I Am Woman

Two-Spirits

Ol' Dirty Bastard

The Story of "Rent"

Evolution of David Bowie

Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical and the LGBT Movement

Voguing

The Evolution of Gaga

Life of a Hijra

Boy George: Sexuality and Music

Two Hearts Beating In My Chest

Madonna: Queen of Pop

Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul

Marilyn Manson Shocks Cultural & Gender Roles

"Do It Like a Dude"

Our culture’s opinion of what is “normal” for each gender is being shaped each and every day. People have very different ideas of how men and women are supposed to act; however, there are general concepts that a lot of people believe. Society has different ways of expressing these concepts, but music is definitely one of the most common ways of expression. There are many songs that satirize gender norms, point out gender restrictions, and focus on cultural concepts of gender. One song that strongly highlights typical male behavior and attempts to close the gender gap is “Do It Like a Dude” by Jessie J.

Girls Love Beyonce

Hip-Hop artist Aubrey Drake Graham, better known as Drake, was born in Toronto, Canada on October 24, 1986. The television actor/ rapper got his start on the hit TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation in which he portrayed a high school basketball star who was crippled after being shot by a fellow classmate. From there, Drake started his rap career with two mixtapes: “Room for Improvement” and “Comeback Season,” which featured the song “Replacement Girl,” a hit that was shown on Black Entertainment Television’s hit show 106 & Park. 

Just Like a Woman

Bob Dylan’s song “Just Like a Woman” was first released on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde.  It quickly rose to #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and is recognized as one of the greatest songs of all time.  Dylan had a number of other popular songs at the time and produced several songs that would become anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements.  His music essentially altered the style of popular music at the time, using electric instruments and lyrics that incorporated many political, philosophical and social issues.

"Will the Rules Change Up or Will They Still Apply"

Ciara Princess Harris was born on October 25, 1985 in Austin, Texas. Since her father was in the army and she moved around a lot, they found a permanent settlement in Atlanta, Georgia. Through watching Destiny’s Child, a popular female R&B group at the time, she decided to pursue a career in music. Her first professional opportunity as a singer came when she joined the group: Hear’Say; she was able to work on her songwriting skills during this time. She eventually left the group, graduated from high school and signed with  LaFace Records in 2003. With producer, Jazzy Pha, on her side her first album, titled “Goodies”, was released in 2004.

"If I Was Your Girlfriend"

In 1987, Prince crossed a bridge that few others had when he released “If I Was Your Girlfriend” because it defies cultural concepts of gender.  Steve Huey writes that Prince’s song is, “a playful yet profound attempt to bridge gender differences.”  Because of this clashing of genders, it did not become a big hit in the United States. On the same album, Sign ‘O’ The Times, there were three songs among the top 50 charts, but “If I Was Your Girlfriend” was not one of them.   Prince’s inspiration, its lyrics, and its history are all key to how one of the most important and most interesting androgynous songs of all time came to be.

Life in plastic, it's fantastic

Barbie Girl, a pop tune by the Danish-Norwegian band named Aqua (formerly known as Joyspeed), was an instant hit when released in 1997. The song sold eight 8 million copies. Barbie girl was written by two of the Aqua band members Claus Norreen and Soren Rasted.

Barbie Girl is a hyperbole of what the standard of women should be. The exaggeration is shown through the lyrics and the video. The music video was directed by Peder Pedersen and Peter Stenbaek. The video shows a day in Barbie’s life. In the video, Barbie has everything from her Barbie’s Dream House, Barbie’s Dream Car, and her perfect boyfriend Ken. She does her day-to-day things from her bath, feeding her pet, and doing her hair and getting dressed. The hyperbole is shown in the way things are done. These daily chores are done in a ditsy way; if you pay attention closely the video is fact. The dog isn’t real. She says in a ditsy way, “oh, I knocked the dog over.” It was the stereotypical barbie girl once again.  During the whole video Ken is trying to get Barbie to “party with him” - the stereotypical dynamic.

In the lyrics of Barbie Girl, Barbie is described as a “blonde bimbo girl”. Blondes already have the known reputation of being ditsy and not very intelligent, and the fact that the lead singer (Lena) says this as if being referred a blonde bimbo girl is a complement isn't the smartest thing to say. A conversation takes place within the song between Barbie and Ken and they say:

Barbie: I'm a blond bimbo girl, in a fantasy world,

Dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly.

Ken: You're my doll, rock'n'roll, feel the glamor in pink,

Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky.

Barbie: You can touch,

you can play,if you say "I'm always yours"

The conversation between Barbie and Ken shows that Ken wants Barbie in a sexual manner and Barbie is okay with that, just as long as Ken says nice things to her (e.g “I’m always yours”). The conversation also shows how some men feel that they can have whatever woman that they want, just by saying things “women like to hear.”

Another conversation between Barbie and Ken says:

Barbie: Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please,

                  I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees.

       

 Ken: Come jump in, bimbo friend, let us do it again,

    Hit the town, fool around, let's go party

This conversation shows how submissive women are portrayed. Barbie is basically asking Ken to make her do whatever he wants and not what she wants. The phrase “...I can beg on my knees…” shows that she has no problem begging a man instead of being independent. Ken, in this context, is displaying how he just want to have a good time. He degrades Barbie by referring to her as a bimbo. He insults her intelligence and shows that he wants nothing to do with her, plus all Ken wants to do is “party”.

Controversially speaking, Mattel (toy manufacturing company) sued Aqua for basically misrepresenting Barbie by calling her a “blonde bimbo girl”. Aqua replied saying that Mattel put derogatory label on the song and not the band. The judge ruled that the song was protected under the First Amendment and the case was dismissed. Sixteen years since the release of the song, Mattel has embraced the song and actually used it during the relaunching of Barbie (with revised lyrics, of course). Isn’t funny how Mattel sued Aqua over the the same song used in the relaunch of their product?

It’s hard to believe that Norreen and Rasted wrote Barbie Girl with no connection to the product of Barbie. The lyrics says “I’m a Barbie girl, In a Barbie world…” and “Imagination, Life is Your Creation…”. Barbie considers the place in which she lives in as Barbie World. Also, the initial purpose of Barbie was to be set as a portal for girls to live their dreams and make the ideal that exist in their imagination come to life. The original Barbie was to a be a blonde, so the fact the “blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world” lyric is not related to the product of Barbie is highly unlikely in my head.

The phenomenon of the “Barbie” has taking a new turn recently. Ukrainian, Valeria Lukyanova, has had surgery so she could look like a real life barbie. Lukyanova started her process in 2007 and now she’s a full blown doll. She has received  breast implants and she states that she has been on
a fluid diet for a year before switching to a water diet.(rumor has it that she several ribs removed to get the barbie-esque figure)  She eats only blended shakes of raw fruits and vegetables
to keep her waist trim. Now, she plans on giving up food altogether to live on sunlight. Lukyanova is a very spiritual person.

Well once you talk about Barbie, you have to talk about Barbie’s dream guy Ken. Justin Jedlica, had devoted his life to becoming the real life Ken. Justin Jedica has had over 100 plastic surgeries and has spent over $100,000. He's had five nose jobs, a brow lift, pectoral implants, chin work, buttock work, and other surgeries. Ironically, Jedlica and Lukyanova do not get along. Jedlica apparently stated that Lukyanova looked “fake looking” and he she didn't  like that so much. Lukyanova responded that she’s only had one surgery unlike Jedlica.


Personally speaking, my daughter will not viewing the Barbie Girl video. I wouldn’t want my daughter singing the lyrics “You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere”. A child’s mind could be manipulated so easily by what is being seen, due to the fact that children repeat everything that they see. When I was younger, I sang the lyrics to Barbie Girl. When I got older, I finally understood what I’ve been singing.

Really, "I Don't Need A Man"

Really, “I Don’t Need A Man”

                                                                                                                                 

Love is the most popular topic that exists in music. According to the data of BaiDu Music, in the top 500, 384 songs relate with love (76.8%), 31 songs relate to family and friendship (6.2%), 43 songs relate to encouragement (8.6%), and the last relate with others (8.4%) (BaiDu). Obviously, love becomes the “Boss” in the music, which means the concepts of gender play an important role in the music. I would like to talk more about how music illuminates the role separately playing on the males and females. Now, comparing the concepts of gender with many years ago, the role females play has a colossal difference. The modern  music makes it easier  to see the female self-awareness.

Sonny & Tiny Tim... Wait, What?

In 1965, pop music duo Sonny & Cher took America by storm with their hit single “I Got You Babe,” a song that would soon define the duo for the rest of their careers and become a staple in their performances. The single was a duet between the couple telling each other about their love for one another. The song was created during the psychedelia age and soon became one of the defining singles of that era. The popularity of the song would lead to many covers from a diverse number of artists including David Bowie, Etta James, and Manfred Mann. However, there was one interesting cover that bent the performative roles of gender in music at the time. Just three years after the original release of the hit, Tiny Tim released his cover of the song.

If She Was a Boy, Would it Make a Difference?

         
 
“If I Were A Boy,” recorded and performed by American singer and artist Beyoncé Knowles, was
written in 2008 by BC Jean, American singer-songwriter, and Toby Gad, German producer and songwriter. It became the lead single in Knowles’ album I Am… Sasha Fierce. It immediately was “well received” by the public and critics. Knowles’ emotional interpretation and vocal performance earned her the rank of third on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Although it was originally written by and intended to be recorded by BC Jean, Knowles took the opportunity when BC Jean’s version was rejected by her record company. Beyoncé Knowles recorded this song, knowing it was something completely different than what she was used to doing. This song was more of a “pop ballad,” rather than R&B which Knowles was known for. After BC Jean found out that her original version had been re-recorded and accepted, she wasn't so thrilled. Eventually, Knowles and Jean had to come to an agreement to solve their differences. Knowles was able to record her version and produce a well-directed video that demonstrated typical, but all too true, cultural concepts of gender.
 

Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” Causes Controversy 

Robin Thicke, American-Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and actor, teams up with Pharrell Williams, R&B singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, and fashion designer, to produce one of the most racy, graphic songs and music videos of our time titled, “Blurred Lines.” Well-known hip-hop star, T.I., makes an appearance in the song as well. This brand new single was released on July 30th, 2013 and immediately made iTunes’ top 100 songs. ITunes categorizes “Blurred Lines” under the genres including Pop, Rock, R&B/Soul and Contemporary R&B. Their new single has caused controversy in news today: NBC news, ABC news, the Huffington Post and BET have all made it known that “Blurred Lines” is demeaning and unoriginal in its content. “Blurred Lines” mocks gender and promotes misogynistic views in society today.

What Is A Real Man?

Alex Shirk

Music & Gender

A Real Man

    In today’s society, there are many suggestions of how people should act - whether it concerns gender, age, or race. The media, a person’s peers, and culture are big, relentless forces that attempt to control people’s actions and beliefs. One influentially subliminal medium that takes part in this so-called brain-washing of society is popular music. Regardless of the genre, different modes of music can give people ideas of how they should act and what is and is not seen as socially acceptable. Stereotypically, artists of popular music give the statement that their music is just entertainment and is not to be taken literally, yet people perceive their music in a very different way. One modern and clear example of this perception can be heard in Justin Moore’s hit single “Bait A Hook.” This song exemplifies much of society’s idea of what a real man should be and act like. In a somewhat passive-aggressive tone, Justin Moore passes this idea onto his listeners in black and white. Although portrayed by a light-hearted and jolly tune, Justin Moore’s “Bait A Hook” communicates to listeners the perception of cultural concepts of gender, namely, males. 

To cheat or Not to Cheat

To Cheat or Not to Cheat

Going through a significant other's phone or spying on them with another person is never an easy situation to comprehend, but Creep by TLC, emphasis the idea of do unto others as they do to you; cheat right back. TLC, composed of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, was commonly known for Watkins’ deep and soulful verses as well as Left-eyes unusual nasal rap solos. TLC’s music was considered part of the women’s empowerment movement as well as vastly different from what was being produced at the time, as their music created many unheard of beats, as well as colorful music videos that no one was even thinking of at the time. Their song

Creep  was no different.

Stupid Girls

“I Don't Wanna Be A Stupid Girl"

“Where, oh where, have the smart people gone?”

One might be slightly taken aback by these words, but solo artist P!NK points out the shameful truth with this question in her song “Stupid Girls."  Today we live in a society where the term “perfection,” while a positive word in itself, is leading women down a negative path. Through advertisements and media, the female population is being influenced by a world of “perfect women” who in reality do not even exist.  Women with big breast and a perfect arse, absolutely no facial flaws and long luscious hair, all of which, has led to a major increase in the plastic surgery market (Shape).  Nevertheless, this digitized perfection seems to be the only way in which women feel beautiful and it unfortunately skews the common man's perception of a “perfect woman” too.  Take note, that many men want to be in command and therefore prefer to be smarter than their female counterpart. This explains why many women dumb themselves down or act ditzy around guys. Women will do whatever it takes to win over a man and sometimes that involves extreme measures to attain so-called “perfection.”  P!NK’s new song describes this unrealistic world and how it has distorted women’s self-image.

What is "Home" ?

Aubrey Drake Graham, more commonly called Drake, is one of the most popular rappers of the 21st century. Holding multiple spots on the Billboard top 100 list, Drake has been pleasing the ears of his listeners since his first mixtape came out in 2006. Since his first tape, titled Room for Improvement, Drake has released 7 other mixtapes and albums, including his most recent album, Nothing Was the Same. The track "Hold on, We’re Going Home" was the first song released from his new album, and was written by Drake himself. Running at 3 minutes and 47 seconds, the song describes how culture has shaped and portrayed a man's behavior, especially towards women. The lyrics to the song reflect one gender role for men, while the video spins another.

What makes a girl, a girl?

Music has a huge influence on today’s culture and concepts of gender. Lana Del Rey is a 27-year-old musical artist with a very distinct singing voice. Lana Del Rey says “I’ve been a writer since I was seven… I can’t do much else. I wrote every word on my album… There is nothing that I didn't write.” Her song “This Is What Makes Us Girls,” was written to describe her feelings right before her parents sent her off to an exclusive boarding school in Connecticut. In the song, there is a very clear description of how women and men have been culturally shaped, how female behavior is influenced by male interaction and persuasion.