves as soldiers of resistance. Nevertheless, Woods aims to counter a history of white people defining her identity for her. Whether as “angry black woman,” “welfare queen” or passive victim, white society has long controlled the narrative surrounding what it means to be a black woman. To this, the artist says no more. In calling attention to the power and excellence of black women throughout space and time, Woods reclaims her agency.