Here are five songs that were on my mind all weekend and will help us keep fighting the fight. All songs are written by women and sung by women. Happy Women's March weekend.
1. Joan Armatrading - "Join The Boys"
("Are you in? Are you out?")
Taken from her wildly underappreciated 1976, Glyn Johns produced debut album, this funky track empowers female musicians to saddle up and join the boys club. Yet, taken out of context, the words remain stirringly relevant to the cause. And it's got a damn good groove.
2. PJ Harvey - "The Glorious Land"
("Oh America. Oh England. How is our glorious country sewn? Not with wheat and corn.")
Polly Harvey flies under the radar for many. She is an indisputable musical genius, with a rather patchy catalogue of albums spanning these last 25 years. Her 2011 album, "Let England Shake" is a masterpiece of the highest order, one of my favorite albums of this decade. Harvey used numerous outside sources to form the lyrical context of this work, including Russian and Middle Eastern folk songs, and poetry written by various anonymous soldiers during WWI. Not as flagrantly optimistic as my other choices, this song, and the entire album as a whole, is perhaps more cautionary tale than empowerment anthem. But the impact is undeniable.
3. Laura Nyro - "Save the Country"
("I've got fury in my soul...")
I'm bothered by people who feel Laura Nyro does not belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She is responsible for a staggering number of 60s classics for many different artists and every one of her albums is breathtaking. Her influence is felt in nearly every female songwriter around today. Of course, there are countless other women who deserve to be in the Hall as well, but should we remove such a genius on account of them? Certainly not. And, how anyone can say she's less deserving than Jimmy Cliff (whom I love, but whose induction no one ever complains about) or Bill Withers is curious to me.
Soapbox aside, Laura is the real deal. That bold, brassy voice is too much for some, but her songs have a raw, earnest, even flamboyant quality that defy pigeon-holing. I was obsessed with her in college and she occupies a very special place in my heart. "Save the Children" is the centerpiece of her "New York Tendaberry" album. Her music speaks for itself. It's some of the most arresting pop music ever recorded.
This video is a treasure, as it's one of the only videos (along with the Monterey Pop film) of Laura performing that exists today.
4. Judee Sill - "Soldier of the Heart"
("Soldier of the heart, I'm marching with you...")
Sill is one of the most tragic figures in all of Rock and Roll; the stuff of urban legend. While she's never exceeded that of a cult figure, much more has been written about her foibles and troubled background, rather than the unique passion and haunting baroque complexities of her music. Yes, her story is fascinating, through all the drugs, crime, mental illness, and untimely death (look it up). But not enough people are familiar with her two landmark 70s albums, "Judee Sill" and "Heart Food". Her voice is just the right combination of twang and tenderness that makes songs like "The Kiss", "Jesus Was a Crossmaker" and "Crayon Angels" eternally moving.
This gospel-tinged song may be the most up-tempo track in her catalogue...complete with a guitar solo! It's 70s production seethes. But God, that melody. Coupled with those fun lyrics. Perfection.
If you've never heard of Sill, get both her albums now.
5. Patti Smith - "People Have the Power"
("People have the power to redeem the work of fools.")
An obvious (and fairly cheesy) choice, but a necessary one. Never into Patti that much, but she's an important figure. Throw your fist in the air, march down that street and let this song ring in your head.
Love to all.
- Josh
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