Music and gender hold a special relationship and result from various factors in different societies worldwide. Different factors influence this relationship. Rock is the music genre that represents the shift from a conservative mindset from the 40s to a more rebellious and progressive mindset of the late 50s, 60s, and 70s. Its origins date back to the mid-1950s when most societies held strict gender roles. In the U.S., rock music became a staple of the young men and women of the time, who were beginning to divert from traditional thinking and began worrying about many social issues, including the existent gender inequality. Unfortunately, the vast majority of early rock groups were mainly composed of males, and women were underrepresented in the revolution that rock meant in the world of music. Many of the few women who have made it to popularity in rock bands have clearly left an impact and have created many staple songs. An example of this would be the band Fleetwood Mac; two of their members were females, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie.
Stevie Nicks wrote the song "Dreams," which quickly became one of Fleetwood Mac's most popular songs in all of their discography. The song has more than 1 billion streams on Spotify and has become a staple of the 70's. The song's lyrics convey a sense of desperation and sorrow. The song has a slow and conjunct rhythm. The beat is simple and easy to follow but still very catchy. This song is one of my favorites of this era of rock music. The lyrics are deep, have meaningful words, and have a catchy beat and guitar riff. Stevie Nicks was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Another very important female artist of the rock genre is Debbie Harry, the lead singer of the band Blondie. Their music represented a more feminine style of rock music. She incorporated classic rock of the time and added lyrics that exemplified and showed a clear signature of feminine nature. The band was also known to mix various genres of music like disco, punk, and disco pop. Debbie Harry was a staunch feminist. She became a public figure representing women's rising role in music. Blondie's music has become a staple of rock music of the 70's and 80's.
Hi Miguel! I agree that rock is one of the most pivotal genres for gender expression in music! I love the women you chose to write about. I feel like we often passively listen to these artists without acknowledging what trailblazers they were for women in rock at the time.
ReplyDeleteHi Miguel, I enjoyed reading your post. I enjoy how you broke down the factors within different genres of music and their political target audience. I also really enjoy listening to many songs by Fleetwood Mac.
ReplyDeleteHey Miguel. Your post is very interesting to me. I don't listen to rock but the few songs I have heard, I did notice they we all male singer. I had no idea that there are female rock singers as well.
ReplyDeleteHey Miguel, I like this post a lot because it made me think of how outshined women were during the rock era. Large bands were known as the most popular but a lot of female artists made great rock music. I really like Fleetwood Mac as well, they are a good example of this.
ReplyDeleteHi Miguel, I agree that Fleetwood Mac is a great example of showing how each gender can play a part in music. I also liked the Debbie Harry song because I never heard it before but thought it sounded cool. I think music should be judged based on how it sounds, not about who writes or performs it.
ReplyDeleteHi Miguel, I loved your post and how you went back to the older days of music like the 40s, 50s, and etc. I also agreed with many of the few women who have made it to popularity in rock bands have clearly left an impact.
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