We all know that women are still discriminated against in many industries when
it comes to recognition, promotion and equal pay. But surely the music business
is more enlightened ... or is it? As I worked on a page of the best rock songs
of all time, I consulted the Rolling Stone list of 500 greatest songs of all
time, and several other online lists, and came to the conclusion that female songwriters
are still being shortchanged. Yes, there were a few songs by Carole King and Joni Mitchell
represented, but utterly stellar songs like "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez,
"Thank You" and "White Flag" by Dido and "Love And Affection" by Joan Armatrading were nowhere to be seen. So I decided to create a list of my own. I hope you'll agree with me that the songs below deserve
consideration for anyone's "best of" rankings. I can't agree with Rolling Stone
that jingly commercial successes are "better" than many of the songs below. The bios and song notes are taken from the artists' Wikipedia
pages.
Janis Joplin
Down On Me
traditional folk song
vocal arrangement and altered lyrics by Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin took the traditional 1930s folk song "Down On Me," rearranged the music
and altered the lyrics, giving it a totally new "feel."
Janis Joplin
Piece Of My Heart
written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns
vocal arrangement by Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company
"Piece of My Heart" was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and
originally recorded by Aretha Franklin's older sister Erma Franklin in 1967. The song came to greater
mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company covered the song
in 1968, featuring Janis Joplin's gritty vocals. Erma Franklin said in an interview that when she first heard Joplin's
version on the radio, she didn't recognize it because of the vocal
arrangement. Noted cultural writer Ellen Willis wrote of the difference: "When
Franklin sings it, it is a challenge: no matter what you do to me, I will not
let you destroy my ability to be human, to love. Joplin seems rather to be
saying, surely if I keep taking this, if I keep setting an example of love and
forgiveness, surely he has to understand, change, give me back what I have
given". In such a way, Joplin used blues conventions not to transcend pain, but
"to scream it out of existence."
Heart
Straight On
music and lyrics by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson
Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart comprise a blockbuster songwriting team. "Straight
On" (above) is a hard-charging rock song. But "Dog and Butterfly" (below) is one
of the most tender and whimsical songs ever to hit the charts. And of course it
doesn't hurt that Nancy Wilson is a stunningly good vocalist in almost any mode.
Heart
Dog and Butterfly
music and lyrics by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson
Joan Armatrading
Love And Affection
Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist.
She began writing music and lyrics at age 14 and during her career has only
performed her own original work. But with the ability to write and perform songs
like "Love and Affection," she doesn't need to cover other people's work, does
she?
Annie Lennox
Walking on Broken Glass
Annie Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish recording artist and one
half of the duo Eurythmics. Lennox
penned some of the band's best-known tracks, including "Sweet Dreams (Are Made
of This)" and "Here Comes the Rain Again."
In the 1990s, Lennox embarked on a solo career beginning
with her debut album Diva (1992), which produced several hit singles including
"Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass." She is the recipient of eight BRIT Awards,
more than any other female artist. In 2004, she won both the Golden Globe and
the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the
soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also
a political and social activist, notable for raising money and awareness for HIV
charities in Africa. She also objected to the unauthorized use of the 1999
Eurythmics song "I Saved the World Today" in an election broadcast for Israeli
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Known as a pop culture icon for her distinctive
contralto vocals and visual performances, Lennox has been named "The Greatest
White Soul Singer Alive" by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time
by Rolling Stone. She has earned the distinction of "most successful female
British artist in UK music history." Including her work within Eurythmics,
Lennox is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 80
million records worldwide.
Enya
Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)
Enya (born Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin on 17 May 1961), is an Irish singer,
instrumentalist and composer. The media sometimes refer to her by the Anglicized
name, Enya Brennan. She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her
family band Clannad, before leaving to perform solo. She gained wider
recognition for her music in the 1986 BBC series The Celts. Shortly afterwards,
her 1988 album Watermark propelled her to further international fame and she
became known for her unique sound, characterized by voice-layering, folk
melodies, synthesised backdrops and ethereal reverberations. Her atmospheric
vocals on the song below are the best I've heard in my 52 years on this planet.
Enya
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
(a traditional Christmas carol sung by Enya)
Sade
The Sweetest Taboo
Helen Folasade Adu (born 16 January 1959), better known as Sade, is a
British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State,
Nigeria. Her middle name, Folasade, means "honor confers your crown." When Sade was 11, she moved to live at Holland-on-Sea with her
mother, and after completing school at 18 she moved to London and studied at the
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. While at college, she joined a
soul band, Pride, in which she sang backing vocals. Her solo performances of the
song "Smooth Operator" attracted the attention of record companies and in 1983,
she signed a solo deal with Epic Records, taking three members of the band with her. Sade and her band
produced the first of a string of hit albums, the debut album Diamond Life, in
1984, and have subsequently sold over 50 million albums. She is the most
successful solo female artist in British history.
Sade
No Ordinary Love
Sade
Your Love is King
Fiona Apple
Criminal
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American
singer-songwriter. Born in New York City, Apple is the daughter of singer Diane
McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart. Apple was introduced to the music industry in
1994 when she gave a demo tape to a friend who was the babysitter of music
publicist Kathryn Schenker. Schenker then passed the tape along to Sony Music
executive Andy Slater. Apple's contralto voice, piano skills and lyrics captured
his attention, and Slater signed her to a record deal. In 1996, Apple's debut
album, Tidal, received a Grammy. The album sold 2.7 million copies and was
certified three times platinum in the U.S. "Criminal", the third single, became
a hit and the song reached the top forty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The
song's controversial Mark Romanek-directed music video — in which a
scantily-clad Apple appeared in a '70s-era tract house — played on MTV. Apple
later said: "I decided if I was going to be exploited, then I would do the
exploiting myself."
Melanie
Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)
Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (born February 3, 1947) is an American
singer-songwriter. Usually known professionally as Melanie, she is best known
for her hits "Brand New Key" and "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)." Melanie made
her first public appearance at age four on the radio show Live Like A
Millionaire. She was a student at New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts
when she began singing in the folk clubs of Greenwich Village and signed her
first recording contract. Her debut album received rave reviews. In 1969,
Melanie had a hit in the Netherlands with "Beautiful People" before performing
at Woodstock. The inspiration for her signature song, "Lay Down," apparently
arose from the Woodstock audience lighting candles during her set. "Lay Down"
peaked at #6 on the Billboard singles chart and achieved worldwide success.
Later hits included "Peace Will Come (According To Plan)" and a cover of the
Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday." In 1971 Melanie formed her own label,
Neighborhood Records and had her biggest American hit: the number one smash
"Brand New Key" (often called "The Roller Skate Song"). "Brand New Key" sold
over three million copies worldwide and was featured in the 1997 movie "Boogie
Nights." When first released, "Brand New Key" was banned by some radio stations
because of possible sexual innuendo in the lyrics: "I got a brand new pair of
roller skates, / You got a brand new key. / I think that we should get together
and try them out, to see..."
The follow-up single to "Brand New Key" was "Ring the Living Bell" and it made
Melanie the first female performer to have three concurrent Top 40 hits. She was awarded Billboard's #1 Top Female Vocalist
for 1972.
Melanie
Brand New Key
Melanie
Look What They Done to My Song, Ma
Melanie
Stop! I Don't Wanna Hear It Anymore
Christine McVie
Songbird
Christine McVie (born Christine Anne Perfect, 12 July 1943, near Greenodd,
Cumbria) is an English rock singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Her primary
fame came as a member of the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, although
she has also released three solo albums. After
marrying Fleetwood Mac bass guitarist John McVie, she joined the band in 1970.
She quickly became an essential member of
the group and the author of some of its finest songs, a position she would
continue to hold for nearly 25 years. In 1974, the
band moved to the US to make a fresh start and within a year Stevie Nicks and Lindsey
Buckingham joined the group. Their first album together, 1975's Fleetwood Mac,
had several hit songs, including McVie's "Over My Head" and "Say You Love Me." It was "Over My Head" which first put Fleetwood Mac on
American radio and in Billboard's Top 20. In 1976, McVie began an
affair with the band's lighting director, which
inspired her to write "You Make Loving Fun," a top-10 hit on
Rumours, one of the best-selling albums of all-time. Her biggest hit was "Don't
Stop", which climbed all the way to number 3. The Rumours tour also included
Christine's "Songbird," a ballad played as the encore of many Fleetwood Mac
concerts.
Christine McVie
Got a Hold on Me
Christine McVie
As Long as You Follow
(performed by Fleetwood Mac)
Stevie Nicks
Landslide
Stevie
Nicks, like Christine McVie a member of Fleetwood Mac, said that she wrote this song while she was contemplating going back
to school or continuing her relationship with Fleetwood Mac guitarist/singer/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham. Buckingham and
Nicks had been dropped by Polydor Records and she and Buckingham were not
getting along. She wrote the song while visiting Aspen, Colorado sitting in
someone's living room and "looking out at the Rocky Mountains pondering the
avalanche of everything that had come crashing down on us ... at that moment, my
life truly felt like a landslide in many ways.
Stevie Nicks
Go Your Own Way
written
by Lindsey Buckingham
(performed by Fleetwood Mac)
Buckingham wrote this song for (or directed it at) Stevie Nicks, after their romantic relationship
ended. The song describes their breakup, with the
most obvious line being, "Packing up, shacking up is all you want to do." Nicks
insisted she never shacked up with anyone when they were together, and wanted
Buckingham to remove or change the line, but he refused.
Stevie Nicks
Gold Dust Woman
When asked about the song in an interview with Courtney Love for Spin in
October, 1997, Nicks said: “You know what, Courtney? I don't really know what
‘Gold Dust Woman’ is about. I know there was cocaine there and that I fancied it
gold dust, somehow. I'm going to have to go back to my journals and see if I can
pull something out about ‘Gold Dust Woman.’ Because I don't really know. It's
weird that I'm not quite sure. It can't be all about cocaine.”
Sinéad O'Connor
Nothing Compares 2 U
written by Prince
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (born 8 December 1966) is an Irish
singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The
Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the
song "Nothing Compares 2 U."
Since then, she has regularly courted controversy with
her outspokenness, shorn head, and views on religion, women's rights, war and
her own sexuality, while still maintaining a singing career. Her body of work
includes a number of collaborations with other artists and appearances at
charity fundraising concerts, in addition to her own solo albums.
Patti Smith
Because The Night
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American
singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential
component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album
Horses. Called the "Godmother of Punk," her work was a fusion of rock and
poetry. Smith's most widely known song is "Because the Night", which was
co-written with Bruce Springsteen and reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in 1978. In 2007 she was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Born
Patricia Lee Smith, she spent was raised as a
Jehovah's Witness. She had a strong religious upbringing and a Bible education,
but left organized religion as a teenager because she felt it was too confining;
much later, she wrote the line "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine" in
her cover version of Them's "Gloria."
Because The Night
Take me now, baby, here as I am
Hold me close, try and understand
Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe
Love is a banquet on which we feed
Come on now, try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand, come under cover
They can't hurt you now
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us
Have I doubt, baby, when I'm alone
Love is a ring on the telephone
Love is an angel, disguised as lust
Here in our bed 'til the morning comes
Come on now, try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand, come under cover
They can't hurt you now
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us
With love we sleep, with doubt the vicious circle turns,
and burns
Without you, I cannot live, forgive the yearning burning
I believe in love too real to feel, take me now, take me
now, take me now
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to lust
Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us
June Carter Cash
Ring of Fire
June Valerie Carter Cash (June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was a singer, dancer,
songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family
and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. She played the guitar, banjo,
harmonica, and autoharp and acted in several films and television shows. "Ring of Fire" is a country music song co-written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore.
Some sources claim that June Carter had seen the phrase, "Love is like a burning ring
of fire," underlined in one of her uncle A. P. Carter's Elizabethan books of
poetry. The song was originally recorded by June's sister, Anita Carter as
"(Love's) Ring of Fire". After hearing Anita's version, Cash
claimed he had a dream in which he heard the song accompanied by "Mexican horns."
Cash allowed some time for Anita's song to catch on, stating: "I'll give you
about five or six more months, and if you don't hit with it, I'm gonna record it
the way I feel it." When the song failed to become a major hit for her, Cash
recorded the song with mariachi-style horns. It became the biggest hit of his
career, staying at number one on the charts for seven weeks. It's ironic that
Johnny Cash is best known for two songs: "I Walk the Line" (in which he promised
to be faithful to his first wife) and "Ring of Fire" (a song penned by his
mistress).
Cyndi Lauper
Time After Time
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer,
songwriter and actress. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release
of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four
top-five singles from one album. Lauper has released 11 albums and over 40
singles, and has sold more than 30 million records worldwide. Lauper was born
and raised in New York City. At age twelve, she learned to play an acoustic guitar,
which her sister had given her, and started to write her own lyrics. At age
seventeen, she left home, to study art.
In 1978, Lauper met
saxophone player John Turi and formed a band called Blue Angel. A few demos were
recorded and the tape found its way to Steve Massarsky, who said the tape was horrible, but
that he was
attracted to Lauper's voice. Music critics
who saw Lauper perform with Blue Angel thought she had star potential
because she had a wide singing range (four octaves), perfect pitch, and a unique vocal
style. In 1981, Lauper met
David Wolff, who took over as her manager and signed her with Portrait Records. Wolff had been working with a band called Arc Angel.
In 1983, Lauper's album She's So Unusual was released and became a worldwide
hit. Lauper became popular with
teenagers and critics, in part due to her hybrid punk image. The album's second
single was the ballad "Time After Time," which Lauper co-wrote with Rob Hyman when her producer suggested that the album could use one more song. The
record label did not have much faith in Lauper as a songwriter, but "Time After
Time" hit #1 on both Billboard's Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and the
song has
been covered by more than 100 artists.
Carly Simon
That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be
Carly
Simon was born in New York City. Her father,
of Jewish descent, was Richard L. Simon (co-founder of Simon & Schuster), a
pianist who often played Chopin and Beethoven at home. Her mother was Andrea
Louise Simon (née Heinemann), a civil rights activist and singer of black and
German descent.
Her solo music career began in 1971, with the
self-titled album Carly Simon on Elektra Records. The album contained her breakthrough
top-ten hit "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be." It was followed
quickly by a second album, Anticipation. The title song from that album, written
about a romance between Simon and Cat Stevens, was a significant hit, reaching
#3 at Easy Listening radio and #13 on Billboard's Hot 100. The next single
release - also reportedly written about Stevens - was "Legend In Your Own Time"
which failed to make much of an impact on the charts. After their brief
liaison during 1970–1971 ended amicably, Stevens wrote his song "Sweet Scarlet"
about Simon, who also had highly publicized relationships with Warren Beatty,
Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson, and James Taylor during this period.
In 1973 Simon scored the biggest success of her career
with the classic global smash "You're So Vain." It hit #1 on the U.S. Pop and
Adult Contemporary charts and sold over a million copies in the United States
alone. It was one of the decade's biggest hits and propelled Simon's
breakthrough album No Secrets to #1 on the U.S. album charts, where it stayed
for six consecutive weeks. "You're
So Vain" received Grammy Award nominations for Record Of The Year, Song Of The
Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.
The subject of the song itself has become one of the
biggest enigmas in popular music, as this track also carries one of the most
famous lyrics: "You're so vain/I bet you think this song is about you." Simon
has never publicly admitted who the song is about. She hinted that it could be a
composite of several people, and for many people the most likely "suspects" have
always been Beatty or Jagger (who sings backup vocals on the recording). Simon
has given vague hints over the decades to a variety of talk shows and
publications, saying that riddles wouldn't be interesting if everyone knew the
answers to them. In 2003 she auctioned off the information
to the winner of a charity function, with the
condition that the winner (television executive Dick Ebersol) not reveal the
answer.
Carly Simon
That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be
My father sits at night with no lights on
His cigarette glows in the dark.
The living room is still;
I walk by, no remark.
I tiptoe past the master bedroom where
My mother reads her magazines.
I hear her call sweet dreams,
But I forgot how to dream.
But you say it's time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me -
Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be:
You want to marry me, we'll marry.
My friends from college they're all married now;
They have their houses and their lawns.
They have their silent noons,
Tearful nights, angry dawns.
Their children hate them for the things they're not;
They hate themselves for what they are-
And yet they drink, they laugh,
Close the wound, hide the scar.
But you say it's time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me -
Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be:
You want to marry me, we'll marry.
You say we can keep our love alive
Babe - all I know is what I see -
The couples cling and claw
And drown in love's debris.
You say we'll soar like two birds through the clouds,
But soon you'll cage me on your shelf -
I'll never learn to be just me first
By myself.
Well O.K., it's time we moved in together
And raised a family of our own, you and me -
Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be,
You want to marry me, we'll marry,
We'll marry.
Dido
Thank You
Dido, nee Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong (born 25 December 1971),
is an English singer-songwriter. Following the sampling of her single "Thank
You" on Eminem's 2000 hit "Stan," Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut
album, No Angel (1999). The album sold in excess of 21 million copies
worldwide, and won several awards; including the MTV Europe Music Award for
Best New Act, two NRJ Awards for Best New Act and Best Album, and two BRIT
Awards for Best British Female and Best Album. Her following album, Life for
Rent (2003), continued her mainstream success with the help of popular singles
"White Flag" and "Life for Rent." The album went on to sell around 12 million
copies worldwide and saw her receive more accolades; including the Ivor Novello
Award for Songwriter of the Year for "White Flag", two further BRIT and NRJ
Awards, as well as a Grammy Award nomination. Her third and latest studio album,
Safe Trip Home (2008), received critical praise to help maintain her success.
Dido has been ranked #98 of Billboard 200 Artists Music Chart based on the
success of her music in the first decade of the 21st century. She has sold over
6 million albums in United States, and 32 million albums worldwide, establishing herself as one of the best-selling
artists of her time.
Dido
Thank You
My tea's gone cold, I'm wondering why
I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
and I can't see at all
And even if I could it'd all be grey,
but your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it's not so bad,
it's not so bad
I drank too much last night, got bills to pay,
my head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there'll be hell today,
I'm late for work again
And even if I'm there, they'll all imply
that I might not last the day
And then you call me and it's not so bad,
it's not so bad and
I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life
Push the door, I'm home at last
and I'm soaking through and through
Then you hand me a towel
and all I see is you
And even if my house falls down,
I wouldn't have a clue
Because you're near me and
I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life
Dido
White Flag
I know you think that I shouldn't still love you,
Or tell you that.
But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it
where's the sense in that?
I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder
Or return to where we were
I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be
I know I left too much mess and
destruction to come back again
And I caused nothing but trouble
I understand if you can't talk to me again
And if you live by the rules of "it's over"
then I'm sure that that makes sense
I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be
And when we meet
Which I'm sure we will
All that was there
Will be there still
I'll let it pass
And hold my tongue
And you will think
That I've moved on....
I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be
I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be
I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be
Dido
Here With Me
Joan Baez
Diamonds and Rust
Joan Baez is one of the foremost American folksingers. She writes much of her
own material although some of her best-known songs, such as "The Night They
Drove Ole Dixie Down" were written and first performed by other artists. Among
the songs she wrote and performed herself, my favorite song by far is "Diamonds
and Rust," a song that has been said to be about Bob Dylan.
I'll be damned, here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full
And you decided to call
And here I sit, hand on the telephone
Hearing the voice I'd known
A couple of light years ago
Headed straight for a fall
But we both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust
Yes we both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust
Now I see you standing with brown leaves all around and
snow in your hair
Now we're smiling out the window of the crummy hotel
over Washington square
Our breath comes in white clouds, mingles and hangs in
the air
Speaking strictly for me we both could've died then and
there
Now you're telling me you're not nostalgic
Then give me another word for it
You were so good with words
And at keeping things vague
Cause I need some of that vagueness now
It's all come back too clearly, yes, I love you dearly
And if you're offering me diamonds and rust, I've
already paid
But we both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust
Yes we both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust
Diamonds, diamonds and rust
Diamonds, diamonds and rust
Diamonds, diamonds and rust
Diamonds, diamonds and rust
Janis Ian
At Seventeen
I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth...
And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say "come dance with me"
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems at seventeen ...
A brown-eyed girl in hand me downs
Whose name I never could pronounce
Said: "Pity please the ones who serve
They only get what they deserve"
The rich-relationed hometown queen
Marries into what she needs
With a guarantee of company
And haven for the elderly ...
So remember those who win the game
Lose the love they sought to gain
In debitures of quality and dubious integrity
Their small-town eyes will gape at you
In dull surprise when payment due
Exceeds accounts received at seventeen...
To those of us who knew the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball
It was long ago and far away
the world was younger than today
when dreams were all they gave for free
to ugly duckling girls like me ...
We all play the game, and when we dare
We cheat ourselves at solitaire
Inventing lovers on the phone
Repenting other lives unknown
That call and say: "Come on, dance with me"
And murmur vague obscenities
At ugly girls like me, at seventeen ...
Janis Eddy Fink (aka Janis Ian) was born to a Jewish family in New York City on
April 7, 1951. Her parents ran a summer camp in upstate New York and during the Cold War era were frequently under government surveillance because of
their left-wing politics. Young Janis Fink admired the work of folk pioneers
like Joan
Baez and Odetta. At the age of twelve she wrote her first song, "Hair of Spun
Gold," which appeared on her debut album. At age thirteen, she legally changed her
name to Janis Ian, using her brother Eric's middle name as her new last name.
Also at age thirteen, Ian wrote and sang her first hit
single, "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)," about an interracial
romance forbidden by a girl's mother and frowned upon by her peers and teachers:
the girl ultimately decides to end the relationship, citing the societal norms
of the day. "Society's Child" finally became a national hit on its third
release, after Leonard Bernstein featured it in a TV special titled Inside Pop:
The Rock Revolution. The song's message
was taboo for some radio stations, which refused to air it. In her autobiography Society's Child, Ian recalls
receiving hate mail and death threats as a response to the song, and mentions
a radio station in Atlanta being burned down for playing it. And yet "Society's
Child" reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. Her album was also a hit,
reaching #12. In 2001, "Society's Child" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of
Fame, which honors recordings considered timeless and important to music
history.
Her most successful single in the United States was "At
Seventeen", which was
acclaimed by critics and record buyers alike: it charted at #3 on the Billboard
Hot 100 and hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. "At Seventeen" also won the 1975 Grammy Award
for Best Pop Vocal Performance
Janis Ian
Society's Child
Come to my door, baby,
Face is clean and shining black as night.
My mother went to answer you know
That you looked so fine.
Now I could understand your tears and your shame,
She called you "boy" instead of your name.
When she wouldn't let you inside,
When she turned and said
"But honey, he's not our kind."
She says I can't see you any more, baby,
Can't see you anymore.
Walk me down to school, baby,
Everybody's acting deaf and dumb.
Until they turn and say, "Why don't you stick to your
own kind."
My teachers all laugh, the smirking stares,
Cutting deep down in our affairs.
Preachers of equality,
Think they believe it, then why won't they just let us
be?
They say I can't see you anymore baby,
Can't see you anymore.
One of these days I'm gonna stop my listening
Gonna raise my head up high.
One of these days I'm gonna raise up my glistening wings
and fly.
But that day will have to wait for a while.
Baby I'm only society's child.
When we're older things may change,
But for now this is the way, they must remain.
I say I can't see you anymore baby,
Can't see you anymore.
No, I don't want to see you anymore, baby.
Carole King
Been To Canaan
Green fields and rolling hills
Room enough to do what we will
Sweet dreams of yestertime
Are running through my mind
Of a place I left behind
Been so long, I can't remember when
I've been to Canaan and I want to go back again
Been so long, I'm living till then
'Cause I've been to Canaan and I won't rest until I go
back again
Though I'm content with myself
Sometimes I long to be somewhere else
I try to do what I can
But with our day-to-day demands
We all need a promised land
And it's been so long, I can't remember when
I've been to Canaan and I want to go back again
Been so long, I'm living till then
'Cause I've been to Canaan and I won't rest until I go
back again
Oh, I want to be there in the wintertime
With a fireplace burning to warm me
And you to hold me when it's stormy
Been so long, I can't remember when
I've been to Canaan and I want to go back again
Been so long, I'm living till then
'Cause I've been to Canaan and I won't rest until I go
back again
Carol Klein (she added the "e" to her first name)
was born in 1942 to a Jewish household in Manhattan, New York. She grew up in Brooklyn
and started out playing piano, then moved on to singing, forming a vocal quartet
called the Co-Sines at James Madison High School. As a teenager who dreamed of
having a successful entertainment career, she decided to give herself a new last
name, picking "King" from the telephone book. She attended Queens College,
where she was a classmate and girlfriend of Neil Sedaka and inspired Sedaka's
first hit, "Oh! Carol." She responded with "Oh! Neil" and "Will You Love Me
Tomorrow." At Queens College, she also befriended Paul Simon and Gerry Goffin.
King and
Goffin formed a songwriting partnership; their first big hit was
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow," recorded by The Shirelles, which topped the
American charts in 1961, becoming the first #1 hit by a girl group.
Goffin and King married in 1960 and went on to write a number of chart-topping
hits together. They divorced in 1968 and King went on to write and record
chart-topping songs like "It's Too Late" (#1), I Feel the Earth Move", "Jazzman"
and "So Far Away." Counting song of hers recorded herself by other artists, King
has had over 100 songs on the Billboard charts, and seven number one songs.
Joni Mitchell
Both Sides Now
performed by Judy Collins
Bows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere: I've looked at cloud
that way.
But now they only block the sun, they rain and snow on
everyone.
So many things I would have done but clouds got in my
way.
I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall.
I really don't know clouds at all.
Moons and Junes and ferris wheels, the dizzy dancing way
you feel
As every fairy tale comes real: I've looked at love that
way.
But now it's just another show. You leave 'em laughing
when you go
And if you care, don't let them know, don't give
yourself away.
I've looked at love from both sides now,
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall.
I really don't know love at all.
Tears and fears and feeling proud to say "I love you" right out loud.
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds: I've looked at
life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange, they shake their
heads, they say
I've changed.
Well, something's lost but something's gained in living every
day.
I've looked at life from both sides now,
From win and lose, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall.
I really don't know life at all.
Joni Mitchell is one of America's foremost singer-songwriters and folk singers.
Her best-known compositions include "Woodstock," "Both Sides Now," "Help Me,"
"Free Man in Paris" and "Big Yellow Taxi (They Paved Paradise and Put Up a
Parking Lot)."
Joni Mitchell
Big Yellow Taxi
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Hey farmer farmer
Put away the D.D.T. now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Late last night
I heard my screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
I said don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Angel
Sarah McLachlan
Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There’s always one reason
To feel not good enough
And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight
In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There’s vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lie
That you make up for all that you lack
It don’t make no difference
Escaping one last time
It’s easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees
In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here
"Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album
Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the
Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on
heroin and died in 1996. McLachlan explained that there's nothing constant when
you are on the road; everything becomes the same. McLachlan said that writing
"Angel" was easy, "a real
joyous occasion." It was inspired by articles that she read in Rolling Stone
about musicians turning to heroin to cope with the pressures of the music
industry and subsequently overdosing. She said that she identified with
the feelings that might lead someone to use heroin: "I've been in that place
where you're so fucked up and you're so lost that you don't know who you are
anymore, and you're miserable—and here's this escape route. I've never done
heroin, but I've done plenty of other things to escape." She said that the song
is about "trying not to take responsibility for other people's shit and trying
to love yourself at the same time."
Martina McBride
Independence Day
written
by Gretchen Peters
performed by Martina McBride
"Independence Day" is a song performed by country singer Martina McBride,
originally included on her 1993 album The Way That I Am. Released as a single in
1994, the song peaked at #12. Gretchen Peters wrote the song, and later
recorded it herself. It was first offered to Reba McEntire, who turned it
down. The lyrics tell a story of a woman's response to domestic abuse, seen
from the point of view of her daughter. The song's music video was somewhat
controversial at the time of its release, because of its graphic depiction of
domestic violence. The ending of the video is particularly intense, as it shows
the young girl's home burning to the ground, implying that the mother had been
responsible for the fire, and that the mother and the abusive father both
perished in the fire. The girl is at Fourth of July parade when she gets a feeling
that something is wrong and returns home. The home is engulfed in flames by the
time she gets back, and she is shown towards the end of the video crying in the
front seat of a police cruiser.
The lyrics have a double meaning in that the woman in
the story is finally gaining her "freedom" from her abusive husband. Thus, it is
her "Independence Day." The title also refers to the fact that the events noted
in the song happened on the United States' Independence Day. Martina
McBride (born Martina Mariea Schiff on July 29, 1966, in Sharon, Kansas) is an
American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the
"Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range.
Strawberry Wine
written
by Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison
performed by Deana Carter
He was working through college on my grandpa's farm
I was thirsting for for knowledge and he had a car
I was caught somewhere between a woman and a child
When one restless summer we found love growing wild
On the banks of the river on a well beaten path
Funny how those memories they last
Like strawberry wine and seventeen
The hot July moon saw everything
My first taste of love oh bittersweet
Green on the vine
Like strawberry wine
I still remember when thirty was old
My biggest fear was September when he had to go
A few cards and letters and one long distance call
We drifted away like the leaves in the fall
But year after year I come back to this place
Just to remember the taste
Of strawberry wine and seventeen
The hot July moon saw everything
My first taste of love oh bittersweet
Green on the vine
Like strawberry wine
The fields have grown over now
Years since they've seen a plow
There's nothing time hasn't touched
Is it really him or the loss of my innocence
I've been missing so much
Like strawberry wine and seventeen
The hot July moon saw everything
My first taste of love oh bittersweet
Green on the vine
Like strawberry wine
"Strawberry Wine" is the title of a song written by Matraca Berg and Gary
Harrison, and recorded by American country artist Deana Carter.
The song tells the story of co-writer Berg's own coming of age as a teenager
outside of Luck, Wisconsin, she recalled: "We used to go to my grandparents'
dairy farm in the summer. My aunt, who's six months younger than me, and I would
try to score some wine. And I met this boy..." Berg shopped the song to
record labels around Nashville, but they passed, considering it overly long and
controversial, and not memorable enough. Deana Carter heard Berg perform the
song at a showcase and then recorded it for her debut album, Did I Shave My Legs
for This
"Strawberry Wine" debuted at #70 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles &
Tracks for the chart week of August 17, 1996. The song reached #1 on
the chart in November 1996, holding the position for two weeks.
"Strawberry Wine" won Song of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards
in 1997 and was voted Song of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association
International and the Nashville Music Awards. That year, the song was also
nominated for three additional awards; Grammy Award for Best Country Song,
Academy of Country Music Awards Best Country Song nominee, and Country Music
Radio Awards for Song of The Year.
Madonna
This Used To Be My Playground
Madonna has written a number of chart-topping songs, including "Vogue," "Take A
Bow," "Papa Don't Preach," "Ray Of Light," "Lucky Star" and "This Used To Be My
Playground."
Female singer-songwriters of note, in alphabetical order (with my admittedly
highly subjective ranking for those in the top ten):
Tori Amos
Fiona Apple
India Arie
Joan Armatrading
Erykah Badu
Joan Baez
Matraca Berg
Bjork
Kate Bush
Mariah Carey
June Carter Cash
Tracy Chapman
Patsy Cline
Paula Cole
Shawn Colvin
Sheryl Crow
Dido (#3)
Ani DiFranco
Enya
Melissa Ethridge
Lady Gaga
Debbie Gibson
Emmylou Harris
Debby Harry (of Blondie)
P. J. Harvey
Chrissie Hynde
Janis Ian
Jewel
Norah Jones
Rickie Lee Jones
Janis Joplin
Annie Lennox
Alicia Keys
Alison Krauss
Carole King (#1)
Holly Knight
Alison Krauss
K. D. Lang
Cyndi Lauper (#10)
Peggy Lee
April Levigne
Loretta Lynn
Madonna (#2)
Martina McBride
Sarah McLachlan
Christine McVie (#9)
Melanie (#5)
Natalie Merchant
Joni Mitchell
Alanis Morissette (#8)
Nena
Stevie Nicks (#6)
Sinéad O'Connor
Beth Orton
Dolly Parton
Liz Phair
Bonnie Raitt
Jeanie C. Riley
Sade (#4)
Carol Bayer Sager
Jill Scott
Carly Simon
Patti Smith
Phoebe Snow
Regina Spektor
Taylor Swift
K. T. Tunstall
Suzanne Vega
Diane Warren
Gillian Welch
Ann Wilson (#7)
Nancy Wilson (#7)